"In this age and land, all is a stage and everyone but players for stories not yet told"
The idyllic lands of Thivia paint the tranquil and beautiful picture of warm, gentle vales, breeze-kissed hills, and expansive green plains that roll across the dawncast horizon. Long-standing farms and orchards of generations past dot the landscape, which adds golden wheat and striking colours of agriculture to the painting. While it is a region conquered and developed by Kith, much of its lands remain untouched and unclaimed still, as the local city-states stand focused on central developments.
Thivia was once the first lands to be colonized by the Old Imperium during its earlier years of eastern expansion, after Old Thalia was destroyed by the Sun of Qaravon. In time, these new lands became known as the breadbasket of the Imperium, due to their quickly developing farmlands. In no time after, Thivia became the province of wealthy Patria Lords, who set the first founding stones for the region's grand cities. After the Old Imperium fell, Thivia's city-states became self-ruling, and in time they united under a common Council, known today as the Council of Seven.
Outside of the Council's authority, most of the region's city-states are ruled by their respective Patria Houses, with minor Houses swearing their allegiance from beneath them. This often sets the stage for political intrigue and ambition, which plays out mostly in the background from the public eye. However, old rivalries are well-known between the Houses, and the commonfolk might sometimes take to enjoying the drama unfold before them, so long as it doesn't affect them directly. This constant bickering between houses spawn many theatrical plays inspired by their stories, and as such Thivia's cities are well-known for their passionate songs, poems, and theatrical displays rooted in partial truths.
But in times when conflicts grow too fiery, minor wars between Houses have been known to break out, which has seen the Free Cities raise arms against each other on a few occasions. It is at these times that the region's numerous Mercenary Companies thrive, and in times of peace they find work in more distant conflicts in places elsewhere in the world. But when war arises in Thivia, it paints a wide streak of bloodied red across the otherwise idyllic painting.
Aside from the matters of the Free Cities, the Council of Seven also rules over the nearby Protectorate States of Lorras and Tivay, which control the majority of sea-bound trade and coastal industries in the greater Thivian region. Lush and tropical Tivay is famed for its rather free-spirited and sometimes rebellious sailors and loose laws, whilst proud Lorras of the golden strands is the home of renowned Swordmasters whose fencing techniques are often known the world over.
Thivia is also where one finds the Tinker-State of Meratriza, which is the only state in the region to remain governmentally unaffiliated with the Council of Seven. Meratriza is a half-folken state, which was founded as a distant Luthrern Voshi colony, as part of an old colonial agreement between Luthrern Vosh and the Old Imperium.
The Free Cities of Thivia and its Protectorates are officially part of the Thalian Alliance, which sees its counterpart in the bordering Merchant Republic of Thalon. Together, the two nations hold dominance in trade and influence in the greater majority of the Thalian region. Various Trade Leagues thrive in the lands governed by this Alliance. This Alliance also ensures the two nations' international strength in not only Thivia and its nearby regions, but as one of the strongest sovereign presences in the Twin-Continents.