Welcome to Gaia! ::

Called THE SETTLEMENT in Wardwood.

About two generations ago the prison colony aspect of it was stopped, meaning most of the people there are no longer felons, but their ancestors were. There is a lot of farmland.

Generally the accent alone is enough to mark you as being from the Colony. If you can hide it, you're generally fine. but once people learn you're from there, some cultural biases come in -- you must be a thief/liar/no-good/shifty layabout if you're from the Colony.

Called ZHONGGUO in Wardwood.

Not many details, but it is probably a very large country. Very socially conservative, with filial piety and respect for your elders, ancestors, betters, and rulers being extremely important.

Since Chinese pirates were active until the mid to late 19th century, there probably would be pirates from Zhongguo as well. An average Sunderlander's experience with residents of Zhongguo would probably be limited to foreign merchants and stories of pirates.

Called NIPOOR in Wardwood.

A shockingly large country with a shockingly large coastline, Nipoor is a major source of luxury goods for Sunderland, offering strange new spices, dyes, fine bolts of cloth, and exotic produce/pelts, as well as a healthy heaping of drugs.

The land itself is a strange split. Toward the northeast, it is mostly overgrown with wild forests, where unexpected produce grows, strange animals live, and much of which has never been explored. To the west, extending into nearby nations, is an arid desert pocketed with rare oases. The south west and middle, most of the country, is hot and humid and green.

The people are darker skinned than those from Sunderland, ranging from a pale/middling brown to a rich cocoa, generally with dark hair or hair touched with a reddish tinge.

Culturally, the Nipoor wear a lot of bright colors with bright patterns, and a lot of jewelry, for dressing up. Every day clothing is more muted but looser and less layered/structured than that in Sunderland.

Religiously, most people in the country follow a religion similar to that of Sunderland, even including some stories about wolves that are wilder but surprisingly similar to some the average person may have heard about the Wardwood. Here, though, the stories are said to be about their wild rainforests, and some people may even believe the wolves are there.

Another large group of people follow a monotheistic religion that will seem strange to those from Sunderland, ignoring stories of wolves in favor of one greater force. Their religion is more rigid and focused on punishment for wrong doing/atoning for one's sins. To atone, they write prayers appropriate to their mistakes down on slips of rice paper and burn them. Sunderlanders sometimes refer to these people as "Unners" in a vaguely-derogatory manner.

Called AIRELAND / AIRELUND in Wardwood.

A small country currently on the cusp of the Potato Famine. It hasn't happened yet but a lot of the atmosphere at that time is building up to the rebellions that would later follow.

Airelanders are known for violence and drinking and more violence. With the tensions between Aireland / Sunderland, Airelanders are also known as holding a grudge against Sunderland folk in particular.

Some Airelanders did have Guardians back when the wolves first appeared, but the traditions, stories, and legends were not as strong since the Chosen themselves were not as numerous. As such, people from Aireland may be more skeptical of claims of actual Guardians.

Named Cities:

Skibbereen - little bitty town out in the middle of nowhere, mostly soldiers/guards
Jeralan - No info

"The People" or something like that would work. I suppose we ought to come up with something proper for them. I know they're (usually) drifters. They have a reputation of, well, ill-repute. They tend to be on the lower end of the income bracket. They often perform (music, tumbling, etc.) or practice hedge-witchery for a living. They sometimes travel in caravans. They have a strong oral tradition, often passing down stories in the form of song. Some of them are very superstitious, and as a culture, they are more likely to accept strange happenings than your average person.

I've also hedged around the idea of them having "stations" or something like that scattered about. Sanctuaries for drifting Roma in each of the major cities. Maybe there is more to those sanctuaries than meets the eye, or maybe not. Haven't really delved into it, but I like the idea.

Called BELASTRANA in Wardwood.

Currently in the midst of a political upheaval; much like our Russia. The capital is Ledograd.

Called SNOWLAND in Wardwood.

Snowland is a harsh place. The cold never really lets up, and if always turns even the gentlest babe into a wolf. With the snow and the battering ocean wind against the rocky land; everyone grows tough or dies. Snowland often has tall, pale inhabitants, hair often blond or a startling mix of browns. Eyes are very commonly blue and at times brown. Clothing choice is leathers and fur, anything less leads to death.

Growing edible plant life consists of;

In tree's; Green apples often small and sour, pears small, plums, small and sour.
Berries; Blueberries, Raspberries, Lingonberries and Cloudberries. Strawberries. (Note, these are small and are not the normal strawberries seen in stores that have been bred/genetically altered to grow bigger.) Bog Bilberries, Arctic bramble, Dewberries, Rowanberries, and Rose hips.
Mushrooms; Chantarelle, both brown and gold variates, Penny bun, Yellowfoot, Hedgehog(Yes its a mushroom)
Edible plants; Rhubarb, Nettle, Meat under Birch tree's bark.

Animals

Eaten mammals; Moose, Reindeer, Roedeer, Forest Bird, Hare (No, not a rabbit!), Pheasants, Canadian geese, Many duck breeds, Horse. (Yes Swedish people really eat horses), Bear is eaten at times.
Horses; Coldblooded trotter, Gotland pony, North Swedish horse, Swedish Ardennes, Swedish Warmblood
Predators; Wolves, Eurasian lynx, Wolverine, Brown Bears, Pole cats, Red fox, Arctic fox, Cross fox, Badger, Least weasel, Common seal, Gray seal, Common otter, Ermine
Fish; Bass, Salmon, Atlantic sturgeon, Eel fish, Garfish, Clupeiformes, Carp bream, Pike, Atlantic cod, Zander, European perch, Atlantic halibut, Ocean perch, The Caplin, Brown trout, Wels catfish, John Dory (All eaten)
Sharks; Green shark, Ghost shark, basking shark(Whale shark I think)
Whales etc; Common porpoise, Common minke whale, False killer whale, Devil fish, Long-finned pilot whale, Grey dolphin, Atlantic white-sided dolphin, White-beaked dolphin

Called USANA in Wardwood.

No additional information. Also called "The New World."

Albyr, were it a bit bigger, would likely be in the same sort of situation as Airelund: engaged in tension with Sunderland, perhaps on the cusp of starvation.

Instead it is saved by its size. Small, very fertile, considered extremely backwater by most foreigners, Albyr has mostly succeeded to keep its own private culture, its own ways, and even its own language.

Most of the people from Sunderland will view Albyrans as the 'little siblings', and even more so, the weird little siblings. Part of this is because their accents are distinctive, and when it's strong it seems they're speaking another language entirely. The rest is because those Albyrans who come over the border into Sunderland aren't the quiet, home-making, farming types, and instead are those who can't quite find a place back home...