Dustworld: Radia

Radia is very different from either Astoria or Dredge. A very strict theocracy, the country is ruled by a council of five clerics known as the Tetrarchs that are elected by their peers from each of the five districts of the nation. Their religion is carefully cultivated, and while many of the low-ranking clerics are true servants of the gods they serve, most of those in the upper echelons of the church have been seduced and influenced by the power they hold. The religion of the Tetrarchs is officially known as The Radiant Pantheon, most simply call their followers Radiants. The Radiant Pantheon consists of five deities, each of which holds sway over specific areas of life, and who are believed to be equals. In reality the deities are in near-constant states of minor conflict with each other, each vying with the others to attract more worshipers and thus gain further power.
Even though most radiants are unaware of the conflict among their deities, it spills over into their lives in the form of intense competitiveness and constant minor strife in their society. Unlike Dredge--where skill at arms makes a master--the competition within Radia can be found in nearly any form. From boxing to baking, every radiant seeks to be better than their peers, and in turn gain further distinction from their gods. It is a natural outflow of this competitive nature that Radia's borders are nearly always encroaching on Astoria's.
The clerics of the Radiant Pantheon are not exempt from this competition, in fact they have it somewhat worse. Nearly all radiant clerics are trained for battle, and all are more than willing to subdue an audience for their sermons by brute force, declaring all the while that it proves the truth of their gods' power.
While many outside of Radia find the radiants to be odd and more than a little terrifying, there are followers of the Radiant Pantheon to be found outside its borders. Because of their constant strife, the gods of the Pantheon tend to be a bit more attached to their followers than most deities, and they are quick to bestow blessing on their most devoted followers.
Radia itself is largely agricultural; with only one major city, and dozens of smaller towns. Even these towns are frequently little more than a market and houses for farmhands. Despite this lack of urban centers, Radia has a massive population. Bearing healthy children and having a large household are simply two more things to compete on for the radiants. The massive amount of agriculture in Radia is mostly out of necessity; there are a lot of mouths to feed.
The massive population of Radia means constant trouble to its neighbor Astoria. Despite the skill and mastery of its legions, Astoria's military can field but a fraction of Radia's power. When the Tetrarchs call for a march to war, most of the country picks up whatever weapons they have and march. While casualties in battle are often heavy, the clerics are usually able to save most from death's clutches. There is little in the way of tactics for Radia's military; most battle orders begin and end with a bellowed, "Charge!" from the clerics in the front line.

Discomforting Dillemma

The Storm Hawk made port in Santure a few days after the prisoners' failed attempt to escape. The knight had gotten himself into a righteous fury over Hethir's treatment of the prisoner, until Hethir informed him that if he was so worried about it, he should either heal the man or give him a mercy-killing, because anything else was just hot breath. Trace did not respond after that, but had spent the past few days in silence and looking troubled.
Hethir preferred it that way.

Dustworld: Astoria

Astoria controls the southern half of Verdence. Astoria and Radia vary frequently from shaky allies, to skirmishing at their borders, to open combat, to mutual invasion, and then back to allies. The reasons for such engagements are rarely the same, but the roots of them frequently are. The Royal family of Astoria is proud and haughty, and looks down upon the religious sentiment of the Tetrarchs. Astoria is a bed of many small religions, some will grow and wither in under a year, while some have persisted through recorded history. Astoria is strictly ruled, but its people generally look favorably upon the royal family. Although their haughty nature cannot be denied, the royalty may look for husbands and brides wherever they will, and not an inconsiderable number of pretty peasant damsels have been turned into Princesses. Between this intermarriage and the ancient pride the Royalty have in their nation, as a rule they see it as their utmost duty to ensure their people thrive in safety.
The armies of Astoria are the best-trained in the world. However it is also the smallest standing army. The royal army consists of three legions of elite troops. Even in peacetime they are never given a chance to get bored. At least one legion is always on active duty, and if the other two are not needed for duty as well, they are set to wargames against each other. Masters of tactics, the legionnaires of Astoria train in everything from single combat and skirmishing, to small unit tactics, up to mass formations with the entire legion. While the heavy infantry of Astoria can match up against any other army in the world, they are invariably at their strongest when working together. Those that meet the Astorian legions in battle are often amazed and disheartened by the uncanny precision and unity with which their formations move. In this, they are aided by more than simple training.
It is a secret well-guarded by the royal family that part of the final initiation rites to the legions involves an ancient relic of Astoria. Called the world-mind, only the royal family and those who hold firmest loyalty to them can use it. It allows for telepathic communication between those attuned to it anywhere on Dustworld. This communication allows for commanders in the field to near-perfectly coordinate their troops, and have no need for messengers or missives that might be tracked or interrupted. Any messages that are delivered by voice or letter are either as a formality, or misdirection to hide the true communication. Radian leaders have sought for years to uncover Astoria's secret, but so far to no avail.

Bloody Wake

Adrift in dreams, Hethir's mind wandered. He had always been lucid during his dreams, for as long as he could remember at least, but tonight at least he wasn't bothering to exert much control.
He and Val had finally collapsed--satisfied and exhausted--some hours after their tryst had begun. After ensuring that she was not actually hiding daggers in her underskirts, Hethir had joined her in sleep gratefully.
Now he was simply allowing his dreams to play through the events of the last few days. He watched idly for the most part. Occasionally nudging something a different way just to watch; but even that was more idle curiosity than anything else. He frequently used his dreams to plan and train, it had saved his life a number of times. He practiced odd patterns of thought that would confuse anyone else with powers like his; and even more frequently ran through combat scenarios. The dreamscape turned into a great wargame, and it made him far faster in tactical situations than most opponents were prepared for.
He was mulling over the thought of doing just such a thing when something in the waking world began to disrupt his thoughts. A voice. Screams actually, words maybe?
"Brig! Brig! All hands to arms!"

Doubled Deception

The sun continued its inexorable march forward, and the ship continued its journey. Hethir spent most of the day near the helm. Occasionally he corrected course, but mostly he just didn’t want to look at the knight, Trace. The mercenaries had been given run of the ship, all except the rest of the quarters and the poop deck. The man Garius had made brief attempts to convince the crew to gamble with the cards he had, but Hethir had made clear to his crew that the mercs were to be ignored as much as possible, and they followed orders well.