Eldrath: Once the largest naval power on Antares, Eldrath is situated at the closest point on the mainland to the continent of Arnos, directly across the Deserted Sea. When the sea's magic suddenly started swallowing ships beneath its waves, much of Eldrath's navy was lost and many of its colonies on Arnos were cut off from their patron nation. Being relatively uninvolved in the Dawnstar Conflict, Eldrath managed not to fall farther behind, and has spent the past 200 years re-securing its original influence and power.
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- Greymarch: A prosperous city in central Eldrath, and former home to the Rainhold family. The Rainholds had long been rumored to secretly be assassins. A peasant uprising a few years back, spurred on by confirmation of said rumors, burned the estate to the ground, killing everyone within. This, combined with a coordinated attack by other rival houses that eliminated the Rainhold heirs elsewhere in the country, has resulted in the death of all members of the family... or so they believe.
- Herran: A small, peaceful village in the Galicos province. There is little of note about this village. (So why is it in the notables section? Because of one of the players in the previous attempt at Weapons of War. Ideas...)
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- Herran: A small, peaceful village in the Galicos province. There is little of note about this village. (So why is it even mentioned? Because of one of the players in the previous attempt at Weapons of War. Plus, it's probably not a bad idea to know of some more subtle aspects of the world.)
Military: Eldrath's military is basically a traditional Fire Emblem army.
- Soldier: Trained and disciplined foot soldiers clad in chainmail and armed with shields and lances. High Skl and Def. Uses lances.
- Myrmidon: Lightly armored swordsmen able to strike down their foes in a few swift strokes. High Skl and Spd. Uses swords.
- Fighter: Powerful axe-wielders who prefer raw offensive power over defense. High HP and Str. Uses axes.
- Knight: Armored knights clad head to toe in heavy plate armor. Armored. High HP and Def. Uses axes, lances, or swords.
- Cavalier: Mobile knights who ride across the battlefield on war-trained horses. Mounted. High HP and Spd. Uses axes, lances, sword, or bows.
- Archer: Lightly armored warriors who pick off their enemies from a distance. High Skl and Spd. Uses bows.
- Mage: Wielders of anima magic, adept at manipulating the elements. High Mag and Res. Uses fire, thunder, or wind magic.
- Priest: Holy clerics who use staves to heal their allies. High Mag and Lck. Uses staves.
- Pegasus Knight: Knights who ride across the skies on pegasi. High Spd and Res. Airborne (Pegasus). Uses lances or swords.
- Dracoknight: Knights who rule the skies from the backs of wyverns. High Str and Def. Airborne (Wyvern). Uses axes or lances.
: Arguably the most powerful nation on Antares. Most Menthyl citizens have a relatively high quality of life compared to those of other nations. Magic is almost common in Menthyl Vare, and most of the educated members of the upper class can cast at least a few cantrips. The nation boasts the best magical college on the continent, bar none. Mages from across Antares come to study and research there.
Menthyl Vare fought alongside Tanar during the Dawnstar conflict. It's army fielded nearly twice as many mages as the next best nation, and its magical knowledge and research was instrumental in discovering how to disable the Scriveners.
Leadership: King Damien Glaxus. The young Glaxus is the latest in a long line of Glaxus kings. His father, Amander, passed away some 4 years ago. Damien has taken quickly and easily to rulership, having been trained for it his entire life.
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- Scriveners: Menthyl Vare is one of the few nations with a form of legal slave labor. In its case, Menthyl Vare employs the immortal Scriveners, taken as prisoners of war from the Dawnstar Conflict, as indentured servants of the state. They are forced to perform the hard, dangerous, or just plain disgusting manual labor that most citizens would like to avoid, yet are needed to maintain and expand the nation's infrastructure. They are kept in check with magic rituals developed during the conflict.
- Kimei Academy: A military academy in southern Menthyl Vare, the Kimei Academy trains part of the nation's magical air force. Among the other military academies, the Kimei Academy receives both ridicule and respect for its attempts at purely artificial flight through enchanted brooms, as opposed to the use of domesticated pegasi and wyverns.
