A Guide and Compendium to the Land of Raiaera, 3rd Ed.

[Flames of Hyperion]

The tome is neither thin nor thick, neither large nor small. It does not shine with the promise of mystical arcane knowledge, but neither does it moulder at the back of a bookshelf waiting to be discovered. Relatively new and non-descript, calligraphic letters inscribed in an attractive red upon the silvery leather bindings, the title of the grimoire reads…

A Guide and Compendium to the Land of Raiaera

Third Edition

There is neither author nor publisher attributed within its pages, but upon careful reading, one can surmise that the pages were carefully inscribed by a diligent and youthful scholar, who had not only perused the works of those who came before, but who had taken the time to walk the lands himself. If one looks carefully enough, in the bottom corner of the final page a single set of initials is inscribed, immediately after the accreditations…

I.H.


***

– Table of Contents –

i) Of Raiaera

ii) Census of the Lands

iii) Chronicles of the Ages

a. Minya Coronari (The First Years)
b. Coronari Estella (The Years of Hope)
c. Coronari a Winyar Dacilea (The Years of New Victory)
d. Coronari a Lindale (The Years of Music)
e. Coronari Poldola (The Years of Strength)
f. Timeline

iv) Of the Lands and Waters

a. Daer Taure (The Great Forest)
b. Timbrethinil
c. Lindequalme (The Red Forest)
d. Ered Lomei (The Mountains of Dusk) / Uialaglini (The Twilight Peaks)
e. Tennaiglini (The Dagger Peaks)
f. Emyn Naug (The Dwarven Hills)
g. Niadath Pass
h. Tel Moranfauglir (The Black Desert)
i. Laure Linae (The Lake of Gold)
j. Alye Duina
k. Elleduin River
l. Escaldor River
m. Solnaenen River
n. Tittaduin River
o. Kilyanen River

v) Of the Cities and Ruins

a. Eluceliniel (Tirinost)
b. Eluriand
c. Anebrilith
d. Tor Elythis
e. Trenyce
f. Carnelost
g. Galonan
h. Winyaurient (New Aurient)
i. Tilgonar
j. Mirdan Timbreth
k. Nenaebreth
l. Amon Lungan
m. Gunnbad
n. Karazund (Keldagrim)
o. Narenhad (Valinatal)
p. Minas Teradryn (The Obsidian Spire)

vi) Of the High Elven People

a. Government
b. Religion
c. Economy
d. Military
e. Law
f. Magic
g. Culture

vii) Concerning the Current Turmoil

a. Ohta’thoron (The War-Eagles)
b. Nieninque (The Snowdrops)
c. Guina (The Undead)
d. Tel’gothrim (The Dark Elves)
e. Naugrim (The Dwarves)
f. Edain (The Men)

viii) Accreditations

[Flames of Hyperion]

– Of Raiaera –

Welcome, traveller, to the land of Raiaera. It is likely that you stand now upon the very verge of destiny, as the winds of fate blow strongly here, and sword and sorcery are deeply entwined on your path forward. Please heed well the words of this tome, for it is my humble hope that the knowledge contained within will be of great use to any journeyman or adventurer voyaging through these mystic lands.

Raiaera is the name granted to the subcontinental peninsula on the eastern coast of the northern continent of Althanas. Originally populated by indigenous human and Dwarven clans, the lands were settled over ten thousand years ago by a determined band of Elven refugees fleeing some great catastrophe in their homeland further to the east. Over the ages the Elves extended their influence, gradually expanding until they controlled the entirety of the peninsula and forging their nation into the Raiaera we know today. These years were not without trouble and strife, but each time the fledgling realm emerged stronger and reforged from its turmoil, and long too were the ages of strength and prosperity under the wise leadership of the Elven lords.

Raiaera is a land of high mountains and dense forests, sweeping grasslands and stunning cities. Its people are as beautiful as its geography, with Dwarf and human living alongside Elf in peace and harmony. But within the hidden depths of its forests, and beyond the protective cradle of its mountains, many dangerous beasts and foes await the unwary. Rumours of vast treasure hordes and powerful artefacts abound… those who can speak of such things first-hand, though, are few and far between.

Over the ages, the realm has been coveted by many, and numerous have been the times in which powerful warlords have led their hordes against Raiaera in an attempt at conquest and glory. The land is even now in the throes of the latest attempt, as the Forgotten One Xem’zund, powerful liche and necromantic demigod in waiting, leads his legions of Death Lords and undead monstrosities against the Elven settlements. Many have already fallen and much has already been lost in the face of such boundless evil, and yet still the Elves and their allies grimly fight on…

It is at this desperate time that you, traveller, come to Raiaera. And it is at this desperate time that I ask of you to cherish within you the hope… the hope that not all that is precious is yet destroyed, the hope that what was once beautiful can again be rebuilt.

Come, traveller. Destiny awaits.

[Flames of Hyperion]

– Census of the Lands –

Capital: Eluriand

Form of Government: Meritocracy (rule by those who evidence aptitude)

Head of State: Lady General Nalith Celiniel, High Bladesinger

Legal System: High Officers of the bladesingers dispense justice, but any citizen has the right to appeal to the High Bard Council, which also has the right to refuse to hear appeals or claim original jurisdiction in any matter.

Official Language: High Elven

Foreign Relations: Corone - Friendly, Alerar – Hostile, Fallien – None, Haidia – Distrust, Salvar – Wary, Scara Brae – Friendly

Size of Military: Approximately 8000 battle-hardened warriors indirectly under Nalith’s command, comprised of a handful of bards and bladesingers, twenty-odd small cadres of Rangers, and the assorted remnants of the regular army. This number does not include irregular forces beyond the Lady General’s direct control, such as the thousand-strong Legion of Light, the Dwarves of Gunnbad, or the Silverwind of Tor Elythis.

Military Branches: Tel Aglarim (The Elven Army), Tel Megilindir (The Bladesingers Guild - Elite Troops/Police Force), Tel Taur’ohtar (The Rangers Guild – Cavalry/Guerrilla Warfare Specialists), Tel Cirya (The Merchant Marine)

Specialized Military Units: Bards from Istien University can be conscripted very quickly to produce highly potent magical forces. The Wanderers in Starlight are a hard-liner order of magi dedicated to the total annihilation of the enemies of Raiaera. Each city generally can call upon a small citizen militia as circumstances dictate; of all the cities in Raiaera, only fiercely independent Tor Elythis maintains an autonomous standing army.


Population: Approximately 90,000, excluding refugees who have fled beyond the borders of the country.

Average Age: 2672, mostly either the very old or the very young.

Racial Breakdown: 85% Raiaerans, 5% Humans (Mostly Coronian or Scarabrian), 9% Dwarves, 1% other races.

Life Expectancy: 4151 years.

Nationality: Raiaeran.

Religious Type: Highly ritualistic religion based around special holidays and observances; transcendent deities and a feeling of religious exceptionalism pervade Raiaera.

Literacy: 95%


Technology levels: Advanced metalworking; everything else is roughly late medieval.

Major Imports: Meats; seasonal fruits and vegetables; base metals.

Major Exports: Fine wine and fine art; wood and cloth products; quality bows, swords, spears and armours.

Minor Exports: Light Steeds; lumber; wheat and SPUDS.

Currency/Exchange Rate: Raiaerans use coins with precious metal content equivalent to the Coronian Standard. These are called Mellryn, or Gold Trees in Tradespeak, due to the sigil stamped on them. Raiaeran merchants will also accept Coronian Gold Pieces without complaint.

Natural Resources: Deciduous and evergreen forests, wheat- and potato-growing regions, substantial rainfall, the bounty of the waters, and a few mines in the north.


Major Terrain Features: Surrounded on three sides by the sea, protected from the continent proper by a high and nigh-impassable range of mountains. An especially thick and perilous deciduous forest occupies the southern third of the country, while the north third is covered in more forest bracketing the realm’s only lake.. An arid and infertile area lies about one-third of the way from the eastern coast, and is bounded on the east by a second mountainous region. The rest of Raiaera is grassland, well watered by numerous rivers that drain to a marshy delta in the southeast of the country.

Elevation Extremes: Lowest Point – Sea level (Eastern coast), Highest Point – 12,895 feet above sea level (Mountains of Dusk). The Dagger Peaks (in the north) are undoubtedly higher, but are not fully mapped.

Climate and Seasons: Temperate, getting chillier as one goes farther north.

Natural Hazards: Raiaera has substantial floodplains, vulnerable to flooding after torrential rain. The south and east coastlines of the country are seasonally subject to harsh tropical storms, while the northern coastline experiences constant gales of a lesser force. The occasional earthquake also strikes, although not with the frequency or intensity of other lands.

[Flames of Hyperion]

– Chronicles of the Ages –

When I first sat down to collect, transcribe, dissect, and present the history of the Raiaeran nation, the task seemed immensely daunting. Not only are there more than ten thousand years worth of events and culture to sift through, but Elven histories are invariably written in difficult prose, steeped in ponderous detail and dwelling upon the most insignificant of points for pages on end.

And yet I must thank these great and ancient scholars for such devotion and attention, for never before have I been able to piece together so much of what occurred during the ages past. I must also pay my respects to the very nature of the Elven race, in that the very longevity in which they have to live – to think, to make fortunes, to dream, to act – means that their culture may have only as much of what I may call “history” in a thousand years as a human society does in a hundred. This has made my own task so much easier.

By no means do I expect this to be a comprehensive account of every single facet of Raiaeran history. If the reader wishes to learn more about such matters, then he or she is directed politely towards other tomes, salvaged from the halls of the Grand Library of Istien. However, if by skimming through this section, the reader is able to glean somewhat of the nature and past of the Raiaeran peoples, then I will consider my job to have been well done.

-- Minya Coronari (The First Years) --

Elven settlement of Raiaera began when a small group of refugees, fleeing some great catastrophe to the east, arrived upon the shores of the new land. Burning their ships behind them to symbolise the fact that there was no going back, the Elves established the cities of Aurient and Anebrilith, and began to make contact with the indigenous Dwarven clans and human tribes that populated the realm. For a thousand years, peace reigned.

One such contact, however, was to end in dreadful tragedy. The Durklan tribes residing along the perimeter of the forests of northern Raiaera were the main conduit of weapons and trade goods between the Elves of the coast and the Dwarves of the mountains. Their culture was intensely polytheistic and forest worshipping, venerating each individual tree as a sacred god. The Elves were perfectly content not to infringe upon the territory and beliefs of these Durklan tribes, but they failed to comprehend the sanctity in which the humans held the inner forests, and when their explorers violated these in spite of Durklan beliefs, the human tribe took up arms. For not the first time in history, Elven arrogance clashed with human belief.

