The “Half Century War” in the disputed lands of Iria has been over for five years, and this is generally considered to be a momentous and extremely good thing. No war in the history of man had ever been so bloody and destructive, and the war only ended when all three warring parties finally came to the conclusion that the once lush and fertile land of Iria had become not only cursed and haunted by the land’s original inhabitants (most of whom perished in the first twenty years of the war), but very nearly uninhabitable. In short, they stopped fighting over it because it was no longer worth it. A peace accord was signed, and the three kingdoms of Bailen, Kreiss, and Yerrik not only managed to settle their remaining differences, but also exchanged princess and princesses in marriage for security. In the present day, it seems extremely likely that the peace will hold.
Of course, this has left the Narain continent with an entire generation of disenfranchised professional soldiers who, after five years of searching for non-war-related employment with little or no success, has started to cause problems. There are most certainly not enough masters in any craft willing or able to take on so many adult apprentices. Alms houses, monasteries, and convents are all filled to well over capacity with the repentant and unemployed. Efficient and militarily organized bandit gangs have recently started to terrorize the more remote parts of the continent’s major highway systems. Some of the subtle-minded former soldiers have even been attempting to spread dissent and start small wars between lesser fiefdoms.
The kingdoms may be at peace, but this has not made everyone “peaceful.”

The setting: Narain is a large continent (about the size of North America), connected to the southern continent of Ocinew by a narrow and mountainous strip of land that is extremely difficult to traverse. Any trade between these neighbor continents is therefore conducted by sea. The technology level is similar to that of the mid-sixteenth century in Europe, with the enormous exception that medical knowledge is advanced to the point that the people A) have a perfect grasp of germ theory, B) endeavor to keep wounds clean and to sterilize surgical tools, and C) bathe regularly when it is at all possible (incidentally, public baths similar to “Roman baths” are quite popular in all three kingdoms). Also, explosives technology is closer to that of Asia in the sixteenth century than that of Europe in the sixteenth century and, unlike the sixteenth century almost anywhere on Earth, gender equality in Narain is a fact of life. Nobody knows any different, except through the hearsay and invention of traders from the Ocinew nations. Even within royal and noble families, land and titles generally pass to the oldest child, regardless of gender. Oddly, though gender-blind, prudishness in the guise of “propriety” is taken extremely seriously among the upper classes. Either a male or a female unmarried individual can have his or her “honor compromised” through suspicion of “improper relations” between him/her and a member of the opposite (or occasionally same) sex. The lower echelons of society are generally less stiff about such matters, though it is considered to be in good taste for unmarried couples to exercise some level of discretion in public.
On an entirely different note, magic in Narain functions exactly as it does on Earth in the present day. Some people claim to practice it, but can they prove it? Generally not, though there are people who genuinely believe that their spells have succeeded. On the other side of that coin, David-Copperfield-esqe magicians are extremely popular at court, and lesser tricksters are extremely popular at country fairs and children’s birthday parties.

Religion: All three kingdoms of Narain are primarily henotheistic. People usually believe in a supreme and all-powerful, gender-neutral god/creator (referred to and addressed as The Creator), but also allow for the existence of lesser gods (worshiped and idolized similarly to Catholic patron saints). Monasteries and Convents in service to The Creator are common in all three nations, but regular church services, complete with a clergy structure, are only present and popular in Kreiss. Please note that though Henotheism is the norm, a small percentage of the population practices other types of belief systems. The most notable of these other belief systems is that of the Sun God Cult in the Padeja Desert of Yerrik (see the section on Yerrik for details).

A Breakdown of the Three Kingdoms of Narain:

Bailen (North Central Narain): Known for their naval prowess (particularly their advanced navigation techniques) and excellent mechanical workshops (especially with regard to siege engine production), Bailen is home to a raucous bunch of extremely blunt-spoken, friendly, and often painfully honest people who love a good fight. This is not the character of every individual Bailener, but it is certainly the character of the nation. In the modern day, a large faction of the wealthiest Baileners are investing in the whale oil market and sending out far-reaching and long-term whaling expeditions. Bailen’s major exports are winter squash, mutton, wool, finely tanned hides, whale oil, cross-bows, and sheep cheese. Do not let this list fool you! The country is large enough to have widely varied climate regions, and the people of Bailen produce nearly every form of food, clothing, and fuel they consume within their own borders.

