Since I didn't want the other pages getting too long, politics gets its own page. PCs should be generally aware of the knowledge here, but rumour tends to have more force than fact in any war.
Namdara is a true empire, i.e. it is ruled by an emperor. While Ticaldi is older, Namdara has been an empire for a longer time, expanding by offering the benefits of the empire (in trade, connections and so forth) to surrounding territories in exchange for alliances that eventually become more than that. The standard trade agreement is that, if the ruling line of an area allied with Namdara dies, the entire area becomes part of Namdara. The lack of many stories about Namdarans poisoning people to acquire land speaks volumes for their honour in matters of trade and trust.
The Emperor himself is seldom seen, and only families whose lineage extends back to the founding can hope to have a member of their family sit on the highest throne. What is known is that a family remains in power until they run out of sons for the throne, at which point another of the first families is chosen for the honour. To what extend the Emperor is merely a figurehead is an open question that depends as much on the political climate as it does on the will of the Emperor himself.
Namdara is divided into 10 provinces, each run by a descendant of the current Emperor’s line. The Dukes have a lot of power in their own bailiwicks but neither they nor their descendants can rise to the rank of the emperor. The end result tends to be a very strong infrastructure that can accommodate the changing to another ruling line that effectively removes all leaders from Namdara for a time. Former dukes are often given positions of power etc. and those of the previous ruling line are treated well by the new Emperor and his family, a reality owing as much to tradition as to practicality.
The army: Each of the provinces is responsible for protecting its external borders and any trade partners near it so that Namdara, moreso than Ticaldi, has a real standing army of professional soldiers rather than conscripts and mercenaries. And they have fanaticism on their side.
As an empire, Ticaldi is as much defined as limited by geography. The ecosystem of forests and rivers that supply and guard the empire make it difficult for anyone to effectively hold large territories. As a result, it is divided up into various Branches, each being a village (or villages) and surrounding area governed by a council of merchants, tradespeople and so on. From these councils come the members of the overall ruling Consortium designed to a rather fluid governing body that no one party or concern can govern.
Times of war, of course, change that as they change many other things. The cities on the egde of the empire have begun training soldiers for things other than hunting down bandits and en forced conscription has become mandatory as the military factions of the Consortium draw all other groups to their side.
The memory of Vaen, meanwhile, ensures that many think victory must be total if it is to be had at all, and the moderates are slowly being drowned out by all extremes as the menace and sheer alieness of Namdara’s goals filters down to Ticaldi through rumour and survivor rantings from Amadai.
Army: Conscripts who make up in numbers what they lack in actual skill for the most part. Mercenaries from the wastes and other such barbarians have been hired to lead recruits while the trained men continue to train and conscript more soldiers in the three cities of Ticaldi. While Namdara is wealthier, the concept of hiring mercenaries to help in their unification remains anathema.
A 1000 year old kingdom, Arakon supplies the majority of ores and metals that are the backbone to any army that wants real weapons on their side. Ruled by a line of merchant-kings, their army is well trained and exists to keep trade routes open and exterminate bandits and other such problems. They have, so far, refused to become involved in the war at all and trade to both parties without favour.
In Namdara
While the Emperor seems to support Ve entirely and without condition, the nine dukedoms are definitely worried about their own eroding power and the dukes about eventually getting replaced. There is also said to be an underground magician smuggling operation - that well may be literally underground - sending potential magicians and such to Arakon and other places outside Namdara. Due to the tendency of followers to kill nonbelievers, no one is certain just how much resistance to the new religion exists.
New Namdara, of course, is still engaged in a now guerrilla war against Namdara, but it seems to be having little effect as most people have chosen to submit rather than fight and die.
In Ticaldi
The base division is betweeen the generals who want to invade and defeat Namdara and the traders who hold hope for a diplomatic resolution to events that does not destroy the trade routes Vaen established. Among the military are those who seek to win and those who seek to win by exterminating Namdara utterly.
The magicians of Ticaldi tend to side with the extermination faction, given the vast knowledge and lore that has been lost to the world thanks to the deaths of many scholars and magicians and the burning of old sacred libraries.
Amadai-in-exile: Self-appointed leaders of the exiles who have fled to Ticaldi (mostly to the cities) who, for the most part, just want their lands back and not have two armies obliterate the entire area.
The Plurality: A relatively new organization, the Plurality can be found anywhere Namdara (and Ve) are not and claims to be chosen by the sky gods to oppose the heresy that is Ve. As they spend most of their time arguing with each other and breaking into new factions over rules and regulations, they are functionally useless despite claiming to have great numbers (and gods) on their side. Their goal is to destroy Ve.
The Invisible College: A group of scholars and magicians who teach and learn from each other, the invisible college meets when three or members are present in an are. Their rumoured goal is to preserve and use knowledge but very little is really known about the college on a whole, so their overall goals and motives remain a mystery.
Languages
The three languages of the campaign are Namdaran, Tica and Issan. Issan, being the language of Flaath-innis, is the oldest of them and the basis of the other two since at one point that empire ruled most of the campaign area long ago.
Campagin note: PCs know the languages of any land they’ve been to, free. Knowing others costs 1 skill point in Languages [for most PCs, this would be Issan]. If you have a language and get 1 point in it anyway, you can speak it sans accent -- so others won’t know where you’re from. For another point, you can read said language as well (or just spend 1 point for reading and not care about accents). Most people can read basic maps, general labels for drinks, but much beyond that isn’t known. Namdaran is the general language for Namdara, New Namdara and Arakon. Ticaldi is Ticaldi, the waste, and the south. The Amadai Alliance generally makes use of both, and Issan is mostly only used on Flaath-innis.
Accents are listed in order from closest to native and further out.
Namdaran has the following accents: Native, Arakan (technically, it’s very close to native), Amadai, Ticaldi, Issan.
Ticaldi has Native, Waste (very close to native), Amadai, Arakan, Namdara
Issan has native, Northern (Namdara, Arakon), Southern (Ticaldi, Amadai) as far as accents goes.
This shouldn’t be actually that important in game, unless one is trying to spy and such.
Currency
Namdara and Arakan make use of coins (gold, with five silver being one gold). Ticaldi uses paper money and IOUs, called dollars. Flaath-innis makes use of shells and gems, and gems tend to have use in Arakan as well. For all practical purposes, one of each = one of another.So 1 dollar is one gem is one shell is one coin.
Until you travel. For the most part, local currency becomes 1. Allies becomes 1-1.5, and those of enemies can cost twice as much, if they’re accepted at all. So 10 dollars in Ticaldi would only buy five dollars of things in Namdara. Just about everyone gets by with barter, in the main.
GM note: I don’t plan to keep track of currency: this is not D&D. This is mostly so players are aware of what kind of currency their PC should use somewhere, and when to trade etc.