The Elves were not prepared for battle, and although individually they were of great skill, they had neither numbers nor equipment to engage the Durklans. For their part, the human tribes lacked the skill and siegecraft to breach the Elven city walls, and a stalemate developed that lasted for nearly five years. It was in the end Elven magic that turned the tide, and the discovery of offensive spells that could annihilate entire armies in instants.

In vengeful rage, the Elves slaughtered every last man, woman, and child of the tribes, completely annihilating the Durklan culture within weeks. The gruesome manner of their victory forever remains the first and foremost black page in the annals of Raiaeran history, and the Black Desert Tel Moranfauglir even now stands to remind High Elves of the consequences of their actions, haunted by the ghosts of Durklan Templars thirsty for blood.

-- Coronari Estella (The Years of Hope) --

The end of the Durklan War marked the beginning of a new period of prosperity for the Elves. A thousand years were spent expanding their influence across the entirety of the Raiaeran subcontinent, only halting when they came up against the natural barrier of the Twilight Peaks, the Uialaglini. A thousand more were spent consolidating their strength, and in establishing a number of towns and settlements across the lands. During this time Elven culture flourished; trade with the Dwarves brought them many riches, while many literary and artistic masterpieces originate from this period.

However, it was not destined to last.

Two thousand years into the Coronari Estella, the Wars of the Tap broke out. A group of magicians now known as the Forgotten Ones waged war against the angelic beings Mya for control of the Eternal Tap. At first the Raiaerans remained unaligned from the war even when the Forgotten One Denebriel attempted to win over the High Bards to side with her forces. In the end, the Forgotten One Pode effectively drew the Elves into the war alongside the Mya, by leading many onslaughts against Raiaera from the Great Forest.

It was at this time that the animosity between the High Elves and Dark Elves manifested itself. The Dark Elves deigned the magic of the fairer blood too weak against the sheer power of their adversaries and demanded the opportunity to put their own plans into motion. This opportunity was never granted, however, and after many such losses the Dark Elves remove themselves from Raiaera to the west, establishing themselves in the lowlands of Alerar and allying closely with the dwindled population of Dwarves.

Many years passed, cataclysmic battles between mighty hosts alternating with devious ploys and poisonous intrigue. Lands passed in and out of control on both sides, as both the Forgotten Ones and the Mya sought to dominate one another.

The final battle of the war is known as the Leaguer of Caradin, after the location of Denebriel’s fortress in Salvar at which the confrontation occurred. Ancient artefacts known as the Masters of Light were employed in an attempt to metaphysically chain the Forgotten Ones, by means of a great ritual led by two of the Mya and the High Bard of Raiaera himself. The latter stood toe-to-toe with Lord Aesphestos, leader of the Forgotten Ones, in order to allow the ritual to complete, and single-handedly won enough time to complete the binding of those great mages. On the other hand, the ceremony was not completely successful, wiping nearly all Mya from the face of the world and shattering the Eternal Tap. To this day, the repercussions of the War can still be witnessed; notably in the northernmost regions of Salvar, where there exist magical rifts, frays in the weave of the universe, corollary to the supernatural deflagration that ended the war.

-- Coronari a Winyar Dacilea (The Years of New Victory) --

The High Elves celebrated their hard-earned victory by once again renaming their calendar, and for nearly five thousand years relative peace reigned. High Elven culture flourished once again and contact was established with various other realms and nations surrounding the land of Raiaera. This period was later remembered as the true golden age of Raiaeran civilisation.

In the end, however, it was the taint within that was to prove the undoing of the long years of peace. Enarlin, one of the Six Schools of Magic focusing on soul-destruction, was long deemed too dangerous to be practiced, and nearly five thousand years into the Coronari a Winyar Dacilea, the High Bards began a movement to oust it and to ban its magic. The decision was not well-received by the practitioners of the School, and a civil war erupted in which bladesinger fought bladesinger, bard duelled with bard, and High Elven society tore itself apart. Only similar strife in Alerar and other parts of the world prevent external factors from taking advantage of the situation.

At long last the High Bards reasserted control over the country, breaking the School of Enarlin and forbidding its teachings to all but the most experienced of Turlin bards. The hero of the war, the great general Atanamir Eluriand, discovered a way to nullify the effects of the magic, and though he fell in the final battle, his name lives on even now as the newly established capital of the Raiaeran realm.

-- Coronari a Lindale (The Years of Music) --

Another three thousand years pass of relative peace and prosperity. The new capital of Eluriand is completed, and prospers due to its central location and its deserved reputation as a centre of learning and of beauty. The High Bards rule wisely and well, and send out explorers to all four corners of the world, establishing numerous colonies.

Approximately two thousand years ago, in the twilight of the Years of Music, the Demon War begins when Haidian demons erupt from the Underdark in force unmatched. Alerar and Corone see heavy fighting, and the northern fiefdoms of Salvar are besieged. Raiaera remains relatively unscathed by direct conflict, but recognising the magnitude of the invasion, the High Bard organises armies to combat the growing demon menace. Significant forces are sent to Corone in order to aid the human-led alliance there, and assistance is even dispatched to Alerar.

Over time and with great loss the demons are driven back, until they are at last banished to Haidia and their gateways sealed and set under guard. The High Bard takes the initiative in establishing the Secret Society of Elves, the Tel’Quessir, to watch over Haidia and keep tabs on demonic activity. Raiaeran and Alerarian Elves are both represented in the brigades, and for the first time Men are allowed to join as equals as well.

-- Coronari Poldola (The Years of Strength) --

The current era is known as the Coronari Poldola, the Years of Strength; the current date by Raiaeran reckoning is CP 1805. The period is marked by the meteoric rise of human kingdoms in Salvar and Corone, and by the growing influence of Men upon the events of Althanas. The Dwarves, on the other hand, never fully recover from their grievous losses during the Demon Wars, and begin a steady decline under the increasingly firm chains of their Dark Elf allies.

Raiaera remains largely untouched by the strife and politics of the rest of the world, content to sit behind its guarded borders and trade in peace. Once again its people prosper, and the High Bard Varalad Del Tirin guides them carefully and successfully through the troubles of the ages.

Peace, however, is once again shattered in the eighteen-hundredth year of the age. Alerar, increasingly secretive and reclusive ever since the discovery of steam engines and gunpowder, suddenly launches a surprise assault on the High Elven realm via the Niadath Pass. At the same time, the Forgotten One Xem’zund resurrects in the depths of the Lindequalme, and from his base of operations in Minas Teradryn launches an attack upon the Raiaeran city of Eluriand. Wavering between the two forces, the fate of Raiaera seems to flicker as a candle in the wind.

However, the High Elves are not caught unawares, and at the Battle of Valinatal the Alerarian army is driven back. Xem’zund proves to be an altogether more persistent foe, and it is not until two years later that the remainder of his army is driven from Eluriand. Barely did the armies of Raiaera have the chance to catch their breath, however, before Xem’zund struck again…

-- Timeline --

Minya Coronari: The First Years (MC 1 - MC 1367)

MC 1 : The Elves land in the area known today as Anebrilith, and establish their new colony.

MC 1360-65 : Elvish expansion is halted by the Durklans, men who lived along the northern reaches of what was then the Great Forest (it was not until later when it was cursed.) A war begins with the Durklans. Although the Durklans attacked first, they were provoked by Elvish incursions into their holy sites within the forest. During the war, the Elves first used their songs in attacking and morale-boosting magic. Specific dates during this period: The first use of Aglarlin, Summer 1361; The Skirmish of Hill’s Bend, Winter 1364; The first use of Dagorlin, Summer 1365

MC 1366-67 : The Elves counterattack the Durklans to great success. After a year of victories, they finally round up the remaining Durklans and kill every last man, woman, and child in a field west of Anebrilith. In this, the darkest sin of the Raiaerans, the magic of Enarlin first appears. The use of this magic indelibly changed the geography, creating the area now known as the Black Desert.


Coronari Estella: The Years of Hope (CE 1 - CE 4020)

CE 1 : The Elves celebrate their victory with a new calendar, the “Coronari Estella” or “Years of Hope”.

CE 1038 : Elves succeed in spreading across the entire Raiaeran subcontinent.

c. CE 2060-4020 : The Wars of the Tap begin. The general upheaval shook the entire world – the Great Forest was cursed by an evil witch, Podë, and the great necromancer Xem'zûnd assailed the city of Anebrilith with an undead army. In the end, however, the Raiaerans resisted their enemies and contributed to a great victory at the First and Second Leaguer of Caradin – a victory in which their own High Bard went toe-to-toe with Lord Aesphestos, the leader of the Forgotten Ones who had started the war, and won his side enough time to complete the binding of these great mages.


Coronari a Winyar Dacilea: Years of New Victory (CWD 1 - CWD 5002)

CWD 1 : The High Elves begin a new calendar to celebrate the victory over the Forgotten Ones, the “Coranari a Winyar Dacilea” or “Years of New Victory”.

CWD 4500 : Plans are announced to build a new centrally located capital city.

CWD 4987 : The High Bards begin a movement to ban Enarlin, considering its music too dangerous to allow just anyone to learn. In a rage, Ereber Ondolindë, the Enar’Lindstra, flees to the School of Enarlin. A massive complex larger than the city of Valinatal, the school was able to field an army of Enarlin mages and sympathetic Megilindiri and Tel Aglarim soldiers.

CWD 4988-93 : The High Bards vote to oust Enarlin and ban its magic, and the War of Six Schools begins. For several years, Ereber's troops won major victories, and it appeared he would extort an agreement from the Bards.

CWD 4992 : During the war, the citizens of Aurient decide that the problem with their country was that the leadership of the High Bard Council lacked the ability to prosecute the war because it was full of too many differing opinions. They clamour for new leadership, and name a local nobleman, Elrohir Fararil, as the King of Aurient. The High Bard Council, tied up with the War of the Six Schools, can do nothing except express their opposition to Fararil's government.

CWD 4994 : Atanamir Eluriand learns the secret of nullifying Enarlin magic. He assumes the generalship of Tel Aglarim, and at multiple battles during this year he wins enormous victories for Raiaera.

CWD 5001-02 : Raiaera wins the critical Battle of Niadath. Atanamir Eluriand and Ereber Ondolindë are both slain, but Enarlin is broken, its last mages rounded up, and its school buildings destroyed. Late in the same year, the small forces of the self-proclaimed King of Aurient are utterly decimated, and the city of Aurient razed to the ground. The remaining survivors, including “King” Fararil, are spared their lives but exiled to Alerar.


Coronari a Lindalë: The Years of Music (CL 1 - CL 3247)

CL 1 : To commemorate the end of the conflicts, a new dating system is proclaimed: the Coronari a Lindalë, or “Years of Music”. In addition, the new capital city, still under construction, is named “Eluriand” to honour the fallen war hero.

CL 2008 : Eluriand is completed.

CL 2567 : The colony of Tor Elythis is established.

