The 5 Nations
The Slumbering Dragon sits at the crossroads of the Five Nations. In the midst of their myriad, constant disputes and quibbles, the tavern serves as the keystone holding their uneasy truces intact.
In the west, the Frontier Kingdoms have mastered magic and machinery, giving rise to a civilization founded on advanced arcanotech. Ruled by the arch-cardinal kings and protected by the enigmatic Veilmentaari, this coalition of kingdoms is one of clanking automata, glittering steampower, and extravagant wealth.
The southeast is dominated by the Huldenburg Protectorate, a cosmopolitan nation that hangs in the sky, its settlements and holdings suspended from the great crystal wall or from marvelous hot-air balloons that hover far above the unstable ground. It is known for its vast merchant fleet, its multicultural cuisine, and its diverse inhabitants, all guided by the providence of their Lady Graceful.
Mycandon and Her Sisters, in the south, consists of three sovereignties: Jesselbrook, Cunranda, and the eponymous Mycandon. The source of bountiful fruits and spices, this land is guarded by the walking trees and knightly fungal folk, all of whom serve truth and justice in the name of their Grand Spore.
And in the northeastern isles, the Talon Elrana holds sway. Its reclusive avian folk are masters of potent but perilous crystalline mana, and they guard their home and its natural resources with novel weapons they call “firearms.” Though outsiders are not prohibited from entering the Talon Isles, the Elrana’s might gives even the most headstrong adventurer second thoughts about doing so.
The Seat of the Wintercaller is no nation proper; rather, it is a loose affiliation of tribes, towns, itinerant travelers, and other peoples who populate the continent’s north. Each year, the Wintercaller marks the end of harvest and ushers in the cold season of long nights—a darkness, some say, that reflects what lies beneath the Orespring Mountains.
Representatives from each of these nations congregate at the Slumbering Dragon to parlay, cajole, quibble—and most importantly, compete against one another in the Dungeon Dive. Settling their differences by proxy prevents international tensions from erupting into open conflict and plunging the continent of Tirna again into the violent chaos that preceded the Dragonfall.