Alerar

Alerar (Al-uh-rar) is one of the major regions of Althanas and is also the largest.

Alerar
Capital	Ettermire
Form of Government	Aristocratic Monarchy
Ruler(s)	King Edari'axa, High Graf Schynius
Legal System	Private Law
Official Language(s)	Aleraran/Drow-Primary, Common-Secondary
Population	Approximately 16,000,000
Religious Type	Secular
Literacy	94%
Technology level	Early Industrial
Major Imports	Food, Textiles
Major Exports	Rare Metal, Ore, Manufactured Goods
Natural Resources	Rare Mineral/Ore, Coal

Geography

Alerar is a vast continent with very diverse landscapes. This will be a brief area by area overview of the continent.

To the north, Alerar shares it's border with Salvar. This is the mountainous region which contains Kachuk. There are a number of passes in these mountains which lead into Salvar, but none are easy as this is some of the harshest mountain terrain in all of Althanas.

Just to the south of these mountains is L' Renor Harlilen, or The Black Steppe. This is a mostly deserted region between the central plains and before the Kachuk Mountains.

To the east lie The Mountains of Dawn/Mountains of Twilight (depends on which side your on) and the border with Raiaera. These mountains are mostly easy to pass, mainly along the Valinatal Pass. In the northern reaches of these mountains where they merge with the Kachuk mountains also lies the portal to Haidia.

The southern and central regions comprise the Fields of Khu'fein, the large flatland that comprises the majority of Alerar's area. It is here in the south-center of the continent you can find Ettermire, the capital, and Etheria Port in the south, Alerar's only major port on it's limited southern coasts.

To the far west and southwest are yet more mountains, with the border to Antioch in the southwest. These mountains are entirely unpassable with the Tomb of Fallen Kings preventing passage into Antioch.

Demographics

Alerar has two dominant races, the Dark Elves, and the Dwarves. They both often call themselves the “Alerodias” which translates to “Aleraran” as their national identity is considered just as important as their racial identity. All citizens of the county, whether Dark Elf, Dwarf or even Human are encouraged to use this term. It is a term that shows loyalty to the nation.

The Dark Elves

The Dark Elves sometimes refer to themselves as “Sel Darthirii” or the “New Elves” in an effort to separate themselves from the Raiaerans. In Common tongue they will refer to themselves as Dark Elves or Aleraran Elves, but rarely will they call themselves Drow. This is not necessarily a pejorative term, but it is not considered politically correct. They also refuse to call Raiaeran Elves “High Elf” just as the Raiaeran Elves refuse to call them “New Elf”. Dark Elves compose about 75% of Alerar’s population.

The Dark Elves have pointed ears just like their Raiaeran cousins, but that’s where the similarities end. They are a hardier people than even the wood elves of Concordia. It is rumored that a Dark Elf’s potential muscle mass is almost as great as a Human’s although this is rarely seen. Their features are more rounded, and are considered somewhat exotic by other races. Their eye and hair color run the gamut of Human range but extend into the neon color range. Thick Dark Elf hair may be silver, and far seeing eyes may be neon green.

Their skin pigmentation is by far their most notable feature, and stems from their common ability to quickly accumulate melanin to cope with the harsh sun of their humid subtropical climate, and their ability to absorb the ash and soot of their highly polluted urban areas. The majority of Dark Elves pigmentation ranges from olive to an almost pitch black cocoa. This being said, there are Dark Elves with skin just as pale as a High Elf’s, and the stereotypical ashen skinned, silver haired, wiry lurker of the darkness does exist, but is a rarity. This distinctive and intimidating image is easy for uneducated foreigners to feed off of, and it is an easy target of Raiaeran propaganda.

The Dark Elves’ life expectancy is significantly shorter than that of the Raiaerans’, ranging from 3900 to around 4000 years. Aleraran Alchemists posit that this isn’t because the Raiaeran Elves’ Song Magic extends their lives, but because the pollution from their technology shortens their own. Unlike the Raiaeran’s, Dark Elves that reach the end of their lives end them surprisingly peacefully by going to sleep and not waking up again. They are buried with ceremonies much like a Human’s, but without the coffin, as discovery of the decomposition process in nature has led Alerarans to believe that contributing one’s body back to the land will contribute to future generations.

The Dwarves

Dwarves, although present in small numbers around all of the known world are most present and acknowledged here in Alerar. They refer to themselves as the “Khazad” which translates directly to their namesake in common. They compose about 15% of the population.

Short, gruff, stocky, unkempt; the dwarves are the butt of almost every racial joke. Simply take a Human, stretch its width an extra shoulder length, compact its height two to three feet, and add a stone of muscle or fat, and you have a Dwarf. Their voices are just as gruff as their appearance.

Humans

Man and other sentient species compose the rest of Alerar's population.