Common Culture
While most cultures on Tarien vary greatly from races to race — or from nation-states to nation-state, certain commonalities do exist that tie various cultures together. These commonalities—which exist mostly in currency, languages of Tarien, and measuring the passage of time — have come about for one simple reason — trade. Without common languages and currency, trade between disparate parts of the world would be impossible. Similarly, guilds — and their powerful economic force — exist throughout the world—often crossing the lines of nation and blurring distinctions of race. A common calendar ensures that political treaties and economic contracts are understood (if not followed) no matter who interprets them. While political relations may vary from the strong alliances that The Empire of Eldoria has with many of its former colonies to the millennia of war between the Soulmeliti and Elynthi, certain common rules of nationhood—how a sovereign state is viewed—do exist. In general, if a traveler on Tarien understands basic principles: currency, the calendar, language, and so on, then the traveler has a fair chance of making a living, no matter in which part of Tarien they find themselves.
Milestone Marker on the Trans-Rheuthengage Highway