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Kingdoms
of Ulthuan
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Avelorn
In the north of Ulthuan, across the great Inner Sea, there lies a verdant forest, green, welcoming, and beautiful, where the subjects of the Everqueen move through sun-dappled glades. The folk of this kingdom are fey even when compared to other elves, and their hair tends towards blond, and their eyes to hazel and blue. This is Avelorn, most ancient of Elven Kingdoms.The elves here are ruled by both the Everqueen of Avelorn, Alarielle, and by the High Prince of this green forest. The consort of the Everqueen is Prince Tyrion of the line of Aenarion, taken as her personal champion after the great battle of Finuval Plain when the Druchii invasion was finally defeated. The Evercourt moves through the forest with ease, inhabitants going from place to place as they engage in idle games. This is Avelorn, land of sun-dappled glades and leafy green bowers. This is Avelorn, the most ancient of all the elven realms.
The current Everqueen of Avelorn is Alarielle. She is seen as the spiritual leader of the Asur, and all across Ulthuan, her beauty is said to be unmatched, exceeding even that of Morathi, the Hag Sorceress of the Dark Elves. The birds of Avelorn have no fear of her, and nature itself infuses her and grants her gifts of magic greater than almost any other Asur. The Gaen Vale weeps when she feels sorrow and shines in sunlight when her mood is bright. As the chosen representative of the Goddess Isha, she has been seen by some to be the incarnation of Isha herself. Yet to herself, it is often Lileath who she more easily identifies with, the Goddess of Magic.
Avelorn is the oldest of the many different elven realms. It is said that the elven race originally came from Avelorn. As far back as the elven history goes and as they can remember, the elves who come from the land of Avelorn have been ruled by the Everqueen. Through all the ages of the elven race, Avelorn is the lone elven realm to have seemingly changed the least. Through the civil war and the Sundering, Avelorn remained, save for the emergence of the Darkling Morass.
During the current day, Alarielle is the Everqueen of Ulthuan. Her reign, while it is at the time in an era of relative peace, has not been the easiest reign by far. Indeed, some have even said that it is the most difficult time as a ruler that any Everqueen has ever gone through, for a mere ten years after she ascended to the throne, Ulthuan came under threat from the Druchii, as those outcast elves invaded from their homeland of Naggaroth in a bid to wrest control of Ulthuan from the Phoenix King Finubar and to install their ruler, the Witch-King Malekith, upon the Phoenix Throne. Malekith had survived for thousands of years after his original bid to take the throne, the result of which left him horribly scarred by the holy Flame of Asuryan, and all his attempts to take Ulthuan since then had ended with failure. However, this time, his plan was different. Instead of a wholesale invasion, he instead chose to strike at the very heart of the Asur, at the Everqueen Alarielle herself. His elite warriors, used the utmost skill at evasion to evade the Outer Kingdoms, moving all the way into Avelorn, and attacking the Evercourt. Alarielle would have been captured and taken to the Witch-King if it had not been for the heroic efforts of her Maiden Guard and Prince Tyrion, who cut a path through the Druchii to rescue her and escape into the forests of Avelorn, with the Druchii in hot pursuit.
Alarielle's apparent death had struck a near-mortal blow to the elves of Ulthuan. With what she represented, she was in essence the spiritual heart of the Asur, and without her, they were bereft of the spirit that infused them, allowing Malekith and his legions of Dark Elves to have nearly a free reign in their invasion, consistently beating the elves of Ulthuan back as they fought their way across the Inner Kingdoms into Saphery. Later on, of course, she was rescued by the to-be High Loremaster Teclis as a part of the chain of events leading to the Battle of Finuval Plains.
The entirety of Avelorn is forested, and it is what could be referred to as a land of paradise. It is situated north of the Inner Sea, with Chrace to the north, Ellyrion to the west and Saphery to the east. There are few sacred sites in Avelorn, save for a few monuments and shrines to the different elven gods. The Evercourt is constantly moving from place to place, dictated only by the directions of the Everqueen. The majority of Avelorn is green, with great trees, green grass, and bright blue creeks and streams.Yet further north, towards the Anulii, the forest turns darker. The flows of magic that run through the mountains have in the past given birth to all types of creature, and on occasion, these ferocious beasts come suoth from the mountains into Avelorn proper. However, these creatures are met by the elves of Avelorn and quickly dispatched, for the Asur will in no way tolerate the presence of those creatures within the paradise that is Avelorn.
