A man with scrambled memories, knowing little of his past life or what lies ahead.
After awaking in the cold yet bountiful Northern Forests, he found himself in a world unknown. In his previous life, he served in his nation's military for some time. While he remembers much about his former career, he has no clue as to how he arrived in Valentia, nor even his own former name. 

Ren is fairly tall among Valentians, with dark hair and a lighter skin tone. He's in his mid-to-late 20's. 

A graceful and refined Valentian noblewoman with proud Upyir lineage.
Belonging to the DuVoncouer house of Upyir nobility, Sara is known as being kind-spirited yet full of resolve among her peers. Her far-younger sister, Elia, often travels along with her following a period of now-resolved dispute as the two deal with stately affairs. Due to unspoken prejudice among other Valentian nobles - fully-blooded human or otherwise - and additionally due to the small size of Valentia's population of Upyirs of equal status, she remains unmarried, despite (and in part because of) her possibly three-digit age.

Sara is lithe yet elegant, with a short stature typical of unwed Upyir women; that being around three and a quarter cubits. She has short, light-grey hair and very fair skin. 

An optimistic, curious, and energetic Upyir noblewoman, more interested in bringing light to herself and others than the formalities required of nobility. 
The notably younger sister of Sara, Elia's petite stature and lively personality give off a deceivingly almost-childlike appearance; in actuality, Elia, much like her sister, has decades of education and worldly experience behind her, along with a natural intelligence that exceeds that of even most fellow Upyirs. Given this combination, Elia is knowingly quite cunning, and often gets whatever it is she wants or needs. She rarely uses this quality for purely selfish gain, however, and is instead inclined to help her friends and family navigate the complex and often-unfortunate world of Valentia. While friendly to all she meets, she, for the time being, is rather uninterested in romance, quite unlike her sister. 

Elia is physically small in most regards, standing about the same height as her older sibling, yet possesses an objective beauty about her, with flowing blond hair and similarly fair skin. She's often found with complementary ribbons or flowers in her hair, matching her typically brightly-colored dresses. 

Also known as Junius Verus, he was born near Shanghai in the People's Republic of China on Earth. 

Junling is known as a well-read man with a friendly disposition and open-ended sense of humor. As a member of the Imperial Guard, he's traveled all throughout Valentia, absorbing information about the nation's history, technology, etc. as he went, notably able to speak, read, and write in most of Valentia's languages. While he seems to at least partially remember his past life - certainly moreso than Ren - he's not forthcoming about it. How he knows these languages is additionally unknown. What is known, however, is that he took his "rebirth" in Valentia as a blessing, claiming to not miss his life on Earth. 

Junling is of an average height, slightly taller than most Valentian men. He has short, black hair and is in his mid-20's. 

The Empire of Valentia is a vast, ever-expanding imperial regime that dominates much of the known world; this is where Valiant New World takes place. Valentia's emperor is the young and charismatic Princep Rex Julius Augusta.

Its capital and greatest city, Palanti, rests in the Empire's north, on the side of the enormous Mount Equilian. Incredible wealth and knowledge are concentrated in the city's vast palaces, archives, temples, and fortresses, and most outsiders will eventually find themselves in the city, many of which settle there. Other large cities exist, including Burli to the south of the Grossnan Bay, Brativium and Tujarpiori to the west, Seareter to the northeast of Palanti, Betford on the edges of the Great Northwestern Forest, Boltesbach on an island in the middle of the Crescent Sea, Kelfach on the mainland to its east, and Sutsu and Maltondon on the edges of the eastern and western wastehills respectively. 

Within the Empire's borders is a wide arrangement of cultures, ethnicities, races, and species, all of which have their places. Many of Earth's cultures can be found here, often with their own enclaves and regions. Most political power is found in the hands of the descendants of the Romans; over time, however, other ethnic groups have married or earned their way into Valentian nobility. While class and blood take precedence over these factors in terms of social inequality, ethnic conflicts do occasionally occur, although most racial issues are relegated to prejudice between pureblood humans and others. 

