Aland

The world of Aland is made up of 3 continents.   Serpé, the frozen continent in the north. Nations rise and fall with the seasons amidst the wars that are commonplace in this harsh land. This constant warfare has left them with five factions whose culture and beliefs are virtually indistinct from one another as they have all been refined to the same point.   Bastique, to the south, consists of mostly farmland. These farmlands are governed by small villages dotted around the land, who in turn are themselves governed by one of two states, who are officially allied and work to promote peace and the betterment of their people's lives. Unofficially, assassinations, thefts and betrayal are part of everyday life among the circles of the well-to-do.   The final continent is known as Persifon. An uninhabited land in which natural resources are plentiful and magic is still in the air. However, the land is rife with powerful and deadly monsters that cause all but the bravest explorers to look elsewhere for their taste of adventure.   The northern states, due to their constant warfare, are vastly technologically superior to the Southern states. Legends state that, should someone finally unite the northern lands, they will be able to sweep across Aland and conquer all of the continents, building the strongest empire in Aland's history. However, it is this very legend that keeps the nations divided, as each one struggles to be the uniting force told of in the stories.   The southern states, while lacking in technology, possess a vast amount of gold, resources and manpower in the form of the masses of common folk that live and work in the fields. When not working in the shadows of their ongoing efforts to outdo each other, the two nations of Bastique fund the ongoing wars in Serpé to ensure that no one nation could ever rise to challenge them.