Blood & Fire on New Earth freshly Risen

When the Aleran families dispersed around the world after embarking on their quest to awaken Earth’s elementals, they did so with the expectation that it would not take long. They retained the culture of their homeland as much as they could. Even scattered around the world, Furycrafting allowed the families to coordinate their activities, make alliances and political marriages, and most importantly allowed for the continued increase of furycrafting power through selective and mandatory breeding.

But, the Alerans also assimilated into the world they found themselves in and their plan took considerably longer than they expected. Each of the families spread out around the globe, taking root in societies and cultures, and gradually adapting to those places. They no longer thought of themselves as Aleran, but they did retain a culture that is mostly unchanged from the way they lived and governed on Alera elsewhere. They exist as societies within a society, families within a family, and both divided and united by their shared heritage.

All of that ended when the High Lords/Ladies and the House of Gaius, realized that the furies of Earth had been strengthened and awakened to the point that for the first time, the Aleran people could do something decisive and world changing. Acting together in concord for the first time since they attempted to return to Alera, the High Lords combined their powers to raise the sunken and lost continent of Atlantis to the surface.

Then the exodus began, as well as the wars. New land will always be viewed with covetous eyes, and while the Americas were being fought for, the Aleran people descended on the newly raised land mass, and immediately began having to fight for their land from the European powers that were eager for new land to conquer. Beginning in the late 1700s and continuing for the next hundred years, the Alerans came from the four corners of the earth, and they came to the defense of their reborn Alera. After a century of struggle they managed to throw back the invaders. Declaring themselves a sovereign nation, they sent a proclamation to the powers of the world warning them about the newfound power in the world.

Since then, the Nation of Alera has grown strong. Mingling technology and furycrafting, their society exists as a curious combination of ancient rulership with modern convenience. They have access to the powers of electricity and nuclear reactors, their populace can drive cars and watch television, but the employment of furycrafting is too ingrained and too integral to their society. While modern conveniences exist, they are also rare. Alerans prefer furycraft to technology, though they are by no means ignorant of the power of technology.

The Nation of Alera is recognized as a sovereign nation, has a delegation to the United Nations, and several lucrative trade agreements with other major powers in the world such as the United States, China, and Europe. They have achieved primacy in the area of exporting raw goods and materials as their various Crafters excel at creating and finding such resources, and Atlantis (now Alera) is rich in resources.

Alera occupies the landmass of the lost continent of Atlantis, which has roughly equivalent landmass to Europe. Alera has a total of some 3.1 million square miles compared to Europe’s 3.9 million square miles. Alera stretches in the Atlantic Ocean between Europe, North America, South America, and Africa. Within its boundaries, the Great Houses each operate one of the “High” Cities and whatever territory which is ceded to that Great House in a feudal grant. Each of the Great Houses owes loyalty to the First Lord (Emperor) of Alera.

Life in Alera

Life on Alera is much like life everywhere else. People have jobs, work their land, go to work in cities and factories. They go home, and relax with friends or family, maybe watch television or go outside in order to tend to their gardens. Students learn, Civic Legions (Aleran Police) patrol the streets, and the world keeps spinning.

The Legions

The Military of Alera has evolved in many ways along similar lines as the United States and other world powers, but retains the ancient nomenclature that is their heritage. Officially, the Aleran Military is known collectively as the Aleran Military Service, but what modern day recognizes as the army continues to employ the name "Legions". Service in the Legions is mandatory for all men and women upon obtaining their legal adulthood, for a minimum of two years. The concept of the "Citizen Soldier" is alive and well in Alera, and Alera has a large body of potential and already trained militia should they be needed. The Legions retain an organization which is faithful to the original organization of Roman Legions of approximately 5200 men, split into 10 cohorts, nine of 480 men each, plus the first cohort holding 800 men. Cohorts are further broken down into Centuries of 12 men each.

While hand-to-hand combat is no longer the primary means of conflict, the Legions still train according to ancient traditions, although the weapons they use have become modern. The Legions are one of the few militaries in the modern that continue to use archers alongside regular troops and mortar teams. Alera maintains a special forces unit known as the Aleran Special Services which are the equal of special ops groups found globally today.

The Cursors

Everyone knows that the Cursors deliver the mail, report to post-masters, and are funded by the government. But, not everyone knows that Cursors are also the covert intelligence agency of the Aleran people. Mingling the functions of America's NSA, CIA, and FBI, the Cursors work at home and abroad.