CL 3047 : The Demon War between the demons and virtually everyone else begins. Raiaera saw little direct fighting, but contributed significant forces for the defence of Corone. They even sent troops to defend Alerar, which was led by the exiled King Fararil, from the demons.

CL 3247 : The Demon War ends and demons are banished to Haidia. Raiaera founds a secret society of Elves, the Tel'Quessir, and charges the society with watching Haidia and keep tabs on demonic activity. Raiaeran and Aleraran Elves are represented equally in the brigades.


Coronari Poldora: The Years of Strength (CP 1 - Present)

CP 1 : The Years of Strength begin: the “Coronari Poldora”.

CP 601 : The High Bard Varalad Del Tirin, assumes his position. His father had also held the position during the Demon Wars.

CP 1799 : Thoracis Rakarth leads an attack on Raiaera from Alerar, but is repelled by forces led by Devon dan Sabriel at Valinatal. At the same time, the necromancer Xem'zûnd reappeared with alarming suddenness and besieged the city of Eluriand. Despite a spirited defense led by Findelfin ap Fingolfin, the outer city is occupied by the undead. Xem'zûnd is slain by Devon dan Sabriel, yet his enormous army remains within the city.

CP 1801 : As part of the Adventurer's Crown tournament, four adventurers enter Raiaera and trespass unbidden at the Obsidian Spire. While there, they discover the steel sword of Devon dan Sabriel embedded in a strange altar in the Spire. Taking the sword, they are shortly thereafter apprehended by the bladesingers. Not aware of the tournament, the bladesingers imprison them in Anebrilith, which had become the temporary seat of the High Bard Council while Eluriand was occupied.

The Headmistress of Turlin School hears of this group's capture, and tries to convince the High Bard Council to release the group and send them to Eluriand, where an altar similar to the one the group found in the Obsidian Spire had existed for years. The altar had been built according to instructions from an Elven prophetess, but it had been done more to humour her than out of true belief in the prophecy. The High Bard Council regards the counsel of the Headmistress with scorn, and despite the support of Varalad Del Tirin the vote is too strong to overturn.

And so the Headmistress, with the help of the General Damon Kaosi, manages to free the captives against the laws of Raiaera and whisk them to Eluriand, where they place the Sword of Devon in the altar. A shockwave of white light blasts through the city, instantly slaying the undead, and the city of Eluriand is no longer occupied by those horrid beasts.

CP 1804 : Again with surprising suddenness, the necromancer Xem'zûnd once again reappears in the Obsidian Spire, raising hordes of undead to assail the land of Raiaera. Together with his new cadre of Death Lords, he razes Carnelost and Valinatal to the ground and lays siege to Anebrilith and Eluriand. As the two cities wither under prolonged encirclement, the rest of Raiaera gradually falls beneath the Forgotten One’s shadow. Only a brave resistance led by Nalith Celiniel, along with certain other factors, spare the realm from complete disaster.

Current year: CP 1805

[Flames of Hyperion]

– Of the Lands and Waters –

Raiaera is a diverse realm of forest and mountain, lake and river. From the Daer Taure to the north to the Lindequalme in the south, from the Ered Lomei to the west to the open seas to the west, there is much to explore within the borders of the realm, and any traveller wishing to journey the lands must be fully prepared for all of them.

Located in a temperate zone, Raiaera receives a fairly good mixture of sunshine and rain. The Lindequalme soaks up much of the rainfall, but there is generally enough left over to produce a sizable crop, enough to feed the Elvish population and to export to other nations. The agricultural heartlands of the realm are located in the central belt, with particular focus around Eluriand, south of Anebrilith, and Trenyce. The plains and grasslands also make good places to raise horses. Towards the northwest of the country, a potato-based diet is more common, as the growing season shortens significantly as the elevation increases.

The Lindequalme in the south and the Daer Taure in the north, along with Timbrethinil Forest in the northeast, together swathe more than 60% of the realm in deciduous and evergreen forest. Many small lumber villages dot the perimeter of these forests, supplying quality wood for both export and refinement. The Lindequalme in particular is famous as the haunted abode of the Forgotten One Xem’zund, and was heavily guarded by a series of beacons and watchtowers based around the fortress city of Carnelost. However, these were overwhelmed in the first stages of the current invasion.

The Mountains of Dusk, or the Twilight Peaks, form a nigh-impenetrable barrier to the east, cutting off the realm from the rest of the mainland. To the north these are known as the Dagger Peaks, and are completely inhospitable to all but the hardiest of monsters; none have been known to venture there and survive. Only one pass remains safe and clear throughout the year – Niadath Pass, which forms the primary means of communication between Raiaera and Alerar. It is rumoured that there exist a number of smaller, seasonal passes that would allow for the passage of a single or small group of travellers, as well as a vast network of underground tunnels known only to the secretive Dwarves. None of these have been documented in full, however, and it is up to the individual traveller to discover these as he or she will.

To the east is the sea. Raiaera maintains a fairly bustling shipping industry, as its lifeblood is its trade and the majority of its exports are refined or processed goods. The queens amongst the Raiaeran shipping towns were Anebrilith and New Aurient; Trenyce and Tor Elythis also maintained a sizable merchant marine until Xem’zund’s incursion decimated their ranks.

In approximately the centre of the realm is the Laure Linae, the Lake of Gold. Vessels from New Aurient sail down the rivers to the sea from here, and the central location and ease of transportation makes it optimal for much of the lumber and crafts trade that Raiaera is known for. South of the lake is the dreaded Black Desert, haunted by the ghosts of those wronged by the Elves during Raiaera’s early days… and even worse still. Bordering the desert is a small but treacherous mountain range known as the Emyn Naug, the Dwarven Hills; these form a bulwark against seaborne invasion and also shelter the ancient capital of Anebrilith from the inland woes.

-- Daer Taure (The Great Forest) --

The Daer Taure covers the majority of the northwest of Raiaera, a deep and forbidding place that is largely unpopulated. Once held sacred by the primitive Durklan tribes, even now they are mostly left alone as testament to their sanctity and feral purity, as well as in belated respect of a wronged foe. Xem’zund’s recent advances in the south, however, mean that the High Elves once more are forced to enter their depths in search of shelter and settlement…

-- Timbrethinil --

Timbrethinil Forest was once the emerald jewel of Raiaera, a beautiful and lush place where trees grew great and golden, and wildlife flourished in abundance. However, Xem’zund’s magic warped the place until it was but a mere shadow of itself, and it is now whispered of as the Dead Lands, the Badorloth. Dark, brooding shadows that may once have been trees play sentinel like grotesque gargoyles as Elf and necromancer even yet struggle for control.

-- Lindequalme (The Red Forest) --

The largest single region of Althanas, Lindequalme is also the most dangerous. Cursed by the Red Witch, Pode of the Forgotten, during the War of the Tap, the blood-red leaves of this tainted forest are testament to the evil nature of its erstwhile denizens. No elves or other civilised races live much deeper than two miles into the forest, due to the extremely hazardous nature of the plants and wildlife within its shadowy boughs… and what settlements did exist have long since been abandoned in the face of Xem’zund’s ruthless advances.

-- Ered Lomei (The Mountains of Dusk) / Uialaglini (The Twilight Peaks) --

The Twilight Peaks, known as the Mountains of Dusk in Raiaera and the Mountains of Dawn in Alerar, are a towering range of mountains that cut off the majority of the Raiaeran subcontinent from the rest of the mainland. Largely impassable with the exception of a single pass, these snow-covered and storm-swept peaks have been the bane of many travellers; not only because of the harsh severity of the elements, but also because of the many evil monsters and beasts that dwell within.

-- Tennaiglini (The Dagger Peaks) --

The northernmost fringe of the Twilight Peaks, along the presumed border of Salvar and Raiaera, are known as the Dagger Peaks. These are completely impassable, both above ground by conventional methods and below ground by even the most ingenious methods of the Dwarves. For this reason they have remained largely unexplored… and of the brave few who have attempted, none have returned, claimed by the myriad dangers of storm, beast, starvation, and more.

-- Emyn Naug (The Dwarven Hills)--

The Emyn Naug are a small range of mountains in the east of Raiaera, running parallel to the sea. For the most part they consist of low-lying foothills and gentle grades, not threatening in the least, but should one wish to cross them directly, they suddenly surge into high peaks that rival even the Ered Lomei in treacherous danger. Their name stems from an ancient colony of Dwarves that once resided there, and rumours abound still of a hidden treasure, buried deep within the remains of a great abandoned city as yet undiscovered. Whether or not this rumour points to the human-dwarf enclave of Keldagrim remains to be seen.

-- Niadath Pass --

Niadath Pass is the Raiaeran half of the pass through the Ered Lomei joining the High Elven realm to Alerar. Meaning “Mountain Gap”, the pass is free of snows all year through, and constant patrols keep the menace of roaming orcs and other beasts at bay. Recently, refugees have been streaming over the pass into Alerar; given a choice between Xem’zund and the Dark Elves, most Raiaerans seem to prefer the latter.

-- Tel Moranfauglir (The Black Desert)--

The Black Desert is a relatively small area about one hundred miles to the east of Eluriand, and the same distance west of Anebrilith (as the crow flies above the Emyn Naug). Most notably, every grain of sand in Tel Moranfauglir is a coarse, heady black. The heat within the desert is bearable, but there are no known oases, and travellers are advised to purchase both map and spare waterskins, and to pass through as quickly as possible. With the return of Xem’zund and the flight of the refugees, tales abound of how the Durklan Templars, the fell ghosts of those who were once slaughtered on this plain, are more aggressive than normal… and it is whispered that an even darker evil stirs within.

-- Laure Linae (The Lake of Gold) --

If Timbrethinil Forest was Raiaera’s emerald, then Laure Linae was its sapphire; a beautifully glimmering gem of a lake situated perhaps five day’s journey north of Eluriand. With its clear waters and bountiful fishing, the Lake of Gold was a popular holiday location in addition to an economic centre, and the towns of New Aurient, Tilgonar, and Galonan all relied heavily upon its influence. Xem’zund’s incursion, however, has reduced Tilgonar to rubble and the remaining two to a constant state of siege, and the beauty of the lake has been irrevocably polluted by the necromantic powers of the Dread Lord’s armies.

-- Alye Duina --

Located in the far southwest of the country, the Alye Duina is a region of deep swamp and treacherous marsh where the combined rivers of Raiaera flow into the sea. Even the forces of undeath refrain from approaching this area, for it is said that an evil far greater than any of Xem’zund’s Death Lords abides there, waiting to pounce on unsuspecting prey and shipwrecked unfortunates. The truth of this matter is shrouded in the very mist that plagues the region.

-- Elleduin River --

Elleduin River flows from the Laure Linae to the sea, passing just west of the Black Desert and through the Lindequalme before emerging into the Alye Duina. A wide and slow river, many light ships plied their routes from New Aurient to the sea and beyond before Xem’zund’s armies halted their trade.

