The Alternum Confederation
Often called the birthplace of humanity, such claims are dubious at best, though they can safely lay their claim as the oldest civilization still standing in Astora, predating even the ancient nation of Shan Lun. The land of Alternia is considered the favored land of the Olympian pantheon, and worship of them is as common here as it is rare in the rest of Astora. Though more a collection of loosely affiliated city states than an actual nation, the confederation always banded together in times of need against common threats to defend their land as a unified force, though many question if those days are forever behind the people of Alternia. The region is steeped in ancient tradition, and the grand cities within represent tens of millenia of inhabitants building up over the ruins of ages past. This gives rise to the undercities, sprawling networks of ruins that extend in many layers below the oldest cities of Alternia, serving host to all forms of wonders, dangers, and mundane presences.
Alternia is currently in a state of decline, but occurring at a glacial pace. Like Mulhorand, the city states are dedicated to maintaining their ancient status and culture, and are subject to a world that is changing around them as they remain in place. Feuds between city states older than most other civilizations in Astora mean that cooperation between them is near impossible, and minor skirmishes and battles between them are frequent and draining. Despite this, the region remains the most heavily populated in all of Astora (though not as densely populated as Reinstad), and they remain, on paper at least, the most powerful force in the continent.
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