The game starts in the castle town of Aliahan. This castle is set in a medieval time period, complete with knights and magicians. The party explores several caves, ruins, and castles during the adventure. The geography of Dragon Quest III largely corresponds to the actual geography of Earth, and many towns correspond to their real-world cultures, including "Romaly" for Rome, "Portoga" for Portugal, "Assaram" near present-day Iraq, "Jipang" for Japan and even a "New Town" in eastern North America that experiences a revolution against an overbearing ruler.