Client-States

Introduction

The client-states are both a relatively new addition to the Grand Empire and something that existed as a part of it from the day of its birth. From its inception, the Grand Empire's territory was divided between the imperial 'allies' and the territories that were directly governed by the Grand Empire, the division largely depending on whether they became the part of the Grand Empire willingly or not.
That difference was somewhat warped during the Second Era, where most of the allies had their culture largely influenced by the imperial one, becoming local ethnicities with much more limited self-governance during the Grand Empire's flirt with a more unitary internal politics. This lasted until the Twilight War, which has changeed a lot of things.
To begin with, it (thus far) permanently crushed the imperial capability for power projection throughout the entirety of his territory, thus forcing the decentralization. What's more, the Descent has reinvigorated the local cultures, making them develop into a mixture of their Second Era heavily imperialized culture and their First Era, more unique cultures.
By today, the client-states managed to solidify their existences. Almost the entirety of the Grand Empire outside of Itavia has been divided between numerous client-states. They are highly incorporated into the Grand Empire as a whole - for example the Imperial Ministry of Internal Affairs is responsible for gathering all taxes in the Grand Empire, before handing majority of them to the local client-states and then giving a cut to the Grand Empire). They follow the same religion, you can find members of all imperial organizations in every one of them.
They de facto are a part of the Grand Empire, however at least partially due to the fact that without its overwhelming power, they would be left vulnerable to any sufficiently motivated assault from the Lost Lands. Their armies are the second line of defense against them - right after the adventurers and right before the Imperial Army.
It's a folly to try to note them all down. Some of them have cultural counterparts on Earth, others not (but shattered form of the empire means that you can found an entire province of completely unknown culture living as a part of such counterpart country, so it's more complicated than that). Some include a number of provinces, some only have a small part of one. They are all recognized and expected to not fight against each other too much - plus are forbidden from engaging in diplomacy with countries outside of Karadia without the Imperial Senate and the Grand Emperor's approvals. However, while it's a folly to write them all down, writing the more important ones is a perfectly possible.

Southern Karadia

Active Client-States

Itavian Empire is a rather special client-state in that it's technically the only directly governed part of the Grand Empire - this is the seat of the Grand Emperors, this is the place when majority of the Imperial Army is trained and garrisoned, this is where all the imperial organizations have their headquarters etc. However the Grand Emperor is also the Emperor of Itavia, and the area does have a limited self-governance together with being allowed to field their own 'regional' troopers to limit the strain on the Imperial Army.
Novian Republic is a country in eastern part of the Itirrian Peninsula (known as Iberian Peninsula on Earth), that's actually a rather succesful colony of the now defunct Menorian Federation. Federation sponsored the founder of the Grand Empire, and send a lot of their advisors and qualified cadre in general to help him. At some point they also asked the descendants of that emperor to allow menorians (mostly reverses) to settle somewhere. The result was a colonization effort in eastern Itirria that overtime evolved to a particularly civilized if culturally foreign part of the Grand Empire. While described as Republic, it is closer to an oligarchy actually.
Helian Sympolity is a rather internally unstable country created as a union of former members of the Helian League, which today occupy most of local equivalent of Greece. They are still mostly 'ancient greek', at least judging from the number of self-contained communities known as poleis. Sympolity was formed to resist attacks from the nearby Nikopolan Hegemony, and has managed to achieve that. Today it's an extremely militarized yet cultured (if you exclude certain traditions that outsiders might find distasteful) area, which is known in the general Empire mostly for the olympics.
Dragrim Confederation is a dwarven country in White Mountains (out Alps), in fact one of the two regions on the surface where one can encounter a dwarf. However rarely, because the Confederation is fiercely xenophobic - it's pretty much closed to outsiders, with trade done in designated zones. However at least theoretically the Confederation is a part of the Grand Empire, although under a slightly different set of rules (it's actually a bit more like a tributary).

Western and Northern Karadia

Active Client-States

Kingdom of Frankia is a country that occupies local equivalent of France. It was settled by a confederation of tribes that has managed to crush the Elven Empire. Modern Frankia is actually a mix of cultures that can be best summed up as resembling Gauls, Middle Ages French, with some Goths mixed in (and a handful of elven remnants). It's in the state of long-term rivalry with the Elvharian Empire and the Kingdom of Alvaena (at least before it collapsed) over who gets to be the most important part of the Western Karadia.
High Kingdom of Alvaena is actually more of a loose alliance of a few dozen semi-independent client states (including local equivalent of Irish, probably Scots, Welsh, English and a lot of elves who have their own culture entirely - plus some dwarves and leftover beastkin). It used to be a much more organized state, but it was hit particularly hard by the Synkardian War to the point when it never managed to fully restore itself. Today it's threatened by the growingly expansive Drakha and the raids from the Ice Kingdoms.
Elvharian Empire is a former Kingdom of Lanoirenn that has managed to - at some point - expand and force nearby humans and elves into becoming part of it, or its tributaries. While their campaign to reunite the lands of the Elven Empire under their banner collapsed after the Taretian War, the Empire remain fiercely elven-centered (even its name is, in fact, a more modernized term of 'Elven Empire'). Its lands are the local equivalent of Germany, with human tributaries living in the local Bavaria and Austria.
Senrian Alliance is a union of many smaller city-states, tribes and small countries in the local version of Netherlands and Belgium that have decided to band together for common defense. Culturally, it's a complete mess. Racially, it's a combination of elves and humans (with some beastkin and drakons mixed in) that is actually cooperating rather nicely (although mostly because both Elvharia and Frankia would enjoy taking a bite on it.