- Contar's Rebellion: 14 years ago, Davros Contar sought to usurp the throne of Menthyl Vare, held by then-King Amander Glaxus. The plot was two years in the making, yet it was unravelled in under a week. Contar and his co-conspirators, including the heads of half a dozen other noble houses, were captured and publicly executed. Rumors that the conspirators were being supported by Norion circulated for some time, but were never confirmed.
Military: Menthyl Vare employs larger numbers of magical troops than other nations to supplement its military forces.
- Crusader: Mounted knights trained to fight mages. High HP and Res. Mounted. Uses axes, lances, swords, or bows.
- Spellbreaker: Heavily armored mages. Their armor is made specially to allow for spellcasting, so it is not as strong against physical attacks. High Def and Res. Armored. Uses fire, thunder, or wind magic.
- Sky Mage: Pegasus- and Wyvern-riding mages. High Mag and Res (pegasus) or Def (wyvern). Airborne (Pegasus or Wyvern). Uses wind (pegasus) or thunder (wyvern) magic.
: Norion is a chain of islands off the south coast of Antares. While small, Norion accounts for almost a third of all colonies on Arnos. Norion's navy is very modest for an island nation of its size. However, it employs large numbers of privateers among its merchant fleets. Many a pirate has had the tables turned when attempting to plunder a merchanter flying Norion colors.
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Capital: Idris is the name of both the city and the island it is on. Hardly the largest island in Norion's chain, Idris is neither a small island. It began as a popular trading port, and grew over time to encompass the entire landmass.
Notable places and people:
- Brighton Port Town: Located near the eastern end of the Norion island chain, Brighton is known far and wide as a place for gambling of nearly all sorts. Racing is particularly popular. The reefs and nearby island caverns provide challenging courses for both sailors and airborne racers. Brighton also sports a dueling arena. Most fights are to first blood, but a few death matches have been known to happen off the books on occasion.
- Norion Naval Academy: Norion's sole naval and military academy is located on Idris, the capital island city. There, officers of the navy are trained and prepared for their duties. Privateer captains are occasionally seen within the academy's halls to receive training, letters of marque, and naval advisors.
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Military: Norion has a small standing navy. For the most part, it's only large enough to police the outer islands and patrol the ocean borders. However, Norion's navy is nowhere near large enough to protect its large merchant fleets or its colonies. Instead, the nation authorizes, trains, and equips merchanters to fight for its interests abroad. This privateer fleet, hidden among the larger merchant fleet, is what keeps pirates from attacking Norion ships on the open waters. While the full extent of the nation's privateer program is unofficial, it's an open secret that Norion relies primarily on its privateer fleet to defend its interests.
- Pirate: Seafaring toughs who don't mind a good fight. High HP and Str. Uses axes. Has Pillage and Swimmer talents.
- Sailor: Seafarers trained to defend themselves. High Skl and Spd. Skirmisher. Uses swords. Has Swimmer talent.
- Water Mage: Mages trained to use the primal magic of water. High Mag and Skl. Uses water. Has Swimmer talent.
- Naval Advisor: Trained tacticians from Norion's navy placed aboard each privateer ship to provide advice and liaise with the navy and government. High Str and Skl. Uses tactics. Has Swimmer talent.
: Officially split between the Holy Iberian Monarchy and the Unholy Iberian Republic, the two countries are for all practical purposes one and the same, two sides of the same coin. Both nations, known collectively as Iberius, are united as theocratic nations following Iber. Iber preaches the importance of opposites and how they are necessary for the continuity of existence. The religion was founded, so the texts say, by a group of angels and demons who realized both the futility and necessity of their eternal divine war, and turned towards the planet of Solak to spread their newfound understanding. Both parts of Iberius follow these tenets, and as such, even though they claim to be separate nations, they work as closely with each other as would two branches of the same government.
Leadership: The Angelic Triad is responsible for the spiritual wellbeing of the Holy Monarchy, both of the people and their leaders, and has the right to depose the current monarch with a unanimous vote should he or she be deemed unfit to rule. Membership within the triad is for life, although tradition has it that the two oldest members should resign their posts whenever the current monarch changes. Any member of the Iberian clergy can rise to become one of the three member of the triad. The post of High Tetrach is related to, but not directly part of the Angelic Triad. The High Tetrach is responsible for leading the triad, moderating discussion, and ensuring that there is no corruption. Only those born and raised within the Unholy Iberian Republic are allowed to become High Tetrach, in order to ensure that Iber always understands and respects the divine dichotomy.
