In all briefness, this takes place in a time where crusader organizations declined in powers. In real history, think of the rough time of when the Knights Templar were disbanded; the states and Kings were becoming more powerful than the Pope, the only places where crusader fraternities could survive were either in the north and south where they were still actively fighting (largely tied to local Kings while doing so) or literally on an island somewhere (Hospitaller Knights of Malta, for example)
The power and legitimacy of Crusaders is waning, but on that downhill slope the Holy Knights of the Vigil are the undeniable top dog.
Aswick is more of a centralized place that will be held up as a measure of the times. You build canals or mines, great! three generations from now a thick new vein is discovered and you suddenly find yourself major owner of an extremely prosperous mining company. Great! The canals are bringing in merchants at a steady rate, making Aswick a booming small city. Unfortunately, the guilds of the city seek enfranchisement themselves and wish to be split into their own Royal City within your holding, suddenly removing any income you have coming your way from city taxation. That’s where Aswick really comes into play and that’s how I always designed it. Aside from gold rush cities and the like, the development of cities and communities into thriving ones is often a very long process of build-up before a surge finally happens.
You’re mostly right, but they aren’t exact copies either.
Accadia is more of a mix between Roman Empire and Ancient Egypt, with largely closed borders to foreigners. Their culture, to continue with the examples from real history, would instead of glorifying a Latino-Hellenic mixed heritage, is all about that original Ancient Greek heritage.
The Orient is a mixture between Muslim Caliphates with emphasis actually on the Mughals, as well as the Mongol Khanates with their religion based off a mixture of Ancient Mesopotamian religions mixed with a bit of Nietszche.
Varians are more akin to pre-Charlemagne Franks than Holy Roman Empire. They are getting to the latter, but mostly it’s just a bunch of infighting all the time.
Valmagne is a mixture between High Medieval France and Byzantine Empire. The political structure I have been trying to keep very close to real Medieval France however. They are very much the very organized and sophisticated cousin to the Norwallian chaos.
Norwall is a very much simplified England, with the major exception being the governance and power of nobles. For example, the nobility is much more involved in the running of land than they would have been. You’re practically designing what will come of Aswick, building stuff that has other uses than just to show off, ordering perhaps for mines to be built. In England at the time, nobility gathered money by selling their claims to land and had very little say with what happened and when; the shire reeve / sheriff was the monarch’s appointed clerk in charge of that kind of stuff.
(Sheriff of Nottingham is a good example. Robin Hood wasn’t facing up against local nobility, but the actual governor of the land.)
Ballagan is a mix between Irish, Scottish and some Norse cultures with Scotland being the main source of inspiration. There’s some other stuff in there as well but there wasn’t much direct contact with them in this story so I won’t go into that.
The Cambrain Peninsula is Portugal/Spain/Aragon/Sicily. The regions where it was all about that Reconquista.
If you wish, I can get into more detail or do the same kind of list for religions.
