The general feel of the world is something like a fantasy feudal Japan - rival clans, warriors, and force are the laws of the land, and only the resourceful survive. Those descended from clans or warrior families have surnames, while those of lower classes or who simply wander by their whim may not; allegiances are formed and broken, and as in any situation, trust must be earned, often at high prices.

The west coast (that is, clans Minoru and Kogoto), in terms of their culture, drift more to the Japanese side of the spectrum. The eastern side of the continent (Aizin, mostly, and to a lesser degree, Tsuru) are slightly more European. Koorogi resembles the Mongols of Asia, and Houseki the tribal Siberian peoples.

The currency of Toisian is made up of four different coins: the copper and silver penny, and the silver and gold crown. Pennies - small, round disks, about half an inch in diameter, with the crest of the clan where they were produced stamped on them - come in copper and in silver. There are ten copper pennies in one silver penny. Crowns are larger, about an inch and a half in diameter, with the same design as pennies; they come in silver and in gold. There are ten silver pennies in a silver crown, and ten silver crowns in a gold crown (this makes one gold crown worth 1000 copper pennies).

Currency value: Four copper can buy a pint of cheap ale. A pint of good-quality ale may be about one silver penny. A standard dagger may be about one silver crown, and a well-made katana may be as much as one gold crown.

Names are constructed as such, for those who carry a family name: the surname is stated first, and the given name follows (i. e. Himitsu Kaida = Himitsu is the surname or family name, and Kaida is the "first" or given name).

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