For a fantasy IOT/NES based on Dominions 4:
Arcoscephale
Arcoscephale is heavily influenced by ancient Greek city states and Hellas. In this era it is influenced by the mythical past and the archaic age.
Arcoscephale is a loose collection of city states. Bronze is more common than iron and myrmidons and chariots compose the core of the armies. In this time, slaves are commonly used and most free men have plenty of time to spend on fine arts and good living. Philosophers gather in the cities to discuss esoteric truths and engineers manufacture clever contraptions for civil or military use. At the heart of Arcoscephale lies Mount Cephalos, abode of the Awakening God. At the foot of the mountain is a great temple where sacred Pegasus Riders are trained.
Abysia
Abysia does not have any clear inspirational sources. Malign devil-worshiping empires of the fantasy genre combined with some ancient Middle Eastern concepts, perhaps. Think of great temple ziggurats adorned with ever-burning braziers fed with still-beating hearts in pompous ceremonies, witnessed by a cowed populace of slaves and smoldering Abysian rulers. Imagine magma-lit caverns filled with screams, roars, and fleeting shadows. With blood sacrifices being part of the official state cult it might be considered an evil nation, but it is sprung from elemental forces, and only under infernal influence does the kingdom turn to evil. It is a tragic nation with a proud heritage, and dilution of their magic – perhaps due to temptation by infernal forces – leads it to embrace blood sacrifice.
Abyssians are their own race, creatures of fire and heat, they burn with internal heat and they are not harmed by flames. Abysians are stronger than humans and use very heavy armor and weaponry. Bows are not used, because they would burn to cinders in the glowing hands of the Abysians.
The Anointed of Rhuax and the Anathemant Priests of the Flame Cult practice blood sacrifice to strengthen the power of the Awakening God. The Warlocks of the Smouldercone, a newly formed magical order, practice Blood magic and search for suitable blood slaves in conquered lands.
Caelum
Caelum are a purely fictional nation of winged humanoids living atop the coldest mountain peaks. There is some Zoroastrian influence but it is relatively limited.
Caelum is a magocracy of winged humanoids who inhabit the highest mountain peaks. Under the wise rule of the Eagle Kings, semi-divine beings of an earlier age, the tribes have formed a kingdom.
The Caelians are led by mages known as Seraphs, masters of Air magic. The Seraphs craft the magical ice that Caelians use instead of regular metal. The ice tempers with lower temperatures and the heavy ice armor is more durable in cold climates than in warmer ones. All weapons crafted from the ice are magical and capable of harming magical beings. The Caelians are skilled archers and prefer hit-and-run tactics.
C'tis
C'tis is a nation of lizardmen under Egyptian and to some extent Mesopotamian influence. Sacred priest kings, pyramids, swamps, and flooding rivers surrounded by deserts are all elements of these cultures.
C'tis is a swampy river valley surrounded by sandy deserts. In the fertile valley a sacral kingdom of lizardlike humanoids has formed. The kingdom is ancient by human standards and its wisdom and magical knowledge are great. At the top of the society are the Lizard King and his Royal Heirs. The King is the highest priest of C'tis. Under the king are the High Priests with their sacred serpents and the enigmatic Sauromancers, great mages of death and rebirth.
The C'tissians can be slow in movement, especially in colder weather, but have thick hides that protect them from cuts and bruises. They have partial resistance to poison.
Ermor
Based on Roman history and mysticism and with undeniable parallels to early Christianity, Ermor is an empire centered around a great city. For centuries it has grown and become more and more influential. Traders and travelers from near and far come to the city. By military campaigns, diplomacy and trade, Ermor has become a power to be reckoned with. By adopting local traditions and beliefs, the Ermorians posed little threat to neighbors and conquered peoples, but this has begun to change.
A New God is arising. Old syncretistic faiths and spirit worship were banned. The all-encompassing old state cult of the Numinas still survives, but the Pontifices and Flamen are slowly adopting the New Faith.
Formoria
Like the Tir n n’Og, the Formoria are heavily influenced by "The Book of Invasions" and Celtic myths and folk lore. The wars and conflicts between Fomorians, Nemedians, Fir Bolg and Tuatha was used to create a common backstory for the nations. The Fomorian ideas were combined with some ideas of sailing storm giants, inhuman goat-headed giants and some concepts of Fomorians as keepers of the watery dead.
