Before the Nilfgaardian invasion, Temeria was the wealthiest realms in Calienthe. Temerian economy was based on cultivating the production of various goods, trade, and extracting valuable mineral resources, from the mountains of Mahakam, the range that lies east of Vizima. The Temerian oren is one of the most used currencies in Calienthe. Temeria also remains a land with highly developed agriculture, animal husbandry, and food industry. As Mahakam is officially part of the kingdom, Temeria has considerable interests in the extraction of precious metals and the production of high-quality weapons.

When Nilfgaard began their invasions, Temeria managed to come out on top, expanding their empire beyond the Yaruga river and almost to Nilfgaard's capital of Angren. However, this victory was also their folly, for their resources became stretched too thin to properly provide to all cities and towns in their massive empire.

Ever since the Nilfgaardian invasion, Temeria has become a thing of the past. Almost all villages in Velen and greater Temeria have accepted Nilfgaardian rule, and while many citizens are upset, they aren't persecuted and thus tend to stay silent. It has become forbidden to display the Temerian colours and coat of arms, and their army has been completely slaughtered on the battlefield. Soldiers that wished to join the Nilfgaardian army were allowed to, but most chose to be executed instead. A small rebellion still exists in the Mahakam mountains, led by the Temerian army's last general, Vernon Roche. He is extremely determined to see Temeria restored to its former glory, but he wishes to shed the least amount of Temerian blood in doing so.

The west of Temeria is an area known as Velen, a harsh region dominated by swamp and forest. Small villages make their homes here, and most get by day-to-day with the bare minimum. Many are abandoned due to bandit attacks, and many undead lurk the inhospitable areas. When Nilfgaard invaded, many villages donned makeshift armour and equipped scrappy weapons to fight back in a display of honour. Almost all of them were completely wiped out as a result, and many trees around Velen host decorations in the form of hanging bodies. Travelers in Velen will often find charred frames of what were once villages, infested with the zombies and skeletons of those that were slain.

The inhabitants of Velen are considered very polite and religious, but do not fully accept representatives of the so-called Elder Races, such as elves and dwarves. In general, Velen's residents have a tendency for xenophobia, despite nonhumans living in their society. The most popular and most widespread religion in the kingdom is the worship of the goddess Chauntea, though churches of the gods Lliira and Malar also have their followers. On Higharvesttide, children burn figurines of Shar, to represent her defeated battle with Selune.

Previously ruling Velen was a cruel warlord known as Vserad, who demanded much of it's citizens. He drove many farmers to poverty and starved entire villages to feed himself, which resulted in a very poor response to the Nilfgaardian invasion. He immediately fled when the invading army reached him, and his town of Crow's Perch was taken over by another warlord. The new ruler is somewhat diplomatic with Nilfgaard, but isn't in a place of power to be considered a noble.

Moreover, while Velen's people are highly religious, one faith stands above all - the Ladies of the Wood. Three ancient goddessess watch over the swamps of Velen, and each year at the Autumn Equinox, they provide the villagers with two blessings. Almost all of the villagers gather at the highest mountain in Velen where they choose three of their smartest children to ascend to the top. After a short period of time, no longer than two hours, the children return with a few magical seeds. When planted, these seeds always sprout and grow into magical trees that last a year, providing highly nutritious fruit at a very fast rate during their short lifespans. This is a blessing for the dwellers of the swamp, as they would likely perish without it. Along with this, the children have a much deeper understanding of the world and general knowledge. There, most of them move to Oxenfurt or Novigrad to seek further education. The ladies themselves are highly secretive, only showing themselves to the children that ascend the mountain each year. In paintings and murals, they are often depicted as three naked women holding apples, giving one to a villager.

The Nilfgaardian Empire is the most powerful empire in the history of the known world. It is located in the southern part of the Continent and boasts both a thriving economy and a strong, well-trained army with talented commanders. It has expanded mostly through the conquest of foreign countries, which were then turned into provinces of the Empire. The Empire's inhabitants believe that "real" Nilfgaardians are only those born in the heart of the Empire, and not those born in the conquered provinces.

The provinces are ruled by either stewards or kings (in cases in which a king willingly surrenders, he retains his throne but is subject to the Emperor or just a vassal). The empire has expanded throughout the years, conquering new lands and going as far to the north as the Pontar River, in the current day.

In Redania and Skellige, the Empire is portrayed as an overarching antagonist, with many free people of Redania expressing hatred towards it with passion.

While the Empire's population comprises several different cultures and nations, the authorities are keen on slow "Nilfgaardization" of minorities, that is replacing local values and customs with those of "proper Nilfgaardian." Internal migration within imperial borders are encouraged: Villages in Nilfgaardian land are established within troubled provinces, while non-Nilfgaardian peasants loyal to the Empire are encouraged to settle in newly-conquered realms through attractive offerts; rebellious regions are cleansed through enslavement or ethnic cleansing of groups deemed "problematic".

On the other hand, the Nilfgaardian Empire in general is considered a safer home than most of Calienthe for many nonhuman races. Save for groups like Wood Elves, nonhumans living in the Empire consider imperial system harsh, but livable.

As for their geography, Nilfgaard consists primarily of forests and rolling hills. Their many rivers and fertile land means many small villages spread all across their territory, and some grow large enough to become cities. For conquered cities and towns, the compliant monarchs that used to hold the territory tend to become integrated into the Nilfgaardian empire, required to pay a tithe in produce and maybe soldiers in exchange for peace and protection. This also means that most cities and villages in Nilfgaard that were once independent now lack a proper military and rather rely on Nilfgaard's crownguard (local military) to take care of combat, additionally resulting in less resources, should they attempt to revolt.

