The problem those realms have specifically is the geography mostly, mixed with the current player density/lack of activity in general.
The problem with Dwilight in general is the west, entirely. It's been over a year now I believe, so I think it's fair to make an assessment.
The west should have never been reopened.
Westgard has added nothing to the play experience of other realms except to be a base for pve raids. No offense to that realm. It is not the fault of the players. I am sure it is a good realm and fun to play in if you like pve.
The problem is that unlike the addition of Alara, MN, and the red bird realm in East continent, Westgard does not add any tension to the continent.
Opening the west and especially allowing the monster hordes to cross east via sea does not add tension either, it in fact relieves it by providing a massive pve/looting playground to the west and a common pve enemy for many realms to focus on.
If it wasn't for Westfold there probably wouldn't be any wars in Dwilight that aren't small realm bullying like Astrum/Morek vs. HD.
Dwilight has become a bad version of Beluaterra with more sailing and less story.
I will agree with you that Westgard should not have been placed where it was, but will stop about there. Placing it where Avernus is would probably have been a better idea.
But it not contributing to Dwilight experience? Westgard has frequent contact with Astrum, Avernus, Morek, and Arnor. Even had wars with its neighbors, and there persists some territorial tensions. It also has at least irregular contact with D'Hara and Luria. I'm constantly coordinating with foreign nobles, and we are often fighting alongside one, two, or even three other realms at a time. Westgard has also taken public stances in some foreign conflicts, and though these mostly happened at our most dire times, if the rogues start favoring low density-realms over us, it remains quite possible that Westgard could actually sail east and fight humans. We've got an army which, while not huge, has a lot of nobles and is used to marching around, and usually has pretty decent movement rates.
And I hear all the times foreigners say they are glad to come sail to Westgard to fight monsters with us, that it gives them something to do. All while our ruler gets to badger others for this and that.
Westgard is a thousand times more meaningful to Dwilight as a whole than Madina and Fissoa are combined. It created enough tension to get in a large war with Astrum, has generated lesser tensions lately, and will inevitably create more tensions later. That's not things I would talk about OOC however. Having been on the brink of survival so much has limited its capacity to create tension, but it's a proud realm with a ton of nobles are a fair amount of ambition. Given the means (a break) to do stuff, it wouldn't sit on its ass forever like Madina and Fissoa have.
Westfold gets a lot of credit for shaking things up. HD started the war by sneak attacking Morek, though, while their army was in Westgard. They aren't victims, they are the aggressors. Astrum gets credit for showing a lot of restraint: it could easily steamroll any opponent, it chooses to let other realms fight their wars and have their fun.
Distance is no excuse. Distance makes things harder, not impossible. Sure, it would be hard for Madina to go join the party in Sabadell... but Madina might be far from the North, it's not far from *everything*. Fissoa is adjacent to your capital, go take it over with a surprise attack. *gasp* Scandalous, I know. That's the point. Go loot Luria to fill your coffers and granaries. *gasp* Calling yourselves a pirate realm and never having raided anyone. Pathetic. Realms like Madina, filled with people who never lift a finger to *do* anything, are the reason I left the game in the first place. What's the point of a game where you "play" doing nothing? It Westgard, at least, there's always *something* to do.
