The SCA known world consists of twenty fictional kingdoms which exist in parallel to real-world countries and states. The borders of these kingdoms do not match real-world political boundaries, spanning across state, territorial, and sometimes even national borders.

Each of these Kingdoms has various subdivisions such as (from largest to smallest) Principalities, Baronies, Shires, and Cantons. The most common local-level groups are Baronies and Shires. Baronies represent larger metropolitan areas who have lots of SCA members, such as Syracuse and Rochester, while Shires such as Sterlynge Vayle represent the people in smaller cities, or cities with less SCA presence, like Binghamton.

All three of these groups are part of the Kingdom of Aethelmearc, which spans over Western New York, Western Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. All of these kingdoms are part of a Multinational, Non-Profit, Educational Organization called the Society For Creative Anachronism, or SCA.