Now, for the third-to-final country which I imagine would undergo major institutional changes, both good and bad: Bassilea. Unlike the other countries, factions in these countries wouldn’t negotiate over charters or give the opposition high-ranking positions within the state architecture.

During those three months Annie and the few Guardians who accompanied her were in Vask, I imagine that they and their dragons were the only things keeping traditionalists in line. Only a month after they left, Froydrich would declare his claim to the throne, regroup his forces and establish a court in the southern parts of the empire, and start a succession war.

Froydrich’s succession war would last two years and end with a win for Freyda, who still keeps her seat in Vask. Freyda’s faction would had occasional military assistance from Guardians like Lotus and Darius, who weren’t doing much for the rebuilding efforts but surveillance.

Freyda’s first act during her initial ascension ceremony, before the succession was challenged, besides announcing a partnership with Callipolis would be to free the slaves in her personal staff. She told Lee that she was willing to give the common people a voice, and she wouldn’t back down on that promise, not when it would ruin her main foreign alliance. She would frame this as a new beginning for Bassilea, an era of freedom.

Though most of her time during the war with Froydrich was spent in strategy sessions or on the battlefield, whatever little time she had left she used to implement small reforms. Freeing her slaves was only the first of these reforms. Under her father and previous Bassileons over the past 500 years, the empire was becoming increasingly more decentralized yet more socially stratified. The version of Bassilea her father ruled was similar in administration to the Achaemenid Empire (very decentralized, with powerful local satraps being so powerful that they were very nearly as powerful as the God-King) and yet similar in court organization to the Sasanian Empire (purely Bassilean staff with a strict hierarchy). Freyda, who enjoyed reading political theory and philosophy amongst other subjects, was highly inspired by Atreus’ Revolutionary Manifesto. She would make it easier to climb the ranks of palace staff and start education programs for her freed slaves. Most of them would go on to become logistical managers, stewards, couriers, and so on. Her most elite former slaves (like Betsuna) were put into managerial roles over her personal staff. Betsuna would become her personal steward, and another elite former slave would become the palace steward.

When he noticed her more progressive leanings honed by her earliest governesses and ladies-in-waiting, the God-King would have immediately replaced the entirety of Freyda’s ladies-in-waiting, governesses, and maids of honor with more traditionalist-leaning ones, but the interest that her original governesses and tutors cultivated in her by giving her books like the Revolutionary Manifesto would endure, and this would lead her to be much more progressive than her later coterie of noblewomen.

While her ladies-in-waiting were safe from constantly being switched, the God-King wasn’t yet secure in his daughter’s maids of honor, so he switched them year after year to ensure that they didn’t build a friendship with his daughter and absorb any of her worldview.

Given this, the way Freyda reshuffled them would be different. The ladies-in-waiting would either become war diplomats, representing Freyda and trying to negotiate peace with Froydrich’s faction, or advisors relating to any lingering traditionalist nobles in her court. The maids of honor would either become delegates, training under the war diplomats, or train under the advisors.

She would replace the conservative ladies-in-waiting and maids of honor with more progressive ones, who would become secretaries, advisors, and regional/local administrators. Since a lot of her focus had to be on the war and she was ruling a very decentralized empire where nobles essentially did whatever they wanted as satraps, she would create an order similar to the Greatcoats in Sebastien de Castell’s Greatcoats series, who would go around as traveling magistrates enforcing the Queen’s Codes.

During the war period, she would also maintain a mobile court in order to better counter the opposition’s attacks. While Froydrich wanted to attack Vask, his generals would tell him to first pelt weaker border towns and villages, and Freyda would always be at the ready and on the move.

While Freyda initially only took Froydrich’s dragon and paraded it around during her ascension ceremony as Queen of Bassilea when backed by Annie, after her side’s victory in the war, during her second ascension ceremony, she would take no chances. In order to secure her empire’s legitimacy, she kept Azuleth in the lairs at Vask.

Upon Freyda’s taking the throne, Froydrich’s faction seceded and there were thus two Bassilean Empires: the Northern Bassilean Empire, ruled by Freyda, and the Southern Bassilean Empire, ruled by Froydrich (or, more accurately, shadow-ruled by his and Freyda’s closest paternal female cousin, who married Froydrich shortly after the war because she was now Froydrich’s closest paternal female relation besides his sister, who obviously wasn’t going to marry him for him to ascend the throne).

While Froydrich’s empire devolved into Russian-style feudalism, Freyda’s empire flourished. She disbanded her Greatcoats and instead created a true petition system, which maids of honor and ladies-in-waiting would become administrators within.

