The Successor States
Between the great powers of Warlderia lies a patchwork of smaller realms collectively known as the Successor States. They are republics, duchies, principalities, merchant oligarchies and petty kingdoms, united by little beyond geography, history and a fierce determination to remain independent. The only consistent thing about them is their inconsistency. Most trace their origins to the collapse or retreat of greater powers. Provincial governors became princes, wealthy cities purchased their independence, military commanders carved out territories of their own, and merchant councils quietly discovered that distant emperors were no longer able to enforce their authority. What began as temporary arrangements hardened over generations into recognised states.
Their position between the Divine Empire and the Old Empire has always been both their greatest danger and their greatest opportunity. Imperial armies have marched through these lands more than once, yet neither Empire has succeeded in permanently dominating the region. The Successor States have survived through diplomacy, wealth, difficult geography, fortification and, when necessary, the convenient support of one great power against the other.
Trade is the lifeblood of much of the region. Roads and sea routes connecting eastern and western Warlderia pass through the Successor States, enriching cities such as Zargoza and encouraging a culture in which merchants, guilds and financiers can wield as much influence as hereditary nobles. Even the more martial states depend upon the commerce passing through their neighbours. There is no common cause among them. Alliances are made and abandoned with remarkable speed. Border disputes can simmer for generations, commercial rivalries become wars, and yesterday's enemy may become tomorrow's indispensable ally. A threat from outside can occasionally unite several states, but such cooperation rarely survives long after the danger has passed.
Their governments are equally diverse. Zargoza is dominated by its great merchant families; other states are ruled by princes, councils, nobles or military elites. Ludoc, long notorious for the oppressive Hierarchy that governed it, has recently undergone a remarkable political upheaval under Lord Tristan. Whether this represents genuine reform, merely a change of masters, or the beginning of something altogether stranger remains to be seen. Yet the Successor States endure. Individually, few could withstand either Empire indefinitely. Collectively, however, they form a complicated political barrier which neither great power can easily cross without provoking every rival, neighbour and interested merchant along the way.
To outsiders they can appear quarrelsome, unstable and hopelessly divided. To the people who live there, that is simply called independence.
The Balance of Power
Neither the Divine Empire nor the Old Empire regards the Successor States with complete indifference. Both maintain diplomats, agents, merchants and informants throughout the region, and both occasionally attempt to draw individual states into their sphere of influence. Subsidies, favourable trade agreements, dynastic marriages and carefully chosen military assistance are often more effective here than invasion.
The rulers of the Successor States understand this perfectly well. Playing one Empire against the other is practically a regional tradition. A prince who accepts Imperial gold today may welcome an ambassador from the opposing Empire tomorrow, while publicly insisting that his loyalty has never been in question. For all their rivalries, there is also an unspoken understanding among many of the states: the destruction of one threatens the independence of them all. They may happily weaken a neighbour, seize a disputed village or ruin its merchants—but allowing either Empire to permanently absorb one of their number is another matter entirely. That gives you a useful explanation for why this collection of relatively small countries still exists. The lands described below range from wealthy trading republics and ancient principalities to petty kingdoms, military states and territories whose independence sometimes rests upon little more than the determination of their rulers.
Illustration by Santiago Iborra (Quellion) - please do not use without permission