Well, before I even start here’s a map of Anthea! labeled (Still with the placeholder names) and color coded :) this’ll just be good for reference, so I’ll start in the middle with the light province and go around in a loop! As for which characters are from where I should probably make a separate post for that since this one’s already going to be long and wordy, for the most part though most H.A. students that aren’t heirs are from the light province (or were born their with their parents being from somewhere else) since that’s where the school is, the heirs are just super rich kids that get to go abroad lol

First off is the central light province ruled by Angrec, after taking over from the now deceased Ambrosia, with Amaryllis being the current heiress. Since it’s the central province and the ruler of it is also the ruler of Anthea as a whole. It used to be the only one before it became impossible to manage by single people, as opposed to Iris and Crocus before Iris stepped down and passed it off to Anne-Lace, the first queen, who started to break it off into pieces governed by sub-rulers like dukes and duchesses to make it more manageable. The province itself is filled with big cities as well as tiny villages, it’s a huge melting pot of people from all around Anthea. The main influence was the United States but with European-eque villages. For example the way I view the village that Hecate Academy is in is very heavily influenced by my own home village of Karpenisi in terms of lay-out, basically just taking inspiration from my own childhood experiences in both Greece and America.

Then is the sky province, ruled by Weigela who has recently taken after her father fell ill and passed away, leaving her younger sister Wedelia as the heir apparent. The province is mainly inspired by countries in the Mediterranean region, mostly Greece since like I said before it’s a place I’m more than familiar with! It’s a mountainous alpine province with buildings and houses built around and going up the mountains. It also has lots of temples and ruins, because is the most devout to Iris of all, hence their abundance of temples, but they used to have the same energy for Crocus, that’s where the ruins come from. They’re not as celebrated.

Next is the ice province, as you can probably guess it has an icy arctic terrain and is located high up north. It has cities and villages with buildings made of ice, full of beautiful crystal-like structures and cities. It’s real-world inspiration is twofold, with both Russian and Inuit influence, though the latter is heavier depending on the part of the province. It’s also known for its beautiful northern lights, they’re said to be enchanted in a wish-upon-a-star type way, though that’s largely considered to just be a cute story to tell to kids.

After that is the wood province, currently ruled by the youngest heir in its history by a longshot, Elm at age 13 took over after his mother’s death, but he also has a team of advisers that guide him through a lot of the process since he was mostly unready to take over so soon, and he wouldn’t have had to if he were just two months younger. The province itself has influence from Asian countries with the heaviest probably being Japanese. The environment is a contrast between small farming villages with wooden homes and huge neon cities and the province is big in technological innovation, especially in terms of crystal technology, being the place where crystal screens (Anthea’s smartphone equivalent) were invented.

Right underneath it is the fire province, ruled by Calendula with her second child Celosia as the heir apparent, after her first child Ash quit. The province’s influence is also from Asian countries but with a much heavier influence from India as well as bit of the Middle East. The two provinces actually share one island together where one gradually shifts into the other. Of course it is ruled by fire so expect hot weather and a focus on fire throughout. Buildings vary from small and humble to castle-like depending on the area, and it’s not uncommon to find temples scattered throughout.

After that it’s the earth province, it’s current ruler is Sycamore and her three children, Senna, Maple, and Morel, are the heirs. It’s the largest one so it also has the largest range in culture going from small villages that live closely knight, to huge buzzing cities with unique architecture. Generally both actively try to avoid harming the earth, since it IS the earth province, that’s something important. Unsurprisingly it also has a lot of mountains including the largest in Anthea, it’s so large that it’s seemingly impossible to climb, no one ever has, and people say it’s cursed to be that way.

Then is the healing province, the landscape is generally very hot and dry, desert-like in some places, but filled with beautiful and lively villages. It’s a province that values and celebrates life, as the healing would imply, and the people are generally regarded for being super hospitable. It’s influence is Central American and it’s currently the smallest province. The current sitting ruler is Vervain, who currently has no children and instead of passing it off to the closest blood relative plans to choose her own heir.

Next is the nature province, it’s current rulers are Mullein and Fir, and their daughters, Chrysanthemum, Magnolia, and Celandine, are the heirs. It’s a very large providence filled with flora, it’s main influence is South America and it’s probably the province that sticks to it’s own aesthetic the harshest. Tree-house villages are incredibly common in it’s vast forest areas, and other villages will be big valleys filled with flowers, cities won’t keep up this aesthetic as harshly but aspects of it will still be there. Generally it’s regarded as the most mellow and peaceful province.

Right by that to that is the metal province, based on Western Europe with the heaviest influence from England. The province is incredibly industrial with a combination of huge factories and metalworks along with castles and medieval aesthetics, it’s going through a bit of a shift between the old and new ways, becoming kind of steampunk in aesthetic (but no actual steam or this would have been the steam province). It’s current ruler is Ironwood and his daughter Clarkia is both the heiress as well as a local knightly hero.

And lastly in the middle of the ocean, of course, is the water province. It takes influence from both Hawaii and… Myths about Atlantis, making it the only one not influenced by reality, but after all this is a fantasy story. The Atlantis influence is obvious, because the vast majority of the province is actually completely underwater. The people cannot breathe underwater, it’s under a magic dome, and the only way in and out is on the surface areas of the province. There are many tropical villages on top of islands too, but underwater it’s filled with huge villages and cities and cities and incredible sights you can only get underwater. It’s current rulers are Dehlila and Kelp, and their heirs are their two kids, Geranium and Coral.