Right now I'm toying around with a MTG-ish setting, at least, based on the color system. I'm dicking about with MSE to try and get a set built but not having direction really does suck... however, there's a ~setting~ now.
Basically, each color has a kind of aspect- these were once great empires, but have since fractured and broken apart.
Red- Icarum. Once a great Greco-Roman nation known for practical knowledge and undisputed military might.
Blue- Marceli. Used to be a hub of all kinds of trade, assimilating everything they had their hands on into new technology.
Green- Petravostok. Once a xenophobic seminomadic race of agriculturists, with a strong link to nature.
Black- Krasholm. The puckered anus of the world, hive of villany and scum. Every sin is here, and they're all ripe for the taking.
White- Proxia. The "City Closest To God", the entire nation considered a holy land.
Smaller nation-states began springing up under the rule of Queens, which are related (but how is unknown, and even the relation is questionably a rumor.) Each Queen takes from two or more of the old nations- they are as follows.
Wild Queen Armiga
- Building off of the Icarum's might and traditions and infusing it with the holy aura of Proxia, the Wild Queen is every bit as holy as she is brutal. She leads an almost Valhallan sentiment to war and strife, a huge colosseum in the city to entertain. While everyone is expected to fight, none are expected to suffer, and physical combat isn't the only paradigm the Wild Queen supports- though, she definitely enjoys watching people rip each other apart.
Primal Queen Nocturine
- Taking the learnings and skills of the Icarum and setting them into the core of Krasholm life, the Primal Queen gives all her charges the finest tools with which to steal, maim, and kill. Hedonistic paradise may describe the land despite the hellish first glance, but the constant turmoil produces some truly fine tools. Icarum forging techniques and the drive to create deadlier arms lead to a lot of unique and fanciful arms coveted in all the lands.
Pragmatic Queen Vitria
- Seeing the value behind Icarum's way of life as well as the bountiful plenty created by Marceli, the Pragmatic Queen is a shark- be her friend or foe. End results mean the most to the Pragmatic Queen, and she will take what results she wants- through war or through trade. Icarum's forging and the blend of two intellectual superpowers leave the Pragmatic Queen in a pole position to reclaim a spot as a world power.
Apex Queen Gliana
- Crossing the offensive strengths of Icarum and the self-dependency of Petravostok, the Apex Queen searches for an "evolutionary peak". Using the technology she's taken to improve not only her nation but their continued chance of survival, she hopes to grow to undeniable strength in a natural way. Predisposed to xenophobia due to her adherence to the desire of evolution, however, she believes that her plans will turn any human race into the perfect breed.
Chaos Queen Nylactae
- A sadistic queen who takes a twisted view on Proxia's tenets, turning them into a glorification of the Krasholm lifestyle. Rather than seek morals, the Chaos Queen sets tenets that seemingly change every day, if they even existed in the first place. The law is lawlessness- dark rituals and justifications for evil separating Nylactae's methods from the old Krasholm style.
Sea Queen Eulodon
- Taking hold of Krasholm's poverty as a step up from the nonexistance of society in the depths, and taking facets learned from the Marceli from years of interaction with sailors, the Sea Queen is a purveyor of trinkets and baubles, of deep artifacts and things long forgotten. Hers is a land with promise and potential, where things are only just picking up from nothingness, where chaos reigns but hope is sacred and protected.
Vicious Queen Kuroko
- One of two twins, she takes the Petravostok's wild boons and sets up a cold, thorny bush of Krasholm spirit around it, natural law reigns as everyone protects their own. They switch between playful toying with others to extreme and vicious xenophobic reaction, they become one with the land they live in and, to the outside world, taint it with crude magics and phantasms.
Guiding Queen Shiroko
- The second twin, building upon Petravostok ideals and mix in Proxia's holy ways. They form a pleasant way of nature, where the sacrifices made are known and willing, the entirety of the world working to everyone's survival. They are similarly afraid of outsiders, but less directly harmful, and can easily integrate them or help them along in a peaceful way. The outside world sees a normal tract of land becoming a special, holy place, where the sun shines bright and the night cannot entirely darken.
Bastion Queen Wynhilde
- Blending the very open ways of Marceli and the closed-off Petravostok system, the Bastion Queen provides for her nation first and others second, forming close bonds and yet remaining as guarded as possible with her secrets. She values self-sufficiency over profit, preferring friendships over wars but equally prepared for either.
Amalgam Queen Rinnyae
- Seeing no reason that mercantilism should mean the loss of morality, the Amalgam queen mixes equal parts religion and technology. Guaranteed to give a fair deal, although bartering would be an insult- the Amalgam Queen will let her nation profit, but a healthy and trusting friendship is the greatest profit to everyone. While not pacifist, they are not quick to anger, and are not quick to provoke others.
I'm still working out some things, but it is quite fun just to play around with the different elements.