Karsen

Karsen is a continent on Halse. It is composed of 21 countries, the largest of which is Halsha and the smallest, Selden. Its population is about 30% phrinu, 40% faerie, and 15% drake. The remaining 15% is crossbreeds.

The continent is about 13 million square kilometers (five million square miles) smaller than the Eurasian continent in real life, though slightly longer from west to east. It is the largest continent on Halse, and due to its unique geological and atmospheric conditions, also the most hospitable and well-populated.

Aerestra is found in its centermost country, Nedevara.

Etymology
The name Karsen comes from an ancient dragon tongue.

The demonym is Karsene.

History
TBA

Geography and Climate
Karsen is divided culturally into three regions, the West Wing, the Queltibran Peninsula, and the East Wing. Mana causes the climate of the continent to vary greatly, often irrespective of altitude and location, in ways that seem illogical in real life.

The West Wing, or western Karsen, consists of everything from Oruva to the west. It features generally temperate and dry climates and relatively flat terrain. It has the largest population of drakes on the continent.

The middle-most peninsula between the Opal Sea and the Gyraccan Sea is known as the Queltibran Peninsula, and sometimes as the Heart of Karsen. It is unique among Karsene regions for not strictly adhering to the monarchy/theocracy system of government, acting more as a primitive federation of city-states and tribes. The peninsula has both arid and oceanic climate systems.

The East Wing, or eastern Karsen, beginning on the Urugian/Enshian border, is known for its mountainous geography and varied climate, from tropical to microthermal to polar. It is heavily-populated by phrinu, being the area where the phrinu first arrived on the planet.

Languages
There is no universal language spoken by most people in Karsen. Instead, every country has several languages of its own, and each race has their own tongues as well.

Among phrinu in the east, the most widely-spoken language is Käntu, the language of Halsha; in the west, it is Melodic Gyra, or Gyraccan; and in the Queltibran Peninsula, it is Cosian, the language of Aerestra.

The Fae language is called Unra'u, and is spoken by traditional faerie communities all around the continent, while spoken less in more mixed communities. While dialects differ, thanks to their long history of telepathic communication, it has remained intact over time. Phrinu and drakes are unable to speak Unra'u properly like a faerie would because of its requirement for simultaneous overlapping sounds. This is due to the different structure of Fae vocal cords.

Drakes likewise have several languages specific to their ancestral dragon species. Melodic Gyra itself is derived from the most commonly-spoken tongue of the dragonkin.

Religions
The most popular religion on the continent is Flareism, an apocalyptic cult mostly practiced by phrinu.

Populace
Most nations are populated and ruled mainly by phrinu. However, some countries have Fae or drake majorities or significant populations.

Countries with large Fae populations include Vildeskål, Gryons, Selden, Prey Veng, Iserccia, Mur, and Lemyria. Mur, Gryons, and Vildeskål are notable for having primary Fae rule for most or parts of their history, with the former countries being heavily populated by Fae historically and the latter's longstanding treaty between mankind and the Fae.

Countries with large drake populations include Gyracco, Ahakane, Oruva, Dirya, Beiratros, and Monheim. Gyracco has historically been ruled by drakes as the last holdout against phrinu expansion.

Political Geography
From geographically-largest country to smallest (note that cultural analogs are rough approximations, liberties may be taken to a certain extent): * Nedevara and Gryons are a loose confederation of city-states, of which Aerestra and Cathair are merely the largest, respectively. Surrounding cities may move with them politically, but definite leadership is lacking.

** Some countries are now forcibly under Halshan rule since the last few decades because of the empire's aggressive expansionist policies.

Halsha
The most powerful and influential country on the continent, the Halshan Empire is located in the mountainous heart of the East Wing and seeks to expand. Halsha is home to a vast array of cultures due to its size, and its provinces are ruled by local aristocratic estates that answer to the imperial throne. Halshan culture is infamous for dour practicality and provincial superstition.

The previous emperor of Halsha, Hovannes I, tried to embroil the continent in war several years ago, but a group of adventurers foiled his plot and assassinated him once it was discovered that he was tainted by blood magic. Now, a distant cousin of his, Praskovya I, has taken the throne and is continuing the empire’s original path toward conquest of the East Wing, whether by force or more peaceful means.

Gyracco
The western-most country in Karsen and also the second-largest. Gyracco is known for its harsh deserts and scarred landscape, but it is in fact a richly diverse kingdom harboring countless secrets, especially relating to the draconic race, the majority of whom live there. Following a long period of social strife and civil wars, Gyracco has recently unified under Queen Midha and is entering a golden age of culture, industry, exploration, and trade.

The country is strongly supportive of the Spectres to the point that Midha is one and her capital city is a Spectre refuge.

