Estellon is a sub continent, described as a giant peninsula, made of smaller peninsulas. Comprised of both temperate and freezing mountain, forest, and plains, Estellon is reguarded as the much more hospitable land to its southern sister continent of Nomeria. It is a land both largely inhabited and culturally dominated by three races. Elves, Dwarves, and Humans. And it is very difficult to say which of the three hold the most power. Of course no single nation is racially homogenous in Estellon. But the three distinct races (With each further divided between various ethnic groups) have their own ways of doing things. And in areas where there is a higher concentration of a single race, that tends to show through. Estellon is the land where religion dominates many of the lives of it's inhabitants. A land where the rule of kings chart the destinies of their feudal societies. A land where arcane magic is just beginning to catch on outside of the high elvin societies. But most importantly, it is the land where chivalry was born. And it is not dead yet. Even if it is evolving into a different form. After a large plague known as the black death caused many of its victims to rise and cull many of the population, power began to shift when society rebuilt. As the merchant class grew more wealthy, the noble-born freelance knight evolved into the mutually class assessable adventurer. And soon peasants, nobles, and clergy alike were questing across the lands, beating back many of the monsters that had filled the spaces where humans, elves, and dwarves no longer inhabited. Then the monsters took to inhabiting ancient ruins, which were long rumored to be cursed, trapped, and dangerous. Then one group got the idea to go into one of them. And what they did was return with wealth, magical items, and artifacts of archeological value. Before this, no one had ever thought to try to go into a Shiori Labyrinth, or Ancient Elvin Citidel. Now everyone wanted a piece. Adventurers shifted from freelance knights and mercenaries, to church sanctioned monster slayers, to treasure hunters and dungeon divers, and finally, to heroes for higher. Where once religion and rulers charted the destinies of Estellon's kingdoms, now adventurers do as well.

Culture:

• In most Estellonian countries, there exists a class system that is recognized even in nations where no such distinction exists. The idea was originally conceptualized by the high elves, but became more rigidly enforced when the Fosterin Church rose to power. In the religion, there is a strong romanticized notion of the proper place of things. So the original concepts of societal order became more idealized within Estellon as three feudal classes rose. The Nobility, the Clergy, and the Peasantry. Though each class has undergone quite a bit of transformation since these times. For the distribution of wealth has leant to the merchants, artisans, and tradesmen to grow in power, especially when urban areas expanded. The fighting class, the Nobles, now distinguish themselves through aristocratic ties or the purity of a sorcerer bloodline rather than the acts of valor and service which their ancestors originally enacted to earn nobility. The rule of the royal family still sits at the top of many Estellonian kingdoms, but there are a few where the crown's influence has grown too weak to contend with the aristocracy. The last of which, the clergy, or those who pray, have begun to delve into arcane magic with the scholastic movement. And the Scholastic wing of the church looks to be heading for the formation of a fourth class. The Caster class. But that hasn't happened yet. There is somewhat of an unofficial class that is only sort of recognized, even though its members consist of those from every class. That being the adventurer class, who temporarily forgo their class privileges and are treated as merchants while questing.
   

• Peasants in Estellon: The peasantry, or those who work, have long been the backbone of Estellonian's society. They worked in exchange for the protection that the nobility could offer. This was a necessary arrangement in early high elvin society, because the threat of goblins, orcs, and monsters was a great threat to them. This mostly centered around the production of food, though wherever a greater supply of manpower was needed, peasants were expected to fill those roles. However, thanks in part to the Shiori Empire, the Common folk (Or citizens as seen in the eyes of the empire) were fully realized in their potential to elevate and promote culture. Specialists were born in Estellonian culture, with artisans, merchants, craftsmen. Though after the collapse of the Shiori Empire, the dark ages had begun, and things reverted back to their feudal traditions. One good thing to come from this was that the concept of slavery was no longer considered economically feasible. Instead, they opted for serfdom, so that the peasant class could get a little more than just protection out of their servitude. But as the petty kingdoms would do more than just endure, prosperity once again worked its way down the classes, even to the peasant class. And soon the distinction between Serf and Free Holder (Or Yeomen) began to be seen. The Yeomen exercise much more freedom than the serfs. And as urbanization once again began to rise in popularity, the peasants began to rise in power. When nobles failed to protect the peasantry, they turned to organize themselves in the form of guilds. A small number of merchant families began to rival even the wealthiest of kings and nobles. And now, peasants have come to become land owners in some regions. (Though purchasing a freehold means that they are outside of the noble's obligations) The Common Folk have likewise seen an increase in education, particularly in the cities. But depending on where a commoner lives, he may see more or less freedoms than other classes. In most lands with a strong cultural influence from the Eugencians, peasants tend to have the hardest time earning the freedom to call themselves adventurers or even change their careers. They find themselves born into the same trade as their fathers. In other societies, such as ramacci and elvin kingdoms, anyone with enough money to arm and equip themselves for travel can choose to become an adventurer.
   