The way this system worked was that there were weekly local petitions for small issues and grievances. If an issue was deemed pressing and “large” enough in scope, or if it involved a corrupt local administrator, it would go to the regional level, where petitions would be held bi-weekly. Finally, there would be central petitions in Vask, for truly pressing or broad-scoped matters, which would happen monthly. Each central petitions would have a “theme” (finance, agriculture, etc.), but if it really was urgent, Freyda heard general petitions after the main session.

Part on Annie’s alliance with Freyda was the assurance that she would instate a constitutional monarchy. If she refused to do that, then beyond backing her claim to the throne and helping in securing her throne for a while, Callipolis would retract its alliance with Bassilea. Annie was very laissez-faire about the contents of the Bassilean constitution, stating that all it had to do was limit Freyda’s power and make her accountable to the people in some form.

Freyda’s second major change would be to instate an Estates-General. Since she wanted to grant as little power as possible to the remaining old-guard satraps, she structured the Estates-General so that old-guard satraps who remained still had votes, but they could be easily outvoted by the more mid-tier nobles. However, the most revolutionary part of this framework was that commoners were represented. This would be an advisory council, called upon by Freyda whenever she needed its counsel.

The next change would be the creation of a parliament, similar to the Polish-Lithuanian Sejm. It would have two chambers, none of which including old-guard satraps, who already had votes within the Estates-General. The first chamber would be comprised of new-guard satraps and lower-mid tier nobles, and would sit directly within court. The second chamber would include more minor nobles. The second house was in charge of proposing laws and budgets, and the first house had a delaying veto. However, if after three sessions an agreement on a bill hadn’t been reached, Freyda had an absolute veto.

After rereading the books and noticing how differently members of each Triarchal family were described appearance-wise (Stormscourges tending to have pale skin, dark hair, gray eyes, and high cheekbones, Aurelians tending to have golden skin, dark hair, and black eyes, and Skyfish tending to have brown skin, brown eyes, and curling dark hair), I became interested in trying to pin down the inspiration for different Callipolan regions. After looking back at the map, I settled on this:

Callipolis city (home to the Aurelians): I imagine that the capital was inspired by north-central Mediterranean cities, particularly those which are most northern and just slightly central. The Upper Bank, home to dragonborn and patricians, was build on the side the Fer nearer by the lowlands. This meant that the Upper Bank had slightly warmer summers and winters, with average temperatures in the winter being in in the low-to-mid 50s Fahrenheit (11-12.7 Celsius) and the average summer temperatures range from 80-85 Fahrenheit (26.6-29.4 C). The Lower Bank, home to Callipolan commoners, would have slight more manageable summer temperatures, but winters would be bitingly cold due to them being nearer to the highlands. Summer temperatures would hover between 79-84 F (26.1-28.9 C) and winter temperatures would be much colder, 44-47 F (6.6-8.9 C). The skin tone of the Aurelians would be a fair, fiery golden-olive. I imagine that a certain fieriness in their skin tone would be shared by all dragonborn families in Callipolis, as well as golden or gilded tones.

Harbortown: Situated on the Near Lowland coast, it would be significantly warmer than the capital, but much less muggy than the lowlands proper due to being on the coast. Summers would rest between 82 and 86 F (28-30 C) and winters would be 53-57 F (11-14 C). Assuming Crissa’s appearance is common in Harbortown, I’d say that honey-gold skin, blonde hair, and bright eyes is the generic Harbortown appearance.

Skyfish Summer Palace: Located a bit further along the lowland coast, I imagine (contrary to its name) that it was actually the Skyfish family’s winter/spring residence. Due to the bitter cold of winters in the capital and the muggy heat of the Summer Palace in summer, Skyfish House would return to their native lowlands for the winter, stay for the spring, and then return to the capital for the summer. The temperatures here would be similar to Harbortown, but a touch warmer. The Skyfish lords who stayed at the Skyfish Summer Palace entirely for the “lowland half” of the year would have a satinwood skin tone with a warm and polished, fiery sheen.

Near Lowlands: Here, the weather would get a slight bit warmer, but the north-central Mediterranean lowland climate would be maintained. Under the Triarchy, Near Lowland serfs were expected to have their main growing season in the winter/spring, when their lord was staying in the lowlands.