Themboldis
Themboldis lies to the east of Halsha and Prey Veng. A beautiful country with picturesque interior landscapes and shorelines, it’s also filled with fertile flat plains that are perfect for sustaining huge populations with large-scale agriculture.

It has the highest number of phrinu of any country in Karsen because this is the place where phrinu first arrived on Halse. Its resources, wealth, and population density rival that of Halsha’s, and Themboldis is one of the main factors keeping the empire in check on the East Wing.

Vildeskål
The kingdom between Gyracco and Oruva. Vildeskål is unique in that it has been ruled by faeries for most of its history, has largely avoided violent wars and invasions by way of careful diplomacy, and today is ruled jointly by two friendly royal families, one Fae and the other phrinu, both of which have strong mage roots. It is a country of religious mystics, renowned scholars, and secretive Fae who still speak their ancient tongue.

Prey Veng
Prey Veng is a country of extremes - The south is choked with humid jungles and swamps, while the north is cold and rocky. Both regions constantly get hit with heavy precipitation. Ancient, giant trees hundreds of stories tall serve as unique landscape markers all over the nation, which some attribute to the influence of the Chaotic One.

It is one of the most mana-dense areas in Karsen and has a high ratio of mages to non-mages. The people of Prey Veng have honored the Hidden One for millennia, and its royal family claims to be descended from the god himself.

Ahakane
An isolationist and self-sufficient kingdom northwest of Vildeskål. It has managed to avoid most political conflicts thanks to the treacherous mountainous borders between them and their only (peaceful) neighbor, but its increasingly paranoid king is causing the quiet country’s normally stable foundations to shake.

Fuku
A near-failed state in the northern East Wing. Fuku’s last monarchs, the Kondo dynasty, were deeply corrupt, drained the country’s wealth, and neglected its infrastructure with their lavish lifestyle.

Halsha conquered it not long ago and Fuku is now a vassal state of the empire, but not much has been done yet to alleviate conditions for the beleaguered populace besides heavy-handed economic and social policies that seem to be making things worse.

Laeland
A small mountainous country of warlords sandwiched by Halsha and Enshi. This is the lone dictatorship on Karsen, ruled with an iron fist by its military elite. The Laelish people are stubborn, proud of their heritage, and abhor Halsha’s imperial goals, but are lately too busy with internal conflicts to mount a proper response to its rising aggression.

Laeland is one of only three countries in Karsen that proudly shelters spectropaths in its capital city of Wolfguard, which itself was built on top of a Clear Altar.

Nedevara
Nedevara is the name of a collection of independent city-states in the Queltibran Peninsula, which banded together in the past to escape from rising cultural hegemony in Beiratros. Each one has a unique identity and culture that breed intense rivalries, but all come together in times of crisis for their continued survival. The land itself is barren in most areas.

It is home to Aerestra, one of the most important cities on the continent today.

Gryons
The hermit nation of the Queltibran Peninsula, covered in thick forests that obscure the sparse population and their modest tribal, matriarchal communities. Even seasoned travelers are known to easily lose their way in the sea of trees. Many lineages of hedge mages call Gryons home, as well as outlaws from other countries looking for a quiet place to retire or hide.

Monheim
One of the southern countries in the East Wing that saw a reduction in size after the rise of the Halshan Empire. Monheim was once a local power but had the misfortune to be located next to Halsha and suffer several devastating natural disasters in a row that tore its people apart.

Since then, it has never truly recovered, which makes it a prime target for Halshan takeover. Still, Monheim maintains an active underground resistance movement to Halsha that helps those of other subjugated countries and networks with them.

Urugia
Urugia is the only democratic republic in Karsen, with its novel system of government being the product of an oddly peaceful coup that happened decades ago. Located just a hop away from the main body of the East Wing, Urugia keeps a weather eye on the political climate of the east while juggling tensions between Oruva, its longtime ally, and Enshi, Oruva’s historical rival.

Its position on the Opal Sea and lax trade laws makes it an ideal merchant hub, second only to Nedevara.

Selden
The smallest and most bucolic country in Karsen is not even its own sovereign state. Selden is the most recent acquisition of the Halshan Empire despite being a former ally to a smaller Halsha in centuries past. It has a healthy and thriving Fae culture who lives among gentle rolling hills and beautiful woodlands. The country is famous for its unique, beautiful flowering plant cultivars.

The next-in-line for the former throne is the adopted faerie son of the deposed phrinu regent, Zarid. From his deposed and exiled position in Nedevara, he is trying to rouse support for an independence movement, but Seldenes are a peaceful and easily cowed people, and not many foreigners want to risk their lives for a tiny country who most feel is a lost cause.

Economy
TBA

Culture
TBA