Fiction:Freeland City States

"They were people of a peculiar and rare sort: friendly, open to the world, but at the same time, separate from it, and arrogant - arrogant to the point that no man or woman could ever unite all of them, despite them living in a land that was twice smaller than Alhassal and only marginally larger than l'Ammanori. The free men would not stand to bend their knee to anyone - not to one of them, not to one of us Imperial."

- Inquisitor during the Prophet Stone expedition

The Freeland City States, known in Tenhuan as Kani'xat a'havi'x, is the term used by foreigners, and, more rarely, the inhabitants of the States themselves, to describe the human civilisation independent from the that resides in the northern Tropical Lands, in the region known as the Snakeblood Wilds. Not a single unified state like the other human nations, the Freelanders are neverthless united by common language, culture, and religion, and have refused to submit themselves to the, succesfully driving off all Imperial incursions into the Tropical Lands despite the northern humans' superior technology and numbers. These sound victories serve as a lasting testament to the Kani'xat's determination, ingenuity and pride, as well as their devotion to their enigmatic gods.

Freelander culture is focused around twelve temple cities - the aforemented city states - allegedly founded by the Freelanders' demigod ancestors - each of them devoted to one of the Simulacra whom they revere. The bloody civil wars that marred the Snakeblood Wilds many millenia ago, however, left a heavy blow on Freelander society that is felt even today, and now only six of these ancient cities remain, the other six either turned into ruins or forgotten altogether. Four of these cities - Senateca, Xibatl, Zalanque and Cama'zotz - have banded together into an uneasy pact known as the Council of Four, maintaining close trade ties between one another; defying the Empire's call for human unity, the 's commercial influence and the 's military dominance, the cities of the Council have chosen to remain neutral in the wars between the great empires from the north, preferring instead to stay in their own borders and profit from the ongoing conflict instead. The fifth temple city, the dreaded Tehuilotl, has severed all ties with other Freelanders and instead seeks to expand its domain over the seas, eager to appease its dark god, while the sixth city, the mysterious Chin-Chaac, remains unaligned - its motives, if they even exist at all, an enigma to all.