White Light Red Fire discussion

Banora and the wider Bala clans are described as a people-first system where land belongs to the people and elders are chosen to keep fairness. How does that civic structure shape the way they prepare to face invasion in the early chapters.

I think the civic structure creates in the citizens a passionate love for their land. They are not defending Bala through a feudal hierarchy which demands the nobles be obeyed. They fight because it is their land and they want to protect it if they can. This same issue occurs much later in the book when the conscript armies of Toria, Ciren and Arance rebel against their overlord King Dewar and the armies of Ackar and Lett.