The Gaen Vale is south of Avelorn proper, and it is here that no elven male has ever stepped. Here is the shrine to Isha, the elven goddess of fertility and growth. The Gaen Vale is said to be the most beautiful forest in Ulthuan, verdant, green, and filled with life. Legendary creatures can be found here, ranging from the flyers, such as Pegasi, to the single-horned Unicorn. All elven maidens are required to come here upon reaching adulthood, and the rituals that take place are unknown to elven males.
While on the surface, Avelorn may seem like a paradise, there is another side to this realm. Underneath, there are currents that the unwary may be easily sucked down into, currents that run through all the court of Avelorn. Politics are a deadly game here, and this game is played with high stakes, for there is constant arguing, occasionally even descending to open hostility, as the various factions of the Evercourt vie for the favour of higher powers, such as those of Alarielle, Tyrion and the High Prince.
All the elven realms can boast of their greatest warriors. For the realm of Saphery, it is the legendary Swordmasters of Hoeth, trained to the highest arts with the blade. For the Shadowlands of Nagarythe, it is the stealthy Shadow Warriors. But for Avelorn, it is the Handmaidens of the Everqueen. There are only ever a hundred of these elves, and they are trained to the highest arts in all forms, ranging from poetry and music to the use of sword and shield. It is considered to be one of the highest of all honours for an elfmaiden to be selected to join the Handmaidens. Those who are selected remain for a period of seven years, after which they are free to return to their families. The only elfmaiden who remains for longer than this period is the Captain of the Handmaidens.
Aside from the Handmaidens, Avelorn contains those selfsame elves that are common throughout the other Kingdoms. The Citizen Levy are present, citizen soldiers trained in the use of the shield, spear, sword and bow. However, within Avelorn, the common Eagle Claw Bolt Thrower is not often seen. As the Eagle Claw needs open spaces to make full use of its deadly bolts, this is often a restriction in Avelorn, where the forests prevent full use. In this case, the most common aid, preferred over the Eagle Claw, is the legendary Eagles, gigantic intelligent birds of prey, who will often act as either messengers or even as mounts to the most noble elves.
There are some few members of Avelorn who are well-known, and they have been listed below:
The Everqueen Alarielle of Ulthuan: One of the two rulers of Ulthuan, upon ascending the throne, she entered into the customary year-long marriage to the Phoenix King, Finubar the Seafarer. During her reign, she has been sorely tried and tested, with the Druchii invasion that culminated in the Battle of Finuval Plain, and the many Druchii raids that strike deep into Avelorn. Alarielle is the most beautiful to have born the title of Everqueen since the far-off days of Astarielle, and it is often said that her beauty is so great that it can move even the immortal gods should they be watching. She is currently wedded to Prince Tyrion, who is both her consort and champion.
Prince Tyrion, Champion of the Everqueen: Prince Tyrion is the twin brother of Teclis. The two of them are the descendants of Aenarion the Defender, the first Phoenix King. He is said to be one of the most skilled elven warriors alive, and there are few who have not heard of him among Ulthuan and even the Druchii. He is the husband and champion of Alarielle, and one of the most acclaimed warriors of the age. Fair haired, handsome, and mighty, he could have his pick of whoever he chose, if not for the fact that he is almost blindly devoted to Alarielle, and she to him. As one whose deeds are common knowledge, there is no need to go deep into his history.
Caledor
Caledor is a volcanic area, where it has been called home to dragons sense the
dawn of time. The clothes and armor of the Caledor are that of the dragon, fiery
reds, and scaly greens. Taming of the dragons of Caledor is a time honored
tradition that is done by all Elf warriors. From this realm comes the Dragon
Princes, which wear armor to resemble that of a dragon. The Dragon Princes
banner is the only one that remain erect then the other banners or dropped for
the acknowledgment of the Phoenix King prior to battle.
Chrace
Chrace is a mountainous and forested region. The Elves that come from this
kingdom are known as woodsmen and hunters. The warriors of this realm often wear
the hides of animals in their Armor and Clothing. The Personal guards of the
Phoenix King, the White Lions, who wear the pelts of white lions and carry the
massive axe of woodsmen also come from this realm.
Cothique
This realm has rocky coasts and treacherous seas, so it comes as no surprise
that its inhabitants are all skills seafarers. In the coastal cities half the
Elven warriors are at sea at any time, while the other half are at home guarding
the coasts. Elves whose families came from Cothique can be found in all the
great Elven colonies overseas. The warriors are also sailors who spend much of
their battles against sea borne enemies and raiders.