Within the Unholy Iberian Republic, the Demonic Pentad leads the church of Iber. Its five members each serve five year terms, withe one member rotating each year. The pentad is elected by the people's representatives, who are in turn chosen by popular vote (the exact details of which vary by region). By tradition, one representative of Tanar's royal family has served as an impartial moderator for the pentad, casting the tie-breaking vote when one member is unavailable or abstains.
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- Iber: The main religion practiced in Iberius. It preaches the importance of opposites and how they are necessary for the continuity of existence. The leadership of this religion is divided in two between the Holy Iberian Monarchy and the Unholy Iberian Republic. No one deity is exalted by the religion, but it does acknowledge and respect the deities and pantheons of most other religions of Solak. The religion was founded, so the texts say, by a group of angels and demons who realized both the futility and necessity of their eternal divine war, and turned towards the planet of Solak to spread their newfound understanding.
- The Iberian Peninsula: Iberius extends from the north-eastern mainland out across the length of the Iberian Peninsula. The center of the peninsula, extending north-east from the mainland, defines the official border between the Monarchy and the Republic. At the furthest point, the two countries' territories are each only a few dozen meters wide. There lies a small temple, overlooking the ocean. When Iberius was formed and split in two, in case the two halves should ever come in conflict that could not be easily resolved, that temple was designated as to forever be a neutral location for both sides to meet in civil discourse and understand each others' side of the conflict.
- Laguz: Both halves of Iberius have had a long-standing positive relationship with Tanar and most other laguz nations. Discrimination against laguz is extremely rare in Iberius, and almost universally comes from immigrants from other prejudiced nations. In fact, due to their dual nature, laguz are considered closer to the divine by Iber. In some more ignorant parts of Iberius, laguz are actually worshipped as angels and demons. However, Tanar's own discrimination against humans after the Dawnstar Conflict made relationships strained for some time. With the new generations of Tanari leadership working to reverse that discrimination, the tension between the three nations is easing.
Military: In times of war, both halves of Iberius frequently combine their forces, bringing both light and dark magic to bear.
- Monk: Practitioners of light magic. High Mag and Skl. Uses light magic.
- Shaman: Practitioners of dark magic. High Mag and Spd. Uses dark magic.
- Priest: Priests of the radiant half of Iber. High Mag and Lck. Uses staves.
- Acolyte: Priests of the shadowed half of Iber. High Mag and Lck. Uses rods.
- Cleric: Members of the militant arm of Iber. High Mag and Def. Uses swords and staves or lances and rods. Has Mind Over Body talent.
: Tanar was built from an amalgamation of laguz clans. Laguz of all types live there, including bears, wolves, cats, tigers, elephants, hyenas, ants, scorpions, beetles, hawks, ravens, ostriches, wyverns, and dragons of all sorts. The largest of the laguz nations, Tanar was also suffered among the most losses of all countries involved in the the Dawnstar Conflict. Their army is considered one of the strongest, in part because of their elite forces, the Skybreakers, a force of airborne, magic-wielding laguz. Joining the Tanar military is considered very prestigious, and many youths dream of joining the Skybreakers, even if they are not of the winged races or have no talent for magic. All members of the military are granted full rights as citizens regardless of their previous status, and those that serve though at least 5 years of service retain those rights after leaving the military, even humans.
Unlike shorter lived humans, some laguz who survived the Dawnstar Conflict still live today. As such, only Tanar still generally refers to the Dawnstar Conflict by its original name, the War of Infamy. Since the survivors among the royal family still remember the horrors of that war, humans are often treated as second-class citizens under Tanari law. This policy has generally caused tensions with other nations. The enforcement of such laws has been steadily weakening over the past several decades, however, as the younger generations have shown themselves more willing to forgive the crimes their parents still cannot forget.
