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The real world is nothing like that. Kindness is just a façade.

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Nia hails from the island continent of Ethea, shown in the map above. It is a continent populated mostly by your standard fantasy races: humans, elves, halflings, gnomes, dwarves, and orcs (though some exceptions to this rule can be found, such as tieflings). While there are a wide variety of cultures and regions to be found within Ethea, small as it is (a little smaller than Australia), Nia specifically hails from the country of Aeroneia, a small but powerful seaside country in the northwest.

The history of Aeroneia is tens of thousands of years long, but it has almost always been primarily ruled over by elves. Through the years, the country was primarily run by a monarchy, though slowly demand from the lower classes for a more democratic system has worn the monarchy down to something more like a figurehead. These days, a plutocratic council exists to govern the citizens of Aeroneia, who are enjoying a period of peace and prosperity. A plutocracy is not exactly what the less wealthy citizens of the country truly strive for, but the current lack of war or famine has kept its citizens somewhat docile ... for now.

The Csillata family specifically has been instrumental in the success of Aeroneia's wealth. Although the Csillata family, long ago, was more well known for their skill in the trades of mapmaking and star charting, they have moved up in the world within the several hundred years. Specifically, Nia's grandfather, Melandrach I, found his nature to be far more enterprising than his siblings. He traveled the world as a young man, seeking opportunities to extend the Csillata name as far as it could go, and make some coin in the process. He managed to make many connections in his travels, adding several other industries to the Csillata family's repertoire. Most important was his friendship with the dwarf owner of a rather fruitful mine in the mountain range in the neighboring country of Wans; jewelrymaking and the import/export of jewels and other ores and materials became the Csillata's primary way of making and maintaining money. Together with his wife Lyeecia, who he also met on his travels, the two of them had several children -- all raised under the strict hand of a shrewd businessman who would stop at nothing to see his business endeavors succeed long after he was gone from the world. You can imagine that this created very healthy and mentally stable children. Today, Nia's father, Melandrach II, occupies an Aeroneia Council seat.

Outside of the Csillata family, several other rich and noble families live primarily in Aeroneia. Even those who do not often purchase or buy a beach house in Aeroneia as it is a popular spot to visit in the winter months, given its year-round mild climate. A great many massive estates line the clear and beautiful beaches of the country, especially in its capital, Gorta.

The primary industries of Gorta are fishing and boating, as it is located directly on the ocean. Of course, tourism and related industries are also quite profitable. Activities on the beach and water for both the rich and the poor are quite popular. Given that there is such a large population of the wealthy, it is hard to come by a place with less-than-excellent food as well.

Outside of Aeroneia, some of the other major countries in Ethea can be summarized as follows:

Wans - A huge portion of Wans is made up of a massive mountain range, and is primarily populated by the dwarves who hail from them. Wans is well known for their wide range of high-quality materials, as well as the craftspeople who handle them. Furniture especially is a popular Wans export.

Knigia - A somewhat rainy country, mostly known for its rolling hills and farms. There are also many large port cities along the coast -- one of which is best known for delivering goods from Ethea to other continents, and vice versa. Much of Knigia's coastal population is made up of sailors and couriers.

Uinguk - A southern country which is primarily made of desert. The main road that crosses the border between Knigia and Uinguk is a well-known target for many powerful groups of bandits. Uinguk itself is a rather sparsely populated nation compared to its size as most settlements avoid the desert and instead populate along the southern coast and the massive fertile rivers that branch up into the country from the ocean. It is also well known for their high-quality linen, made with the flax that grows along the rivers.

Gamwania - A small country between Wans and Tagami. Gamwania was once colonized by Tagami, but the indigenous orc who live there were able to regain their independence after a long and bloody war. However, their dislike for those who colonized them for hundreds of years makes things a little tense, as they are sandwiched between two countries that have allied against them in the past. While there are some non-orcs in this country, it is extremely difficult to fit in there and non-orcs are considered extremely suspicious. Because of this, though, it is also a popular spot for orcs in other countries to travel to, and some of the rarer, more "outcast" races can be found more commonly here as well.

Tagami - Another mountainous country, Tagami is most well known for its army. Of all the countries in Ethea, their military force seems to be the most developed, and their weaponmaking is second to none. Their alliance with Wans means they are provided plenty of metal and other materials for armor and weapons, as well as stone to build fortresses and towers to protect their citizens. They might not need such a show of strength had they not had several rulers in a row who got greedy and took over several neighboring countries, some of which no longer exist. Mostly landlocked other than the very northern tip of the country.

Lamia - A nation mostly surrounded by water, as they have a massive bay to the north and the ocean to the south. It is best known for a series of ancient caves in the bay that adventurers love to explore, as it is full of strange creatures and rare materials.

Breisia - Another primarily coastal country, Breisia is a rather lush and tropical country. They are best known for the beautifully bright paints and dyes they manufacture -- other countries across the continent consider their materials to be the best of the best for artists. They are also known for their brightly colored houses and unusual architecture.

Muzia - A densely forested nation, Muzia is of course best known for the high-quality wood they export. Muzia has a very large presence of wood elves as well as fey; there are many fairy tales (that may in fact be true) about children getting lost in the forests of Muzia only to return "different" or "strange". For that reason, the few populations of non-fey or elves often have large wooden walls built around their communities that their children are strictly forbidden to leave.

Stokki - A country made up of a large peninsula and many additional islands, as the whole chain of islands extending west below Ethea belong to Stokki. Many of these islands are best known for having flora and fauna not present in many other countries, as their indigenous populations were left alone for quite a long time to flourish in solitude.

Guo (Yiz & Ningyuez) - Smaller countries on the Southern coast. These are rather new nations that have recently won their independence from Lamia, citing the religion they were forbade to practice in Lamia as the reason for their departure (and the war that preceded it). As this change is rather recent (within the last 20 years), things are still rather turbulent.

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