Current Monarch: Queen Kesweria III (45 years of age, thought to be a great beauty)
Current Royal Consort: King Payton D’Neri (37 years of age, thought to be a great teller of tall tales. He won the national yarn-weaving contest eight times before his subsequent marriage to the queen, which disqualified him from all future contests)

Kreiss (Southwest Narain): Known for its exemplary metallurgy, Kreiss is a country nearly ringed in a rugged mountain range, though the valley between the mountains is mostly a fertile and pleasant plain. The mountain-dwellers of Kreiss are a rough-and-tumble bunch who eke out a living mining, raising mountain goats, and cultivating multiple forms of tea (which formerly grew wild in the far-west Kreissish mountain range, the Undine Ridge). The valley dwellers of Kreiss are a mixed bunch of farmers and city-dwellers who generally consider themselves more socially and culturally advanced than the mountain dwellers. The valley dweller society is based on a system of 25 family clans, each with surprisingly individual styles of local government. Major exports include copper, iron, musical instruments, grain, tea, and fine gemstone jewelry, but the most coveted of all Kreissish exports is Kreiss mountain apples. Groups of bandits have recently started raiding mountain apple caravans, though it would seem that they are more interested in eating their ill-gotten-gains than they are in selling them.

Current Monarch: Grand Mikado Elzarrik, of the Voo clan (21 years of age)
Current Royal Consorts: High Queen Sirma Kileen (25 years of age, member of the El clan), Under Queen Kip D’Neri (17 years of age, fifth daughter of the current queen and king of Bailen)

Yerrik (Southeast Narain): A large swath of western Yerrik is home to Narain’s only arid desert region, the Padeja, which is, peculiarly enough, home to a large faction of zealous “Sun God” cultists who are convinced that rain is the bringer of all evil. Nobody outside the cult is entirely sure how they survive. They are extremely unfriendly toward non-cultists and generally keep to themselves. The rest of the country is a mixed-bag sort of place that includes everything from feudal fiefdoms to communes (usually areas where the common people have bought the land from defunct and bankrupt lords and ladies). However varied individual communities may be, all regions outside of the Padeja send tribute and taxes to the federal government (a monarchy influenced by a parliament of one representative per regional community. Some are elected, some are appointed by a ruling lord), and all regions also contribute a certain percentage of their population to the national army in times of war or disaster. The federal government is in turn responsible for the nation’s sophisticated and well-maintained highway system, international politics/relations, the military and border patrol, and a 100% federal-scholarship-based system of national universities (meaning: money will not get you into an institution of higher learning in Yerrik. Standardized test scores or a show of exemplary skill in a given field will. On the other hand, if a wealthy individual wishes to buy into higher learning, he or she has the option of hiring a tutor or entering a university in one of the other two kingdoms). Major exports are: books, textiles, rice, citrus fruit, drugs/medicine, furniture.

Current Monarch: King Gregor Ilich (72 years of age. Probably the most intelligent ruler in recorded history).
Current Royal Consorts: None. Deceased Royal Consort: Queen Jonid Beve (married to the king for 51 years, she experienced the full arc of the war and bore 8 children before her passing 1.5 years ago at the age of 69. She is greatly missed by her people and her king).

Current Prime Minister of Parliament: Ms. Grace Everly (51 years of age, unmarried, and truly a force to be reckoned with, both in and out of the political arena)


Note: Yerrik is the only Narain nation to share a border with an Ocinew nation. Said Ocinew nation is called Iver, and relations between the two nations are friendly but sparse, due to the nearly impassible nature of the mountain range along the border.