In the years since the end of the Second Ogre Wars, there have been many developments across the land. The elvish Streing Empire led by Magnate Jarbarther established itself in the Mystletainn forest, and coerced other fledgling nations in the cradle to declare themselves vassal states through military might. These nations include the Duchy of Marshin and the Flokian Principality along the northern shore of Mystletainn's great lake Breithblatha, along with Brampound on a peninsula on the lake's southern shore. The small state of Treton defies Streing's rule, relying on a string of mighty fortresses buttressed by the Fyrignott mountains for refuge when the elves drum their shields for war, while war between the empire and the Holy State of Whitry currently rages in the borderlands of the Flokian Principality. While those in Marshin quietly accept their fate as vassals to Streing, fires of revolution burn in the hearts and fields of the Flokian people.

Across the cradle, straddling the passage to the Northern Fjord, the Drekherran Dominion claimed the vast swaths in partnership with dragons and their kin. While relations between the dominion and Streing's empire are largely polite, and the trade especially profitable, the nation which flows from mountains to plains and back fails to respect the strict hierarchies Streing tries to impose on its people.

Further past the dominion lies the Northern Fjord. Several relatively small states are established around this great inlet, the largest of which is the Kingdom of Haravetownia. Some trade flows from the cradle into the fjord, even out towards distant lands to the north or along the coasts. In this region, however, it's hard to even throw a rock without hitting someone who's trying to establish a throne of their own. Kingdoms form, make a statement, and are summarily taken over by a neighbor or another upstart with surprising speed. A handful manage to survive; Haravetownia, Ulcata, Benthonland, Whitrinch, and Clifland have all been stable for some time. 

West of the Fjord and north of the Mystletainn Cradle and the Fyrignott mountains lies the Skylands - a region which was once a wide swath of mountains, but after the turning of the tides in 1006 OR, the mountains were literally ripped from the earth and now hang in the skies. The ground beneath them is a mess of barren crags; the flying mountains themselves are dotted with occasional vegetation, but mostly the region is reigned by a loose coalition of Thurstrundr known as the Frelsian Council. This sort of government doesn't do much towards actually ruling the land claimed as its domain, but generally serves to prevent outright conflict between the various bands of mercenaries, pirates, rogues, performers, and other travelers which call the skylands home. Across this land, many report feeling stricken with melancholy, depression, and confusion. The states appear to come and go, disappearing completely when leaving the region, but the phenomena still intrigues and perplexes the learned.

In the Fjallili Mountains south of the cradle, dwarves established the Faldr Triumvirate, an industrious nation leveraging the magma flows of Mount Gyfalaf to build incredible works and vast arrays of tools. While there are always tensions between Faldr and Streing, neither nation wants to make a first move towards war, so they stay at peace with profitable trade partnerships.

Further south, the Kingdom of Bannur led by King Richard holds a swath of land between the mountains and Svanrgata lake. This fertile region provides a significant food source for the surrounding nations, even exporting foodstuffs to and through Fjallili and Streing. Other nations south of the cradle include Castfieldia and Haymewichia south of Bannur, the Arswydus Union which oversees trade connecting Svanrgata with the cradle itself, and the Grand Duchy of Bras which sits between Ffynhonnelwig and Svanrgata, south of Arswydus.

Finally, the Sasto Trade Union borders Ffynhonnelwig and controls the major sea route into the cradle region, the Slagaid river which connects the seas to Svanrgata lake. Sasto also stands as a neutral territory, three region-spanning guilds have guild halls here and work to guarantee the union's protected status through other nations' squabbles. Sasto's fields of fynole provide additional leverage, and make it a well-entrenched trade partner on its own.

Ffynhonnelwig itself is mainly insular as of late - the enigmatic winter court recently retook stewardship of the forests. While some communities within the forest still occasionally interact with outsiders, as a whole the forest is viewed as a tricky, dangerous place, where fey and other cryptic critters stalk and prey on good folk. Especially prevalent is the swamp Diomhair, a dreadful domain bordering Svanrgata and led by the dreadful Yakkios Rotroot.

To the east of Ffynhonnelwig resides the region known as Dirithlentir or the Dirithlenti Marches. If folks regard Ffynhonnelwig as spooky and dangerous, they view the marches as blatantly hazardous. The land seeps with rage and great and deadly beasts stalk every grove, hill, thicket, and plain in the region. Legends tell of a gigantic rampaging horned beast queen residing deep in Dirithlentir. Those rare few who have ventured far enough into the marches to even have a chance report wide swaths of land in a state of utter destruction, strewn with immense corpses both fresh and rotted alongside scorched remains of mountains and lakes. Some say many of the giants driven out by the second Ogre War take refuge deep in these marches, but none can verify a single one of these rumors.

Between Dirithlentir and the Drekkherran Dominion lies Marland, home to some of the hardiest folk in the lands due to the occasional encroachment of the Dirithlentir's enraged inhabitants. Marland shields Drekkherra and Maring from these beasts, and both of those nations especially send donations, soldiers, and goodwill towards these stalwart defenders.