Confederation of the Purple Coast
The , along the southern coast of Elthos, is a loose union of independent polities, the largest of which is the Realm of Medon. Members come and go from the Confederation every decade or two, as they find some term of membership disagreeable or their domestic politics change. The Confederation operates a mutual defensive pact.
Medon is essentially the guarantor of the smaller members. Medonan politics have favoured peace for a long time. The realm is prosperous and there is little appetite to risk that. The rapid rise of the to the east is cause for concern, and Medonan money is put towards recruiting soldiers, but there is no established military tradition to draw on and some internal opposition, with many believing that someone else will dispose of Rin.
The name, the Purple Coast, derives from both the fine purple dye which is exported from the region and from its numerous vineyards.
Various members of the Confederation, including Medon, practise chattel slavery.
County of Ania
Ania is a generally unremarkable member of the confederation, known mostly in the empire for the good wine it produces, and for a few people from its ruling house, Rivan, disrupting the empress' coronation in 632 in an attempt to pledge vassalage. Ania is as peaceable as most of the Purple Coast, and is not known to practise slavery.