» Wed Aug 25, 2010 8:38 am
Some more information - which can also be taken from the latest edition of the Pocket Guide to the Empire (http://www.imperial-library.info/pge3/):
- High Rock: five major Kingdoms after the Warp in the West: Daggerfall, Wayrest, Camlorn, Evermore, Northpoint and additionally, the influence Orsinium holds in the Wrothgarian Mountains.
- Hammerfell: the Kingdoms of Sentinel, Taneth and Elinhir do somewhat scheme against each other, while eastern Hammerfell is involved more in border disputes with Skyrim than the political struggles of their western brethren.
- Summerset: also different kingdoms, of which Alinor and Firsthold are the most notable. However, I believe Old Mary is stirring.
- Valenwood: after the fall of the Camoran Ursurper, Valenwood has effectively ceased to form one or more political entities. As the PGE puts it: "The land is considered by most to be a mere geographical designation without any political purpose."
- Elsweyr: not much is known of the current political structure and the PGE does not go into very much detail, but after the unification of the two original kingdoms of Pellitine and Anequina, it can be assumed that Elsweyr is still a kingdom, though influenced by their spiritual leader, the Mane.
- Black Marsh: The coastal cities are under Imperial rule, beyond that though, the Imperials excert practically no control.
- Morrowind: a kingdom ruled by King Helseth - after the fall of the Tribunal now much more than then
- Skyrim: a patchwork of kingdoms and city states, engaged in their internal rivalries as well as border conflicts with their Breton neighbours, Hammerfell and Morrowind.
What is to be noted is that though all provinces and their respective kingdoms are nominally a part of the Empire and under Imperial law and rule, they still have intact internal power structures. This goes beyond simple government - it even means that they are capable to fight wars between each other. While some of this may have a cause in the weakness of the Empire, I highly suspect that it is also - at least in parts - intentional and desired by the Imperial rulers. As long as the local authorities have rivalries between each other (and don't bother the Empire in its whole), they don't think about turning their animosity and attention towards the Empire.
What effect the Oblivion crisis will have remains to be written...
(Note: I did not read the Infernal City, so any information given in the book is not included in the account above)