Western Aerdyn
Wostenheim is primarily home to humans and a large population of dwarves. The Dragonspine Empire looms large over every other country continent, even though it has lost roughly 50% of what it controlled 500 years ago. The Great Southern Kingdoms of Mittgarn and the and tribes of the Sündenrich are being forcefully consolidated by King Nivrea of Schallrich and may become a challenger to the Empire in another few decades… if the young upstart survives the machinations of the Imperator.
The Nordsteinen, home to the Nordzwerg or Northern Dwarves, is an unforgiving range, filled with towering peaks and deep valleys. Rich in precious metals, the Nordzwerg control vast wealth. Over the centuries, their gold and silver has tainted the minds of the Dwarves. They fear the other Ancestries, even their own brethren, covet their riches and wish to steal them. This has made them distrust those not of the Nordsteinen. Their growing paranoia may lead them to close their gates to the rest of the world, so that they may deny the thieves their takings.
The Mauernzwerg, Dwarves of the Avermauren, are merchants and craftsmen. They craft incomparable armor and weapons, make wondrous devices, and brew delectable beer and liquor. They are especially known for their Br’ban, a brown-colored alcohol that tastes of vanilla, caramel, and smoke. Unlike any other, they are shrewd businessmen. This has led to many finding their way to the Dragonspine Empire, to run vast trading houses that send Mauernzwerg goods to all corners of Jhardunne.
The Dunkelzwerg, the Dark Dwarves, reside in The Khun Mountains, far to the east. The first to settle in Aerdyn, after the fall of Kh’druin, they were eventually led to Corruption, enticed into darkness by The Foul Wind. It is they who forge the weapons and armor carried by the armies of the Vile Princes as they gather in The Cursed Steppes. They are masters of working Arkhstein, the remarkably durable metal only found in The Khun.
Southeast Aerdyn
Southeastern Aerdyn is home to a mix of humans, halflings, gnomes, elves, and Ogres. Several large kingdoms and numerous tribes exist within the equatorial jungles and the southern plains. The Vindar, Dak-Sahar, and Quanshai regions are considered mysterious and exotic by the citizens of the Empire and, thus, are viewed with suspicion and mistrust. Quanshai, now home to the Ogres, especially captivates the West, given how often Quanshaian ships pull into ports.
Central and Far Eastern Aerdyn
Eastern Aerdyn is a barren and blasted land, home to Yrchs, goblins, corrupted Ogres, trolls, and other beasts. Corruption spews from a massive geographic rift – the remnants of a fallen comet – in the center of the region’s vast wasteland, The Cursed Steppes. Although only occasionally active, its size allows large numbers of Corrupt to pass through. Several Corrupt citadels and temples are scattered across the region, amassing armies to one day march across the mountains and slaughter those beyond them. The Och Khorinth Desert is home to the necromantic kingdom of Thau M’shapul. Across the Plains of Dagorean roam vast tribes of nomadic humans and ogres, though they have little in common with their western counterparts. The Vergimmt Ost is a largely unknown to westerners, considered a place of dark magics and evil peoples, as the the Khairn Wilds. The Khun Mountains are home to corrupted and twisted dwarves and the source of a dark metal, called Arkhstein, coveted by blacksmiths worldwide for its hardness and the keen edge kept by blades crafted from it.
Northern Aerdyn
Northern Aerdyn, comprising the Nordwildern region and the Nordsteinen mountains are home to numerous human tribes and dwarven settlements. The Empire has been trying to subjugate both for centuries but has made little headway. The fiercely independent Vekorn and Rhundin peoples have defeated everything the Imperator has sent into their lands and, over the last few centuries, have begun raiding into the Empire, itself.