The East-Mernic peoples of mainland Mernia inhabit the realm known as the Free States of Karth, and are therefore commonly referred to as the Karthics. Their lands are harsher and drier than those of their western neighbours, marked by blazing seasons and immense stretches of rocky terrain. Though the west is known for its humidity, the heat within the Karthic states is often far more severe—particularly during spring and fall, when the air itself seems to shimmer beneath the sun.

Beyond the great cities, many Karthics dwell within subterranean homes carved directly into canyon walls, mountain slopes, and enormous boulders. These underground dwellings offer shelter from the relentless climate and have, over generations, become a defining feature of eastern Mernic life. Entire communities may exist half-hidden beneath the earth, linked by tunnels, stairways, and shaded courtyards cut into stone.

The Karthic Free States are extraordinarily diverse in language, religion, and ideology. Within the cities, Mernamarc serves as the dominant tongue, yet nearly every city—and often each district within it—possesses its own dialect, customs, and cultural identity. This diversity gives the region a vibrancy unmatched elsewhere in Mernia, though it also breeds fierce rivalry and frequent unrest among competing factions and communities.

As a result, the Free States are rarely united for long. Political alliances shift constantly, and longstanding tensions with neighbouring realms further deepen internal divisions. More often than not, it is commerce alone—gold, silver, and mercantile interest—that succeeds in bringing the Karthics to common ground.

And yet, amidst the division, there remain those rare individuals who see strength rather than weakness in such diversity. These scholars, mystics, and philosophers believe that the many peoples of Karth together form fragments of a greater wisdom—one capable, perhaps, of uniting the Free States not through conquest or wealth, but through shared understanding.