Westreach is comprised of a loose alliance of lords, clans, freeholds, and frontier settlements. There is no crown that holds them together, only the law of mutual survival. Born from a great civil war against Imperial rule, the peoples of Westreach value freedom above all else. While there is a king, it is an elected position rather than being a birthright of some ruling family. The king living in Kingsmeet oversees military coordination and settles disputes between powerful houses. No ruler holds absolute power, even if one manages too, the people will not tolerate it for long.
The lands of Westreach itself are harsh, varied, and oft dangerous. To the east is the swamplands known as the Death Marsch, the scar left behind after the war that won the Westreach's freedom. North is the frozen wastes known as No Man's Land to the locals. The Shield Mountains, a towering formation protecting Westreach's northeastern borders. Forest's pressing against their northwestern and southeastern borders, the northern forest tended by a collection of elves, the southern forest, older than recorded history.
In defiance of the fractured political scape, Westreach remains resilient and free. Coastal trade combined with river travel, farming communities, small mining operations, mercenary work, and expeditions into the northlands greatly contribute to the region's survival. Noble houses, clans, and powerful factions all maintain their own soldiers, castles, and territories feuding amongst themselves. Though any time any group threatens to invade the region, they are quick to stop their feuds in defense of each other.
Major cities such as Kingsmeet, Greenwich, and Ilaton are centers of trade, governance, and learning. Frontier towns like Ratwater are the last place to stay in a warm bed before the wilderness becomes the only danger, where as the Northgate serves as natural barriers from invaders.
Those not born of Westreach see is as a choatically stubborn and difficult to govern place, much to goal of the locals. Freedom was won by blood, not something Westreacher's are willing to lose again.