Scale Kingdoms

The north of Suto was largely uninhabited until the arrival of the first refugees from the Ophionic Empire. The bulk of the refugees were human or Petari, and settled either in the Free Kingdoms of the central coast, or the Scale Kingdoms of the eastern peninsula. The original refugees reaching the peninsula travelled the Mourning Path, a demanding route through the Shield foothills to the Narrow sea, instead of the Shining Trail via the west coast of Cathlaea.
The name of the Scale Kingdoms is misleading, both because the petari still only make up a little over half the population, and because the peninsula contains no monarchies. In fact, there are no established borders in the peninsula, and the 'Scale Kingdoms' are actually a large-scale collectivist superstate, largely divided up for administrative purposes into the catchment areas of larger city states. In broad terms, a catchment area is the region in which people look to a settlement to provide certain shared services, such as military defence, trade mediation, courier services and what limited law enforcement is tolerated in the Scale Kingdoms (typically investigation of and punishment for crimes against the person, and the administration of remediation for theft and damages.)
Kssyrihh (place of dark waters), T'ssessh (start and end of the journey) and Nkhhas (silent place in the storm) are the dominant cities of the northern coast, each administering a sizeable catchment area. Kssyrihh and T'ssessh are the agricultural strongholds of the Scale Kingdoms, situated between and around the river Scaletail. Nhkhhas commands the seas around the eastern peninsula, and its wealth is in trade, fish, fruits and spices. Each of these cities is controlled by an elected council, with only 'leading citizens' - the heads of merchant houses, military commanders, guild masters and the like - permitted to nominate a candidate for election.
The south is not so formalised. Esstha (Stha's rest) and Sussithh (where silver fish swim) are the only comparably-sized southern cities, but they instead serve as economic and social hubs for dozens of smaller communities, with smaller catchment areas surrounding most towns and even a few villages. The southern kingdoms are focused on small scale farming and harvesting of natural, botanical resources. Esstha does, however, house the Peninsular Guard, a volunteer garrison charged with defending the Scale Kingdoms from the raiders of the Pirate Principalities.

Type

Alliance, Generic