The bountiful land of Fomoria was claimed by giants who once guarded the dark and stormy ocean realm of the drowned dead. With death ever near, their loyalties had changed and their malice grown. With the ascendancy of a previous Pantokrator, they were punished for their sins and banished from their dark home. The full effects of the Curse became evident when the Fomorians settled in a fertile land. Their offspring were short and cursed with monstrous appearance. The few surviving Fomorian giants saw their once proud race degenerate and die. Then came the Invasions. Partholonians, Nemedians, Fir Bolg and Tuatha all claimed the land of Fomoria. Twice the Fomorians were all but defeated by foreign magic, but twice they conjured a plague that slew the invaders. The third wave of invaders, the Fir Bolg, accepted Fomorian rule and aided the giants in defeating the Tuatha. Now Fir Bolg compose much of the Fomorian population. Fomorians are skilled shipwrights, powerful storm crafters and have a legacy of mastery over the dead.
Helheim
Based on Norse Myth, the Poetic Edda and later tales. Vanir, Aesir and Giants are ancient antagonists in these myths.
Helheim is a land of shadows, windswept moors and silent mountains. Here lies Gnipahålan, the Stone Cave, where the dead pass through on their way to Hel. The Hanged Kings, ancient Vanir who have hanged themselves to learn the secrets of Death, rule the land from their thrones in Helhalla. Helheim is inhabited by Vanir, a race of tall and innately magical beings who are able to trick mortals with their glamour. The Vanir of Helheim have sequestered themselves from the Vanir of Vanheim and have not been part of the great war with the giants. For ages they have been guiding the dead on their way to Hel in service of a dead god. Now a new God is arising and the old ways are changing.
Lesser beings are not held in high regard and their blood is sacrificed to sate the Awakening God. Unlike their cousins in Vanheim, the Vanir of Helheim are not shipwrights and sailors.
Hinnom
The Hinnom are heavily influenced by ancient Israelite, Canaanite and Philistine concepts. The Bible, the Book of Enoch, the Dead Sea scrolls and the Ras Shamra texts of Ugarit and interpretations of these texts are the main sources of the nations.
Hinnom is perhaps more than any other nation in the game an evil nation. The author of Dominions writes “I'm not very fond of the concept of evil, but it would be difficult to claim that the cannibalistic giants of Hinnom are anything but.”
Hinnom is a dry wasteland inhabited by giants. At the dawn of time, on the sacred Mount Hermon, six Angels in full celestial splendor descended to aid and instruct the giants of the land. The Avvim were a people strong and beautiful of mind and body. They were adept students and their culture flourished under the tutelage of the Grigori, the angelic Watchers. But before long the Angels became enamored with the Avvim and taught them things that should not be taught. Tempted by the beauty of the Avvim, they took their daughters as wives and sinned before the Celestial Powers. Their offspring were the Nephilim, giants of godlike power, abominable to the world. The Angels were imprisoned in the Infernal Realms for their sins, but the Nephilim were partly of this world and could not be banished by the Celestial Powers. The Nephilim made themselves kings over the Avvim, and they fathered sons who became known as the Rephaim. The Nephilim and their sons had unnatural appetites and consumed food, livestock, beasts and finally their own offspring. With time, the Nephilim left Hinnom in search of a purpose and left their sons to rule the Avvim.
Lanka
The latest addition to the monkey business was Lanka, the mythical kingdom of Ravana. The nation is in many ways similar to Patala, but rakshasas of various forms replace the nagas and divine serpents, and blood magic and cannibalism is prevalent. Imagine great ape sorcerers and necromancers in semi-civilized apparel, preferably raging and howling with gory mouths.
Amongst the dark and densely forests of Lanka, Rakshasas, demon ogres from an earlier era, still linger. Gifted with tremendous strength, they once fought the Devatas of Kailasa, but since then the most powerful of the Rakshasas have left this world for the Nether Realms. The remaining Rakshasas have captured and enslaved the monkey people of Kailasa and made them serve as warriors, hunters or food. The Rakshasas had no use for the peaceful White Ones and Kala-Mukhas, Rakshasa halfbreeds, lead the monkey people of Lanka.
Machaka
Machaka is a nation inspired by African kingdoms and the Shona in particular. The Machaka believe they are descended from a superior form of man, one purer to the original created form and awoken from a great ‘sleeping city’. Spiders are sacred to the Machaka and their old faiths are based upon these creatures.
The king, a sacred figure, reigns, but does not decide. His rule is dependent upon the will of secretive theocracy, who govern from the shadows through a web of spies and secret police.
Beyond spiders, the Machaka believe in the sacredness of their own flesh and a number of rituals dedicated to its glorification are part of their culture.
