ARCADIA

While being the most culturally diverse of the world's kingdoms, do not assume that Arcadia is in any way a utopia. Rife with corruption at every level of the government, this country/kingdom is a democracy thanks to a bloody revolution that occurred a half-century ago, the effects of this revolution still felt to this day. The Mediterranean climate that eventually gives way to a more temperate one as you head further north means that the food is as varied as the people, the only constant being fish due to all the rivers and the Dunleo sea. Arcadia's reputation as a massive trading hub has led to mass immigration, meaning that any number of species of beings can be found here. Humans from this region tend to have cream to tan skin, dark hair that is more often than not curly and dark eyes

ASHER

Asher is one of the oldest kingdoms in the world, the only kingdoms older being that of Pulani and Zhonghua. The kingdom is a monarchy, its king a rather good one by the name of Aladdin, though steps have been taken to ensure that the citizens get to take more of a role in the running of the country. The hot, arid climate of the kingdom means that most cities and towns exist along the coastline, though there are some further in that pop up around oasises. The cuisine often features spices, the spices always used more for flavour than for heat, lamb and mutton being popular meat choices. Asher is well known for its textiles, its capital city of Aldhibah renowned for its libraries and restaurants. The people tend to be varied, species ranging but common ones being humans, jinn, nagas, gnolls and lamias. Asher also happens to have a mutated strain of the lycanthropy virus that causes werehyenas. Humans from this region have tanned skin, dark hair that is always kept hidden and eyes that vary from pitch black to a light green

PALANI

Also known as the Land of the Golden Afternoon, Pulani is a real mixed bag of a kingdom. Ruled by a despot king with a penchant for squashing rebellions down before they can even begin, the people have no say in what happens with their country. The climate varies from tropical in the south to a dragon infested alpine in the north, a large mountain range called the Parvat separating Palani from Zhongua and housing enough dragons for 10 How to Train Your Dragon movies. The cuisine is as varied as the climates, the only common thread being a mostly vegetarian diet as well as a love of spices, for both flavour and heat. Palani is well known for its architecture, mathematicians, magic, dragons and spices but is swiftly making a name for itself in terms of entertainment, festivals becoming more popular in its capital of Sawant as well as various plays. It's crown princess is currently missing, the queen offering a substantial reward for her return. The people here vary as much as the climate. The south houses nagas, rakshasas and mermaids while the north is largely absent of beings due to its high dragon population. The only species to live in both the north and the south is humans. Humans from this region have coffee brown skin, pitch black hair that is often kept long and in a single braid down the back, slender builds, dark eyes and tattooes up each arm of serpentine dragons, usually done in black ink (a different coloured ink often denotes a high rank)

ZHONGHUA

The oldest kingdom on the planet, Zhonghua is extremely isolated and people rarely leave it, the only information about the kingdom being gleaned from traders and travelers. What can be gleaned though is that it's run by an emperor and the people don't have much of a say in how the kingdom is run. The climate is largely alpine though there are lowlands and valleys that are used for farmland. The cuisine is largely unknown but seems to have rice or noodles in every dish, a wok a common cooking utensil. Zhonghua is largely known for its silk, tea, martial arts and temples, its capital city Xihaijing often referred to as the City of Temples. The population makeup is unknown but humans who come from this region have pale skin, small frames, dark eyes and dark hair that is always kept as short as possible, shaved heads being rather common

AKHIMIM

A relatively new kingdom that rose from the ashes of a larger empire, Akhimim is doing its best to prove that it deserves to be a player on the global stage. A new democracy with a president eager to improve things in her country, Akhimim is largely run by women, something that many other kingdoms look down on. The climate is a mixture of tropical rainforest, desert and woodlands, towns and cities popping up wherever they feel like forming. The cuisine is largely comprised of spicy food paired with tropical fruit, the people unafraid to try new things and integrate them into their cuisine. Akhimim is known for its wildlife, its jewelry, its fruit exports and, unfortunately, for producing pirates (even though Arcadia and Pulani produce far more pirates every month than Akhimim does in a year). It's capital city of Astajarm, situated right on the coast, is known for its architecture and its food. The population is almost as varied as Arcadia. The humans from here have skin tones that range from a light tan to a dark brown that borders on black, dark, curly hair that is kept long and in complicated braided styles (the more complicated the braid, the higher ranking the person is), dark eyes and often wear a lot of jewelry and paint their faces with bright colours (each colour and pattern has a different meaning and can often be a clue to the person's past and current situation)

AOS SÍ

Not much is known about Aos Sí, the island employing a policy of isolationism and those who do leave, do so either because they were banished or because they're fleeing persecution (so naturally they don't have the best opinion on the place). The surface of the island is being fought over by two courts, an Elven and a Fairy, while the underground is ruled by dwarves (who function on more of a democracy). The climate is a temperate maritime, meaning generally mild temperatures with warm summers and cool winters. The cuisine is largely unknown but potatoes do feature heavily. Aos Sí doesn't export or import any items and its Elven capital, Kilcullen, is known for the large church that takes up the majority of the space in the city while its Fairy capital, Elphame, is known for its alcohol and its plays (both of which are often smuggled out of the kingdom by pirates). The Dwarven capital, Völuspá, is known for its metalwork and mining, the Dwarf population occasionally trading with nearby Arcadia for precious gems they cannot mine on the island. As mentioned, the population is largely dwarves, elves and fairies but occasionally a Halfling will appear amongst their ranks (albeit not for long). No humans have managed to make it to the island