Nations

Overarching Organizations

The Augury is the only extant empire across laminarum, containing several human nations known as "baronies." According to records, humanity is the only species to have a mind for imperialism; others have either proved too prideful to bend their knees or too free-willed to dominate others. At present (ca. 1947 NG), the Augury has moved to challenge such claims by conquering large swathes of Mot D'nir and its reptilian inhabitants while also attempting to conquer the elvish nation of Ghei Wyl.
the Augury forcefully ousted its preceding organization known as the Saltkrigere Empire and proceeded to occupy the entirety of its lands. Currently uncontested, the Augury maintains its position through divination: using three Augurs at any given time to scry information of the future and past. It's said that visions provided to the Augurs are often up to interpretation, yet they still possess their own determinate methods to see future events.

While utilizing future-sight and preventative action have given rise to ethical concerns, the Augury can hardly be contested with such boons in its arsenal. Even events which the Augurs were unable to prevent only gives more cause for their consuls and senate to gain more authoritative power over the lands they control. At present, there seems no end in sight for their rule, and surrounding territories wait with bated breath to see if the empire's scrying eyes will turn to them.
However, calling the Augury's rule authoritarian would be misleading. They allow extensive cultural freedom compared to the preceding Saltkrigere Empire. While some gods must be acknowledged within all territories and taxes are mandatory, the Augury is accepting of all foreign religions and allows them to be practiced (unless it directly contradicts their own, as seen with Eldurgrund and Anoch Athylis). Most of the empire's land was conquered by the Saltkrigere Empire, with the Augury merely refusing to relinquish their inheritance. Still, conquering large swathes of the marshes and flirting with elvish territory proves the empire as politically minded as its predecessor.

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The River Kingdom of Nim was the first great elvish kingdom formed following The Exodus of Ghei Wyl  . Nim fundamentally describes itself as an "anarchic kingdom;" that is, each lesser territory under Nim's control can elect to leave the kingdom. Truly, the concept could only function under the altruistic biology of the elves. At present (ca. 1947 NG), the kingdom includes the capital of Nim, the city of Mailes, several river forts, and associated territories. While it originally included the port city of Poueir, they recently elected to part from the kingdom.
The kingdom is currently ruled by Vhou Riyael, one of the few remaining elves from the exodus of Ghei Wyl. His ancient and continuous rule makes him an essential asset to the kingdom, yet no clear succession has been defined. In recent years, Nim has begun concerning itself with the Augury as it attempts to claim the bordering territory of Ghei Wyl. Now, Riyael must decide on the lesser extremism to support.

Initially, the kingdom had the potential to stretch all of Silse but its own anarchic policy became its undoing. Early in the formation of the three river forts, various commanders wished to separate from the kingdom but their requests were denied, as the law of the land declared "settlements" could elect to leave the kingdom: organism forts, of course, were not considered settlements. The discourse around the minute details of the law and questions about Vhou Riyael's competence eventually led to the fragmentation of elvish kingdoms. Now, the eastern kingdom of Nim does not expand beyond the central mountain range of Silse.

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The Southern Elvish Kingdom known as Bourilia had controversial beginnings. Initially serving as a fort at Silse's southern river confluence, its leader wished to declare independence after King Vhou Riyael provided limited support for their endeavors. Yael Haerehel would declare independence on the fort's behalf before being quickly dispatched by the forces of Nim. In the wake of Yael Haerehel's death, Paele Haerehel's would be placed on the throne. Ironically, due to her loyalty and leadership proficiency, Paele would eventually be granted the independence her father had craved.
Over time, the kingdom quickly gained a reputation for being the unofficial intermediary between Urale and Nim with regard to illicit activity. The kingdom's relaxed legislation and inclination toward local leadership means that any traveler can find a region that suits their needs. Today, Bourilia is an essential trade nation for its ports and connection between the other two kingdoms, even though trade relations are often tenuous.

While certainly rich due to bordering the Caripreet Sea, Bourilia has notoriously shown little care for expanding or involving itself in foreign affairs. While its leaders may take offers for subterfuge or spying, it has historically waited for offers from foreign forces rather than fighting on its own behalf. The greatest example of this would be during The War of Eyiliv  , in which they agreed to spy on Urale for the eastern elves; the unfortunate agreement served as justification for the westerns to kill Paele Haerehel and take the region for themselves (though by the end of the war they were ousted and the status quo resumed).

