Meaning of various colors, glowing borders, hatching, etc. in Empire

[Cajunman]

Can someone give me a primer on the meaning of the various colors, shades, glowing borders, hatching, etc. that are showing up within my empire? I'm obviously understanding that these things have to do with my brainless vassals thrashing each other instead of killing the raiders on their land, but I'm having a hard time with all the different visual cues that are going on. Sometimes there are glowing borders, sometimes changes in shading, sometimes a vassal has a completely different color realm and I can only discern its within my realm by zooming way out....
TIA

[garthurbrown]

There are probably several things going on.

First, when you have a particular character selected, it will show you who they are at war with and who their allies are.

Second, if you have sections of a realm selected, it will visually break it up into the duchies or realms of the vassals within the realm, which could lead to what you are talking about.

[Heraclius Caesar]

Originally posted by brandon.rhodes66:

Can someone give me a primer on the meaning of the various colors, shades, glowing borders, hatching, etc. that are showing up within my empire? I'm obviously understanding that these things have to do with my brainless vassals thrashing each other instead of killing the raiders on their land, but I'm having a hard time with all the different visual cues that are going on. Sometimes there are glowing borders, sometimes changes in shading, sometimes a vassal has a completely different color realm and I can only discern its within my realm by zooming way out....
TIA

It could be your direct vassals (or their vassals) going to war with each other as you mention, its also possible that revolts are happening to your direct vassals and/or their vassals

[Melkolf]

New to the CK franchise myself and had exactly similar confusions. These colours must mean something, but what? No help anywhere I could find.

It came down to slowly working them out for myself and I've still a few mysteries to unfathom.

Guess it's Paradox's disdain for non-fan boys again. But we got the whiteness spreads, the whiteness recedes explained quick enough so I can't see why they can't give us newbies a quick heads up on the more important and relevant colour co-ordination.