Countries

The geopolitical states of Ranu.

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Affaria

Type: Voivodeship
Capital: Portzingust
Population: 240,000
Ruler: Voivode Cneajna
Symbol: Quartered heart
Alignment: Unaligned

The Philosopher's Voivodeship of Affaria is a forested region that is economically dependent on Rendru and Gradina, but politically autonomous. The Affarian people are a distinct subculture of the Rendruan culture, with many practices of soul-sending, warring against inclement weather, special festivals, and unique holidays. There is a university there home to a famous school of philosophy and naturalism.

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Belasar

Type: Duchy
Capital: Hrod Bojovslav
Population: 540,000
Ruler: Knez Vojnamier
Symbol: Purple sword
Alignment: Fey

The Duchy of Blades. A fey region known for its powerful military. It was once part of Fraxan but has become independent as it is still loyal to the Queen of All Fairies. Their military, which is the many garrisons of the noble houses as well as the royal army, is very celebrated, and most people in Belasar want one day to be part of it. Recognition as a great warrior is the utmost honor.

The countryside is cut through by the Fluxul Zeitei, the massive river that flows through most of central Ranu. Along its route, it cuts through mountains via a large tunnel known as the Cesta Zubov, the Way of Teeth, as it is home to many stalagtites. It is large enough that it does not impede river traffic.

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Burev

Type: Empire
Capital: Mŭdrost
Population: 2,000,000
Ruler: Tsar and Svetets Rosen Apostol I
Symbol: Circled cross
Alignment: Imperial

The Saint's Empire. A large ecclesiastical empire that has ambitions to join the White Crown Concordance. It is ruled by Tsar and Svetets Rosen Apostol, Emperor and Saint of the Burevi and its attendant states.

Churches dot the landscape, dominating every town. The landscapes rolls between forest, plain, hill, and mountain, with the Fluxul Zeitei (which is locally called Bozhiamoc (God's Might) running through it. The imperial capital, Mŭdrost, is home to a cathedral, Kupolŭt na Svetiite (Dome of the Saints), as large as most palaces.

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Campurile

Type: Queendom
Capital: Orashnegru
Population: 500,000
Ruler: Regina Bujor
Symbol: Peony
Alignment: Elemental

The Flower Queendom, ruled by Regina Bujor, a small queendom of plant folk, great flowering fields, and floral beauty that is weakening as shadows loom. Spring lingers longer here because the calushari never stop dancing. There is a mountain vale so covered in flowers none have ever seen beneath them. The waters here are pure and clean, and the rains are sweet and soft. If the calushari stop dancing, winter comes, and they sleep, and if they do not awaken, shadow will encompass them all. The Fluxul Zeitei flows through here.

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Dulocha

Type: Semi-democratic
Capital: Lebopraz
Population: 100,000
Ruler: Skupushchina (Assembly)
Symbol: Oak
Alignment: Elemental

The Viridian Assemblages. A coastal region ruled by an elected council and powerful elders who are guardians of nature. Dulocha is a holdout against imperial influence where people still recall the ancient ways before the Fall. At the heart of this region are the Kozmichni Hrast (Cosmic Oak) and the Svetovna Gora (World Mountain), two vast elemental beings and locations that represent an axis mundi. The people of Dulocha revere Mother Shem and the world itself, and they fight ferociously to protect nature.

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Fraxan

Type: Kingdom
Capital: Vchod
Population: 1,800,000
Ruler: Kral Dalebor
Symbol: A broken septagon
Alignment: Fey

The Defiant Kingdom. A fairy kingdom in rebellion against the Queen of All Fairies, who rules the realm of Faerie to the far west. The Kral (King) of Fraxan is Dalebor, a spurned consort of the Queen of All Fairies who has invoked spells to make Fraxan his place and none other. The kingdom is protected by a barrier of illusory forest and fairy magic that makes it harder to go in and out. Those who enter may get stuck there by many fey means.

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Gradina

Type: Principality
Capital: Valdeadurita
Population: 1,000,000
Ruler: Princ Trandafiru
Symbol: Pumpkin
Alignment: Fey

The Principality of Pumpkins, ruled by the spirit Princ Trandafiru. It is a place of whimsical fairytales where people transform at night, gourds contain magic, and stories thrive. The curse on Princ Trandafiru has become a point of pride, and pumpkins are special and magical within the borders. Everywhere is a garden, forest, field, or place of fey green, and magical stories come true constantly. The Fluxul Zeitei flows through here.