-- Escaldor River --

Escaldor River runs from its source in the Mountains of Dusk, continuing west of Eluriand and through the Lindequalme before merging with the Elleduin just prior to entering the Alye Duina. A relatively wide but swift river, the waters of the Escaldor were prized for their purity and refreshing qualities, until the carnage at Eluriand despoiled them forever.

-- Solnaenen River --

The River Solnaenen flows from the Mountains of Dusk through what was once Valinatal, before joining the Esclador just south of Eluriand at Carnelost. Once a beautiful river, the dark necromantic presence at Narenhad has gradually corrupted it, until its waters are said to run black now with sorrow.

-- Tittaduin River --

The river of Tittaduin is so obscure as to barely even show on any map of Raiaera. It travels through the dense canopies of the Great Forest, and even flows underground for a short period of its journey, before merging with the Escaldor at the fortress of Tirinost. As the High Elves fortify Tirinost, or Eluceliniel as it is now known, the waters of the Tittaduin are vital to ensure that the defenders do not die of thirst under a prolonged siege.

-- Kilyanen River --

The Kilyanen River emerges from the Dagger Peaks at what is known as Kilya Gorge, a deep cleft in the earth that stretches for many miles eastward through the Daer Taure. The Kilyanen eventually flows into the Lake of Gold just south of New Aurient, and supports many small lumbering communities upon its banks, which earn their livelihood by floating cut trees downstream.

[Flames of Hyperion]

– Of the Cities and Ruins –

The cities of Raiaera were once fair and beautiful places; marvels of architecture and economic might, and home to thousands of the fair race and those who chose to call them friends. With the advent of Xem’zund’s armies, however, city life in Raiaera has ground to a halt. The few cities that remain are either besieged or have been abandoned, cities in name only while its people live in the northern forests under the protection of their boughs and hidden places. Some have suffered an even worse fate under the machinations of the Forgotten One.

Raiaeran buildings vary from region to region, depending upon the availability of construction materials, the expense spared in the design, and the purpose of the town. Fortresses and villas will make use of stone, most dwellings and buildings are constructed of wood, and usage of mud and canvas is not completely unheard of, either.

No matter what the material, however, Elven buildings are possessed of an elegance and beauty unmatched by other races, and even the simplest and most utilitarian of domiciles is a palace in the realms of men. They involve pendulous creations of wondrous curves and columns, designs natural, floral, flowing, and animal. Their fountains seem to defy physical boundaries, creating or warping water in impossible ways, and their gardens are botanical marvels filled with exotic colour and beauty in the most perfect of arrangements.

Elven architecture tends towards open, high buildings with many windows and high ceilings. Elves love the sky and as such build as high as possible, often erecting towers and terraces in an effort to gain as unrestricted a view of the sky as possible. Their streets are either neatly paved with cut stone, or simply carefully swept and cleansed sand. The interior of an Elven building is open and filled with light due to the proliferation of large windows, which are kept open as much as possible. All buildings are generously decorated with objects d’art and other decorations, sometimes giving the impression of a lavish museum or studio to what may in reality be a home.

Wars throughout the ages have claimed victims from even the mighty High Elves, and there are more than a few settlements within the borders of Raiaera that were overrun by their foes, abandoned by their denizens and lost to the annals of time. Such ruins may perhaps be found by the adventurous traveller, and retain not only a semblance of their dignity and elegance of old, but also perhaps of the magical artefacts and enchantments they once housed. Only one thing is certain; it is up to the traveller to be bold enough to find such places, and to have the strength of sword-arm and mind to claim their prizes for his own.

-- Eluceliniel (Tirinost) --

Tirinost was once a simple fortified villa, surrounded by a relaxed village out in the wilderness. Neither a fortress town like Valinatal nor a bustling centre like Eluriand, it took the destruction of both to turn Tirinost into something more. Now, under the leadership of the Lady General Nalith Celiniel herself, it has been reshaped into the last citadel of the High Elves, protected by the massed boughs of the Great Forest itself. Unlike the former capitals it is not beautiful; in fact, it is distinctly utilitarian. But its sole purpose is to protect what remains of Raiaeran life within its great walls, and this it will do so long as a single defender still draws breath.

The outer walls of Eluceliniel are composed of the trees themselves, only a few scattered entrances allowing entry into the fortress. The outer city is designed for defence, funnelling attackers into dead ends where they can be ambushed by waiting defenders. The inner walls have been rebuilt from ages long past, when Tirinost was a cold-blooded fortress standing against the fury of gods and men alike; huge and archaic and almost impregnable to both siegecraft and magic. Of the original resort villa, little remains.

-- Eluriand --

The capital of Tel’Eldalie, a large city as Elvish cities go, Eluriand was designed from the outset to be a magnificent beacon of Raiaeran ingenuity and prosperity. Frescoes of trees and flowers adorned each wall, like a peaceful forest of stone; both a defensive stronghold and an artistic masterpiece, the city was designed to withstand all the tests that time could throw at it. Impeccably designed and arranged in a regular pentagon, the crowning jewel of the city was the grand palace of Velice Arta, seat of the High Bard Council. At each corner of the inner wall was one of the four schools of Istien University, while the remaining corner was devoted to the administrative offices of Tel Aglarim, the Elven army.

Now, however, the capital of Raiaera has been overrun by the forces of the necromancer Xem’zund. What remains is a blasted urban wasteland, ransacked and littered with the corpses of those not yet raised in the Necromancer’s service. The only holdout is old Istien University, preserved against months of grinding, starving siege by ancient enchantments of incredible power. Battered by Xem’zund’s armies, these enchantments are slowly fading… and with them, the last hope for the chief city of the High Elves.

-- Anebrilith --

Formerly headquarters of the Bladesingers Guild, Anebrilith was renowned as a city of art, history, and learning. The oldest library in Raiaera, rivalled only by the Library of Ettermire in Alerar, was also located here, containing the majority of the cumulative knowledge of the High Elves not housed in the smaller libraries at Istien.

Situated on a high hill, commanding a wide view of the countryside and yet close to the sea, Raiaera’s oldest city and primary port was protected from Xem’zund’s initial onslaught by the mountains of the Emyn Naug directly to its west. As such, it quickly became the centre of the refugee exodus, the Harbour Walls that ran six miles from city to port clogged with those desperate to escape the Necromancer’s wrath. Almost constantly under some form of siege, whether by Xem’zund’s forces on land or pirates at sea, the city slowly but surely descended into anarchy despite the best efforts of those who sought to prevent it. Now, as the last of its brave defenders gamble everything on a swift strike at the heart of Xem’zund’s menace, the city itself teeters on a brink… will the first city of the High Elves survive, or will it descend helplessly into a madness more terrifying than death itself…

-- Tor Elythis --

Tor Elythis was originally established as a High Elf colony not long after the new capital of Eluriand was completed. Located within hailing distance of the Raiaeran mainland, perhaps five day’s march north of Anebrilith, the city encompasses the entirety of the small rocky island upon which it was built and is linked to the mainland by a fortified causeway over five miles long. The city itself was designed to be a self-sufficient fortress and is comprised of three parts – the star-shaped outer city, including the docks and farmlands, the pentagonal inner city containing the palaces, the barracks, and the administrative buildings, and the outer city on the mainland guarding the opposite end of the causeway.

Long known for its isolationist stance, of recent times the city has been taking a more active role in Elven politics, sending a relief force to Anebrilith in the wake of Xem’zund’s assault. Tor Elythis is renowned for its unique military structure, including the deadly elnaith horsemen, the mercenary Skyknights, and the swift and skilled Spire Guard. It is also well known as a place of learning second only to Istien, and the magi of the White Spire are both talented and wise.

-- Carnelost --

The fortress of Carnelost was located at the entrance to the path to the Obsidian Spire, standing guard over the way towards glory or death. With no way to avoid the first assaults from the undead, it was quickly reduced to naught but cinderblocks and ashes, remaining in the minds of Elves as a site of great mourning. Only a handful survive of those brave warriors who stood there, and the cries and chants in their memory are amongst the most moving known in the tongues of elves and men.

-- Trenyce --

Once the underbelly of Raiaera, Trenyce is now nothing but a smoking ruin. The large population of men who lived there were susceptible to a plague brought by the undead, and their swift deaths only served to swell the ranks of Xem’zund’s horde. The city is thick with zombies and other forms of corrupted organism. However, since Trenyce was indeed a town of immense – and often illicitly obtained – wealth, there is no doubt that it contains untold vaults of wealth for the brave… or perhaps merely foolish.

-- Galonan --

Galonan is a town just northwest of the Dead Lands that used to be Timbrethinil Forest. Formerly a simple trade centre and port, as the months have gone by the town has become a hotbed for the resistance movement of the Wanderers in Starlight. It is from here that they gather to mount counterattacks and raids on Xem’zund’s forces, and to prepare Sanctifiers for the holy work of cleansing the land of his plagues and corruption. Tired of the town being used as a base for the Raiaeran counteroffensive, Xem’zund has sent an army to raze the town and annihilate everyone in it, and although brave hearts hold the line still, the siege is slowly but surely taking its toll…

-- Winyaurient (New Aurient) --

The largest surviving city in Raiaera, Winyaurient is one of the last remaining fortresses of the Elves. No longer a city, really, New Aurient’s walls back right up to the forest, where most of its citizens – those who did not flee when the undead attacked – live and work. The walls still stand, though, and its port is still defended by brave song-mages under the command of Nalith Celiniel.

-- Tilgonar --

A small town on the southern banks of the Lake of Gold, Tilgonar was the first way station for trading vessels travelling up-river towards the port of New Aurient. Neither as well defended as Eluriand nor as sheltered as New Aurient, Tilgonar was one of the first towns sacked by Xem’zund’s armies as they poured forth from the shattered ruins of Carnelost. Now barely a single cinder remains of what was once a proud and bustling city.

-- Mirdan Timbreth --

Mirdan Timbreth is situated in the open plains to the northeast of Raiaera, beyond the reaches of what was once Timbrethinil Forest. Long renowned as a breeding ground for fine horses, Mirdan Timbreth also was a minor trading port and agricultural centre. Its isolated location afforded it some protection from the undead hordes, but the razing of Timbrethinil cleared the path for Xem’zund’s armies to begin their assault upon the lucrative prize. With Anebrilith all but fallen, those refugees who have yet to leave the realm have turned their attention to Mirdan Timbreth as their last hope of escape, and despite the fact that the town’s merchant marine has long since been sent away, are flocking there in ever greater numbers. The councillors fear that it is only a matter of time before the town becomes a second Anebrilith.

