Raiaera

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 has recently escaped the clutches of the Forgotten One Xem’zund, a powerful liche and necromantic demigod in waiting, and his legions of Death Lords and undead monstrosities, only to fall into the hands of the opportunistic Dark Elves of the Kingdom of Alerar. Their ancestral brethren and bitter enemies now occupy vast swaths of the southern countryside, while largely-leaderless undead still roam the Red Forest and the ruined city of Trenycë.

Raiaera
Capital	Eluriand
Form of Government	Meritocracy
Ruler(s)	Lady General Nalith Celiniel, High Bladesinger (Steward) Varalad Del Tirin, Cora'Lindstra of the High Bard Council (Missing)
Legal System	Kritarchy
Official Language(s)	High Elven
Population	Approximately 1 million (post-war)
Religious Type	Druidism
Literacy	92%
Technology level	Roughly Late Medieval
Major Imports	Meats. Fruits. Base Metal. Liquor.
Major Exports	Fine Wine/Art. Weapons. Armor.
Natural Resources	Lumber. Wheat. Potatoes. Ore.

Geography

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The Red Forest occupies nearly the entire southern half of the subcontinent, with forested land dotting the landscape in other places. A series of watchtowers -- all functioning as beacons -- guard the forest, and lumber villages are scattered on its edges. The plains of Raiaera make good places to raise horses. The main cities in Raiaera are noted here, and are (from east to west), Beinost, Eluriand, and Valinatal. Two more cities, not noted here, are New Aurient, on the coastline to the north, and Carnelost, occupying the entrance to the path towards the Obsidian Spire.

Located in a temperate zone, Raiaera gets a fairly good mix of sunshine and rain. The Red Forest in the south soaks up much of the rainfall, but there is generally enough left over to produce a crop large enough to feed the Elvish population. The staple of the Elvish diet is wheat and corn, but the land only rarely yields what could be called cash crops. The primary breadbasket of Raiaera comes from the plains directly to the south of Anebrilith, where the rains most often come in precisely the right increments. In the north of Raiaera, a potato-based diet is more common, as the growing season shortens significantly as elevation increases.

Raiaera is bounded on the north by a virtually impassable ridge of mountains known as the Tennaiglini, or Dagger Peaks. It is unsure whether these peaks connect into Salvar, or whether to the north is a frigid sea -- all attempt to explore that coastline end in disaster. To the west are the Ered Lomei, or Mountains of Dusk. In Alerar, these mountains are the Mountains of Dawn -- Ered Anoron. When speaking of these mountains as a piece, instead of from the perspective of either country, they are the Twilight Peaks, or Uialaglini.

To the east is the sea. Raiaera maintains a fairly bustling shipping industry, as the majority of its exports are refined or processed goods. As a result, the country must maintain a navy, but it is truly more of a merchant marine. It is almost solely defensive, and could not put up a real fight in any major naval skirmish. Only New Aurient remains as a primary shipping destination in Raiaera; Beinost is in a prime location for it, but too underpopulated to maintain the industry. With the current state of affairs in Raiaera, however, only emergency supplies come into the country via New Aurient, and almost nothing goes out.

There is a small mountain range directly west of Beinost. Barely even mountains, with a few solitary peaks here and there, this range is called the Emyn Naug, or "Dwarf Hills," and poses very little challenge to even an inexperienced adventurer. Beyond these lie the Black Desert, a strange place indeed. Rain falls on the Black Desert with as much frequency as any other part of Raiaera, yet still the land remains parched and dry, and strange things roam its silent sands. Why this is so is a mystery to even the wisest of elven scholars.

Cities & 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 (and the Dark Elf armies thereafter), 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.

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

Eluriand’s whereabouts are currently unknown, for it is location is within the territory of Dark Elf occupation, and even they steer clear of the hazardous wasteland that had become the capital’s countryside. Some say the city was transported to another dimension, and not even its ruins remain. Others say that a portal to an abysmal real was opened in a suicide attempt to destroy the undead that besieged it. None of these rumors can be confirmed until someone braves its once beautiful territory.

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 Ankhas 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. As the last of its brave defenders gambled everything on a swift strike at the heart of Xem’zund’s menace, the city itself teetered on a brink… would the first city of the High Elves survive, or would it descend helplessly into a madness more terrifying than death itself…

Anebrilith’s story had an unexpected ending. Caden Law, also known as the Wizard Blueraven, through extremely powerful magicks and divine dealings had the Old City of Anebrilith torn down to the last brick by an act of alchemy and necromancy the likes of which has not been seen in living memory; one that hopefully will not ever be seen again. What replaced Anebrilith was the city of Beinost, a literal ghost-town formed from the ashes, ruins, corpses, and even the willing souls of the city that came before it.

Beinost

Beinost is a crescent-shaped wonder, its ends stretching out into the sea as part of an enormous harbor complex capable of docking up to fifty large ships with room to spare; even a shipyard all its own. It boasts a great wall nearly eighty feet high and thick enough to sport hallways, living quarters, and even supply stores at certain parts. Architecture closely resembles that of pre-War Eluriand with touches of Alerian and Salvic influences, assuming someone knows what they're looking for. Most of the city sports a dazzling color scheme of reds, purples, blues, and gold trim. The streets are cobblestone and brick, lined with sidewalks and enchanted lamps, and the entire city stands atop one of the most advanced sewer systems in the world -- all byproducts of how Beinost came into being. There is a certain eerie uniformity to the construction of houses and other small buildings in Beinost, but this can also be attributed to how the city was born.

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 was 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 had gone by the town became a hotbed for the resistance movement of the Wanderers in Starlight. It is from here that they gathered 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 sent an army to raze the town and annihilate everyone in it, and although brave hearts held the line still, the siege was slowly but surely taking its toll… until Xem’zund was defeated and his armies were severely weakened. Golonan stands as one of the only Raiaeran cities to survive both the Corpse War and the Dark Elven invasion thereafter.

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 had 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 had long since been sent away, were flocking there in ever greater numbers. The councillors feared that it is only a matter of time before the town becomes a second Anebrilith.

Much to their relief the great Necromancer was defeated and a sense of reprieve washed over the refugee ridden city. It was short lived as news of the Dark Elves came less than a week later. Veterans of the Corpse War and trainers from Tor Elythis saw great potential in the city’s resources and newly swelled population, and descended upon the town to begin training. A new cavalry is being developed here.

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.

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.

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 was from this darkest of towers that the great necromancer Xem’zund extended his reach across Raiaera, and was from this tower where all his evil and corruption originated.

A daring attack managed to bring this evil place crashing to the ground, and Xem’zund’s plans were thwarted for the time being while his followers rushed 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 had indeed waned, it had not completely disappeared.

Demographics

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.

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 its lumber. Horses are another primary export of Raiaera; Raiaeran breeds are high-quality and 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 upperclass 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. Hard liquor, primarily to serve the Trenycë area, is also imported, generally at a steep price, from Alerar.

The currency of Raiaera is the Raiaeran Mark. Made of mythril, marks 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.

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. She granted the Raiaerans the benefit of resilience to disease at the creation.
• Galatirion, the Sky Father. He gave the Raiaerans the benefit of extended life, so as to taste part of the immortality of the heavens.
• Earlon, the Rain-Star. He 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. This star-god gave the gift of physical beauty and an appreciation of art to the Raiaerans.
• Cuarye, the Swift-Star, gave the gift of archery, bowmaking, 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.

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.

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.

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 decimated their ranks, however, and barely half a regiment is left, scattered about the realm. 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.

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.

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