THE HISTORY OF A WORLD THAT NEVER WAS
- TECHNOLOGY & MAGIC -
The planet of Arcadia is an earth sized body that orbits a cluster of three suns, has two moons and is a vast collection of continents and islands that is home to many extremely varied races and creatures. There are large populations of Arcadians living in stone age conditions, while many others live in sprawling, highly advanced cities with technologies that are hundreds of years ahead of modern Earth. The biggest issue Arcadia faces regarding the proliferation of advanced technology is primarily one of resources and infrastructure. Even within The Kren Empire, which boasts one of the largest and most technologically advanced cities in all of Arcadia, can you find large discrepancies state-to-state.
Some theorize that the reliance and prevalence of magic in certain cultures and regions has also contributed greatly to the slow pace of technological advancement. While this is certainly true and many nations and peoples have used magic as a means to "keep up" (economically and, more importantly, militarily) with neighboring states more focused on the sciences, the lack of large, easily accessible sources of raw materials, energy and a consistent means to extract and transport these materials has, undoubtedly, been the greatest factor contributing to this discrepancy. To the contrary, while being a replacement for some societies, magic has also often times been a compliment to technology for others.
- THE KREN & THE ALLIED NATIONS -
In the West, The Kren Empire is the oldest civilization that still stands and thanks to their genocidal hostility towards other races and continued hunger for more land to annex, many other nations of the West have banded together to form a unified front to oppose the Kren, particularly as Mordak rose to take control and centralize power in the empire. The current primary members of the Allied Nations are: Prio, The Cilistine Empire, Ares (inhabited by The Ancients), The Forest Serene, The Borderlands, The Peak, The Ice Mountains, The Federal Lands and Equa.
The strength of this Alliance has been unusually strong and that is in great part due to the absolute necessity of such a coalition in the face of a force looking to annihilate and enslave almost any other race they come in contact with.
- THE EAST -
While The Kren Empire and the Allies can be considered the controlling forces of The West, a single, small island city-state is without question the most powerful force in The East. Called The Diamond Isle thanks to a robust diamond trade being the historic foundation of The Isle's great wealth and ruled by a small (thirteen member) Council of Lords (known as "The Lords of The Isle"), this tiny island wields the greatest economic and consequently the greatest political and military power throughout the entirety of The East without any real opposition. In recent times, due to the loss of the mines of Pariah and the diminishing of The Kren's economic power, The Isle has started to see its influence increase in The West as well, as those nations turn to The Isle for raw material trade (The Pit being the main source of raw materials that is under the singular control of The Diamond Isle).
Only The Wilds and the farthest continent to the east of have any real independence from The Isle's influence. In the case of The Wilds, the lack of influence is more a lack of interest due to it being a small continent overrun with savage tribes without any real economic, strategic or political value. The continent farthest to the East presents a host of problems that have kept it separate from The Isle's influence. Primarily how remote the northern reaches are, the threat and hostility of The Trogs and the difficult terrain found throughout the large continent.