There are still parts of the country unstained by the Kurian evil.

Set mostly in rugged terrain or intemperate climate, humanity still orders its own affairs in these spots. Freehold they are called, and free they remain with the protection of mountain, weather, and the determination of the residents. They are the refuges of the Lifeweavers, and bases from which the Hunters strike back at the New Order.

Life for the Freeholders is in many ways harder than for their enslaved brethren. The Kurians control the good farmland for the most part, so food is always a problem. New mouths constantly wander in, seeking asylum from the KZ, and none are turned away (even at the chance of a Quisling spy or two slipping in).

The children might be hungry sometimes, but they go to school. And they have a future.

But it isn't without danger. To the Reapers, the Freeholds are prime hunting territory. To the Grogs, the mountains are living space that the Kur have no need for.

Perhaps because of the troubles besetting them from all sides, the Freeholders are a happily close, cooperative group. Serious crime is virtually unknown, troublemakers are simply banished to the KZ.

Their greatest worry is the long term plans of the Kurians. Sooner or later there will be need for their auras. They fear that the reason the Kur haven't smashed the Freeholds is not because they can't, but because they have no need to.

Yet.