Middle Lowlands: Similar to Nearhall, I imagine that the Drakarch of the Near Lowlands had a property in the Middle Lowlands where he stayed with his family while he did his regular oversight of his serfs. It was a rule in the Skyfish family that drakarchs cannot stay in the Summer Palace while handling administrative duties related to the serfs in their land holdings, in order to maintain the “purity” of their palace. The temperatures here would be slightly warmer than the Near Lowlands. The manor would be called Villa Sorgente. Drakarchs of the Near Lowlands maintain the most golden-brown skin tones possible for Skyfish lords, sitting at an amber tone.Far Lowlands: The warmest lowland region, which Delo was originally meant to inherit before Palace Day. Similarly to Farhall, there would be a Drakarchic seat here, too, which formerly belonged to Nestor and (presumably) went to Power very briefly in Furysong when Delo returned to Callipolis. It would be called Rivalonga, and serve a similar function to the Villa Sorgente. As a child, Delo far preferred the Skyfish Summer Palace even though Rivalonga was a humbler abode because he disliked the reason his family was there (overworking and overseeing the serfs). Before arriving on New Pythos, I imagine Delo’s skin was a deep golden praline, similar to brown sugar, with a fiery glow. After, during the Long-Awaited Return, it had become satinwood due to lack of sun in Norcia.

While Delo was satinwood, Power’s skin would sit exactly the same as Delo’s, but earthier, at a warm, deep smoky toffee-almond. They’re described to have a similar deep brown skin tone in the book, but I made it so that him and Power essentially have the same skin tone, but Delo’s is shinier and more metallic, while Power’s is more earthy.

Near Highlands: Rock sur Bast’s home and the provenance of the Drakarch of the Near Lowlands under the Triarchy. This was by far the warmest of the highland region, being nearest to the capital. Summer temperatures here hover between 65-70 F (18.3-21.1 C), and it has the mildest winters for the highlands.

Middle Highlands: Home to the Drakarch of the Near Highlands/Triarch of the West and his family fr the summer and early autumn. This part of the highlands has extremely lush greenery and temperatures ranging from 60-65 F in the summer. It also contains the majority of other Stormscourge manors, as nobody besides the Drakarch of the Far Highlands really wants to stay in the Far Highlands due to how cold it is compared to the rest of the highlands. Before the Revolution, Julia and Ixion would be a fiery, gilded sort of ivory. After the Long-Awaited Return, Ixion would look similar to a marble statue. Meanwhile, Rock would start off similar to Annie, but would end up a warm sort of oatmeal.

Far Highlands: Birthplace of Annie sur Aela and Lee sur Pallor. Farhall would be located as close as physically possible to the Middle Highlands as it’s possible to be while still being in the Far Highlands. It would look like a small paradise, way above the serfs’ reach. Its temperatures in the summer would range from 58-60 F, the highest the Far Highlands have to offer. There would be a few other Stormscourge manors around Farhall which would share the temperature range. Members of Stormscourge House would range from warm ivory to warm cream, depending on which highland region they spend most time in. Moving to the actual farming villages, those nearer to the Middle Highlands would have summer temperatures ranging between 55-57 F, and those in the Far Highlands proper would be 50-55 F. Before the Revolution, Lee was a gilded alabaster. When we first meet him nine years after the Revolution, he would be an apricot-olive, still pale by Callipolan standards, but noticeably warmer than before since he began training to become a dragonrider. Annie, on the other hand, would be veined and sallow due to a childhood of famine, with angular, jutting bones. When we first see her in Fireborne, she would sit at a cool sand tone, pale and fair with a grainy quality.

The Vassal Islands: I imagine that each family had its own vassal islands, and it was mainly only the bastard children of the two main branches of each of the Three Families who were sent there. Due to being located in the Medean, they’re warmer than their mainland counterparts. While Stormscourges were normally a warm, gilded ivory, ha’Stormscourges on the vassal islands had creamy nectarine skin which became honey-wheat. While Aurelians had fair golden-olive, Grayroses (Aurelian Bastards) would be brass-toned now. Finally, ha’Skyfish (Skyfish Bastards) would have started off as a warm, matte sort of golden-brown, and after ten years in Norcia, would become a cool, deep ash-bronze. The vassal islands would have a northeast-central Mediterranean climate (the ones nearer to Harbortown; their climate would be slightly warmer than the coastal Skyfish Summer Palace and Harbortown) or a more northwest-central Mediterranean climate (the ones nearer to the highlands).

