SETTING: Peninsula Sanguine

Malleus Maleficarum is set entirely on the Sanguine Peninsula, primarily in the nation of Szargovia, seat of the Holy Szargovian Empire.

Johnathan Roberts drew this map, I just put labels on it.

These are the most interesting places:

The Sanguine Peninsula itself is the northernmost territory claimed by the intercontinental superpower of Castile and considered a Castillen holding (specifically, Innsbruck).

Drakkenmire

This wild sprawl of blighted badlands is known to be the home of most of the world's surviving dragons, and those strange, mad, and/or twisted creatures--very few of them human--that chose to serve their draconic masters during DragonFall, instead of rising up against them with the human-lead resistance.

Avalon

Avalon, also called the Vale, is not the wealthiest or most powerful kingdom on the peninsula, but it is the most respected, revered, and honored one. That is because of its geographical position, where it effectively acts as a buffer for any all terrible things that come out of Drakkenmire or the Hopesdeath Caldera. The occasional sudden, vicious attack by a Ruby Dragon and its followers is the most common, but the area immediately northwest of the Vale regularly ejaculates a bewildering array of diverse horrors. 

Avalon was the home of Artúr Banedragon, the human warlord that slew the first dragon killed by man, initiating the DragonFall across the continent. This is another important factor in the respect and honor it's afforded. In addition to being the first line of defense against the frontier of Drakkenvire, the Vale is also known to be closer to the Kingdom of Faerie than anywhere else on the peninsula (of course, Faerie exists nearly everywhere in parallel with mundane reality, but it's a matter of degree to which the presence of the Faeries and the Faeblooded are felt.

Turuksmoor, or the Turukish Empire, to most of the southern Peninsula's inhabitants, and certainly to all of Tsargovia, have always been the most immediate enemy. The Turukish empire is believed to extend well off the map to the north, and may rival the Castillen Empire for size, although it is far more brutal and barbaric. The Turuks are worshippers of the One-And-Three-God, the Holy Trinity of the Father (called God), the Mother (called Astarte), and the Holy Child (called Jason), but their orthodoxy diverges dangerously far from that of the Holy Szargovian Empire. Each considers the other heathens because of the difference in their belief systems, however similar they may be in fact. 

Ethnic and racial differences and tensions have exacerbated the situation and the refusal of the Turuks to acknowlege the living divinity of the Szargovian Emperor has proved an unforgivable sacrilege. 

Wars and crusades nearly beyond counting have been waged back and forth along the border between the Holy Szargovian Empire and Turuksmoor. Northwatch is the northernmost permanent holding claimed by Szargovia while the twin stone towers of Nur-Sultan are the southernmost permanent holding claimed by the Turukish Empire.       

Trieste might be the most powerful nation on the Sanguine Peninsula; it is certainly the largest, at least by most accountings. It has intermarried to a degree with the Szargovian Noble Houses (and hence the Holy Szargovian Empire). Oldenburg is the royal house in Trieste and controls the throne, but Oldenburg is also one of Szargovia's noble houses (and theoretically somewhere in the succession for the Szargovian thrown). The Mayor of Praja is Hans Oldenburg.

Szargovia is the heart of "The Holy Szargovian Empire" is where most if not all of the action of Malleus Maleficarum will take place. The greatest power there is obviously the Church: Pontifex Iolaus XII is believed to speak with the voice of God The Father himself. But the Pontifex is also an old man dying of a wasting sickness, and in practice, the only person he speaks to is The Cardinal, who relays his messages to the ranks of the faithful.

No one knows the Cardinal's name.

Grimaldi is the ruling house of Szargovia. Currently, Crown Prince Regent Erik Grimaldi is the de facto ruler of Szargovia, as his ailing father, Vladislaus II Grimaldi, has abdicated the throne. As Prince Regent, Erik is in charge of Szargovia right now for practical purposes; as Crown Prince, he will shortly become the official king of Szargovia.

In theory, the royal family follows the "spiritual guidance" of the Pontifex (and thus his speaker, the Cardinal), and defer their authority before God. In practice, the ruling house and the church compete in a subtle struggle for power and manipulation over the Szargovian people. King Erik is more popular with the nobility than the church, but the church claims the backing of its own noble houses, and the common man is more afraid of God than the King.

Simon Grimaldi, Erik's brother, is the Grand Inquisitor of the Inquisition. He receives his orders directly from the Cardinal. If Grand Inquisitor Grimaldi's sympathies lie with his family and their ambitions, then the house of Grimaldi has the most overall influence over Szargovia, both secular and religious. But that is not so if Grand Inquisitor Grimaldi's loyalty is to the Pontifex and the Church over his family.

Praja

Generally considered to be the largest, most populous, most advanced, and most civilized city on the Szargovian peninsula. While the capital of Turuksmoor has been razed by Szargovian Knights more than once, Praja prides itself on having never been besieged. While the Szargovian capital and the home of the Pontifex is the smaller city of Zalău (right beneath the letters "Szargovia" on the map), Praja has always been a greater center of culture, trade, and innovation. It is the birthplace of Szargovia's first firearms, the location of the Szargovian library (modest in size and design but with a very extensive collection), and the headquarters of the Inquisition.