Alter-Mana

The third planet in the Alter Dimension.

Six Great Nations of Alter-Mana

The six largest nations of Alter-Mana are traditionally grouped together and referred to as the Six Great Nations. Following the War of Threes, and prior to the collapse of GATO, the Six Great Nations were bound together in the Forthena Alliance, established by the Forthena Alliance Armistice Treaty that ended the war and reconciled all parties peacefully.

Kingdom of Forthena

Leading nation of Alter-Mana, situated on a vast grassland plain atop a high plateau. Prior to the arrival of the Guardians, the Forthenans were the dominant power of Alter III. They had only just independently developed a primitive form of manned spaceflight when Victor Velasco and his crew discovered the dimension; first contact between Forthena and Guardia marked the entry of Alter into the Web of Worlds.

The Beast Kingdom

A nation dominated by the Beastmen, based in a vast forest just south of the Forthena Plateau. The Mana Elemental Luna is dominant here; her magical influence causes it to always be nighttime within the Bestian Forest. This is an illusion on a nearly divine scale, yet everything within the forest behaves as though it were really night. The ambient temperature is therefore always a few degrees cooler, all creatures found in the forest are those which are traditionally nocturnal, and the sky above is dominated at all times by a large, full moon. Visitors to Bestia often have a difficult time adjusting to the constant night, especially where it comes to eating and sleep patterns.

The Witch Kingdom of Altena

Ruling the Western half of the Northern Continent, and being just across the Icefang Channel from Forthena, Altena is a center for magical study and innovation on Alter III. Altena is the Alter Dimension's only true magocracy, in the style of such places as Aryth, Mysidia and the Merge League.

Holy City of Wendel

The center of the Alterian Elementalist religion, and seat of the Bishop Charlotte Lightbringer. In terms of land area, Wendel is the smallest of the Six Great Nations of Alter-Mana (Forthena, Bestia, Altena, Wendel, Naba'al and Laurent), but it has enormous influence because of its hierarchical control over the world's dominant religion. Wendel is located on the Southern shore of Lake Astoria, just across the water from Bestia in the Northwest.

Desert Kingdom of Naba'al

Occupying the entirety of a desert sub-continent, Southeast from Wendel across the Light Mountains, Naba'al has ruled the lands of the Scorching Desert since just before the start of the War of Threes. Traditionally one of the world's poorest regions, the government of Naba'al has bolstered its economy by indulging in the Web-wide trade of a narcotic called Spice.

Wind Kingdom of Laurent

Situated high atop the mountain known to the natives as the Path to the Heavens, Laurent is a nation traditionally known to be matriarchally dominated, with only a handful of its rulers having been male Kings. The Path to the Heavens is part of the Light Mountain range, which stretches off to the Southwest (forming the border between Naba'al and Wendel) and Northwest toward the Castle City of Jadd.

Other Lands

There are several smaller cultures and peoples on Alter-Mana, that have traditionally been more isolated both from their neighbors within the Alter Dimension, and from the larger Web of Worlds.

Diorre

Lying East across a common border from the Kingdom of Altena, the Elven Kingdom of Diorre flourishes through the enchanted Lampflower Forest. Diorre has had intermittent contact with the wizards of Altena over the centuries, and despite a cultural taboo against racial mixing, several prominent families in Altena are known to have had an Elven ancestor or two somewhere in the family tree. Like the Altenans, the Diorrean Elves are known for their practice of Mana Magic, though the focus of most Diorrean wizards tends to be toward the maintenance and preservation of nature (Dryad, Jinn and Gnome elementals) rather than the broader, more diverse studies of the Altenan students of the Academy at Geo. It should be noted that young Diorrean Elves bear a passing resemblance to Sprites from the Mana Dimension, reinforcing the suggestion that Sprites and Elves are related.