Former Client-States

Kingdom of Niflheim is a country founded by the descendants of the ancient kingdom of Lorr that - when it was destroyed by the Ancient of Frost - has marched westward and proceeded to thoroughly demolish local snow elven kingdom of Vanorlan. They settled in what's essentially local Denmark and southern Sweden and continue to holding ground (while carrying a rather Norsemen-style culture - for centuries despite being under almost continuous attack from the armies of the Ice Kingdoms.
They seceeded following the Twilight War, seeing as the Grand Empire was unable to offer it sufficient help against those attacks, and is today pretty much getting paid by the Visenian Commonwealth and the Grand Empire of Karadia to stop as many raids from Ice Kingdoms as it can.
Kingdom of Drakha is the country of dragons occupying local Iceland, local Greenland and some islands that have no equivalent on Earth. They are ruled by high dragons and a warrior/ruler caste of drakons, who lord over large population of humans, elves and beastkin that's pretty much slaves (and do most of the work). The entire region was subjugated during the Second Era, but has immediately seceeded after the Twilight War and now continues to be a thorn in Empire's side. Especially with weakness of the High Kingdom of Alvaena many expect that a war in the north is only a matter of time.

Northern Arrica

Active Client-States

Karthian Oligarchy is the local equivalent of Carthage. A major player on the naval sea trade of the Inner Sea, and a country that's an absolute oligarchy (with about 30 families having any sort of political power). Majority of the work is done by legions of slaves, which offers the Oligarchy enough money to in the past almost crush the Itavian Empire with armies of mercenaries. The local traders have the reputation of amoral.
Maharian Confederation is a loose alliance of primarily goblin states scattered throughout the north-western Arrica - save for those that were changed into tributaries of the Karthian Oligarchy at some point. It was established mostly to counter the political influence of the Karthians, and is more of a economic union with some degree of common defense factored in. Maharian Confederation today is the only major goblin country in Karadia.
Kingdom of Maroth is de facto a piece of the Ancient Egypt (deeper into the land) mixed with some Helian influences (on the coastline, especially in the Cyrenan region). As a result it is a bit of a complicated country. The Empire is very interested in keeping it strong due to it continuously engaging in various skirmishes with the Rehalian Union over the control of the economically crucial Iron Channel (connecting the Inner Sea with the Southern Ocean).

Western Arria

Active Client-States

Nikopolan Hegemony is the other half of the Helian culture, one that took more after the much later Byzantine era of Greece. It is an absolutist kingdom when compared to helian cooperation of independent communities, which explains why it was never welcomed in the west. Recently the Hegemon converted to Rehalianism (together with its entire court) resulting in a major political crisis and the Hegemony becoming something of a codominium between the Grand Empire and the Rehalian Union.
Vhessan Empire is an ancient dark elven state in local equivalent of the Caucasus Mountains. It was the main force between organized elven resistance against humans, but when it become apparent that elves are going to lose the Vhessan Empire has swiftly established a profitable relationship with the humans. It is known for being the source of the local equivalent of football, a very concerning approach to slavery, being one of the crucial trade partners of the Grand Empire, and the fact that it was staunchly loyal to the Grand Empire for centuries.
Recently it is on the verge of secession due to the situation in the Hegemony. It has a number of surface and underground client-states on its own (they are technically client-state of the Grand Empire, but are politically subservient to Vhessana), including kingdoms of Greziya, Armarivia, Viathey and Lileth. The fifth one - Vycheav - has converted to rehalianism and seceeded three centuries ago.

Telya

Former Client-States

Verkvenan Confederation a loose union of half a dozen lilim countries in the northern part of Telya, that were annexed during the Second Era and culturally assimilated to a degree (they never assimilated fully, but they did mostly convert to the Imperial Cult). Very pro-imperial, and etremely sad that modern Grand Empire is incapable of keeping them as its client-state.
United Kingdom of Ceveria is an even more loose union, this time of more than a dozen countries (inhabited by the reverses) that was born when two strongest managed to mostly subjugate the rest and then had their king and queen marry. The 'united' part is at best doubtful, but the whole region is mostly pro-imperial. Especially now, with the Holy League's threat being on the horizon. It follows its own polytheistic religion and somehow managed to not convert to the imperial religion.
New Menorian Republic was at some point a shining beacon of civilization. These former colonies of the Menorian Federation did, however, politically shatter during the Twilight War - when their high technology become a deadly liability rather than a source of strength. While eventually the Republic reformed, some of its members joined the Holy League or the United Kingdom, and the rest of its constituent states is slowly collapsing under the strain of feral beastkin attacks. The time of its partition between the northern and southern neighbours is probably coming soon.
Holy League was made into a temporary tributary of the Grand Empire. This theocratic union of the followers of the khardic faith have eventually retook their indepence and - when the Grand Empire's presence vanished from the continent - immediately began to march north, devouring a big part of the New Menorian Republic. Soon it will expand further, and its eventual goal is a conquest of the entirety of the continent.
Elevhian Despotate is a country of sea elves that have moved far to the west when their countries in Karadia were falling to the humans. They settled in Elevhian Archipelago - a tropical paradise kept that way by Xylian weather manipulations. They remain a combination of merchants and pirates, and are willing to be hired by any group in need of naval power that can pay their price.