-- Nenaebreth --

Situated on the southern fringes of Timbrethinil, astride the main trading road between Eluriand and Anebrilith, Nenaebreth grew fat off the riches of the trade and of its lumber and woodworking industries. Such prosperity, however, bred complacence, and the unwalled town was easy prey for the vanguard of Xem’zund’s armies. In one night of frenzied violence and butchery, the Death Lords turned the town into a staging post for their armies, depositing supplies and weapons for further strikes to the north and east. It was from Nenaebreth that the razing of Timbrethinil was conducted, and from Nenaebreth that the sieges of Anebrilith were planned.

Realising this, a brave force of irregulars struck back from across the Emyn Naug, and in one fell swoop defeated the undead garrison and liberated the town. Although the effects of this bold stroke have yet to fully manifest, it is at least certain that Xem’zund’s assaults upon the remaining Raiaeran strongholds in this direction will be blunted by the loss of their main holding in the area. This can only be good news for the beleaguered garrisons of Galonan and Anebrilith, and for those brave Elves seeking to reverse the destruction wrought upon Timbrethinil Forest.

-- Amon Lungan --

The township of Amon Lungan once guarded the southernmost tip of the Emyn Naug, preventing advances upon the southern outskirts of Anebrilith and safeguarding the fertile fields of grain there. Its prime location, however, placed it directly in the path of Xem’zund’s hordes as they advanced upon the ancient port city, and Amon Lungan was sacked after a bloody siege lasting three days. Terrified refugees from the town were amongst the first to bring tidings of war to Anebrilith, but they were only an insignificant herald of what was yet to come.

-- Gunnbad --

The Twilight Peaks are home to many isolated colonies of Dwarves, most of whom live on the western side of the chain and thus fall under Alerarian dominion. The Dwarves of Gunnbad are the most powerful of the exceptions to this rule, and are fiercely proud of their independence and their heritage as one of the first Dwarven clans to start trading with the Elves, long before there was a differentiation between fair and dark. Their hold is located in the far north of the Mountains of Dusk, at the base of the Dagger Peaks, and their underground network ranges far and wide across northern Raiaera, Salvar, and Alerar.

Gunnbad itself is a magnificent example of Dwarven construction and ingenuity; an underground fortress encased in impenetrable granite. There are only two entrances to the hold; the first is the main entrance, a heavily guarded labyrinth of narrow tunnels designed to disorientate and destroy unwanted intruders via ambush and trap, while the second is the mines, if anything, even more heavily guarded due to their economic viability. The hold proper lacks the elegance and style associated with High Elven architecture, but retains a majesty and grandeur that only a massive underground city can muster. The Gathering Halls function as the marketplace, barracks, administrative centre, and cultural heart of nearly ten thousand dwarves, while the remainder of the hold is composed of dwellings ranging in size from small cramped caves to multi-roomed underground palaces with no visible roof.

-- Karazund (Keldagrim) --

The inhabitants of Keldagrim, or Karazund as it is known in the Dwarven tongue, largely shun contact with the outside world, seeing the High Elves as oppressive and manipulative overlords. From the fastness of their mountain fortress the inhabitants of the Dwarven-human conclave quietly observe the happenings of the world below, preferring to stay remote and untouched. When angered or provoked, however, they are implacable and relentless foes. Keldagrim itself is built upon ancient Dwarven ruins, with the Dwarven population inhabiting a small proportion of the underground caverns whilst their human allies live and farm the barely-habitable surface. Only staunch cooperation between the two races has kept them alive, and it is this same cooperation that is the hallmark of this town.

-- Narenhad (Valinatal) --

Valinatal was once the westernmost defence against any attack from Alerar. Nestled on the plain just beyond the opening of the Niadath Pass, no army could invade Raiaera from the west without taking Valinatal first, and it was the site of countless victories against those who sought to despoil the realm. Holding firm against great odds upon Xem’zund’s invasion, it took a strangely cosmic event to destroy the great fortress. Nobody truly knows what happened to Valinatal, but the place is now unrecognisable; the entire geography of the surrounding lands has been replaced by a shallow depression. Due to the few tales of terror that came from this destruction, the area is now known as Narenhad, the Place of Burning, and Xem’zund’s legions have fortified it in an attempt to build a new Obsidian Spire dedicated to their evil master there.

-- Minas Teradryn (The Obsidian Spire) --

Located deep within the blood-red boughs of Lindequalme, the Obsidian Spire would be an exact replica of the great palace at Velice Arta if it weren’t for the fact that every surface was crafted of unbreakable obsidian. It is from this darkest of towers that the great necromancer Xem’zund has extended his reach across Raiaera, and it is from this tower where all his evil and corruption originates.

Rumours abound that a daring attack has managed to bring this evil place crashing to the ground, and that Xem’zund’s plans are thwarted for the time being while his followers rush to build their lord a new domain. It is certain, however, that the evil taint surrounding the Obsidian Spire has not completely dissipated, and that while Xem’zund’s influence over the vicinity has indeed waned, it has not completely disappeared.

[Flames of Hyperion]

– Of the High Elven People –

.
The primary race in Raiaera is, of course, Elven. Although sometimes called High Elves due to their intensely liturgical religious practices and elite sensibilities in the fine arts, they are in fact the same race as even their great enemies in Alerar. The term that the High Elves use for their own race is Tel’Eldalië, literally “The Elvish People”. Raiaerans call themselves “Tel’Cala’Quessir”, or “The High Elves,” and to this day High Elves still refer to themselves as “Cala’Quessir.” However, Tel’Eldalië refers to all the Elves in all the world, just as the Raiaerans firmly believe that Eluriand is a capital for all elves, not merely Raiaerans. High Elves compose about 85% of Raiaera’s general population.

Raiaerans are generally fair-to-olive-skinned, with fine, aesthetically beautiful features and hair as fine as flax. They tend towards slimness, height, dexterous fingers, far-seeing eyes, and powerful singing voices. These traits give them great skills in archery and swordplay, in addition to the traditional Raiaeran art of song magic. They have high cheekbones, and their eye color and hair color falls more or less within the same range as humans. They are resistant to most poisons and diseases; resistance, however, does not mean immunity.

Aleraran propaganda to the contrary, Raiaerans are no less strong than their Dark Elven counterparts. Being slender does not mean they have no muscle mass. Being slim does not render them useless weaklings. Every movement that an Elf makes is graceful and controlled, and their minds are quick and clever with an intensity and depth of insight that makes them seem fey and strange to other races.

Elves live for quite a bit of time, but are not immortal. Their lifespan is approximately 5000 years, and Elves that live this long die as the flames of their potent spirits literally eat up their flesh. Elf spirits often linger in mortal planes, however, dwelling within the earth itself. These spirits cannot really be communicated with, summoned, or easily manipulated, but they do seem to give a certain timeless feel to the lands Elves inhabit.

The greatest difference between Raiaerans and Alerarans, racially, is their lifespans. Few truly know why these peoples, who are essentially the same race, have such different life spans. The best theory so far has something to do with song magic and its possible life-extending benefits, but to date this theory has not been strenuously tested.

Of the other races in Raiaera, approximately 5% are humans; the airborne plagues unleashed by Xem’zund have hit the population of mankind particularly hard, and their stronghold of Trenyce in particular was nearly annihilated. Most of the remainder survive in the sailing districts of New Aurient and Anebrilith, either bravely assisting their Elven comrades in their time of need or brashly taking advantage of them, as humans will.

Nine percent of the population is Dwarven, concentrated in the extreme northwest reaches of the country around the hold of Gunnbad. The Dwarves basically form their own society; the High Bards exert no control over them, and the Dwarves stay peaceably within their own mountain fastnesses and engage in healthy trade with the Raiaerans. A few scattered groups of Dwarves live in the Emyn Naug mountains on the western edges of Anebrilith, but they are rarely sighted.

The final percent of Raiaera’s population is composed of various other groups, too small to be considered important players in Raiaera.

Alerarans, or Dark Elves, may not live in Raiaera, and they must have special permission to legally travel within the country. Due to the tensions between the two countries, Dark Elves are discriminated against within Raiaera.

-- Government --

Raiaera is nominally governed by the High Bard Council, although all but one were wiped out in Xem’zund’s assault upon Eluriand and current power rests in the hands of the remaining Councillor – the Lady General Nalith Celiniel – and her advisors. The Council was intended to be the ultimate authority in Raiaera; individual members were given great power, and the combined will of the council was the express law of the country. All authority resided in the hands of these Elves, who were elected to their positions through their merit and aptitude as well as their political skill.

The High Bard Council is composed of one councillor from each school of Istien, the General of Tel Aglarim, and the Bladesingers General. In addition to these seats is the position of Cora Lindstra, the High Bard, who is the leader of the council and whose voice counts for three when voting upon decisions.

The Headmasters of Istien University's four schools – Dagorlin (War), Lissilin (Healing), Aglarlin (Leadership), and Turlin (Holy Power) – each appoint their representative Councillor from their school. Together with the President of Istien University, these four Headmasters elect the High Bard as well.

The High Bard may appoint and removed the President of Istien University with the consent of three Headmasters and two members of the High Bard Council, and may appoint and remove the General and the Bladesingers General in the same fashion. Five members of council and a majority of the Headmasters may also remove a currently serving President of Istien or military leader.

The Headmasters and the President of Istien University elect the High Bard, and can remove him or her with a unanimous vote. Headmasters are elected by majority vote of the teachers within a school, and may be removed by a majority vote of the High Bard Council and the President of Istien University.

In this way, the Raiaeran political system attempts to prevent the consolidation of power into a single pair of hands. However in times of strife and desperate need, such as now, it is not unheard of for a single capable leader to emerge to guide the realm through its time of need. Regional figures are also prepared to make decisions for themselves as appropriate should they be unable to contact the High Bard Council, although they are expected to conform to the expectations of their people and to relinquish their powers when the crisis is resolved.

-- Religion --

Raiaera, while lacking an institutional religious establishment, does observe certain religious practices and hold to a certain “pantheon” of gods and goddesses. Their religious leaders are generally congruent with the High Bard of Raiaera, who presides at the major events of Raiaeran religious life. Although lacking a concrete schedule of religious observance, there are a few Holy Days of Raiaera that are observed strictly.

Raiaerans could be considered Deist. They do not believe the gods and goddesses intervene directly in the world except in extreme circumstances. Such circumstances have been rare in history; only the creation of the Elves and the cursing of the Black Desert are considered to be examples of direct intervention on the part of the pantheon of Raiaera.

Despite this inactive pantheon, Raiaerans still take their religion seriously. Their foundational mythology believes that they are called to spread the light of art, beauty, and song to the world. They are sure that they will, at the end of time, be judged by their gods and goddesses based on the merits of their successes; if they were faithful, they will take their place as the fruits of the Star Tree, Manwelindomë. If they were not, they will forever be bound to the land.