Encounters with sea monsters are a regular part of a warrior's like, and some
wear cloaks made from the hides of these creatures or armor styled in the
fashion of sea serpent heads. Armor is often tinted with shades of blue or
green.
Eataine
Eataine is the mightiest of the Kingdoms of Ulthuan, centered around the Emerald
gate and the city of Lothern. Many merchants dwell here and send forth colonists
to the four corners of the known world. This is a populous region which
maintains large number of troops. Its warriors are skilled with either the bow
or the spear and are always excellently equipped wit the finest armor and
weapons. The nobles dress in splendid robes and often wear ornate armor
decorated with precious gemstones and valuable metals. These warriors fight on
land and sea and have detachments skills in the use of the repeater bolt
thrower, which can be mounted onboard or removed for use on land. The best
warriors serve in the Sea Guard, a large body of troops whose regiments are
based in Lothern, but who also travel throughout the world with the Phoenix
King's armies.
Ellyrion
Ellyrion is realm of wide open plains, where fine Elven Steeds are herded. The
warriors from this realm are expert riders, from the earliest of ages are taught
how to fight from horse back. The warriors, from this realm are as Ellyrian
Reavers Knights, are skills with both spear and bow on horse back. The Reavers
helmets are often decorated with beautiful flowing plums
Saphery
Saphery, is a kingdom rich with magic, many wizards dwell in this part of
Ulthuan. One of the Major feature of this Kingdom is the White Tower of Saphery,
which reaches miles into the sky. The tower is the the center for the study of
magic. The Loremaster also resides in this tower passing on his knowledge to
others.
Order of the Swordmasters of Hoeth, an elite group of warriors that spend long
years learning the art of combat through controlled valiance. The Swordmasters
are trained by the Loremaster of the White Tower and choose the Elven great
sword as their weapon. Through their training they can wield the great weapons
as fast and anyone wielding a normal weapon.
Nagarythe (The Shadowlands)
In the aftermath of the Great Cataclysm, the only part of the Ulthuan Kingdom of Nagarythe that was not drowned by the enormous ocean waters, were its mist-covered highland territories. Miraculously, a large part of the renegade highland population of Nagarythe survived the unnatural earthquakes and magical energies of the Sundering.
In the desperate effort to recover, the newly established Asur society became even more vigilant (and fearful) over the resurgence of Chaos and in becoming so, thought it best to never again speak of the kingdom that through its Dark Renaissance had given birth to such an abomination as the Cult of Pleasure.Indeed, the emergence of the cult itself was the most bitter blow of all to elven civilization, for it proved to them that elvenkind was not immune to the lure of Chaos, as they had believed.
What little remained of the proud kingdom of the demigod Aenarion was fittingly named Shadowlands by the Asur elves. This is a name that has survived to this day and those grim and possibly nomadic elves that still live in that region are known simply as the Shadowlanders. Today only vague recollection exists of the part in history this region has played prior to the Sundering and even less of the contemporary achievements of its secretive society. In fact, even though the people of Nagarythe were instrumental in numerous defeats of the Druchii, their true part in many important events has been somewhat lessened, if not utterly neglected.
As the millennia pass, the only information about this northern kindred of the Asur elves is either erroneous or folklore; hidden under so much fiction, superstition and legend that it is almost impossible to retrieve whatever truth lies beneath. Even now, with the House Coraith establishing some form of Asur civilization and high culture within the shadowy lands of Nagarythe, the region remains as inhospitable as ever…and its people are not eager to stray far from Aenarion’s path to war.
Given this lack of knowledge, the Asur elves of the other elven kingdoms regard the population of elves that roam freely the vast, mist-covered highlands of ancient Nagarythe as another – quite uncivilized and somewhat barbaric – part of elvenkind. Of what little is known about the dreaded Shadowlanders, only this can be considered as true: myriad centuries of walking upon a different path have forged them into a distinct elven kindred; one that nowadays has a remote resemblance to the High Elves of Ulthuan, but a more evident relationship to their lost kin, the Dark Elves of Naggaroth.
What is however known is that these elves are the sole members of the Asur society to admit and relish in their undying hatred of the Dark Elves. If truth be told, it is this sinister aspect of their nature that marks them out and taints them with the same malice that utterly overwhelmed their Chaos-worshiping kin. However, they have managed to largely contain their hatred and make use of it in times of war.
It is also true that their clan-based society is indeed suited to the desolation of their homeland, although not many ‘outsiders’ are aware of this union of clans. Nagarythe society is one prepared for hardship and bred for war, therefore, completely alienated from its pompous and somewhat foppish Asur counterpart. Both societies seem pleased to have a rather basic contact that allows them to proceed upon their chosen paths without any external hindrance (in the case of the Nagarythe) or reminder of their darker, more Chaotic nature (for the Asur).
