"Very little," replies Alvero. "Most people don't notice it at all. If you keep doing something that's strongly against your culture - like, if I was going around lying to people, or had run off with the Navarr and started wearing drab brown clothes all the time - you'll feel a bit like something's wrong, a bit uncomfortable.

People who probably ought to change nations might get a visit from an egregore host, who will just talk to them normally about it and offer to help.

If you actually consent to hosting an egregore - and this seems pretty unlikely to come up, usually they pick people who grew up in the nation and are already, like, super keen - I think they still don't have actual control over you, it's just that they can speak to you directly, and if you don't do what they need done they'll leave and find someone who will.

Oh, and you can break the bond any time you like, although that makes you not a citizen any more until you get another one."

Liliana looks disappointed for a moment.

"Sorry," says Malia, with a considerable quantity of flippant sarcasm, "it turns out mind control is one of the fundamental limits of magic; the best anyone can do is load you up with auras and maybe curse you to feel bad if you do, like, very specific bad things."

"I suppose Yasmina and Alvero didn't tell you, but... I was already cursed.  Alvero didn't see it on my soul, but he thought he saw the aftereffects."

"Right. Well, being bound to an egregore isn't much like being cursed. It makes you happy about good stuff too, although, like, not in an overwhelming way." Malia is slightly embarrassed about leaping to the wrong conclusion and is covering it up with extra bravado.

"But I still feel I have to do something, to achieve something good.  Pride and Courage, he called it.  That's why I'm talking to you now, but... I want to rescue my husband, and do something for the people I'd forgotten in my old duchy."

"Those are good ambitions!" replies Malia brightly. "You might want to become a citizen first so that the Ambassador doesn't decide it's a great idea to just trade you back instead; if you're a citizen that would be much more awkward and the courts would look very unkindly on him doing it without your consent."

"Did anyone want any tea, before it gets cold?" asks Camilo, somewhat plaintively.

"Then I suppose I'll need to find an acceptable egregore.  But first, yes, I'll have some tea... er, please."

Camilo serves her some tea in possibly an exaggeratedly solicitous fashion; Melia seems to be somewhat disapproving about it, mutters something like, "I'm sure she can pour her own tea".

"Offer's still open to talk through the nations," says Alvero, before any of that can escalate.

Liliana looks indecisive and doesn't answer for a moment.

Before she can, Selma nods.  "Yes - please."

"There are ten nations, but we can rule out the Imperial Orcs as you're not Orcs," begins Alvero.

"The basic stereotypes go like this: The Freeborn of the Brass Coast, that's us, are unfailingly honest and highly adventurous, our motto is 'Life is short, let it never be dull';

north of us are the Marchers, who aren't all farmers but it sometimes seems like that, deeply invested in their land and what can be wrested from it, stubborn and grudge-keeping but ultimately united against all those who would do them or the Empire harm;

north of them are the Winterfolk of Wintermark, heroic and steadfast, cunning and attuned to the cycle of souls - three people as one, the clever Suaq, the steadfast Steinr, the wise Kallavesi;

spread everywhere, but especially just over from Wintermark, are the Navarr - nomadic for the most part, or supporting their nomads; fearsome, uncompromising, a nation with a mission - to destroy the Vallorn and rebuild Terunael, the great nation that was here before the Empire;

over from them, to the north is Varushka, a land full of secrets and bargains, a rich land but a haunted land, whose people live by the rules that let them thrive there, rules of hospitality and never straying from the road;

to the south of them, Dawn, a land of love and glory - banners and castles and nobles - and, of course, the yeofolk who keep all of the pagentry supplied and functioning;

to the south of that, Highguard, enamoured of stone and history - I'm not sure I can be fair to them, the Freeborn left their stifling presence to form our own nation, but they're the religious heart of the Empire even so, and they do have explorers and archaeologists and all that;

scattered around again, laying claim to the Empire's largest cities, the League, a series of city-states which pride themselves on their ruthless competitive nature, highly political and always keeping a tally of favours;

then right at the other end of the Empire, Urizen, a mountainous land of what appear to be contemplative scholars - until push comes to shove, at which point their finely honed magical prowess and self control become some of the Empire's sharpest weapons.

I can't say any of this is scrupulously fair, it's just my impressions as a Freeborn sutannir - but does any of that catch your attention?"

Selma isn't sure what she wants to be, except she'd like to try not being adventurous or competitive for a while.  Maybe she'd like being competitive for herself, but she's been caught up in too many other people's schemes.

She doesn't want to say that just yet, with Lady Liliana still here, though she's rather relieved there're so many different nations.  "And how many of them would welcome someone like me?  Say, the Marchers - I wouldn't have any land..."

"Oh, most folks will welcome someone who's willing to pitch in. Most Marchers are part of a household rather than owning the land themselves, itinerant workers can join one if they get on, or there's mummers and landskeepers who don't settle down, and anyone can get some land of their own if they'll serve in the armies for it."

"Do people move between nations a lot?"

"Not so that it's very common, but enough that most people know it's possible. The kind of people who go to Anvil and get involved in international politics are much more likely to."