A World Divided by Power
This world is split into 30 countries — each with its own politicians and military machinery. Of the 30, twenty-nine agreed to unite and form the United Nations. One country refused. Not because it was unwilling to comply — but because it was too powerful to be allowed in.
That country is Aria. And the source of its power is something no history book has ever accurately described.
Aria
The birthplace of the first Fraze user over 1,000 years ago. Aria operates outside the United Nations by choice — or rather, by exclusion. Its power is not nuclear, not military. It is something older and stranger: the ability to speak power into being.
Aria is home to the Don — a figure more powerful than any elected leader. The position has been held by 33 people across a millennium. Its capital houses the Parliament building, a heavily guarded seat of government that doubles as the Don's headquarters.
- Home of the first Fraze user (1026 AD)
- Does not participate in the United Nations
- Governed by the Don — currently Noctis Vale
- Borders Emberstan to the north
Emberstan
A United Nations member state that borders Aria. Emberstan was co-founded by the 18th Don, Victor Von Pelt, who left Aria in the 1530s to travel and discover new land. His legacy is enshrined in the country's national identity — his autobiography is a bestseller.
Emberstan is home to Berry Town, the starting point of the entire story. It is a lively, working-class community where the Kurosawa twins grew up as orphans.
- United Nations member state
- Shares a border with Aria
- Founded with help from the 18th Don
- Home to Berry Town
Berry Town
A neighbourhood in Emberstan — lively, tight-knit, and largely ordinary. Everyone seems to know everyone, from old grandma GiGi to the kids on the sidewalk waiting for their football back. It is the kind of place where the arrival of the world's most powerful man goes completely unannounced.
Berry Town is home to Triple Bite, the restaurant famous enough to lure the 33rd Don across the border on a cross-country trip. It is also where the Kurosawa twins were raised, and where Fraze awakenings are beginning to appear for the first time.
- Located in Emberstan
- Home of the Kurosawa twins
- Home of Triple Bite restaurant
- First Fraze awakening site outside Aria
Winterhill
A region that lies between Emberstan and Aria along the above-ground route. Shin refuses to travel through it, describing its inhabitants as "religious freaks." The safer — and preferred — route between the two nations runs underground via the Arian bullet train from Emberstan Central.
- Located between Emberstan and Aria
- Above-ground route — avoided by most travellers
- Underground bullet train bypasses it
