"Tol Goldora started with 7 nobles and has 23 now."
And if Tol Goldora didn't exist where would those 23 nobles be? Would there still be realms below 15 nobles? Where would those nobles be, in the West making the island more spread out or in the east making the island more compact?
The total realm count matters. If you have 100 nobles and 5 realms, then the average will be 20 nobles per realm. If you have 100 nobles and 6 realms then you will have an average of 16.6. Dwilight, prior to the four realms (Luria Fer, HD, Morek Empire, and Fissoa) that have died by merging into other realms, had an average of 12 nobles per realm. That was the state of the island when the limit was put in place and is relevant to the discussion.
