The Five Nations are in the earliest stages of nationhood. They are each a collection of clans and tribes that have been gathered under the banner of a central authority only in the last hundred years. Politically, they are best described as pre-feudal. Titles are not necessarily heriditary. Social advancement is not only possible, but most people know of someone who's done it. In fact, most clans still elect leaders. The common people are well armed and can put together a quite competent fyrd, and have no qualms about removing ineffective leaders if need be. The kings of the nations don't have much problem with this either, if it's warranted. (Obviously, each side have different views of when this is warranted.) Since all of the nations are new constructs, only good leadership is able to succeed. There is not inertia of centuries to hold things together and survive under a weak leader.

All of the nation building is a bit forced. It moved slowly for centuries, with several powerful cities each forming more of a modern nation with the surrounding, supporting lands and beyond. A century ago Eckeron started to quickly pull adjacent lands under its control. This was the catalyst that started the other proto-countries on their own expansion. As these grew and borders touched, a series of border wars erupted. Some countries were assemilated into more powerful neighbors, while the strongest five survived. At the present, a decade of relative peace has existed for the entire region, as the Five Nations have reach a point of stability.

The full sized horse is fairly new to this area. It is native of the plains to the east. The wars that have been fought as the nations established themselves introduced large cavalry formations to the region, for the first time in history. These were initially mercenaries from the high plains to the east of the mountains. They brought the large horse and a more modern saddle and stirrup with them that is starting to have a large affect on local warfare: those elements combined with the metalworking in the Five Nations have resulted in a major shift in warfare. With those developments, a heavily mounted warrior is a match for disciplined infantry. The cost of the rare horses, the heavy armor, and the ability to train fulltime require substantial wealth. Those people who fill this role are essentially inventing the knight in the Five Kingdoms.

At present, each country claims land from the Cyllian Sea to the Hilspar Mountains. However, only half to two thirds of the clans in the claimed area(s) pay taxes to the country and recognize the claim on them. Out of the clans that pay taxes, only half are directly influenced by the central government of the country. Characters from regions that are outside direct influence of the Five Nations central governments should use Hilspar Clans or Northern Clans keywords when creating characters.

The peoples of the Five Nations share a common culture and language. Characters travelling far from their home, even within their own country, will suffer -5 or -10 penalties to Five Nations Custom and Five Nations Language rolls.