The Kingdom of Nool is a fuedal state. The players start in the City of Jeg, which is not far from The Fortress of Xiv, where the ruling lord of the area resides. The capitol city of Nool (home to its king) is far away, and one needs to travel very far from Jeg indeed before it is necessary to learn a new language or adapt to a fundamentally different political situation. Wars between fuedal lords are common but small-scale affairs and the region around Jeg is famously peaceful. The only real dangers outside the cities are from wildlife and the occasional gang of bandits or violent cult.
Within the cities, including Jeg, there are intrigue and politics enough to be dangerous for those who want to be involved in them (but they are usually safe for people just passing through and minding their own business). The established order is ancient and all-consuming, but people are aware of other ways of life as Outlanders sometimes pass through. Groups looking to upset the local social, religious, and political order exist even though there has not been a serious war in the region for generations between fuedal lords themselves. After the crisis begins, most of these social tensions will matter a lot. How characters position themselves before it begins will affect their options. Every imaginable kind of society exists out there somewhere, in any case.
Although the City of Jeg is nominally under the care of the lord at the Fortress of Xiv, it is a very hands-off relationship. Xiv collects taxes from the city and mostly leaves it alone to be a thriving regional hub of 10,000+ souls.