The Elvish pantheon is as follows:

• Aurient, the Star Mother, who granted the Raiaerans the benefit of resilience to disease at the creation.
• Galatirion, the Sky Father, who gave the Raiaerans the benefit of extended life, so as to taste part of the immortality of the heavens.
• Earlon, the Rain-Star, who gave the gift of the seas to the Raiaerans, a gift which later vanished when the best shipwrights were banished with the Dark Elves.
• Arddunwë, the Sweet-Star, the star-god who gave the gift of physical beauty and an appreciation of art to the Raiaerans.
• Cuarye, the Swift-Star, gave the gift of archery, bow making, and dexterity to the Elves.
• Megillion, the Silver-Star, whose gift was of working in precious metals and ores, and of swordplay and sword-forging.
• Selana, the Young-Star, gave the greatest gift of all: memory, that the Raiaerans might remember the star-magic and keep alive the melodies of heaven on the surface of the earth.

The emergence of the Wanderers in Starlight as an integral part of the resistance to Xem’zund has once again drawn attention to this pantheon of star-gods and the concept of Elven supremacy and an Endless Path.

-- Economy --

Raiaera's economy is primarily driven by the export of fine products and processed goods. Although the country produces a substantial amount of lumber, high tariffs in Alerar prevent it from providing much income to Raiaera and the lumber production of Corone itself cuts into the Raiaeran lumber market; as a result, Raiaera is better served producing goods from its lumber than it is exporting. Horses are another primary export of Raiaera; Raiaeran breeds are of superlative quality and highly sought after in the world market.

The swordsmiths of Raiaera are among the finest in the world, surpassed in skill only by the Elvensmiths of Haidia. Due to a lack of metal mining sites in Raiaera, except for a few sparse locations in the northwest, most of the raw material for this work comes from Kachuck. Due to extensive tariffs levied by Alerar against goods coming into Raiaera from Kachuck, elven blades are quite expensive. Although among the best blades that can be found, they will not come cheap.

Raiaeran bows are also expensive. Not only are they finely crafted, but the very best come from the trees that grow in the Red Forest. Due to the extremely dangerous nature of this forest, woodcutters in the region can charge higher prices. Not all Raiaeran bows are expensive, as bowyers can get wood from elsewhere, but the best cost a pretty penny.

Due to the intense focus on magical arts within Raiaera, Raiaera does a brisk business in enchanted items. Although most enchantments are short-lived, useful for only a couple of times before wearing out, it is possible to permanently enchant a weapon. Such permanent enchantments are restricted by the High Bard Council; not only is the cost generally prohibitive, but enchanters are banned from selling permanent enchantments except to those who the High Bards declare as having given Raiaera a great service.

Other exports of Raiaera include fine wines and fine art. Raiaeran architects, sculptors, painters, and musicians are in demand among the cultural elite throughout the known world -- even upper-class Dark Elves will sometimes have a Raiaeran bard in their retinue, although they will probably try to keep it quiet. Raiaera regularly imports much of its meat supply and seasonal fruits and vegetables to supplement the wheat-and-potato staples grown within the country.

The currency of Raiaera is the Raiaeran Mark, known as Mellryn, or Gold Trees in Tradespeak, due to the sigil stamped on them. Made of mythril, Mellryn come in a variety of sizes, from coin-sized pieces worth small amounts to the larger mythril plates worth up to 1000 gold. Smaller Raiaeran Marks often contain an iron center -- a novelty introduced after a number of elves complained that the light mythril pieces were blowing away in the wind. The larger plates, although still light, have enough heft that they do not need iron cores. Although this is the main currency of Raiaera, elves will still use other forms of exchange generously and eagerly, and the Coronian standard is also in widespread use.

-- Military --

The Raiaeran military is a complex machine, a core of highly skilled professional soldiers supported by a variety of more specialised troops – bards from the Schools of Istien, bladesingers and rangers from their respective guilds, militia and citizenry of the various towns and cities, and even more esoteric allies. Fifteen thousand years of war and strife have moulded the Elven armies into their current form, balancing the desire for peace and order with the imperative need to survive against all foes, no matter how powerful or evil.


The Regular Army: Tel Aglarim

The Raiaeran regulars form the core of its armies, ordinary Elves (with the occasional human or even Dwarf thrown in for good measure) trained in the use of the sword, the spear, and the bow. Drilled in the tactics of the battlefield, the proper functioning of a soldiering unit, and the techniques of survival in thick combat, the soldiers of the Tel Aglarim are disciplined and brave fighters. Although conscripts are initially supplied with simple steel breastplates and straight swords, regular soldiers wear golden banded cuirasses, vambraces, and greaves. Their crested helms are slender and tall, their shields leaf-shaped and sturdy, and their weapons exquisitely elegant and extremely deadly.

Four regiments of Tel Aglarim were maintained prior to the war, one each garrisoned in Anebrilith and Eluriand, and two more based in Valinatal to guard the western approaches. Xem’zund’s invasion has decimated their ranks, however, and barely half a regiment is left, scattered about the realm and desperately trying to stem the tide of the undead advance. Each regiment once identified itself with a colour of its own – azure, vermillion, jade, and ivory – which was worn under the armour, but nowadays they are unified under a single colour, the sheer black of mourning and vengeance.


The Bladesingers Guild: Tel Megilindir

Founded nearly a thousand years after the schools of magic were instituted and the Elven Army was created, the Bladesingers Guild serves as a blend of the two. Bladesingers are an ancient order of bardic warrior-mages following the different schools of High Elven magic, each specialized in a different field and all dedicated to the beauty of war and peace and the world at large. In peace time it operates as a police force in Raiaera, and on the whole its members are better fighters than those in Tel Aglarim, but their training is such that they learn how to fight in groups of three or four and to keep the peace in the cities and countryside, not how to be a soldier. Healers, warriors, and spell casters, their power focused through song, all now wear a uniform silver and blue; also, the more experienced a bladesinger is, the more likely he or she has a full set of armour.

Bladesinger armour is often highly personalized, pragmatic and artistic; most incorporate bird imagery; wings framing the face or rising from the helms, feather patterns etched into the gauntlets or shin guards, and so on and so forth. The signature weaponry of the bladesingers are weapons that double as musical instruments, such as fluteblades (bladed weapons with a flute-like hollow worked into the core of the blade and hilt), drumhammers (metal-headed maces enchanted around a specific, holy harmonic that can disrupt magicks of any kind and even disintegrate an enemy outright), and bladesinger bows (crafted from ulder wood around a core of liviol, with strings woven from a combination of spidersilk, vlince, sinew and mythril thread, the bladesinger bow actually has several closely spaced and precisely threaded strings that make it resemble a combat harp, allowing it to launch arrows further with a far higher speed, impact and accuracy than an ordinary bow and to channel music into temporary enchantments on their arrows).


The Rangers Guild: Tel Taur’ohtar

The most diverse of Raiaera's old military forces, the Rangers are somewhere between cavalry and guerilla fighters, their membership drawn from Elves, men, and anyone else willing to volunteer in defence of Raiaera. They specialize in close-quarters combat, cavalry fighting, and espionage. While there's no true uniform for them, most rangers wear either green or dark brown to blend in with the natural colours of their homeland. Fiercely independent and notoriously disorganized, rangers rarely answer to any authority and often work either in small groups or entirely alone. The only universal symbols they have are their sabre, ranging from short to full length but with a curve well suited to striking from horseback or attacking and defending in the middle of a sword draw, and their heavy cloaks of dark green vlince and mythril chainmail, usually hooded but sometimes featuring a high neckpiece or mantle.

At most, rangers operate in small cells and cadres; the average ranger leader is nicknamed a Lord or Lady by his or her cohorts. Long-time Lords and Ladies occasionally mark themselves and their comrades with tattoos of some kind. Rangers are also the most diverse of the Raiaeran defensive forces; the majority are elves and humans, but they'll take pretty much anyone they can get, and are not beyond resorting to less honourable methods to achieve victory for the greater good.


Wanderers in Starlight: Tel Ranar’silma

Somewhere between a warrior cult, an order of magi, a fringe social movement, and the rangers themselves, the Wanderers in Starlight are one of the oldest and, until very recently, most obscure groups in Raiaera. Predating the bladesingers by several generations, they adhere strictly to a set of rules and rituals called the Endless Path and dedicate their worship to the old star pantheon. The Wanderers are essentially a spell-casting middle ground between the bladesingers and common rangers. They wear highly stylized steel armour and rely heavily on enchanted weapons and magicks. Their membership is exclusively Elven, and they are the only major group in Raiaera that considers itself old enough to not draw a line between High and Dark Elves. They stand apart from the bladesingers and rangers in that their main goal isn't merely the protection of Raiaera, but the total annihilation of Xem'zund and his armies.

Wanderers adhere to a strict set of Paths, broken down as the Paths of Seer, Warrior, Ranger, Bard, Faithful and Forger. Seers tend to be kin to prophetic wizards, warriors are martial perfectionists, rangers are one with nature, bards are pure musicians, performers and poets, the faithful are priests and clerics, and Forgers tend to be any kind of worker. Each Path is completely specialized to the exclusion of all others, though Wanderers are expected to walk at least two or three in a lifetime. A full Path takes almost three centuries to walk. At its end, the Wanderer undergoes something called Caesai Maer -- the Zero Step, a magic ritual that seals all knowledge and skill from the old Path, leaving the Wanderer free to start a new one. Wanderers believe that anyone who walks all the Paths will obtain demigod-hood. Beyond that, they tend to be elven supremacists of a school so old that they consider High Elves and Dark Elves to be one and the same. Everyone else is a few notches lower on the totem, with half-elves viewed as anything from degenerates to moral abominations.


The Merchant Marine: Tel Cirya

The Raiaeran Navy is a purely defensive force, dedicated to protecting the realm’s lifeblood of seafaring vessels that ply the various trade lanes from Raiaera to the rest of the world. Prior to the war, the Navy was largely based at Anebrilith and New Aurient, with smaller contingents at Trenyce and Tor Elythis. However, many of the proud vessels were pressed into service ferrying refugees to safety in Scara Brae and Corone and have yet to return; a few, seeing no hope in the High Elven situation, even turned pirate and began preying upon the very vessels they were once sworn to protect. The handful of vessels that still remain either patrol the seas off Tor Elythis or gather to Mirdan Timbreth in anticipation of the final flood of refugees who would congregate there.

In ages long past, the Elves were known as undisputed masters of seafaring, and the wonderful vessels they crafted were the envy of all the navies of the world. However, the schism between fair and dark, and the resulting exodus of the majority of the realm’s best shipwrights to Alerar, changed the situation drastically. Although High Elven ships are still sleek and elegant vessels, able to unleash devastating volleys of arrows from their bolt throwers and to outrun the majority of what they cannot outfight, they are no longer the invincible flotilla that they were in their heyday. Raiaeran sailors are usually clad in simple white, while the Marines that accompany each vessel are easily distinguishable by their blue-tinted banded breastplates and the azure plumes on their helmets.