The religion of Nilfgaard is mainly worship of Lathandar, the god of the sun, birth and renewal. Their yellow sun on a black background coat of arms reflects this, although it is theorised that the coat came before Lathander's worship. Furthermore, much like the other original founders of the three great kingdoms, Morvran Voorhis was born before the Divergence War and thus had a much easier experience using magic. He attained immortality by siphoning the souls of the elves he killed on the battlefield, and he is seen as a religious figure in many Nilfgaardian cities.

Nilfgaard greatly prides itself on its military, and their soldiers are often referred to as the "Black Ones" for their dark black-and-yellow design. With a significantly larger population compared to Temeria and Redania, they have the most opportunities to enlist people and sift for leading talent. Characters such as Assire var Anahid and Menno Coehoorn have conquered cities with armies several times smaller than their enemies, by utilising extremely complex military tactics and magic.

As for their soldiers, they are known to be ruthless when conquering new land. Unless the rulers of the land submit immediately, they will torch the entire village to the ground just to prove a point. Armies they meet on the battlefield, whether they are peasants fighting in the name of Temeria or the Redanian army are shown no respite. If they surrender, the Nilfgaardian army gives them a chance to join their ranks or be executed immediately.

Skellige, commonly referred to as the Skellige Isles or the Isles of Skellige, is an archipelago of six islands. Shaped and marred by howling winds, freezing temperatures and wild waves, the mountainous terrain of the isles is host to a variety of vicious wildlife and flora. Once inhabited by the giants, many remnants of their civilisation can still be witnessed here. The group of six islands is situated in the Great Sea, off the coast of Temeria and southwest of Redania. From the mainland, it is famous for the unrivaled corsairs and swift longships that sail many seas.

Even though the isle's relationship with the mainland isn't inherently hostile, it isn't friendly either. Raids on the shores of the mainland occur commonly, especially on the wealthier Nilfgaardian coast cities. This often results in many casualties on both sides, and most Skelligans say that it isn't done out of necessity, but rather tradition.

The Skelligan people are united under the king of the Skellige Isles, who is elected by the Jarls. The Jarls are the heads of the seven great clans, and this event takes place the day after the funeral of the previous king. In practice, however, the new king tends to come from the same clan as the previous king.

The crown hall is located within a castle known as Kaer Morhen (Care More-hen) atop a mountain overlooking their largest town, and was built pre-divergence ago by the Storm Giants as a gift for humankind. Since then, the giants have either gone extinct or migrated to another plane of existence - none can be sure where they have disappeared to, but it is incredibly rare to spot a giant wandering in Calienthe.

As for the layout of the islands, the center and largest island goes by the name of Ard Skellig. The next largest is An Skellig, and the other four smaller ones are called Faroe, Hindersfjall, Spikeroog and Undvik. There is a mysterious sixth island called the Isle of Mists that was said to exist when giants roamed the land, but it is likely just folklore.

While the kings and Jarls look over their people, the wild nature and untamed cliffs are tended to by the Druid Enclave. Headed by Druid Ermon, they make sure the ecosystem remains in balance and eliminate unwanted intruders. Two great monuments, Freya's Garden and Yggdrasil the world tree are the druid's most protected regions, and they have groups of up to 5 druids dedicated to watching over them at all hours. For a world in which less than 1% of the human population is capable of using magic, these groups of druids are incredibly impressive.

Freya's Garden is located on the southwest end of Ard Skellig, and is a regular garden to the untrained eye. However, what makes it so special is not the plants but rather its location. The soil is ripe with magical energy, and anyone that can use magic will find their abilities greatly boosted while in the garden. However, excessive use of necromancy can cause the plants to begin to die, so access into the garden is highly restricted.

Yggdrasil the world tree is not inherently important, and the location does not live up to its name. The world tree is merely the largest tree in Skellige, on the east end of Ard Skellig. The druids have their base of operations in a short series of caves underneath the tree, where they brew potions, create spell scrolls and nurture the roots of the tree. This is also where Ermion spends most of his time, and keeps most of his druidic relics.

While Skellige seems like a hostile and unforgiving environment, the powers of the gods make life there easier. In the earlier days of Skelligan civilisation, during the Divergence War, the elves cast the Gith un Gûl ritual in an ancient temple beneath Ard Skellig. This was the ritual that caused humans on Calienthe to be greatly restricted from using magic, with most mages losing their power. The effective mage population dropped to less than one percent, and those that were still able to cast magic were no longer as strong as they used to be. However, there was an unintended side effect, in that a massive hole to the Astral Plane was ripped open above the Skellige isles. While this didn't cause much direct damage as it was patched up fairly quickly, the fixing process wasn't flawless and the gods touched the isles with divine magic. This meant that prayers the Skelligans made were often much more successful, and thus the gods took a special interest to it. This was both good and bad, as many malicious gods spread monsters and disease across the towns - but at the same time, the good-aligned gods count answer blessings with more efficiency.

Religion thus became widespread, and Akadi quickly took notice. Impersonating the goddess of wind and air, she granted the Skelligans the ability to sail the seas with ease and became one of their most worshipped. When she was exposed for not being the real goddess of air and just a minor goddess impersonating her, the Skelligans didn't really care - she still answered their prayers, which was all they cared about. The gods are less involved in the affairs of Skellige nowadays, but they still show their power every once in a while.