• Nobles in Estellon: To be born into nobility is to give your name and your very presence weight to those around you. How much weight that means depends on large part of where in the noble hierarchy you find yourself ranked, or how potent of a sorcerer bloodline you hold. Nobles are still traditionally seen by the peasantry and the clergy as "Those who fight." As many of the oldest noble families earned their titles through military service. But these days, a knight isn't held in quite as high of a regard as they used to. Thus for the most part, when there are no wars to fight, lower ranking knights generally supplement their income by either adventuring, or competing in jousts. But the later generations of nobility (Especially in lands where the barons rival the crown in political pull), nobility is more about privilege than fighting. To be noble meant you had the right to flaunt your wealth, your status, and your right to ride a horse down the middle of the street. The second and third generation of noble families were the ones who began to see things this way. And to compete with one another in times of peace, they began selectively breeding to cultivate strong sorcerer lineages. The purity of a bloodline and the number or power of sorcerers within a noble family ultimately doesn't grant them political weight in and of itself, but it does earn them more respect, and grant tempting offers when trading heirs to stake claims over regions. Unfortunately for the nobility, the spread of magical knowledge between the elves and the Darsians to the peasantry and clergy means that noble sorcerers may start to wane in importance. Many nobles merely scoff at the fledgling wizards, calling them hedge mages and less flattering names. But there are those who realize the significance in this. In several Tamian noble families, where upward mobility has always been more culturally accepted, the nobles choose not to grow complacent in their titles, and instead stake out to accomplish new feats to help secure their power for the changing times. At the top of the latter of nobles, the royal family or the monarchs see the most privilege. After all, they are "those who rule" and as most Fosterin nations require an approval from the church to legitimize their authority, it means they generally have the church backing to prop themselves up.
   

• Clergy in Estellon: Fosterism is the most culturally prominent religion in Estellon, and as such, their institutions across the continent are at times able to rival even kings in political power. Those of the clergy are "Those who pray". Meaning it is the job of the men and women of the cloth to toil in all matters of faith, spiritual guidance, and in some cases, supernatural evils on behalf of all mortals, no matter their race or class. (Although sometimes one's creed might lend exception to that.) Unlike peasants and nobles, no one is specifically born to the clergy. The Fosterin Church instead takes in those who either wish to forgo the earthly desires in place of spiritual service, or those who are without a home. Indeed, many of the most devout followers of the Fosterin Faith are those who were turned over to them at an early age, either as orphans or refugees. Though it is not uncommon for a noble family to turn one of their second or third children to spiritual service in hopes of receiving some measure of divine favor while that child prays on their behalf. But the Fosterin priests and priestesses are often encouraged to sever all ties with family, as they are to serve all mortals, not just a select few. As Fosterin Churches are exempt from paying taxes in most Estellonian nations, they are often able to run side businesses and community projects. Things such as schools, orphanages, alchemical and magical research towers, or even knightly orders. A church knight differs from a noble knight in that he/she is raised, funded, trained, and outfitted by the Fosterin Church for church service rather than sworn fealty to a noble or royal. Although most of these "Crusaders" are centralized in urban areas where the church facilities are much larger and more influential. And they frequently find themselves assisting local guardsmen in keeping the order. Still, crusaders may be called upon to run errands for the church, or assist clerics on pilgrimage... Or even an inquisitor in dealing with a supernatural threat. Although the church insists that the presence of inquisitors battling the forces of evil in the darkness are just rumors.
   

• Scholastic Mages of Estellon: After the Black Death, as nations began to rebuild, lots of artifacts, treasures, and old knowledge started to bubble up to the surface. High Elvin and Darsian spell tomes were among many of the things to fall into the hands of the peasantry and the clergy. And as opposed to labeling the secret of arcane magic as heresy in order to horde it all to themselves like you would expect a religious institution to do in a medieval fantasy world, the Fosterin Church instead saw the potential in weaving magic into the culture in the early stages of rebuilding. And soon, arcane magic, once monopolized by the high elves, and sorcerer bloodlines of the nobility, began to find its way into the teachings of church sponsored academies. One didn't need to devote body and soul to the church in order to research magic. They merely joined a more informal branch of the church which was labeled as "The Scholastic Branch." This separated them from their ordinary class duties in order to have the freedom required to learn magic or alchemy. And soon, human wizards started to appear across the lands, attempting to apply their theories in an effort to ease the burdens of those who suffered from the disease. The scholastic wizards have had quite a fair amount of church publicity, though in some more rural and superstitious areas, their powers may not be as easily understood. But a scholastic wizard's duty is to enlighten the minds of those who are apprehensive towards magical or scientific advancement. There of course are those outside of the scholastic branch that study the old magical tomes. Of course Elvin and Nomerian wizards have long been synonymous with magic, and the druids, witches, and other hedge magic groups have always been there since the ancient eras. But certain secretive cults in more isolated regions have hoarded their own arcane knowledge in effort to keep as much of it as possible in their own hands. These heretical cabals have remained secret. Some for fear of persecution, others for more nefarious reasons. When the Church refers to hedge mages, it usually has to do with these groups in particular, even if others may interpret it as simply any magic practitioner who isn't involved with the church.