[h3]Other Handy Information[/h3]
Indra is neighbored by four different countries, [i]Escov[/i]a to her North, [i]Zeelu[/i] to her East, [i]Manora[/i] to the South, and [i]Friesia[/i] to the West. Relations with these countries are rather good but [i]Manora[/i] is a small nation that lies in the Jungle of Amur and partly in the Yalar Mountain range. It’s people do not thrive as those in Indra do and many try and cross the border to remain permanently in Indra. 

[hider=Escova]
Think Egypt crossed with Morocco mixed with a little Saudi Arabia stereotype-y stuff.

[i]Escova[/i] is a country that consists entirely of deserts, the people here are mostly nomadic tribes who meet during the full moons to trade the goods they've traded for previously. They travel from oasis to oasis, between the small villages that surround these pools of water and greenery to trade their goods from their other travels. There are also two rivers that meet near the border to form the [i]Aladren River[/i], they are the [i]Sanguine[/i] and the [i]Orathos[/i]. They enter the country from the north east and north west corners respectively. The there is a larger town at the junction of the rivers called [i]Guzel[/i], this is the capital of Escova. 

Guzel is the largest city in the country and appears from the desert like a mirage, a grateful reprieve from the endless desert sands and heat. It is filled with lush spices and the deep musk of incense burning in the window of of nearly every home. There are more camels and small donkeys than horses. Only the richest of traders here and in the costal cities ride horses. Desert races are a favored hobby of the rich elite class in Escova. Their horses are said to be some of the sturdiest mounts in all of the nations.
Escova's entire northern border and part of the western border is exposed to the sea, in some places their are steep cliffs, in others there are beaches where the rich play in the white sands. 

The second and third largest cities reside in two of these places. One lies at the mouth of the Sanguine River and is know as [i]Zorralo[/i], it can be a rather unfavorable place to live and many do not live here during the hurricane season. Only the poorest people remain during this time of the year. The rich travel to their underground homes that lie in the hard bedrock beneath the top several feet of sand. These underground palaces are cool and lush, the playgrounds of the elite and rich. Even the stables are underground, in Zorallo.

The third largest city lies on a much less extreme beach, it lies on the far side of the [i]Chiaz Mountains[/i] from the rest of the country on the coast. [i]Visé[/i] is a rather isolated city and is much cooler and surrounded by lush temperate forests due to the moisture off the ocean that is held fast by the mountain range. This was once the capital of Escova but it was moved by the most recently empowered Emperor of Escova, Levent Alip Demirci. 

Levent is a rather revolutionary Emperor in that his only real demand is that his people pay penance to him at an annual festival that attracts even the residents of Indra with its splendor. It bares the riches and mineral stones that lie in the deserts of Escova. The festival is preceded by the largest market trading event of the year. The Bazaar is a miraculous event to attend and see, creatures from across the seas can be purchased as pets and many other exclusive items that appear only at this event. Levent is also a very powerful ally of Indra's King due not only to their mineral wealth but it's people will all answer their Emperor's call if needed, they proved this many years ago when Levent first came into power and the nation to it's west that lay along the western most coast of the continent attempted to invade. His people were so enthralled with him that nearly every able bodied man who was able to fight showed and fought fiercely. Anyone who lost their life was commemorated and their family given compensation at the Bazaar later that same year. Ever since Levent's people have been fiercely loyal to their Emperor.[/hider]

[hider=Friesia]
Think Eastern Europe.

Friesia is quite similar to Indra in culture, or at least it tries to be. It is a fairly wealthy nation though not so wealthy as Escova or Indra. What little land of Friesia is not covered in mountains is farm land. The waters that flow down the mountains during the spring thaw of the mountain snow bring life to the low lands and valleys in the mountains where the people of Friesia live. The country is actually named after the beautiful flowers that reside all across the country. 