The king is normally highest authority of the kingdom, but should he fail in his duties, he is sacrificed, and his flesh and strength are imbued in one of his numerous sons or brothers that better serve the shadowy priesthood. The priests of the kingdom are the true rulers of the land. Religious ceremonies, judicial tasks and the gathering of intelligence are all performed by them.
Machaka uses light infantry, archers and heavy hoplites second only to those of Arcoscephale. In the forests of Machaka, giant spiders are caught and used as mounts.
Maverni
Marverni is a nation inspired by Celtic Gaul. Gutuaters, vergobrets, druid astrologers, and blood sacrifices are all heavily influenced by the accounts of Caesar and Roman historians. Bare-chested warriors or nobles dressed in newly invented chain mail fight side-by-side with their chieftains to prove their worth. Bronze horns in the image of various animals invoke inspiration.
Governed by a loose pre-feudal caste system, lowborn warriors fight bare-chested while higher-ranking warriors fights in chainmail, an invention attributed to the Maverni. Maverni use cavalry and are responsible for introducing its use to the Ermor.
The Maverni are governed by the druids who meet annually at the Great Old Trees. The elite boar warriors are tasked with protecting these sacred spaces. Boars are a sacred symbol to the Marverni nation.
Mictlan
Mictlan is a nation mainly inspired by the Aztecs and their practice of blood sacrifices. The name is that of the realm of the dead in Aztec mythology.
Toads are common on mural motives, and both eagles and jaguars are sacred animals to their blood cult.
Mictlan is an ancient tribal empire that has been isolated for centuries. The foul practices of the priest-kings of Mictlan have caused most neighbors to leave or face slavery or death by sacrifice. Since the dawn of the kingdom, blood has been spilled in the temples of the capital to feed the waning powers of the Hungry God. The mage-priests of Mictlan celebrate the two Faces and the two Dominions of the Hungry God, namely the Sun and the Moon, the Rain and the Forest. They are all skilled blood mages.
Niefelheim
Based on Norse Myth, the Poetic Edda dn later tales. Vanir, Aesir and Giants are ancient antagonists in these myths.
Niefelheim, the Land of Eternal Frost, was once the home of the frost giants. The Rimtursar, ancient giants who possessed godlike powers, were the undisputed rulers of the world. The giants of Jotunheim are the descendants of the Rimtursar. From the cold glaciers in Niefelheim, frost giants have emerged anew. These Niefel Giants are not nearly as powerful as their ancestors, but their size and strength cannot be denied by modern man.
Giants are immensely strong and resilient, but their size makes them easy targets. They are born in the cold and do not suffer from cold climates. Niefelheim is ruled by several Jarls who rarely join forces. Gygjas, old and wicked hags, serve the Niefel giants with sorcerous advice.
Wherever the giants of Neifelheim go, so too do the icy winds that seem to cling to them.
Pangaea
Pangaea is a nation of wild half-men of Greek myth, as they could have developed if exposed to a vast and technologically superior humanity: Iron or skin. Adapt or die. As in most cultures exposed to so-called civilization, some inhabitants cling to traditions, or current perceptions of them; while others adapt to the circumstances, with loss or gain in influence.
Pangaea is a woodland nation inhabited by wild beings connected with nature. Halfmen such as satyrs, centaurs and minotaurs serve the lords of the Sacred Groves deep in the forests. Expansion by the civilized nations has forced the beasts of Pangaea to arm themselves with man-made weapons. Minotaurs wield huge battleaxes and centaurs are trained to use spears and bows.
Patala
Patala and its sister nation the Lanka are inspired by Hindu myths, ancient India and Rudyard Kipling. The Vanara comes from the Ramayana, an epic in which the monkey people aid prince Rama in his struggle against the demon king Ravana. Their people are monkeys, chimps in apes, organized by hierarchical division of the different species as parallels to the Hindu caste system.
The nagas are divine serpents sent to protect the jeweled city of Patala. Their divinity mesmerized the monkey as Kaa hypnotized the monkeys in Kipling's Jungle Book.
In Dominions, the Patala are a late-era race but I included them here because they fit as well in the early era and I really enjoy the idea of the snake-based Naga leading the monkeys people.
In the dense forests of the Bandar realm, apes of uncanny brightness have emerged. Under the influence of semi-divine beings, the apes evolved intelligence and culture. Nagas arrived from the Nether Realm of Patala, from where all rivers spring. The Nagas are divine beings of the Underworld and its rivers and are to the apes what the Yakshas had been in ages past. With mesmerizing stares and dancing serpentine bodies, they entranced the Bandar Log and claimed their empire as their own. Patala is a divided society. Small Markatas are at the bottom of the society. Medium-sized Atavi are the most common. Large Bandar apes rule most of the society and form the military. Above all are the sacred Nagas and their kings.