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Idangar

Type: Grand Principality
Capital: Galbarlang
Population: 2,500,000
Ruler: Nagyhercegnő Szironka
Symbol: Falcon
Alignment: Unaligned

The Falconer's Home. A forested, mountainous Grand Principality. It is fiercely independent and will not be conquered, influenced, or controlled by the larger empires. Hunting is the national passtime and a means of survival, and the fur and trapping trades in Idangar are the finest in the world. Birds have special meaning here, especially raptors, and the Idangarians always wear feathers. The Fluxul Zeitei also flows through here.

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Jedinstven

Type: Commune
Capital: Jedinstven
Population: 25,000
Ruler: Savet (Council)
Symbol: Tapan/davul drum
Alignment: Celestial

The Great Commune. A major communal city-state formed in the midst of many countries that strives to retain its independence in a hostile world. The massive commune is more farm than city, but it is close-knit throughout. Despite its large Population, everyone seems to know one another. It is a place where many cultures come together. Every Cesti people, every culture of Dulocha, Murja, Ollygrus, Ottavia, Spokojno, and more are present and mixed openly, celebrated separately, and all their languages are spoken here.

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Kardis

Type: Alliance of principalities
Capital: Plustosh
Population: 210,000
Ruler: Seven princs
Symbol: Seven white snowflakes on a black field
Alignment: Elemental

The Winter Principalities. Seven polytheistic principalities protected from imperial power by its cold climate. The seven principalities have minor distinctions between them, but their culture is very similar. Winter is honored, waited for, prepared for, longed for, and survived each year as they weather the heavy snows and long nights.

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Kerrem

Type: Principality
Capital: Apanou
Population: 200,000
Ruler: Domnitor Veaceslav
Symbol: Twisted tree
Alignment: Imperial

The Burning Woods. A smaller principlaity haunted by nightmare spirits and its past as a colony of Ladrya. The former Ladryan culture lingers - they have a love of horses and certain cuisines - but the distinct Kerremian culture is a mix of Cesti, Rendruan, Burevi, Vesturian, and Stayflian. The dominant ruling class is terroristic and cruel, and the people long for when they were once many peoples in one shared place. The Fluxul Zeitei flows through here.

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Kherephuv

Type: Queendom
Capital: Sherand
Population: 500,000
Ruler: Thagarni Matuya
Symbol: Six septagons
Alignment: Fey

The Legendary Realm. A fairy queendom ruled by the Thagarni (Queen) Matuya. It is a magical place that can hide itself from outsiders. It is said it even moves, though this is unclear. Once inside, those who find it find themselves in deep, open forests with pools scattered throughout. These violet-watered pools are beautiful portals to wonders, and the Kherephuvians move throughout the world, always to return. They have many customs that outsiders are unfamiliar with, and many that are common amongst the fey.

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Murja

Type: Dual principality
Capital: Belimest
Population: 1,200,000
Ruler: Princ Lazar and Princ Marko
Symbol: Two hands
Alignment: Imperial

The Split Principality. The First Principality of Murja is ruled by Princ Lazar, a heroic figure who believes his people are the chosen ones. He is allied with the White Crown Concordance and seeks to spread its borders. His brother, Princ Marko, a similarly heroic figure, rules the Second Principality. He does not want to join the White Crown Concordance, though he believes his people are the chosen ones. The split is reflected also in the way the plains that dominate the country are split. The Fluxul Zeitei flows through here.

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Ollygrus

Type: Kingdom
Capital: Njegovavila
Population: 1,000,000
Ruler: Kralj Zejd
Symbol: Three-tailed scorpion
Alignment: Imperial

The Kingdom of Scorpions. A kingdom under the sway of notoriously cruel Kralj Zejd, it is allied with the White Crown Concordance and seeking to expand its power throughout the region. Its mountains are wracked with plague, which has lingered here longer than elsewhere; whole towns and castles are fully quarantined, and rats are everywhere. They believe monsters lurk in the wilds at night, and no one dares cross king or church. The only thing more plentiful than plague and rats are the scorpions, the national Symbol and pride, who are kept as pets and also a common pest. The king even rides a giant scorpion.

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Ottavia

Type: Kingdom
Capital: Obalarijeke
Population: 800,000
Ruler: Kralj Slavogost
Symbol: Two triangles
Alignment: Unaligned

Kingdom of Temples. A smaller kingdom ruled by Kralj Slavogost, it is notable for being a haven for religious freedom in an era where such is rare. Ottavians are proud of their freedoms - religion, speech, and movement, being allowed to travel from fiefdom to fiefdom freely. They believe in these rights above all else. It is a kindgom of mountains and valleys, with powerful winds flowing through often. These winds bring dangers during the winter and spring. The Fluxul Zeitei flows through here.

