Political Situation

The current political situation is dire! Here is a brief summary:

## Change in Cassia

* The West is enjoying unprecedented peace under Cassian Senate rule. There are many in the rural provinces who want Cassia to remain neutral in the wars to come instead of sending innocent western boys to fight someone else’s war.
* There are underground independence movements within some of the Free Cities that are growing stronger as war looms. Generally though, the empire is popular among the people.
* Within the City of Cassia, there are those that want to restrict citizenship to the highborn and restore the aristocracy to power, based on a claim of ancient birthright. Several ancient Hightown families are said to be bankrolling political unrest in order to consolidate power away from the elected Senate and in the hands of a small chosen few.
* There are those who feel the equal protection of the law does not go far enough in Cassia, and bemoan the rising inequality within the empire. A growing number feel that an empire as rich as Cassia should stop spending some much blood and treasure on international affairs, and instead fight poverty and unemployment within vast city walls. These dissidents range from peaceful civil demonstrations under the law to anarchist cells that have committed increasingly alarming acts of terrorism aimed at public buildings.

## Unrest in the Three Crown Islands

* The Three Crown Islands each has its own nationalist movement. There are competing for power, and each island wants to dominate the other two. The crown monarch of each isle would gladly kill the other two in order to rule the three nations as united monarch.
* There are some that think that with the economic might from Farcambria and the strength of their navy, the Three Crowns should throw off Cassian rule and adopt an isolationist policy to become a global trade empire. As the Three Crown islands grow richer from foreign trade, they resent the tribute owed to Cassia.
* Some in Farcambria want to be free of Three Crown trade monopoly and pursue their own destiny.  Others appreciate the stability and order given by colonization. There are those who feel their nation's wealth is being exploited by foreign colonists.

## Southern Instability

* Castelon is weak and ineffectual. They would be crushed at sea by the three crown navy and on land by Cassia. The have to worry about Barbary goblins.
* In the south, a goblin horde quickly conquers the remnants of the former Barbary empire. They are said to be led by a wargod become incarnate. They are distant, but very real, concern.
* There is a scramble to colonize the new continent of Terragrimalia, a death continent rife with precious resources, but also huge and alien monsters!
* The outlaw coast is as violent and unruly as ever, and is anticipating a golden age of piracy as the world order dissolves.

## Crisis in the Central Vale

* The Ostoburg empire is ready to implode at any moment, either because of internal nationalist movements shattering the fragile social order through terrorism and assassination, or because the wrong hotheaded, warmongering noble might take the throne.
* The Low Countries are regularly raided by the Voyagers and Grinelander barbarians, and have been invaded by proper Krikekov and Ostroburg combined armies recently. Despite being encircled, they have not been beaten in the field yet, and remain independent. The political instability is empowering radical populist rulers who are threatening complete overhauls of the social order.
* Krikekov has gone full isolationist, but rumors are they are gearing for war at an unprecedented rate, attempting to bring their full industrial might to bear in an effort to expand territory.