Guilded states in Ethaya (Lorica)

Guilded States in Ethaya
Ethaya is home to many nation-states, most of which are small and weak, led by nobles who call themselves kings, and with lesser nobles serving under them in a feudal system. Their militaries are generally mundane-only (no spellcaster support), and generally number in the lesser thousands, which is about as numerous as individual guilds. Because each guild is spread over much of Ethaya, the number of guild members in each of these states is in the mere dozens, the guilds don’t have the manpower to control all of these states directly, and so these states are quite independent. However with no magic on their side, these small states’ armies are much, much weaker than the guilds. As a result the kings and nobles of these states mostly defer to the guild when guild interests are at stake, and turn the other eye regarding incidences of guild abuse of their guild secrets. In general these states have good diplomatic relations with the guilds (in particular, the Interguild United Front). These states are considered the guilded states, and form the heart of Ethaya.