The Rebel Barony

This was once a large barony within the Kingdom, in the highlands and mountains that occupy a corner of that realm’s island. Here, the traditional clan power structure that predated the development of a feudal type of government has not faded away entirely; clans remain a factor to be reckoned with, so much so that the government form is mixed. During the latest civil war, the Baron declared independence from the Kingdom, claiming that the King had not complied with covenants he had entered. That was some ten years ago. The Barony’s terrain is difficult and easily defensible, and the Kingdom has had other fish to fry, so that the Barony is still independent.
While the Kingdom does not recognize such a state of things and is sure to try and bring the rebels back to the fold sooner or later, the Barony has been promptly recognized as a realm by another enemy of the Kingdom: the Pirates. These provided the Baron with a vitally important loan, which is why the Barony is currently indebted. The Barony’s infrastructure is as decrepit as in the rest of the island.
The Barony has no negative Resonance in the Kingdom, or elsewhere. Only the nobles holding the fiefs on the border actually hate the rebels; and that’s because they accept escaped serfs and other malcontents from those nobles’ lands. Feudal duties in the Barony are less stifling than in the Kingdom because of the clan relations, and anyway the Baron is happy to weaken his future enemies by taking their workforce away. That’s why he’s been quietly shedding the strictest feudal customs, and the local CR is lower now.
Naturally, a form of government that is partly feudal means that the Rebel Baron’s knights, in turn, are not all that reliable and peace-loving.
An important factor that helps this realm to stay afloat even in the face of the Kingdom’s hostility is its fast reaction time, a result of its clan-based power system and of its less complex social structure. 
==References==
*Realm Management examples post #54