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The Western Elvish kingdom of Urale was born of sudden contempt for the River Kingdom of Nim. The first city west of Silse Mountains was constructed under Nim's rule, but when their eastern rulers proved inconsiderate of their needs, the Feneyl Dynasty rebelled with the help of Waning Rock magic. The kingdom would eventually spread across the entirety of western Silse and master Waning Rock, allowing for a reimagined civilization. One legendary construction is the Waning Keep- a royal estate suspended above the earth.
Much of the kingdom's activity is irreversibly tied with the capabilities of Waning Rock, and extensive use through generations has altered western elvish biology; while most elves are considered functionally immortal, a westerner may only live as old as 60 years. Such a drastic shift in lifespan has been reflected in Western politics, with relatively quick ideal shifts and less patience for achievement. However, increasing emphasis on the scientific process may reduce ill effects.

The three elvish kingdoms have lived in a balance for centuries, with most age-old tensions receding to history; while the West is often ostracized for their unnatural magic, elvish wisdom has made all parties put such concerns aside in the discussion of politics. However, Urale has proven its willingness to imperialize and dominate in several conflicts. Such a desire for control is novel for the elves, leading many to compare the Westerners to humans, though Urale's success in the matter pales in comparison to the Augury. Combined with its troubled history of race relations, it's no wonder that non-elvish outsiders are still dubious of Urale, even following their shift to a passive role in world politics.

Nations

Human Nations

Under the Augury

Independent

Under the Imperial Augury, distinct nations continue to pursue their interests, guard their borders, and engage in conflicts with each other. Some causes of war are deemed justifiable and permitted by the Augury, though occasional antagonists ignore the requests of the Augurs and are brought justice from the military of Saint's Maar. While Saint's Maar may get involved to defend other nations, such benevolence is not a guaranteed boon of joining the empire.
While the empire's reach is impressive, political maps hardly reflect the Augury's 'practical control' over its lands. For example, Shellbay is separatist, self-governing, religiously independent, and culturally unique in many ways, yet it is possessed by the Augury and follows imperial taxation. In the new marsh, or Newmot, only the northernmost cities on the continent are regularly tended. The southern roads are abandoned and unexplored, leaving the Augury to rely on native sympathizers to spread their authority. Few imperial laws are enforced in the deep marsh, nor do most inner marsh residents often meet a foreign imperial. Kazbur is another exception, serving as a site of research and cultural exchange with the Kaban locals, yet they claim the territory as their own while erecting no infrastructure in the region.

The only human nation considered wholly independent of the Augury is the Snow Rock Isles. Turbulent as of the year 1947 NG, the isles have slowly begun rejecting long-standing traditions while returning to the militant nature of humanity's ancient founding myths. While the denizens of the isles often trade with Shellbay and intermarry, the isles have inherited few of the technological advancements achieved by imperial territory. Its unwavering status in emulating its predecessors has made the Isles an essential site for homaging humans. While the Snow Rocks have alien ideals by modern standards, it shares the god Bailum with other dominant faiths, causing many to visit the Snow Rock Isles as a place close to the gods. The same pantheonic overlap is seen in the devil Milin Orphi, who is considered a great evil in the universe by both mythos.

Elvish Nations

Western Kingdom of Urale

Southern River Kingdom of Bourilia

Eastern River Kingdom of Nim

Other Augury Nations

Denemenir, Greylends, and Vhan Kath

The Free Cities

The free cities are characterized by their lack of affiliation with unions and imperial powers while holding a limited number of allied urban centers. The main free cities are Ghei Wyl, Poueir, Kala, Brillé, Roja, Krakan Bower, Thiff, and Gilir.

Ghei Wyl currently stands as both the oldest elvish nation as well as the longest-standing nation in Laminarum history. In fact, its ancient existence is only verifiable by the few elves who lived before The Exodus , as all written sources have withered to the dunes of Chaimut's Temporal Court.
The elves are written to be notably bizarre in the eyes of other races; they seemingly possess true altruism, meaning they innately value their fellow elf over themselves. Even so, other elvish organizations view Ghei Wyl as strange, foreign, and worthy of suspicion. Such scrutiny comes from the ancestors of its denizens, who refused to flee when the beast known as the Hailen Ryr awakened and obliterated the civilization. Most victims of the tragedy fled which eventually led to the creation of other elvish nations, but ancestors of its modern residents chose to stay and recover from the disaster. While seemingly an optimistic decision, outsiders viewed it as masochistic.

Those who stayed in Ghei Wyl reasoned that the gods had punished elvish hubris by sending the Hailen Ryr; such punishment was worthy of reverence and change. By comparison, those who fled were fed up with the onslaught of tribulations from the gods and decided to take matters into their own hands.

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[Cities are hardly monoliths themselves; the cities will be made of political, criminal, civilian, hobbyist, and business factions. Such groups may even have subgroups. To learn about the intricacies of each nation's civilized centers and minute factions, click on any given nation listed above.]