The World

The world is divided into three main continents. The Northern and Southern continents are relatively close to one another, separated by the Dirn Sea. It's a 3-5 week trip by boat to cross between the two continents, though the gnomes of the Southern continent have begun announcing plans for a new mode of transport using some kind of flying ship that could shorten the trip considerably. The third continent, known locally as the Far continent, was discovered by humans almost a century ago, but has remained mostly unexplored. Partly due to it's distance (6-9 months by boat) but also to the reported dangers found there. Less than half of the explorers returned from the expedition and they all told tales of terrible beasts, deadly plants, and even of the ground beneath their feet being an enemy to them. To no surprise of the other races, the humans continue to send explorers every few decades, always getting a little further inland of the Far continent before being pushed back. The last expedition returned only six years ago, though not much is known of their specific adventures. Not surprising since barely a dozen humans returned; a skeleton crew on a single ship. It's generally thought that the expedition failed.

The primary races of elves, gnomes, dwarfs, and humans, though rarely at war with one another, are nevertheless divided into their own separate nations. Halflings never seemed to bother with establishing their own government and pockets of them can be found scattered about in all nations. They are tolerated by the other races, though when a halfling's land is needed by their host nation, it is forfeit and the halflings must move on. The newer races of the dragonborn and tiefling began appearing over a millennium ago, but have yet to establish their own nation, mostly due to their small numbers. Each is ambitious in their own right and it's expected that they will eventually carve out some space for their own nations. In times of national crisis, all foreign races are forced out of the nation and those without a home nation to return to must find space in one of the other nations.

Members of all races can be found in any of the different nations. While never citizens of their host nations, and tolerated so long as politics aren't overly aggressive, they are seen as and expected to act as emissaries and merchants for their race, providing the expertise and goods of their people. In most interracial interactions, they will refer to one another by race rather than name. This is done, in part, to avoid mispronouncing foreign names, but also to prevent becoming too familiar with one another. The exceptions to this are halflings and dragonborn who generally see everyone as a friend first and are quick to offer aid to strangers. As such, these two races are treated slightly better by the other races in most situations