The Waking Realm

As The Creator intended, the physical realm is as vast and endless as his divine mind could reach, filled with diverse life, culture, and history. Myth and magic are powerful in some areas, while technology reigns supreme in others. While this is is a universe teeming with life across the galaxy, our focus will remain on its primary planet with the highest concentration of Code; Earth. Five billion years old. While significantly younger than the Earth we know, Xerno’s is greatly altered through its natural evolution of humankind and the physical involvement of [REDACTED] throughout the years that have forced them to develop at an even greater pace than we ever have.

Minerva:

Known as The Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave, the United Nation of Minerva (UNM) stands as a beacon of heroism and opportunity, especially for Deviants. Some attribute Minerva’s long-standing dominance among first-world nations to its sizable Deviant population, while others argue the reverse: that its status has drawn them in. Regardless, Minerva has produced both legendary heroes and notorious villains, making it a focal point of global attention.

Governed by a democratic system with an elected President at its helm, the nation was shaken to its core during the Age of the Fallen. Minerva’s fall from grace signaled a looming global catastrophe and ushered in an era of chaos. However, hope was reignited following the Battle for Minerva, when the country became the first in the world to establish an official hero initiative: Golden Collective. 

At the heart of Golden Justice stands the Vanguard, an elite organization inspired by Minerva’s legendary Round Table. These valiant heroes are sworn to protect the nation, ensuring that its people never again suffer the terror brought by the Fallen. For a decade, Minerva remained the only country with a formal hero program, until other nations began forming their own agencies. Though the Age of Heroes is still in its infancy, nowhere are heroes more revered than in Minerva—the land of the free.

Feng Zhu:

Feng Zhu is a powerful and enigmatic nation that seamlessly blends ancient traditions with cutting-edge technology. It is a land of towering pagodas adorned with holographic calligraphy, cybernetic monks meditating in centuries-old temples, and bustling neon-lit cities where AI-driven commerce operates beneath the gaze of ancestral shrines.

A cultural and technological superpower, Feng Zhu is known for its mastery of bio-mechanical augmentation, quantum computing, and energy-efficient infrastructure, yet it remains deeply rooted in its philosophical and spiritual heritage. The nation walks a delicate balance between honor and ambition, reverence and progress, order and individualism.

Kaguridia:

The Sovereign Empire of Kaguridia is an isolated, technologically advanced nation inspired by the cultures of real world Africa and the Middle East. Hidden behind an imposing, ever-shifting desert storm known as the shroud of Saba, Kaguridia has remained untouched by the outside world for centuries. Its ruler, the Eternal Empress, is a mysterious, godlike figure who has led the nation for as long as history remembers. Kaguridia is both an enigma and a legend to outsiders—a land of unfathomable wealth, arcane technology, and ruthless order. Those who attempt to infiltrate its borders vanish without a trace.

Poyapu:

Spice, music, warriors. Poyapu is the kingdom above the clouds, in the range that we know as the Andes mountains. The only safe place on the continent, as below it rest the lungs of the world's, a wild jungle that stretches from the top of the continent to the bottom, and one that if you entered you would be giving up your own life.

The Kingdom of Poyapu holds two main 'lands' : the mountain tops, and the cavernous underbelly. With only a single primary race, Beastkin.

The country is two mostly for its strange technology that it quite rarely ever let's leave, the quasi magictech built through solar punk means. Using supernatural stones, one of which being the Igni stone, or Sunstone. the people are able to harness energy through the forces of nature to power their tech.

The lands above are ruled by the sun God, a pharaoh like king said to be the incarnation of the country's main deity given human form. A monkey beastkin who rules over reptiles, avians, and mammals.

While the queen of the underbelly, the brood queen some might brazenly call her, is an insectoid beastkin who rules over the vast mining nation of insect beastkin that has spent a millennia tending the insides of the mountain.

