Draveth

Draveth exists in the productive centre of Nirah, politically and geographically. Landlocked, defined by mountain-and-lake terrain, and economically modest, it has survived by making itself indispensable as a transit corridor. Every faction that needs to move goods, people, or diplomats across the continent has reason to keep Draveth functional and accessible.

This has made Draveth a favoured venue for international negotiation — not because it is powerful, but because it is neutral in a way that cannot be easily accused of concealing an agenda. Its neutrality is maintained less by principle than by pragmatic necessity: Draveth cannot afford to choose sides, and it cannot afford to be occupied. The calculus has held for generations.

Draveth's position adjacent to Caldrith gives it unusual proximity to the Institute's operations without formal institutional entanglement. How much Draveth's government knows about what happens in Caldrith, and how much it chooses not to ask, is a question its diplomats have never been pressed to answer publicly.