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Paurek

Type: Empire
Capital: Sharshas
Population: 2,000,000
Ruler: Karalius Mindawe
Symbol: Six blue teardrops
Alignment: Imperial

Empire of Tears, so-called because its last three Rulers killed themselves. It is undergoing difficult economic times. A small but growing empire ruled by Karalius (King) Mindawe, it is independent of the White Crown Concordance (for now), and it seeks expansion. It controls major regions such as Aeslaw, Wybrezu, and parts of Kordonia. There are thousands of lakes within its borders. These lakes, called Lashai (the Drops), are said to be sewn with the tears of the people. It is also home to large trees that sit lonely on the flat plains or coming out of the lakes.

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Rendru

Type: Principality/Colony
Capital: Vesela
Population: 1,000,000
Ruler: Domnitor Ilias
Symbol: Yellow silhouette
Alignment: Imperial

Shadowed Colony. Once an independent and powerful Principality, this is now a colony of the Empire of Malaer to the east. Rendru is considered by some to be the source of the shadows that are growing. Despite the shadows growing there, there are many forests, plains, and mountains. It is also home to very distinctive, imposing castles due to being the center of warfare in times past. The Fluxul Zeitei flows through here.

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Shar

Type: Kingdom
Capital: Veelezherit
Population: 300,000
Ruler: Mbret Edon
Symbol: Hand with an eye
Alignment: Fey

Kingdom of Fate. A land kept independent by the power of fate, ruled by Mbret (King) Edon. It is a place where belief in fate is so strong that many are completely fatalistic. It is unusually warm, warmer than other parts of the region, and located on a sea to the south. It is otherwise very mountainous, which is where the oras (spirits of fate) dwell and guide the kingdom.

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Smeshan

Type: City-State
Capital: Smeshan
Population: 40,000
Ruler: Knyaz' Mikhalko
Symbol: Arc bridge
Alignment: Unaligned

City of Bridges. A city-state with a mixed government, this is a major coastal port where trade and commerce take precendence. Just inland is a massive lake, situating the city-state between two large bodies of water, making it susceptible to floods. The city is named for the many bridges over the waterways that flow through it.

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Spokojno

Type: Fiefdom
Capital: Ispodbrda
Population: 50,000
Ruler: Kralj Ogromnakrila
Symbol: Five flames
Alignment: Unaligned

The Dragon's Home. A small, southern draconic fiefdom on the border between Ranu and Stayflies, ruled by Kralj Ogromnakrila, a powerful and ancient dragon. A mountainous country, the upper reaches of the mountains are rocky and jagged, making parts of it treacherous to move through. The dragon's dominance means the culture is focused on his whims and power.

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Surva

Type: Small communities
Capital: Taidloss
Population: 400,000
Ruler: None
Symbol: Three waves
Alignment: Elemental

The Coastal Territories. A cluster of seafaring communities who have kept their independence due to their remote location. The coastal communities are also protected by tall cliffs that rise above them. In places, massive waterfalls spill over, arching over the towns and creating wondrous walls of water. The seas dance with the waterfalls, and the people dance with the waters.

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Tridesy

Type: Tsardom
Capital: Mokrygorod
Population: 333,333
Ruler: Tsar Kojata
Symbol: Three wands crossed
Alignment: Fey

The Thrice-Tenth Tsardom, a fairy tsardom ruled by Tsar Kojata. It is part of Faerie even though it is not geographically connected. It is a tsardom of witches and ancient tales, a place where fairytales are true, where stories told are powerful, and stories kept give secret strength. It is a huge tsardom that is unmappable; only part of it appears on the maps of Ranu. Like many fey places, it is halfway into the Dream Realm.

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Vesturia

Type: Empire
Capital: Luzha
Population: 6,250,000
Ruler: Czar Mikhail
Symbol: Crowned serpent
Alignment: Imperial

Empire of Serpents. The massive White Crown Empire to the north that is ruled by Czar Mikhail (considered a weak czar) and the heart of imperial power in the region. It is huge, sprawling northward through taiga and tundra, plain and mountain. It is extremely diverse, containing in it the massive wilderness of Colesh. It is a powerhouse, a place where the strong walk all over the weak, where snakes are seen as virtuous, and where might makes right. The people suffer as the Rulers thrive.

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Virpristat

Type: Wilderness
Capital: None
Population: 25,000
Ruler: None
Symbol: Spiraling helix
Alignment: Unaligned

The Vortex. A region on the border of Belasar and Fraxan where reality is warped and everything speeds up inexplicably. There is no explanation for this area.

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Vsemy

Type: Rebelling state
Capital: Dolangorod
Population: 10,000
Ruler: Sekretar' Vova
Symbol: Flail and star
Alignment: Celestial

The Resistance. A small part of Vesturia on its southern border (near Paurek) that is in open rebellion and run by a special elected council. This small region is trying to shake off the yoke of Vesturian power, but they still honor their own culture(s) and people(s). It is a haven, for now, from imperial might, but it is very precarious.