The people of Friesia are hardy and love the outdoors, the women especially are known for their medicines that people from other nations travel deep into the mountain range to get for their loved ones. Their potency is believed to be derived from the herbs that grow only on the mountains there. Most of the people here raise sheep and goats in the mountains as well as ponies that are exclusively found here unless imported from Friesia, exporting the ponies is considered to be a crime by many.

There are many breeds of sheep and goats, most found only in certain places from their complete isolation in the mountains. The small ponies that reside in Friesia are a product of their environment, they are strong willed and hard to train but extremely loyal. Once you've earned their trust they will never leave their owners, no fencing is required. These ponies are referred to as [i]Folk Ponies[/i] as they are ridden by the "Common Folk" they have a jilting gait that is actually quite smooth and fast. They come mostly in plain colors but some in the lower valleys have spotted rumps and bodies.

There are many small villages in Friesia, it's capital city being in the heart of the mountain range in a large valley. The city is known as the [i]City of Fog[/i] because you often cannot see the city until you are nearly at the gates. It only has gates at the open passes that lead in and out of the city on the West and South sides of the Valley. Nearly all the other ways into the city are too steeps and dangerous for anyone to travel. The people of Friesia refer to the city simple as King because King Jerome resides in this city and rarely leaves.

Friesia is a country that spends a lot of its time and resources trying to plunder what it can from other countries. Primarily Manora which has little to no means of protecting itself due to its lack of a monarchy of its own. Friesia seems to always be trying to be the richest when there are little to no riches to take, only those which it can capitalize on that it already has.[/hider]

[hider=Manora]
Think Brazil slash Mongolia.

Manora is the country that lies just south of Indra. It is a mostly warm tropical country and though much larger in space than Indra and all but Escova it is much poorer than the other countries that surround it. The eastern part of the country is where the densest jungle lies but to the western part of the country the jungle recedes into rolling plains where nomadic people live. In the jungle the tribes of people tend to be a little larger than those that reside on the plains. 

Manora does not particularly have a monarchy of any kind. It's borders are held by the nomads that live in the areas of the plains while tribal people who do little migrating live in the dense jungles and swamps of Manora's eastern parts. Manora's people are known for their craftsmanship and their goods that they produce from the resources around them. They are known across the continent primarily for the foods that are produced only in Manora. 

Due to Manora’s lack of monarchy it is invaded quite regularly and it’s people defend when they can and flee only to disappear without much of a trace for months sometimes even years. The people of Manora are the hardiest of all the people probably, they are expert hunters and trackers and this in turn makes them some of the hardest people to find. They travel on horseback when they can but most often they travel on strange beasts who come from the jungles that have cloven hooves. These creatures are as swift as any horse and nearly impossible to track. The nomads of the plains are well known for leaving sign on purpose in order to trap and capture invaders or lead them on wild goose chases until they are so lost they cannot fight. 

What little wealth Manora has comes from the goods its people produce. At one point in time it is said that there was an occupation by the King of Zeelu and the people of Manora not only refused to craft anything other than what they needed to survive they also disappeared with out a trace as soon as the King’s soldiers crossed the border. The soldiers found only dung from the beasts that the Manorians ride. They followed these dung piles for miles upon miles, concentrating so hard on finding the tribes that they eventually got lost and never returned to Zeelu. Eventually after several months of loosing soldiers the King gave up on conquering Manora and pulled what soldiers back home.

Manora, though it does not have a solid monarchy as many of the other nations do its tribes all have their own hierarchy and there are some rather large tribes of twenty five to thirty people. Some of the larger tribes have very distinct hierarchies and even have Princes and Princess of the tribal leaders.[/hider]

[hider=Zeelu]
Think of vikings, Norse, Scandinavia..

Zeelu is a land of cool mornings and dense fog that rolls across the moors. Zeelu's border is the Yalar Mountains, those mountains separate it from Manora and Indra. It is known primarily for its weaponry, master bow makers and sword makers are nearly all from Zeelu. There are very few who rival these people in their skills in weapon making. They are also known for their iron goods along with their skills as warriors. 

Zeelu's people are some of the fiercest known on the continent. 
[/hider]