The Free Countries

The Free Countries comprise four kingdoms, united by the threat posed by the despot’s empire. They are:

Bulwark, which, having the only land border with Ozane, is heavily militarised and subsidised by the others;

Oskarsholm, resembling Norway with its fjords, fishing, trapping, and lumber.

Briveland, the major commercial hub of the Free Countries, is well-funded and dynamic but often considered, with a small sneer, to be 'new money’ by: 

Liveralia, the original Free Country. It was founded in then by slaves who gained their freedom from the Empire of Sol (the tale of then). Its long history has made it a cultural centre, home to musicians and artists competing to be the most avant-garde; instrument makers striving to refine their designs to cope with the complex chords and tonal range that composers use to challenge performers; and pigment mixers attempting to reproduce the colours created by the trendiest artists to outshine rivals. It also hosts the central hubs of all Earth’s religious orders, which proselytise a spectrum of doctrines – from zealotry and bigotry to pragmatism and love. Only Earthwardens can harness Earth’s powers through meditation and communion. 

Xathica. Towards the end of the first book, another ‘free’ nation is introduced. Xathicans are a spiritual race, tending to ‘the balance’ between plants, herbivorous animals, and carnivores. They hunt carnivores if herbivores are threatened, and hunt herbivores when plant life is suffering.  They are peripatetic; they don’t build houses, as sawing logs and baking bricks affect ‘the balance’, but use natural materials available for bivouacs. Ozane has largely taken their homeland, and many of their women have been enslaved. Being an intrinsically peaceful people, forbidden to use manufactured weapons, they see no way to resist the Despot.