The Commonwealth of Hana and Lonin
The Commonwealth of Hana and Lonin is in the northern part of the empire and spans a vast wilderness, with pockets of civilisation here and there.
The Realm of Hana existed before the Third Greytide and was one of the three founding members of the empire, with Adana and Dyria. The Commonwealth was formed in 547 AF when the Grand Duchy of Lonin, once a realm beyond the empire's northern border, sought the protection of being an imperial vassal, and so it reached an accord with the Realm of Hana. Hana had long had the distinction of being an elective monarchy, wherein a monarch was selected by a parliament of the realm's nobility then reigned for life. The agreement struck afforded the nobility of Lonin the same rights as the nobility of Hana. It was by and large a peaceful integration. Hana and Lonin already had a long history of close ties.
The capital of the Commonwealth, Zolev, is in Hana. It is where its noble parliament sits and where the monarch, currently King Victor Vanzek, reigns. Zolev is a relatively small town, quiet apart from the two weeks of summer in which parliament meets. The largest settlement of the Commonwealth by some margin is the mighty fortress-city Vilslev in Lonin, situated along the Whitewater, a glacial river that flows from the northern reaches of the Worldspine mountain range to the east to the Wailing Sea to the west. Mariners who venture to that sea stay close indeed to the coast on their way along the western coast of Lonin and northern coast of Elthos. Lonin is ruled by Grand Duchess Zaria Albalaski.
The nobility of the Commonwealth enjoy the principle of political equality, at least in theory. All noble votes have the same weight in parliament. In practice, some nobles own far more land than others. The ruler of the Commonwealth remains above other nobility. The ruler of the Grand Duchy of Lonin is a hereditary position and wields immense power. The Crown appoints individuals to various offices, who must be confirmed by parliament in its next sitting. Most notable among these are castellans, the title used for civil governors, and voivodes, for regional military commanders. In practice, the largest house in a region has great weight in who receives appointments. Whereas only about one person in a hundred people elsewhere in the empire is a noble, about one in seven in the Commonwealth are noble, though the overwhelming majority of noble families own only a small amount of land. A strong collectivist sentiment exists among the nobility of the Commonwealth. Trouble for one is trouble for all, and they might intervene to prevent it even without any personal stake.
The frozen wasteland to the north of the taiga and tundra of Lonin is called the Terror, while the Wailing Sea is to the west of the Commonwealth. Raiders, both human and sometimes more bestial but intelligent humanoids, emanate from the Terror, as do strange and terrible creatures, either coming overland or crossing the sea. The people of the Commonwealth are implacable defenders of their homes and of the empire, but they rely on a great deal of foreign assistance to maintain their vigil. The nobility of the Commonwealth spend considerable time in Sanctuary ensuring that they will continue to receive that aid. Even on its eastern flank, the Commonwealth finds threates, descending from the Worldspine into Lonin, or the Red Waste into Hana. Its people can find solace in the presence of the Realm of Dyria and the Imperial Territories to the south.