Loros: The Land of a Thousand Nations

[BrawnerWilliam]

Loros is a fantasy world with a technology level in the early-to-mid 1900s, but with some occasional magic thrown in. There are gods, who have their own melodramas and usually sit back and watch the mortals go to war with each other, but occasionally a god will interfere, and crazy things happen. As the title suggests, there are literally thousands of political entities, but to make things easier, they tend to group themselves into several cultural spheres. While the members of each cultural sphere are not necessarily allies, they often share some values, and speak similar, if not identical, languages. Here are some of the cultures you might encounter:

Dyoneans: A deeply religious people who are quite intolerant of outsiders. While technically polytheistic, their faith has a strong monotheistic bend to it, since they elevate their native god, Val Dyon, above all others, calling him "The Great Shield." Dyonean cultures often trade with each other, but rarely with the rest of the world. Their climate is quite cold in the winters, but summers are cool and pleasant. Dyonean nations maintain strong militaries but seldom launch wars of aggression. Recently, neighboring cultures have received a massive influx of Dyonean immigrants who have departed their native land looking for higher-paying jobs, religious freedom, and warmer weather.

Kalimoans: Kalimoans originate from a rocky island chain near the tropics. Kalimoan societies are typically divided into two castes: The landfolk and the seafolk. Each caste has special laws, rights, and responsibilities that apply only to its members. The seafolk are mainly fisherman and merchants, and provide the main liaison with other nations. They frown upon private property and believe in sharing the bounty as long as everyone does their share. They consider the landfolk greedy and sullen. The landfolk, on the other hand, live under a much more capitalist system where entrepreneurs are constantly opening up new businesses trying to squeeze out a profit. While the two castes have radically different lifestyles, they are codependent and united by their belief in representative government. Each caste elects members to the Parliament, which reconciles the needs of the two groups. Inter caste-tensions are on the rise, though, with the deplorable working conditions of factory laborers and the stagnation of trade.

Tarakonethians: The descendants of the ancient kingdom of Tarakonethis claim to be "built for war," but in all honesty, they're not very good soldiers. Honor and patriotism may have been enough back in the old days, but most of their nations lack the technology and the organization to keep up in the modern arms race. A humiliating defeat in the most recent war has not tarnished the Tarakonethian spirit, but has unfortunately made them the laughing stock of the world and the victims of many racist remarks. Over the last few years, however, many Tarakonethian governments have made significant reforms toward a more democratic and streamlined economy that could be the start of a revival of global power. Historically quick to make alliances and then break them, these nations could prove to be the wild card that will determine the outcome of future wars.

Isidoreans: These cultures all claim descent from the goddess Isidora, and often argue and even go to war over who has the "purest" line of descent. Stereotypically obsessed with their heritage, the Isidoreans trace ancestry through the maternal line, viewing the mother as the head of the family and the father as a mere accessory to the home. As a result, many children are raised by single mothers, and with the large number of single men, prostitution is common. At marriage, a man's fortune officially becomes his wife's property, but while the man is free to come and go as he wishes, the woman is expected to remain in the private sphere and devote her life to her children. Women struggle to find work outside the home and usually try to gain fame by advancing their sons' careers. However, a rising womens' rights movement seeks to undermine the traditional power structure and appears to be on the verge of breaking the opposition.

Ethymeans: The Ethymean cultures pride themselves on being the "inventors of democracy." They abhor kings and nobility, and profess the need to spread free elective governments throughout the world. Ethymean societies are typically divided between an upper class of priests, professionals, and businessmen, and a lower class of factory workers, farmers, miners and sailors. Very few people fall in between or advance from the lower to the upper. Unlike most cultures on Loros, Ethymeans are not opposed to imperialism. They have frequently tried to set up colonies across the world to enrich their governments, but these colonies have almost always collapsed after a few decades for reasons yet unknown.

Amynteans: Three hundred years ago, the glorious land of Amyntea fell subject to a series of plagues, disasters, and invasions. The Amynteans have never since recovered. Instead, they have migrated to all corners of the world in search of a better life, but most were sorely disappointed when they faced discrimination and low-wage labor upon reaching their new homes. Amynteans have a sizable population in almost every country, but are an almost universally oppressed minority. They are often the leaders of underground rebel organizations and liberation movements. Only once have the Amynteans succeeded in overthrowing the government, but their deeply flawed state collapsed after about ten years and they were forced back into oppression.

Paramoneans: The Paramonean civilizations spearheaded the age of exploration. Their ports still produce the finest ships in the world, and no other nation can match the strength of a Paramonean armada. They worship a collection of sea gods, and view the ocean as the source of their strength, and consider it a taboo to stray more than a few miles from the shore. Ever since the collapse of their colonial empires, the Paramonean civilizations have been in decline. Their mighty battleships are still working, but beginning to grow old and rusty, and their overpopulated nations lack the resources to build new ones. They are also suspicious of aircraft, a technology that most other nations have embraced. The age of Paramonean domination of the seas may be coming to an end.

Alakaians: Historically, Alakaians value the body above all else. Athletic perfection is the greatest good a man or woman can achieve. In pre-industrial times, Alakaian governments were in a perpetual state of instability, but their fine soldiers often sold themselves as mercenaries in foreign wars. But in the last few centuries, Alakaian nations have grown wealthy off the trade of gold and silver, and have industrialized more rapidly than anyone else in the world, thanks to their rigid cultural standards of perfection. Their focus on the body has become less of a cultural obsession, but many of the world's most skilled athletes still come from the Alakaian region. Alakaian civilizations are on the rise.