Terrafirma

Terrafirma is the continent that is the main setting for the series.

Its mainland is located in the Northern Hemisphere of the planet it's in, with the Meridional Islands located over the equator.

Terrafirma may also coloquially refer to the Terrafirman Alliance of Nations, a political union that includes not only the officially recognized countries located in Terrafirma but also Nuriah, in the Eastern Continent.

## Political geography

There are six officially recognized countries in Terrafirma: Erenford, Carteret, Denvorn, Kightsbridge, Lansing and Longbow. In addition, Nuriah, a nation on the neighbouring Eastern Continent is often considered a honorary part of the continent, and is a member of the Terrafirman Alliance of Nations. Of these sevens, Erenford, Carteret and Kightsbridge are considered Realms, Kightsbridge, Lansing and Longbow are considered Duchies and Nuriah is a republic.

Additionally there are lands that are not part of any officially recognized country, namely in the Northwest of the continent, North of the Kightsbridgian region called the Mother's Mountains, as well as islands in the Meridionals that are sporadically discovered by explorers. The Western shore of the Kightsbridgian subcontinent remains mostly unexplored, as do many of the islands in the Wilds cluster - however, both these regions are claimed, by Kightsbridge and Denvorn respectively.

### Language

The language spoken in Terrafirma, also known as Common Language, is spoken across the mainland as well as in the Meridional Islands. It's formed from the Innocent Languages, which were the main languages spoken in Terrafirma before the Great Migration, and the Eastern languages the refugees came in contact with afterwards.

Even the populations of the unclaimed lands, namely the North of the Mother's Mountains, speak the Common Language, having absorbed it from Kightsbridgers. They do, however, speak a mountainese dialect based on the Innocent Languages.

Islanders of the Denvornian islands also keep their native tongues and dialects, despite conducting official business in the Common Language.

In Nuriah, the Nuriah'i language is spoken, with the Common Language being taught as a second language.

### Religion

*See also: The Chant*

There are a number of religions in Terrafirma, varying from country to country. In the mainland, different religions are variations of the Common Faith, an ancient belief in the world divided in three different layers - the Waking World, the Shade and the Eternal Night. This set of beliefs has evolved from the religion of the ancient Terrafirmans during the Age of Innocence, as well as the faiths of the Eastern Continent the Terrafirma population was exposed to after the Great Migration, and involves the existence and use of magic.

One of the pillars of the TAN is religious freedom, and persecution on the basis of religion is considered a crime against humanity. Despite this, practicants of the Chant, which is considered a religion, are criminally prosecuted. Religious freedom principles have, in turn, been used to protect tradition in the Meridionals.

The following strands of the Common Faith are currently recognized:

* The Erenfordian Common Faith;
* The Carteretian Common Faith;
* The Denvornian Common Faith;
* The Kighstbridgian Common Faith;
* The Lansinger Common Faith.

Besides the Common Faith, the animistic religions of Nuriah are also recognized, as well as the tribal beliefs in the Meridionals. Sorcerers of the Mother's Mountains practice a slightly different strand of the Kightsbridgian common faith, which is reminiscent of the ancient religions of the Age of Innocence.

Although the Chant is more of a practice than a set of beliefs, the official TAN position is that it's an illegal religion. Practicers of the Chant, however, are most often found among believers of the Carteretian, Kightsbridgian and Lansinger common faiths and it's believed that these sects are most compatible with the teachings of the Chant.

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