The Silverwind: Tel Celebarrna

The Silverwind is raised and maintained from the citizenry of Tor Elythis in place of standard city militia, the fiercely independent colony’s own standing army. Composed of roughly two thousand warriors at any one time, the Silverwind can be split into four main cadres – the Sentinels, skilled archers and swords-elves; the Spire Guard, elite heavy infantry armed with sword, spear, and shield; the Argent Order or elnaith, Elven medium cavalry and lancers without peer, mounted on the swiftest white Raiaeran horses; and the infamous Skyknights, a ragtag mercenary company composed of the best warriors in the Silverwind and their great winged steeds.

Warriors of the Silverwind are armoured in glimmering silver scale, of a lightweight mythril-steel alloy known as ithilmar. Their helms are tall and ornate, and each cadre wears different coloured cloaks to distinguish them from one another – an earthy green-brown for the Sentinels, fiery red for Guardians, and shimmering blue for the elnaith. The Spire Guard also wear heavy robes embroidered in symbolic flame over their armour, denoting their position as protectors of the Ivory Spire, and keepers of the lore and wisdom contained within. The Skyknights, on the other hand, are as individualistic and varied as the steeds they ride, from pegasi to hippogriffs to drakes. The weapons of these skilled warriors do not differ much from standard Raiaeran issue – long slender spears, sleekly curved swords, and well-crafted ulder bows – but they are each engraved with the emblem of the Silverwind mirrored in the proud pennants that fly overhead: a winged sword, wreathed in the flames of justice.

-- Law --

In times of peace, the Bladesingers Guild is responsible for upholding the law and keeping the harmony in both the cities and countryside of Raiaera. Every hamlet, no matter how small, is assigned at least one bladesinger to watch over the people and dispense justice as necessary; larger cities such as Eluriand and Anebrilith will maintain no less than three hundred of these skilled and disciplined warriors. An enlisted bladesinger is empowered to deal with basic criminal cases such as petty thievery and other misdemeanours; more serious cases such as aggravated assault or grand theft will be referred to high officers of the guild, and capital crimes such as homicide or treason are brought to the attention of the captains or perhaps even the Lady General herself. High Elves value harmony and concord above most else, however, and such serious crimes are virtually unheard of between Raiaerans. Whenever they occur, however, swift and summary justice is executed. Any citizen has the right to appeal to the High Bard Council, which also has the right to refuse to hear appeals or to claim jurisdiction in any matter.

-- Magic --

Raiaeran mages are generally of either two broad branches of magic. The first is similar to other forms of the arcane practiced across the world, drawing upon the powers of external forces such as the Winds of Magic, the Leylines, or the Eternal Tap to cast various spells and enchantments. A relative minority in the realm due to its inefficient and barbaric (in Raiaeran eyes) nature, this form of magic is mainly taught at the Ivory Spire in Tor Elythis, or is used by those eccentric spell-casters known as the Wanderers in Starlight.

The second is unique to Raiaera – the vibrant song-magic that has been refined and advanced for long ages by the studious bards of Istien University. Instead of drawing upon some unreliable external force, song-magic reaches deep within the soul of the user, drawing out power from within and channelling it into a variety of different songs. Of the six initial schools, four still survive; Dagorlin and Ostlin were combined into one after the occupation of Eluriand by the forces of Xem’zund, and the wars over the dark magic of Enarlin resulted in it being taught only to the most accomplished of Turlin mages, able to counteract its destructive effects.


The Sounds of War: The School of Ost'Dagorlin

Ost'Dagorlin is both the oldest and youngest school of Raiaera. When the schools were first founded, the first built were Dagorlin and Ostlin. The former taught the art of offensive war -- how to attack with song, creating firebolts and strengthening swords, igniting the sky with lightning, driving an enemy away with a flurry of invisible arrows. The latter taught defence. Its music was soft yet strong, resilient, with steady melody and conservative harmony. However, during the occupation of Eluriand, many Elven scholars grew dissatisfied with the school system. By separating the two schools of attack and defence, bards were missing the broader picture of warfare -- and many scholars cited this as one of the reasons for Xem'zûnd's conquest of the outer city.

The result of this soul-searching was to combine the two schools into one, which occurred with much fanfare on the day of Eluriand's liberation. The two schools merged, and now meet in the building that was once simply Ostlin. The Dagorlin structure has become the primary barracks of the Bladesingers and Tel Aglarim, freeing up room within Velicë Arta and better locating the armed forces for defending the city.

Ost'Dagorlin teaches the three primary categories of Elvish magic: others, self, and items. Magic that affects others in this school is usually manifested through a harsh, biting music, full of percussion and crescendo. Defensive magic, of the kind that creates barriers and magical fields, is slow and solid. And finally, enchantments -- both of an offensive and defensive nature -- can be created through this magic.


Healing Song: The School of Lissilin

Lissilin is sweet and soft, but its magic is far from gentle. It can heal minor scrapes and bruises, but it can also purge the deadliest of poisons. It is rumored that Lissilin has been known to cure even the bite of the Njalian Spidermage -- although its Headmaster refuses to reveal that secret to just anyone.

There are, as with the other schools, three basic types of magic in Lissilin. You can learn to heal others, you can learn to heal yourself, or you can learn to heal items. That's right...you can heal items. Unlike the other schools, in which the magic towards items generally manifests itself as enchantment, the Lissilin bard can actually put broken pieces together. They can repair a shattered sword, for instance, and it is said that even adamantine can be pieced together, if the bard is strong enough. Furthermore, they can remove physical properties from items; a glass of poisoned drinking water can be “healed,” and made safe to drink. However, any magical affects – curses, or a sword that is broken due to a powerful hex – cannot be removed by Lissilin. That is a job for another school.


Blessing and Honor, Glory and Power: The School of Aglarlin

No sound is as magnificent as Aglarlin. With its soaring heights, harmonic chords, and swelling crescendo, Aglarlin music is inspirational and unmatched. One of the oldest musical forms in Raiaera, Aglarlin was essential to maintaining the morale of the elves during their confrontation with the Durklans.

Aglarlin music, like all Raiaeran music, has three forms. However, its first form – magic towards others – is markedly different. In this form, it can both enhance the magic of others and recharge their spiritual power. A spellcaster low on magical resources can be given the magical power of an Aglarlin bard...at a price to the latter. The other forms of magic are fairly obvious. Aglarlin magic towards oneself can give heart when faith fades and give strength even as strength ebbs, while enchanted items can bring the despairing back to new hope.

Aglarlin music can also strengthen a person for short bursts of time. A swordsman can strike twice as hard, or an arm can withstand twice the strain, under the influence of Aglarlin. The amount a person is strengthened is dependent on the power of the spell used. Even more interestingly, Aglarlin can play with your head... maybe make you appear different to others, or change the appearance of another for a short time.


Purify, Nullify, Horrify: The School of Turlin

The School of Turlin is not for the fainthearted, yet it can offer powers far beyond the other schools. Although its early spells can be simple – bolts of light that only harm the undead, for instance – the spells one learns at later levels can be blisteringly powerful. Turlin literally means “Sound of Mastery”, and it delivers on its promise. The music of Turlin is slow and soft, tinged with melancholy. However, in the midst of its lamentation lies a note of hope, a reverberation of the conviction that not all is lost.

As with all the schools, there are three types of Turlin music: external, internal, and enchantment. External Turlin music can be simple – blasts of purity that can scorch the undead instantly – or exceedingly subtle – difficult aleatoric tonalities that can draw even the most evil of maladies into the open. Furthermore, this type of Turlin music can nullify the magic of others, or bend it to the wishes of the Turlin magician... such mastery, however, is not easy to learn, and requires significant musical and magical capability. It is said that the time it takes is worth it. Legends still speak of a High Bard of Turlin who was able to nullify the magic of Lord Aesphestos himself just long enough for the Mya to place his bonds.

The Turlin magic that affects the self is fairly straightforward. It can create barriers of purity or spell nullification, almost as if it were Ostlin. It is possible to cure one's own self of evil taint, but such arts are difficult and often foolhardy -- best to let others discern the evil within your soul, as self-deception has been many a bard's downfall. Enchantments in Turlin are also fairly straightforward. Bards can infuse items with purifying or dispelling power for a limited time, or cleanse cursed items of their taint.

Finally, the most trained Turlin bards are permitted to learn the dark and dangerous arts of Enarlin. The Sixth School, banned ages ago, teaches a type of magic which can destroy the soul of both listener and singer. However, an extremely trained Turlin mage can use Turlin magic in concert with Enarlin magic to counter or enhance the power of Enarlin. Although Raiaera is loath to continue teaching this dark art, only a bard skilled in Enarlin can defeat an Enarlin mage. But only a Turlin mage can resist the taint of Enarlin – and even then, it is possible to be corrupted. Maintaining the balance between staying vigilant against a resurgence of Enarlin and flirting with danger is a necessity for Raiaera.

Learning Enarlin outside of Turlin and without the approval of its heads is a capital offense. If you are caught trying, then any citizen of Raiaera is permitted and encouraged to kill you on sight. If you try it, you do so at the risk of your own life. No crime is more serious.

-- Culture --

Raiaeran culture is immensely deep and difficult to comprehend to an outsider. The following excerpt, adapted from the writings of Findelfin ap Fingolfin, is intended to give readers a small insight into the thoughts and mindset of the High Elven people.

The Raiaerans believed in seven deities. These gods and goddesses were called collectively “Tel Aina Otso,” or “The Holy Seven.” They were, ranked in order of importance, Aurient, Galatirion, Earlon, Arddunwë, Cuaryë, Megillion, and Selana. As such, the number seven was considered sacred. Numerological and liturgical records reveal that the Raiaerans invested special religious significance in the number seven. It designated wholeness, perfection, beauty.

Seven was also noted as having a few other special characteristics. Raiaerans were aware of what we today call “prime numbers.” They even had a word for them, “ere’erarimmi” which literally means “ruled by only one and itself.” But seven had a special distinction. It was the last of the “ere’erarimmi” to proceed in the odd sequence of 3, 5, 7. And it was the last prime that could be written as a single digit. Thus, it was considered to “rule itself completely,” in that while other primes existed – extant documents indicate the Raiaerans were aware of and accepted arguments for infinitely many primes—it could be written with only itself—as in 7. The number 10006721, for example, while a prime much larger than seven, is still considered subject to seven in that it requires a numerous digits to write it, instead of the “singular” 7.

Seven came to be called “ere’erarimmo.” The meaning was the same as “ere’erarimmi” but with a special designation. The stem –immo, meaning “itself,” is only used when the object is alive. And so the Raiaerans afforded the number seven with the ultimate honour: life. Translated into common idiom, “ere’erarimmo” is “The Living Prime.”