As members of an almost feral society, these elves are never really welcomed – feared more likely – by the other elves of Ulthuan. For it is true that the elves that still linger in the lands of the destroyed ancient Kingdom of Nagarythe, ever a proud and warlike people, are cruel and merciless in the way of Aenarion in his madness. Without any doubt, they remain a frightening proof of the potential for evil within elven hearts. Today, the so-called Shadowlanders are the most ruthless Asur kindred and such reputation is not an unjust one.
The desperate struggle for survival hardened and embittered the Nagarythe, so that the Asur came to regard them as a cruel, if not bloodthirsty, people. Consequently, the Nagarythe survivors felt themselves the most affronted of the folk of Ulthuan. They had taken the brunt of the wars against Chaos and the Cult of Pleasure, and yet their fellows openly loath them.
To most people the Shadowlanders remain a tainted and homeless people, ‘touched by the Witch King’ as the elders would say, outcasts, of whom many are driven to a life of perilous adventure beyond the borders of the island-continent of Ulthuan.
Nevertheless, the majority of this people have chosen to remain loyal to their beloved homeland, no matter how badly scarred in the aftermath of the Sundering. Hidden deep within their mist-covered highlands and protected by raging seas and the towering Annulii Mountains from the outside world, the so-called Shadowlanders have managed to create anew their age-old highland clan society. No major cities exist in the lands of the Nagarytheans, since their communities tend to be isolated. The only populous settlements are the fortified land holds of the surviving clans along wooded and fertile mountain valleys. Many grim-faced elves are arrayed along the Shadowlands ever watchful, especially as the Blighted Isle lies just off Nagarythe’s coastline, to which the twice-accursed Druchii are often drawn.
Only recently, as elves measure time, has there been an attempt by the Asur to bring Nagarythe into the Asur way of life, even though it has proved to be a rather difficult task...yet Calaidan of House Coraith seems determined enough to succeed.
In the present day these broken lands are all that remain of Aenarion’s proud and mighty kingdom. The beauty of this very old land is forever lost beneath the great oceans and truly only a mere shadow of its former glory now lingers. For the Asur elves, this is a realm of despair and one that constantly reminds them of the destructive darkness that lurks within their tormented souls - as this was the very soil that gave birth to the most hated of all Ulthuan foes, the Dark Elves of Naggaroth.
The Nagarythe of today have an abiding hatred for Dark Elves and worshipers of Chaos and are eager to take pleasure in the destruction of such creatures, as they showed during the years of the Shadow King. This is understandable, for they have fought many battles against the Naggarothi of the New Worlde and other Chaos-worshipers over the long years. This hatred is a potent force and a definitive trait all Nagarythe share and one that was greatly instilled into them by fiery speeches of Alith Anar, their greatest hero.
In truth, this hatred and the legacy of Alith Anar may be the one obstacle to Calaidan’s rule, since the majority of the population accept his position, albeit grudgingly, for no other reason than his valor in defeating his brother Kaldor. Other than that, Calaidan is seen as an ‘outsider’, one that has not yet fully grasped what it means to be part of Nagarythe…although some of the elders argue that Calaidan since the loss of his brother – first to the Dark Elves and finally by his own blade – has began to realize that Nagarythe is a land of sacrifice…a land for warriors and one that constantly tests their mettle.
Nevertheless, the so-called Shadowlands have a long and proud history that all Asur elves should have knowledge of. A truly majestic and bloody history it is; closely entwined with the rise of the demigod Aenarion from the wild lands of Avelorn to the Phoenix Throne…
">Tiranoc
Tiranoc was a coastal realm where wide sandy beaches and rolling plains, but
after the Dark Elves and the Sundering Tiranoc was almost engulfed by the sea.
Many of the cities were flooded by the sea. disappearing from the map. Tiranoc
was the mostly populated and wealthest of the kingdons of Ulthuan, today only a
few colonies are left. The warriors of this kingdom followed the ancient
tradition of chariots. Which suited the kingdom nicely. Now on the lower slops
of the mountains, the people of Tiranoc still hold on to there tradition of
fighting from chariots.
">Yvresse
Yvresse is the home to Eltharion and many of the Elven paladins. The warriors
here are some of the most disciplined and determined warriors of the Kingdoms.
They favor the spear and learn to fight shoulder to shoulder like none other. | |
