Piggymoto- All Star Boar Band

Tien Vien is ruled by a cannibal court.  Or, at least, that’s what rumors say.  It is said that an immortal tiger rules over Tien Vien with an iron fist, and his court is the deadliest in the world.  It is said that the nobles of Tien Vien trade in slaves and souls.

But, people say a lot of things.

The truth is, so few people know anything at all about this isolated country.  While Tien Vieni pottery and ceramics are world renown for their strength and beauty, the are typically only bought in north western ports.  No western trading company has any established routes to Tien Vien.

The triplet minks of Ping Sing Ting come from Tien Vien

Feared by Sailors and travelers alike, Forbidden Point is said to be cursed.  Nevertheless, adventurous souls and treasure seekers flock to this far, south place to find their fortune.  Those who do speak of it upon their return tell tales of glittering, magical cities in the wasteland.  There, dreams are won and lost with the flip of a coin, or the turn of a card.

Some refuse to speak at all of what they’ve seen.  Others are labeled insane.  They ramble and stammer – cry out in the night for fear of monsters and terrible, horrible things.  The only recurring tale is that of mostrous vermin and gigantic, poisonois beasts – huge spiders and scorpions.

Finn Whiskerbottom, who was hired on as an investigator during All Star Boar Band, claims to come from a place called Las Pallomas in Forbidden Point – where he alleges there are the finest casinos in all the world.

Very little is known about this strip of jagged mountains and thick jungles.   Many legends and roumors circulate about ancient civilizations that have left many ruins to pepper the treacherous peaks – each ancient city allegedly full of treasures that defy imagination.  So few artifacts exist to substantiate such claims, however.

There are, however, countless small, tree-top towns and villages along the Mokumbian border which, while primitive, are known for their hospitality.  It is also well known that the most potent medicines and priceless jewels come from this region.

The simian band, Twenty Finger Three also comes from Mokumbo

Adabba is not so much a country as it is a massive, self-sustaining, independent city state.

The most absolute power is held by the guild masters, which control all commerce surrounding the Never Ending City.  Beneath them stand the Sultans, who’ve carved Adabba up into their own personal districts, over which they have absolute power.

While outsiders are treated better than citizens, they are seen as money bags and very little more.  Once a foreigner outlives their value, they run the risk of disappearing into a sultan’s private collection of bodies.

Adabbian energy technology is the envy of the known world.  Their engineers have found ingenious ways to harness the sun, the winds, and even the desolate desert itself.  They have tamed a small corner of the burning lands, and created an oasis of beauty and comfort, which many are willing to risk and sacrifice their freedom to visit.

The band Gulab Tunak comes from Adabbai

Pallonia is an ancient country with a rich and turbulent history.  In the most recent turn of political events, Pallonian females seized control of the country from the males.  They established a effective oligarchy and strict system of gender roles and so-called predator / prey decorum.

This country is renown for its philosophers and artisans, feats of civic engineering, for its mighty navy and ruthless land armies, as well as its somewhat lax moral clime.  Pallonian bathhouses are the subject of many discreet whispers shared in the corners of wealthy sun rooms and seedy taverns world wide.

Johan studies wine making in Pallonia during his younger years, and has many a story to tell that would bring a rosy hue to even Byron’s cheeks.

Once dominated by wolves, this harsh and mostly frozen land saw a massive civil war some 400 years ago.  Mice and deer, who outnumber predatory species 20 to 1, armed themselves, rose up, and slaughtered their oppressors.  The land was then divided amongst surviving Moscrovian families and all vestiges of centralized government were eradicated.

The tranquil “Mouse Family” model has been adopted as a form of government by most communities.  In this typically patriarchal system, anyone who can hold the land, organize his followers, and bring bounty to his people is ruler.  Subordinates are expected to contribute to the community in some meaningful way, or are banished, but nobody can be compelled to work or stay.

Mscrovians pride themselves on culture, hard work and education.  History and the arts are taught with the same passion that other countries may push religion and sports.  Artists and musicians are encouraged to create works that inspire the masses, beautify the home and community, and accurately report history as it happened.