Leadership: Unlike most of the human nations, Tanar has a khan, not a king. The Tanari royal family, or khandan, has ruled the nation every since Khan Tor first united the laguz clans. Through generations of intermarriage, the khandan contains laguz of nearly all of Tanar's clans. Unlike most monarchies, the right of rulership is not passed down through direct descendants and firstborn sons, nor is it even restricted to male heirs. Instead, it is passed down by merit and competence to whoever can best rule, regardless of familial proximity or gender. Many a Tanari khan has passed down the title to a second cousin's children instead of his or her own sons and daughters. Tanar law even stipulates that a competent outsider should be adopted into the khandan should none within it be fit to rule, although this has never been done in the nation's history.
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- Khan Tor: The first khan of Tanar. Once merely the chieftain of the elephant clan, Tor managed to unite all of the laguz clans in what would soon be known as Tanar under a single banner, through both diplomacy and war. As khan, Tor ruled for over a decade before abdicating the throne in favor of his niece. After his death, Tor's tusks were inlaid into his silver sword so that his spirit would forever be able to watch over and guide the nation he had created. The sword has been a treasured heirloom of the royal family ever since.
- Skybreakers: The skybreakers are the pride of Tanar's military forces. They are the elite, the best of the best, trained in magical aerial combat, infiltration, extraction, sabotage, and other special tactics. It's a common misconception that the skybreakers consist only of the winged races and only of laguz capable of wielding magic. They are always in needed of support staff and paws on the ground to ensure that their missions are successful.
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Military: The bulk of Tanar's military is a horde of rampaging beasts. Their elite forces, the Skybreakers, wield magic from the skies. Humans, too serve in the army, but they account for only a small amount of Tanar's military strength.
- Elephant Tribe: Laguz who transform into mighty elephants. High HP and Str. Heavy. Uses tackle.
- Bear Tribe: Laguz who transform into raging bears. High HP and Def. Heavy. Uses fang.
- Wolf Tribe: Laguz who transform into ferocious wolves. High HP and Spd. Uses bite.
- Scorpion Tribe: Laguz who transform into poisonous scorpions. High Skl and Def. Uses sting.
- Wyvern Tribe: Laguz who transform into vicious wyverns. High Str and Skl. Airborne (Dragon). Uses wing.
- Spirit Shaman: Laguz who wield primal magic when not transformed into powerful beasts. High HP and Mag. Uses earth, sound, or water magic, and a strike.
- Chanter: Laguz who weave ancient magic through their songs. High HP and Lck. Uses chants and a strike.
: 208 years ago, Dylandt's armies invaded Tanar, sparking the war known as the Dawnstar Conflict that eventually enveloped nearly half of Antares. Their immortal Scriveners proved instrumental to their success in the war, even though they were ultimately defeated. Dylandt has never recovered from its loss in the Dawnstar Conflict. Between the devastation of its cities, the punitive fines and levies imposed on it by other other countries, and the loss of all of its colonies, Dylandt is a broken nation filled with poverty.
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- Iosa, the Spire of Honor: This legendary lance has appeared in the hands of the champions of conflicts throughout the history of Solak. It has been wielded by villains as often as by heroes, but always by men and women with strong codes of honor. While Iosa has been used be people of all nations, it was first forged in Dylandt, and it winds up in the hands of Dylandt's champions more often than not.
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Military: Dylandt's army is a shadow of its former self, as the treaties it was forced to sign at the end of the Dawnstar Conflict forbade any significant military buildup. Most of Dylandt's foot soldiers are taken from local militias. Lacking the resources of other nations, Dylandt has instead developed mundane alternatives to traditional magical support.
- Tactician: Experts trained to think outside the box and to fill multiple roles. High Skl and Lck. Uses tactics.
- Outrider: Mounted archers specializing in hit-and-run tactics. High Skl and Spd. Mounted. Uses bows.
: Other nations exist on Antares. The ones described above are merely the most significant and powerful of them.
International Organizations: Some organizations based on Antares work across the borders of multiple nations and do not answer to any one government.
- The Gilded Crate Merchant Company: One of the larger merchant companies working across the breadth of Antares, the Gilded Crate has a reputation for quality goods, prompt deliveries, and fair prices. They have trading houses in the markets of nearly all of Antares's larger cities.
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