Olympius:

Once the last bastion of human civilization against the terrible forces of nightmares, now acted as the centerpiece of the Waking World and its look at an ideal future. The geographical area of Olympius is the Scandinavian Peninsula, the United Kingdom, and extends past the real life borders of Ukraine and Belarus eastward, where the war front with Renastursia is long standing. Southward, the Grecian and Spanish Peninsulas are under control of Olympius as well, but are currently vying for independence after many long years of war with Renastursia. Most of these places have been seeking independence as they were hit the hardest by the Age of the Fallen and haven’t received the resources to fully recover from the conflict.

Olympius itself is an idyllic oligarchy run by delegates selected by several provinces. Each province has its own governing body, with its own cultures linked to groups that survived the Age of the Fallen. This includes Britannia (IRL Britain, Denmark, France, and Germany), Valhal (IRL Norway, Sweden, Finland), Cœur Olympius (IRL Austria, Italy, Romania, Greece), Bylerania (IRL Ukraine, Poland, and Belarus), and Iberia (IRL Spain, Portugal, and Morocco).

Each province is protected by knights of the round table, and their gods, ensuring that no province is taken advantage of or mistreated. Thanks to western technological advancements and divine boons from the nation’s pantheon, the entire region is covered in plant life and weather conditions are not nearly as devastating as they could be. Military service is mandatory and 6 years in length, as all citizens undergo knights training from the age of 16 and onward- though legacy families will serve for even lengthier periods and from earlier ages, depending on their circumstances.

Since the individual provinces are protected and ruled by selected delegates, each leader is chosen through the province’s own merits. Vahal functions under a meritocracy, where the strongest non-round table knight leads the country and acts as its delegate. Britannia and Iberia both select their delegates through democratic processes, and have advisors serve under them who are also voted in. Bylerania, as the province closest to the war front, has its highest ranking military members run the country. Cœur Olympius, unlike the rest, is ruled by a feudal family of long lived descendants of the first protectors of Olympius, and as such are given the highest powers of the state.

Renastursia:

Far beyond the Eastern reaches of Olympius, past frozen mountain ranges, and nestled within deep forests of ice... lies the country of Renastursia. A fortress of industrialized military prowess, far beyond anything in the world, and populated by the hardest of people; Renastursia prides itself in military might and conquest. Often do they butt heads with their Eastern neighbors and often do they spend that time at war. Located within the borders of modern day Russia, Renastursia has turned most of the frozen wastelands into industrial complexes; of which are used to fuel their ever growing arsenal of destruction. 

Aesthetically, Dieselpunk is the name of the game. Combustion engines, factories, steel, trains, etc. Cities are layered on top of one another, digging deep into the Earth while also rising up above it. Compactness is required to stave off the cold and, as a result, every city is a veritable maze of fortresses. Combine that with the surrounding environment, and Renastursia becomes basically impossible to invade. As a result, most of their war effort is pushed into advancing into other lands... such as Olympius. 

Behind the war machine lies the ruthless autocracy of the Czar, a leader of such equal renown and mystery that everyone has heard her name... but few have seen her face. She is ruthless, cunning, and constantly on the war path. This is further amplified by her abilities... the power to create weaponry. This Gift is very limited, only allowing her to create an empowered weapon every few days, but those that she creates are a cut above. However, in order to get one... you must make a name for yourself.

Those who ARE in the good graces of the Czar are known as her personal guard. They are given tools of their choice, all of which have been supplemented by the Czar's own hand. These weapons lay waste to any battlefield they make contact with, essentially counting for several dozen gifted on their own; and if utilized by skilled individuals? They can even win entire battles on their own. Either way, these weapons are dangerous and should always be accounted for when facing off against Renastursia forces... otherwise you may find your forces entirely wiped out in minutes. 

Other than the warfront, Renastursia is also known for their incredibly industrialized civilization. Everything is a factory underneath, whether it be producing clothing or food or building weapons of mass destruction. As a result, most of the population are dedicated to these factorial jobs; leaving things like literature and such to the upper classes. Speaking of which...

The Caste System of Renastursia is typically divided up by military history. Families with deep military roots typically have an upper hand when compared to most, but everyone has a fair chance to rise to the top... so long as they prove themselves on the battlefield. With that in mind, the upper classes account for a very minimal part of the Renastursian population, but their power is not to be understated.