Binaka

The Fourth Age is the current age. Magic was brought back via the virus that ended the Thirds Age (thanks to manipulation by the gods) and civilization is at a fantasy middle ages stage of deveiopment.   There are three major human (and/or mixed) nations/cultures: the Eastern Principalities, Nuerruoddel, and an as yet unamed nation. There are also the Elfs, who have their own nation in Ishä; the Dwarfish Empire; and the Osnlil.   The Eastern Principalities is the region where the once nomadic desert dwelling Kaushan settled. Their culture is very loosely based on Western notions of Arabic nations.   Nuerruoddel is a powerful nation that influences almost all trade on the Two Continents. Their coinage is universally accepted and well supported. They've had a series of good and fair rulers that expanded their influnce through peaceful means. One has to guess that some nasty ruler is coming soon.   The unnamed nation is based loosely on medieval Europe. There's a royal family with all the intrigue that goes with that, a ruling class, a merchant class, and the peasant class. And of course things like theives guilds and assassins guilds. They also have a dedicated academic class, including one of the greatest research libraries in existance.   The elfs are somewhat isolationist, but they have a strong representation in the outside world, with representatives present in most courts and seats of power, as well as explorers and academics. Their nation is centered on the Mother of Forests, an enormous tree in the center of their territory.   The dwarfs are very isolationist and are just now starting to form relationships in the outside world. As is usual with dwarfs, they make the finest metal-based products of the world. They are divided into a number of kingdoms but have been united into a single Empire for a less than a generation (the first emperor is still the current emperor).   Finally, the Osnlil are a relatively low population species that has a small homeland. However, they are widely sought out as advisors because of their reputation for being quite wise and reliable.   There are a couple of defined races that don't have their own territory or nation, the Scions and the Shifters. The Scions are very limited in number (no more than 24 or so at the moment they are direct representaives of the gods, more than priests but less than avatars. The Shifters are group of human-appearing creatures that can shift into animal forms; they are almost universally feared thanks to the xenophobia of the Dwarfs early on in the Fourth Age.