The principalities are made up of the coast and the island around the coast of the Eastern side of Khorvaire. These islands were once the first location found of Khorvaire by human settlers from Sarlona, led by the great navigator Lhazaar herself to find a new land to live in; that new land now bears her name. Lhazaar is fractured by its nature, each island (or sometimes small groups of islands if they are close enough) develops their own culture and practices and this causes fierce independence. These islands are led by a Prince (a gender neutral term in Lhazaar) but sometimes Princes go by special titles instead of the standard. Because of this fierce independence and self governance and self reliance found so readily in the islands, groups from island to island can be very different with different ways of doing things, especially along the outermost islands which range from frigid ice and tundra to humid jungles. This independence has always been the way of things, and leaders of the principalities let it be, preferring to look after their own. However, the recently appointed High Prince Ryger, has claimed royal descent and that Lhazaar would be better under his rule as a unified kingdom. With force, intrigue, bribery, and charm he has already laid claim to several principalities becoming by far the single largest and most powerful prince in Lhazaar; however he is now opposed by an alliance of Princes that stand ready to fight him, and they are now locked in a staredown.