A tough group of go-your-own-way cold dwellers who have decided to colonize the near-arctic lands of the far north rather than the Western Territories of the New World. So far, no one else really wants their space.
Swaziland uses manatech where available, particularly for survival purposes, but most of their personal technology is mechanical only.
A friendly country until ired, Itila is composed mainly of gnomes, with the occasional halfling, wanderkin, or other smaller race. Everything in their country is sized towards the gnomish race. Still, they receive a lot of tourism because of their good food and interesting innovations.
Itila was one of the first countries to explore the New World. They lost their original colonies due to Inglesh neighbors pushing inwards; rather than fight, the Itilans forged south, and founded Little Itila, including the Isle of Gnomia, which provides a wayport to the Down Under.
While Itila is very slow to start a conflict, they are masters of defensive fortifications, and have an equal interest in mechanical, alchemical, and manatech technologies, as well as many allies; as such, it is considered impractical at best to wage war against them.
Also known as Not Appearing In This Colonization. The Alemanese have yet to develop an interest in the New World. A wealthy monarchy populated with longer-lived races almost exclusively, they aren't sure that this new world is worth bothering with, so they are in a wait and see state. However, the news of great treasures discovered in the New World has started to attract their attention.
Aleman prefers old-fashioned magics and alchemy to modern technology, but are good enough at using them that they have yet to be considered 'obsolete'.
A mixed collective of races, ruled by a council of elders. Orchans are great respecters of nature, and believe they have much to learn from the shamanistic New Worlders. Their territory is under constant threat from Espana, who thinks the Orchan people are barely civilized and one step above savages themselves. Orchans are master woodworkers and are researching the trees and plants of the New World. They work very sustainably.
Orcha prefers to use old-fashioned magics and alchemy, and in particular are fond of nature magic. They are also quite versed in poisons and using the environment to their advantage, which has so far served them well against Espanish incursions on their territory.
Espana is a tightly controlled country ruled by a monotheistic church. Their church leader is also the country's ruler. They are primarly of dwarven and dragonborn descent, strong races that inhabited and thrived in the mountainous territory of their country. They see the New World as a place to spread their faith, building missions with dazzling stonework, trying to draw in the native people. At times, this draw is by force as they consider manifest destiny their divine right. They enslave natives who resist conversion and export them to work their country's fields, and use necromantic magics to raise the dead to continue this work, a practice that the shamanistic natives of the Western Territories find abhorrent as it keeps them from returning to the earth. Espana trades very selectively, with preference given to those of their own faith. Their westward spread is viewed as a mission of faith.
Espana is most fond of alchemical technology, particularly black powder and explosives, and while they understand manatech and mechanical engineering they prefer to use it for more utilitarian purposes (their railrider and war wagons being an example.)
The humans of Franzia and the elves of Ingle have historically warred, and the rulers of Franzia consider the Inglesh monarchy as ridiculously outdated. Their current government system is one of elected representation. They view New Franzia as a full part of their empire, and treat their citizens well. They are more lax about providing incentives to colonize the Western territories, figuring the true Franzian loves adventure and hates the Inglesh, so why wouldn't they go west? Franzia hunts, traps, and fishes along the coastline. It trades freely with other colonies, even the Decade, but their prime goods are often shipped home or enjoyed within their own colonies. Fine luxuries from Franzia are coveted by the New Franzian colonists. Though the majority of citizens are humans, halflings, and so on, there are some halfbreeds and quarterlings amongst them due to intermarriages and affairs.
Franzia happily trades for technology from all regions, and works with all technologies, though they are best at mechanical designs.
A ruling family of elves with a hereditary head of government, and a parliament of its sub-territories and nobles of other races as representatives. Their colonial area is perhaps the most 'civilized', a collection (called a 'decade') on city-states, each with a governor appointed by the crown. Currently, there is only one parliamentary representative to represent all ten colonies in parliament. The colonies are arguing to have a more fair representation of each city state, rather than have a single voice representing them as a homogenous whole.
To distract them from the growing unrest, Ingle has offered incentives of discounted supplies and tax-free claims to Inglish citizens willing to join the pioneering movement towards the Western Territories.
Ingle is a strongly magical country, with active interest in manatech. They particularly enjoy using manatech devices that draw their power from their wielder, using them to showcase their arcane mastery.
Once the world leader in technological and industrial revolutions, Archeria has been suffering some serious problems with elementals gone wrong. As a result, the strait between Archeria and the Down Under has become nearly impassible, and relations with former trade partners have become strained. Archeria hasn't gotten involved in colonization as they are quite busy with internal difficulties at the moment.
Archeria is a strong developer of manatech and mechanical technology, though their development has come to a standstill while they deal with their current problems.
The Wastes are a section of Archeria currently ravaged by magical conflicts due to experimentation in magitech gone wrong. As a result, the area marked as the Wastes is currently uninhabitable and the surrounding ocean is nigh-impassible.
First discovered by Ingle, and considered by Ingle as part of their territory. The tabaxi of the Cat Paw Islands have other ideas, though, and prefer to be left in peace. It is rare to see a tabaxi off of the island, but some do travel.
The Cat Paw Islands do not have the ability to manufacture the major technologies used by the colonial nations, and hold little interest in them.
The Scarlet Archipelago gets their scarlet color from red sands. Volcanic islands with fire elementals, fire elves, dragonborn and tieflings being the majority population.
The islands have been claimed by both Espana and Franzia, who have different uses for them. Espana tends to recruit and train heavy combat troops here, while Franzia conducts free trade with the natives. The island tribes are not considered technologically advanced for the time being.
A rich bamboo rainforest takes up a lot of the land here. Until the Incident of Archeria, the east coast was the primary trade center. The people of the Down Under are organized in ancestral clans, ruled by merchant houses and their hired warriors. They ride panda bars into battle. The western edge is rapidly becoming developed to accommodate new colonial trade. Some of the eastern coastal peoples, now out of work, are migrating west. They are being hired in various colonies for undesirable work.
The Down Under has seen limited technological development due to trading with other cultures, and are gradually working on replicating these developments; however, their attempts thus far have been less than successful.
The Decade of Ingle consists of ten city-states, each run by a governor appointed by the crown, who interact and trade with each other freely, and with interactions and trade with the outside world carefully regulated by Ingle's authority. Taxes and tariffs are levied on imports and exports between the Decade and elsewhere, including on tea, meat, furs, and crops.
The ten states are:
The borders between states are fairly lax, and are mostly noted for tax and judicial purposes. The borders between New Ingle and the outer world are more stringent, however. The ports of New Ingle are mostly dedicated to trade between it and the homeland, with few ships from other countries (although they are not prohibited.) New Ingle has a centralized rail line managed by the Inglesh government, which has a connecting point to New Franzia through Telon.
The territory of New Franzia is wide open, with the few large cities being mostly set up on the coast as port towns. Ships from all nations are encouraged to land and trade in New Franzia. They actively promote a broad diversity of goods from other countries, and export to nations.
Two non-competing rail lines run through New Franzia, connecting at the colony's capital trade city through a commercial partnership. One, the United Railway, goes north/south and connects to the rail lines of the other colonies. The other, the Frontier Line, is westward bound and slowly growing as New Franzia expands into the Western Territories.
The government in New Franzia is elected, and the colonists receive good representation in Franzia's home government, with equal seating to Franzian territory.