Valentia's political system stems from both the Roman Empire of old and more recent political developments, especially those found in Europe and East Asia. Valentia is first ruled over by a combination of an emperor and a house of lords; the Emperor rules for life with theoretically unlimited power, as a heavenly-given right. In practice, however, the House of Lords possesses dominance over many elements of the government, and often acts in self-interest. Lordships and governorships additionally rule over individual “provincia” (administrative districts or princedoms). A parliament elected by certain societal elites exists as well, but has minimal power comparatively, instead largely acting as a tool for the bourgeois class to voice their concerns directly to the Emperor and lords.
Political opinion largely deals with which of these three branches of government has the most power, and thus is also mostly divided into three: "True Royalists" or "Loyalists", who support the divine right of the Emperor; "Alter-Royalists" or "Lordists", who support a more decentralized, almost feudal system wherein lords and governors have the most power; and parliamentary republicans or "Levellers", who desire a more powerful parliament. More radical ideologies do exist, but are mostly limited to academia or otherwise irrelevant groups. 

The Empire of Valentia
Within the blue borders is the territory administered by the Imperial Government.
The Northern Forests exist within the northernmost edges of the map, surrounding the Leo and Bella rivers on the west and east, respectively. To its north is inhospitable tundra, stretching seemingly indefinitely.
On the landmass directly north of the Crescent Sea and sandwiched between the two rivers is Mount Equilian, with Palanti right south.
To the far east and west exists the wastehills, largely untraversable borderlands that contain the remnants of ancient civilizations. 

Guardsman: Synonymous and used interchangeably with soldier. Refers to the Imperial Guard's personnel. 

Jinnsa: Near-synonymous with "youkai" or "monster", Jinnsa refers to any humanoid race that isn't "purely" human. However, most (but not all) are closely related to, or practically are, human. Most don’t possess their own unique culture, instead living amongst other racial-ethnic groups but often with their own cultural caveats. Jinnsa can be anything from semi-moronic orcs wandering the wastes to a sophisticated Upyer serving in the imperial court. The vast majority identify as their host ethnicity, never identifying solely as Jinna; rather, Jinnsa, is a secondary characteristic to most, differentiating them from their purely human counterparts.

Thauma: Magic. Utilized, typically, by living beings, but works almost similarly to code. Some races of Jinnsa are innately able to use it without assistance (to some degree), however the majority of pureblood humans have to use a "thaumatifact" to utilize it in any way. 

Upyir (Homo sapiens pseudovampiris)
Appearance: Vampire-like; typically pale-skinned with red irises and specialized fangs in place of canines. Variable hair color and considerable sexual dimorphism (unusually tall males, females explained below).
Diet: Typical human diet, with an additional hematophagous (blood-eating) preference.
Reproductive characteristics: Very low female fertility over vast expanses of time (typically centuries). capable of reproduction with other Homo sapiens, including both true humans and other humanoid Jinnsa. Unique qualities described below. 
Perception in Valentia: Due to similarities between Upyires and the far-more-threatening Vampires, certain social stigmas exist, as nearly all Upyires are integrated in Valentian society. This is further complicated by their biological near-immortality and low female fertility. Regardless of this, Upyires generally reside in the upper strata of society due to a long lifespan and high intelligence. 
Additional Description: Additionally known among some academics as the "false vampire", Upyires are a race of Jinnsa noted for their similarity to "true" Vampires. They possess a set of specialized fangs in place of human canines intended to puncture skin, are hematophagous (blood-eaters, but are not exclusive to doing so), have a lower tolerance for or aversion to sunlight (comparative to Homo sapiens/true humans), typically possess a red iris color, are generally "ageless" (comparative to true humans), increased physical hardiness, and have innate thaumatic abilities. Unlike "true" Vampires, however, Upyires are not a race of undead, possess full sexual reproductive capabilities, and have a notably lower tendency towards violence; typically, Upyires are fully capable of integration into Valentian society. Additionally, Upyires possess several unique qualities; both sexes of Upyir reach full mental maturity/development around the same time as true humans (~26), however physical maturity is less consistent. While male Upyires will reach full physical maturity approximately a century after birth, Upyir females will not reach physical maturity until a second "puberty-like" period is induced by hormones during pregnancy, at which point they will reach their full physical size a few decades later. Both sexes reach theoretical sexual maturity at the same time as mental maturity, however childbirth is not typically considered safe until the age of 40. Due to the complexity of their physical forms, Upyir fertility is very low.