Norcia: I imagine Norcia to be quite similar being similar to the highlands of County Donegal in Ireland. In-universe, they would be quite similar to the Far Highlands, specifically the climate in Farhall and manors surrounding it, though with slightly colder summer lows (55-60 F). I imagine that a lot of Pythian architecture was also similar to Farhall, with that being their closest reference, but the Provisional Palace and the citadel were a lot plainer than Farhall (ending up looking more similar to an expanded version of Farhall’s original watchtower than any of its later renovations). The Provisional Palace was also quite asymmetrical due to the Pythians having forgotten the construction techniques for the citadel and no longer having people for reference with Callipolis no longer being an ally, essentially just being a cluster of towers around a small central structure. I imagine that Farhall had four main structures, each built 250 years apart. The first was the watchtower, which faced the farming villages of the Far Highlands for surveillance purposes. This was the residence of Stormscourge House and its scouts for 250 years. The next structure was similar to Armadale Castle in the Scottish highlands, except smaller. Before the Revolution, it housed the bulk of Stormscourge House’s servants and was not as much a priority for the lords to maintain in tip-top shape. The next structure would be similar to Fyvie Castle, in recent times quartering the regular guests that come and go from Farhall after the lord hosts them. Finally, there would be the structure occupied by the lord, his family, any extended family, and honored guests. This structure would have two main wings, with towers around the outside for house servants. The first would be similar to Inveraray Castle, built of stone which was gray with a greenish sheen in certain light. When this structure was built, it was a Triarchal tradition of sorts to have a double-door entrance, quite near each other, that converged in an opulent foyer upon entry. One entrance for lords, the other for ladies. The lords’ door would have a stormscourge dragon breathing fire embossed in the arch. The ladies’ door would look sort of like pictures of the Armadale Castle entrance. When it came to quarters, as done in history, the lord and lady would have separate chambers, connected by a gallery, further reinforcing the expectations for ladies vs lords. The ladies’ chambers would face Farhall’s expansive gardens, while lords’ chambers would face the grounds (specifically the Trav). The children’s wing of the structure would be meant to reinforce these expectations all the more. For children younger than ten (ages 7-9), chambers would be sea-facing, fully. Sons’ rooms would have a more craggy, rugged, yet still fairytale-esque view. Meanwhile, daughters’ rooms would have a similar view of the sea, but their sea views would have a carpet of oceanic flora floating along the sea. Children aged 10-18 would also have sea-facing views, but not purely sea-facing, though they would progressively lessen as they grew older, showing more of the gardens/Trav until there’s barely a slice of sea showing. There would be a cluster of rooms by the adults’ wing of the main structure. Half of these rooms would be for sons/daughters aged 7-9. The other half would be for sons/daughters aged 16-18. The first half of this cluster would be purposely designed to make access to parents easier, while the second half was designed to project maturity of near-adult children and show them as being on the cusp of adulthood. On the outside of this cluster, closer to the 7-9-year-olds’ rooms, would be 10-12-year-olds’ rooms. On the outside of the cluster on the other side would be the 13-15-year-olds’ rooms. In the children’s wing, as well as the second structure of Farhall, servants would stay in the towers, in very cramped quarters.

Bassilea: Assuming that the climate gets more Mediterranean the further south one goes, then Bassilea would be warmer than Callipolis, with northern Bassilea being southwest-central. Vask would be the most “central Mediterranean” climate in northern Bassilea, similar to Lazio, Italy. The rest of Bassilea would get warmer. The middle of northern Bassilea would have a balanced southwest-central Mediterranean climate, while the more southern part of northern Bassilea would have more of a southwest Mediterranean climate.. Southern Bassilea would be southwest climate proper, getting warmer the further south one went.

Damos: I imagine Damos’ climate is a mirror image of Bassilea’s. While northern Bassilea is southwest-central Mediterranean, northern Damos is southeast-central. Whereas southern Bassilea is southwest Mediterranean proper, Damos is southeast Mediterranean proper. Damos City is southeast-central, just grazing southeast, mostly central. Since Duck and Cor’s parents and Megara’s parents were Damian (maybe even from Damos City) and the climate in Damos is much warmer than Callipolis, I imagine their golden-olive skin was much warmer than the Aurelians’, a sort of bright rather than fair golden-olive. Since Duck, Cor, Megara, and Megara’s brother Lex were raised in Callipolis and not Damos, they still maintained a warm golden-olive skin tone, though noticeably lighter than their parents’. Megara’s and Lex’s would be jade-gold, while Duck’s and Cor’s would be saffron-beige due to Guardian training exposing them to the sun a lot more as children, while Megara and Lex were exposed to the sun less due not having Guardian training, and not working outdoors (Megara definitely didn’t spend most of her time outdoors, while Lex likely didn’t).

Isca: Griff describes Isca as “too warm, too dry”, and the summit room was open to the air when he attended the Medean League. Given this, I imagine Isca is similar to southern Greece specifically. Not the southern-most part of Greece, but far to the Greek south.