Anastasia and her comrades Portruva, Alexi and Demetre come from this country.

Aristocratic horses have ruled Vaspania for as long as this country has been on the maps. Though highly defensive of their own soil, the Vaspanian government has taken a more passive stance on world politics and international trade.

When their neighbors, the Weslayans, declared themselves an empire, the royal families of Vaspania chose to cooperate with the humans. At least outwardly. While yielding to Weslayan authority in the seas, the Vaspanian government bolstered its military and trained specialized foot soldiers.

With a formidable, defensive army, Vaspania quietly repelled any covert attempt by foreign powers to gain a strategic foothold against the Vaspanian people.

While peaceful, this is a predominately military-organized country – ruled by a family of warrior equines. Laws are strictly (and sometimes brutally) enforced, but citizens life quality is protected by a highly organized bureaucracy.

Corbin was born in Vaspania to a lower-class serf family that worked on the Espinosa Vineyard near the western border.

This is also the country in which the horses of Five Hourse Stout were born, though they reside in Lancemyth.

Weslaya

This country can trace its history back nearly five-thousand years. To a time when (allegedly) dragons dominated all mortal races. During this time the human god Kamerdann was born and cast down their great, reptilian oppressors. This region (most notably marked by the bellowing dragon maw peninsula) became the settling place for most human tribes that fled dragon-controlled lands. And, it has remained humanity’s homeland throughout the ages.

It is said that about 300 years ago, the fairies took interest in the struggling apes, and helped them establish a strong, efficient government. They helped position the first king Wesley into power, and have remained allies to the human throne ever since. The previous king (Wesley VII) decided that his power should be grander in scope, and initiated a policy of aggressive growth and international trade dominance.

While some countries cooperated with the fledgling empire, many others resisted. This conflict resulted in a war that spanned decades, and finally ended when a group of non-human heroes who came to be known as the “Warenders” coordinated a series of precise strikes against Weslayan colonies and other interests.

King Wesley VII died before seeing his world-conquest dreams realized, and his heir promptly withdrew all Weslayan forces and called an end to the nation’s expansionism.

Faunasia

Nobody knows for sure exactly how many countries compose the Faunation Confederacy (also called Faunatia), which is not really all that confederated. The Weslayan humans coined the term in a derisive way some centuries ago when the peoples of these rich and fertile lands seemed to unite against any trade agreement offered by the empire. “Fauna-folk” the Weslayans took to calling non-simian peoples – AnimalPeople.

When King Wesley VII ordered trade embargoes and blockades against all nations that would not cooperate with imperial expansionism, the city states and small countries of this region did unite. They struck up a very loose set of guidelines governing trade and military cooperation, but hesitated to establish anything too concrete. The confederation was intended to last only as long as Wesley’s aggressions persisted.

With the end of war, the countries that compose the confederation have sent delegates to debate whether to dissolve the union, establish a stronger federation, or maintain the status quo. So far, no decision has been made, and thus, the status quo persists.

Prominent countries in the FC include:

Chateausberg, where Eberhard was born and spent most of his childhood.

Deautron, where Johan and Gustave were born (although they never met until Corbin came along)

and

Smith Haven, where Byron was born, schooled, an ultimately incarcerated.

Though the various countries in Faunatia vary in social and political clime, a species-based caste has evolved. So-called predatory races (felines, wolves, etc) are strictly governed and either forced into official service as warriors and bodyguards, or banished from the region. Working species such as horses and cattle are celebrated as the backbone of civilization, but segregated from aristocratic communities. They are rarely paid money for their work, and are therefore kept lowy. Rats and Rabbits make up most of this regions aristocracy.

Pigs, of course, are the nations’ scapegoats. Rarely employed by the wealthy, barred from court and “polite” establishments, Pigs are outcasts and pariahs. Worked hard, paid poorly and forced to live in squalid parts of town, it is very difficult for swine to climb the social ladder.