Sauromatia
Sauromatia is a nation based on Herodotus' accounts of the Scythian peoples in The Histories. Here Scythians, Amazons, Sarmatians, and Androphags are described with their strange traditions and unsavory practices.
Sauromatia is a nation of nomadic warrior tribes ruled by women. Men and women fight side by side and all prominent tribes are ruled by warrior queens. This is a legacy of the Sauromatians merging with the Amazon tribes in times past. The Amazons leaders were not accepted, because they were not warriors, but they influenced the Sauromatians and women warriors gained power and prestige. Only the tribe of the Androphags has totally rejected the notion of female leadership. The Androphags are ruled by ancient Witch Kings who introduced cannibalism and man-flaying to the Sauromatians.
T'ien Ch'i
T'ien Ch'i is obviously influenced by China. The game creator wrote, "I couldn't even resist the name Spring and Autumn, from the period of the same name in Chinese history."
Daoism and its five elements, inner alchemy, and quest for longevity inspired the Masters of the Way as did the T'ien Shih—celestial master—of institutional Daoism convert into the Celestial Master of T'ien Ch'i.
The magic of The Way permeates the realm and reclusive mages conjure Celestial Beings to do their bidding. Nobles wage war upon each other for honor and glory. A few chosen warriors and mages dedicate their lives to training in the Way of the Five Elements. The deceased are worshipped and village priests conjure the dead to ask for guidance and aid. It is a time of legends.
Tir na n'Og
Like Formoria, Tir na n’Og is heavily influenced by "The Book of Invasions" and Celtic myths and folk lore. The wars and conflicts between Fomorians, Nemedians, Fir Bolg and Tuatha was used to create a common backstory for the nations
Tir na n'Og is a blessed land surrounded by whispering mists. It is the home of the Tuatha, a highly magical race descended from the Nemedians who once warred with the Fomorians. The Tuatha have made themselves lords and masters over the Fir Bolg, a lesser race descended from the same Nemedian ancestors. With the aid of the Fir Bolg, the Tuatha attacked the Fomorian giants and almost succeeded where the Nemedians failed, but eventually the Fomorians proved too powerful and the Tuatha were driven back to their lands. The Tuatha and their Sidhe descendants have turned to crafts, poetry and magical arts, but some have chosen the path of war and have become warriors and generals of great renown. The Fir Bolg, inferior to the Tuatha, but still far superior to ordinary men, compose much of the population and serve as farmers and lowly warriors.
Ulm
A faction based on early Germanic history and mythology, Ulm is a land of cold mountains and dense forests. These wild lands were settled by proud and fierce barbarians in ages past. Their ancestry has made the inhabitants of the forests stronger and more resilient than ordinary men.
The barbarians of Ulm live in small settlements ruled by chieftains and warrior smiths who search for the Enigma of Steel. Steel is a sacred metal and its maker is as well. Smithing has become the equivalent of making a sacrifice to the Lord and no other culture has developed such skill in forging the metal.
Vanheim
Based on Norse Myth, the Poetic Edda dn later tales. Vanir, Aesir and Giants are ancient antagonists in these myths.
Vanheim is a land of misty moors and bitter forests inhabited by a tall and innately magical race known as the Vanir. The Vanir are mortal enemies of the giants of Jotunheim and since the beginning of time they have waged a great war upon each other. They are masters of illusions and are able to trick mortals with their glamour.
Vanheim is a land of magic and even the horses are enchanted and exceptionally fast. Vanir are skilled shipwrights and navigators and can sail the oceans. Lesser beings are not held in high regard and their blood is sacrificed to sate the Awakening God.
Yomi
Yomi are heavily influenced by Japanese history, folklore, and myth. They are an uncivilized nation of demonic brutes enslaving and eating humans and other races.
Yomi is a land of inhospitable mountains, steaming, sulphuric pools and sudden volcanic eruptions. At the center of this unforgiving land lies a great cone-shaped mountain at the top of which is an entrance to the Netherworld. From this gate the Oni have come, one by one or in small groups. Oni are demons of the wild, ugly, pot-bellied and mischievous. They are ruled by Oni Kings who occasionally emerge from the Netherworld to wreak havoc on the land of the living. Oni are almost immortal and must be killed in spirit as well as in body to stay dead.