Early on in their existence, the Raiaerans encountered and destroyed a tribe of hill-dwelling people whose ways were strange to them. Of these people little is known except the name given them by the Raiaerans – the Durklans – and that they worshiped two gods, the earth and the sun. Although the Raiaerans won this protracted engagement, the struggle was a paradigmatic event that critically shaped both the conscience and the consciousness of the Raiaerans. Their protracted struggle with the Durklans – and the two gods of the Durklans – made them significantly dislike the number two.

Raiaeran liturgical texts specifically refer to the number two as “Ere’erarimm.” In all texts, the stem “–imm” is never attested anywhere except here, and yet the translation rendered by Professor Goliant seems a logical possibility: “The Prime of Neither Life nor Unlife.” The number two was not considered to be living like the number seven, but neither was it considered merely dead. It was a category to itself, a number steeped in the pain of oblivion. The Raiaerans regarded the number two as uniquely disturbing; for example, they knew all other members of the “ere’erarimmi” to be odd numbers, but two was not.

The calendar system of the Raiaerans exhibited something of this fascination with seven and avoidance of two – or indeed, of any number known to be divisible by two. Their months were divided into 49 days, or seven weeks of seven days each. This produced a year of only 343 days, which were then supplemented with three “festival weeks” of seven days each, for a total of 21 days. These festival weeks would occur between winter and spring, at the height of summer’s heat, and as autumn faded to winter. And yet the number two would occur every four years – astrologically speaking, the Raiaerans were aware of the concept of a leap year – when the year had 366 days, and was thus divisible by two. So at the height of summer every four years, the festival week would be lengthened by a day to adjust for the leap year. Religiously and liturgically, this day was a time for the Raiaerans to ponder the evil they had done, the “spirit of the dual ere’erarimm” that intruded on the world every four years, and pray the forgiveness of the Aina Otso.

[Flames of Hyperion]

– Concerning the Current Turmoil –

In the autumn of the year CP 1804, the great necromancer and Forgotten One Xem’zund once again arose from his fastness deep within the forbidding boughs of the Lindequalme and struck against the realm of Raiaera. After his failed assault upon the capital of Eluriand five years previously, the Dread Lord had been carefully marshalling his troops and gathering to him like-minded lieutenants of great power, at the same time as stirring up strife and discontent to distract the High Bard Council. At long last judging that the time was right, he unleashed his legions upon the High Elven homeland, causing much death and devastation in their wake.

The sentinel city of Carnelost was the first to fall, annihilated nearly to the last man by the overwhelming force of the undead. Xem’zund’s hordes pushed towards the ancient port of Anebrilith to the east and the great fortress of Valinatal to the west, even as the Elves rushed to contain the threat and prevent the Forgotten One from gaining a foothold within their lands. Barely had the High Elves managed to contain these initial advances when destruction rained down upon the impregnable bastion of Valinatal, wiping it from the face of the continent and causing the entirety of the surrounding area to be renamed Narenhad, the Place of Burning. Before long, the Tel Aglarim were swept from the field and Anebrilith, Valinatal, and Eluriand were all under siege. Nenaebreth, Amon Lungan, and Tilgonar had all been sacked, and the human town of Trenyce writhed in the throes of a dread plague. Flocks of refugees seeking to flee the war streamed through the Pass of Niadath and aboard the vessels of the Raiaeran Navy, carrying with them tales of dreadful atrocities and hideous monstrosities.

As Eluriand and Anebrilith both withered under prolonged encirclement, scattered groups of resistance began to strike back. The Lady General, High Bladesinger Nalith Celiniel, gathered the reigns of command to her and began to fortify the villa of Tirinost, renamed Eluciliniel in her honour. The cities of Galonan and New Aurient heeded her words and fought their besiegers to a standstill, even as Timbrethinil Forest was desecrated before their eyes. Brave bands of saboteurs raided the undead strongholds and assassinated their leaders, even bringing down the Obsidian Spire itself in an attempt to disable the undead hordes. In the east, an alliance of man, elf, and dwarf landed at Anebrilith and drove off the attackers, buying the beleaguered city some much-needed breathing room.

Throughout the winter the desperate fighting continued, besieged and besieger alike falling prey to starvation and exposure in one of the harshest chills in recent memory. The valiant defenders of Eluriand were rooted out from their protected halls by human mercenaries in Xem’zund’s employ, and only a handful of survivors still take shelter in the protected recesses of Istien. Anebrilith, corrupted and beleaguered beyond all hope, saw the rise of dark forces intent on piracy, slavery, and destruction. Galonan and Eluceliniel were the centre of numerous skirmishes, warbands seeking to harry the enemy or to sanctify/corrupt the surrounding lands clashing in violent conflict.

Now spring approaches, and rumours abound. Some say that Nenaebreth has been liberated, and that Xem’zund’s thrust towards Galonan and Anebrilith has been blunted at a single stroke. Some say that Nalith is gathering her forces for an offensive towards Eluriand, in the faint hope that others of the High Bard Council have survived the winter. Some say that the forces of Xem’zund, angered at the loss of the Obsidian Spire, have raised a replacement amongst the ruins of Narenhad.

Some whisper that numerous Dark Elves have been seen crossing the border between Raiaera and Alerar, in preparation for…

-- Ohta’thoron (The War-Eagles) --

Led by Nalith Celiniel from her fortress at Tirinost, the Ohta’thoron are the embittered and battle-hardened remnants of the forces that once stood at Eluriand and Valinatal. Having seen firsthand the destruction wrought by their undead foes, they have vowed to exact vengeance at all costs, or to die trying. Consisting of a handful of bladesingers fanatically loyal to Nalith, supported by numerous rangers, Wanderers, bards, and a wide range of regulars from the newly conscripted to the scarred veterans, the Ohta’thoron are centred on the Great Forest and indirectly influence the garrisons of New Aurient and Galonan.

Their current objectives are three-fold – to resist further advances by the undead at Eluceliniel, New Aurient, and Galonan; to finish sanctifying the forest of Daer Taure to prevent another tragedy such as what occurred to Timbrethinil; and to carefully nurture the strength for a counterattack upon the Death Lords that remain at Valinatal and Eluriand.

Key Personages: Lady General Nalith Celiniel, High Bladesinger; Amroth Ancalimon, Headmaster of Ost’Dagorlin; Elwing Tasartir, Ranger Lord.

-- Nieninque (The Snowdrops) --

The events surrounding the siege of Eluriand and the demise of many of the High Bard Council in its defence, along with the withdrawal to Tirinost, meant that much of the eastern coast of Raiaera was left to fend for itself in its time of need. With the Council of Anebrilith incapacitated, it was up to the Princes of Tor Elythis to take command of the eastern armies and to attempt to salvage the situation as best possible. Less jaded and not as war-weary as their western comrades, their armies are centred around the Silverwind of Tor Elythis and what irregulars have joined their cause in striking back at Xem’zund.

The main concern of High Prince Orodreth Telperien, Lord Commander of Tor Elythis, has been to prevent Xem’zund from cutting off his beleaguered ports and to buy enough time for the remaining refugees to escape from Raiaera. Striking back has been less of a concern as defending what little remains available to him and attempting to restore order in Anebrilith, but some of his subordinates have decided to take matters into their own hands.

Key Personages: High Prince Orodreth Telperien, Lord Commander of Tor Elythis; Prince Turgon Elanesse, Commander of the Silverwind; Prince Elrohir Felagund, Commander of the Skyknights; Lord Arminas Ereinon, Commander of the Legion of Light.

-- Guina (The Undead) --

Xem’zund’s forces have been slowed by the onset of winter and numerous setbacks to their command structure, notably the wounding of Xem’zund at the Day of Untold Agony, the destruction of the Obsidian Spire, and the systematic elimination of various Death Lords by determined warriors of the resistance. On the other hand, many still remain of the Forgotten One’s lieutenants, eager to replace those who fell before them and reap the rewards of their position. With the completion of a new Obsidian Spire amongst the plains of Narenhad, it seems only a matter of time before the legions of undeath renew their offensive…

The forces of Xem’zund have a single objective – the destruction and elimination of all life within Raiaera. Their methodology is unquestioned; genocidal destruction of cities, wholesale corruption of forests, the use of plagues and assassination to bring about their goal, anything and everything is allowed and indeed encouraged

Key Personages: The Forgotten One, Xem’zund; Death Lord Roszen Kaverre, Commander of the Siege of Anebrilith; Death Lord Aleran Korgoth, Commander of the Siege of Eluriand; Death Lord Crovax, Commander of the Siege of Galonan; Death Lord Be’lakor Nemaides, Lord of Narenhad; Death Lord Maeril Thyrrian, Lord of Carnelost

-- Tel’gothrim (The Dark Elves) --

Little more than shadows of a rumour indicate that the Dark Elf presence in Raiaera has increased markedly within the past few months, taking great advantage of the fall of Valinatal and the cessation of regular patrols through the Niadath Pass. It is said that they are paying close attention to the lay of the land and to the disposition of various forces both undead and Raiaeran, as well as displaying a keen interest in whatever battles they may chance upon. Their motives remain shrouded in shadow, but a disquieting fact remains… of those refugees that fled across the Twilight Peaks into Alerar, not a single word has been heard…

Key Personages: None at this time.

-- Naugrim (The Dwarves) --

The Dwarves have never played an active role in the politics of Raiaera, preferring to keep to their mountain holds and reap the profits of their lucrative trade in raw metals and smithing. Events, however, have conspired to draw them ever deeper into the happenings of the present day, and it is said that deep within the halls of the Mountains of Dusk and the Emyn Naug, the Naugrim gird themselves for war. For if Raiaera were to fall, what would happen to their trade?

Key Personages: Azaghan Gunn, High King of Gunnbad.

-- Edain (The Men) --

The race of men suffered terribly at the hands of Xem’zund. Lacking the innate resistance to plague and pestilence possessed by the Elven race, their numbers fell swiftly in the opening weeks of the war, only to swell the very undead hordes that decimated them. Now that the cold winter has eliminated much of the disease, small pockets of men have now re-emerged into the battlefield, notably in the defence of New Aurient and in the band of Scarabrian volunteers known as the Legion of Light. Whether or not enough of them remain to make a difference, however, is unknown.

Key Personages: Argurios Tiberius, Consul of Keldagrim.

[Flames of Hyperion]

– Accreditations –

The scribe of this tome would like to humbly thank two personages for their invaluable knowledge and writings that have formed the basis of his own:

Findelfin ap Fingolfin, Diadem of Telendor Nauvarin,

&

Caden Law, Wizard Blueraven

The scribe would also like to acknowledge the following manuscripts for their contribution, whether direct or indirect, real or imagined.

Arkakroth’s Cross Continent Travel Journal & People I’d Like to Bludgeon
Elralad Calil-Galdor’s The History of Raiaera
Elralad Calil-Galdor’s Living Voices (Raiaeran History through Story and Song)
Quentin Kerr’s Raiaera Today
Cael Strandssen’s Rough Guide to Fallien, 1st Ed.