Эретор: Миралиин

Миралиин

The Miraleen, or “sea wood,” is the region of central Erethor that borders on the western coast of Eredane. The forest in this region is dominated by sycamore, cypress, and sea willow and interspersed with swamps, salt marshes, and tidal rivers. The Itheris River borders the very north of the region, forming a large delta that supports a verdant bayou that is impassible without small boats and a good knowledge of the area. The coast itself is dominated by mangrove forests, supporting a unique combination of sylvan and marine ecologies. Much of the coast is broken up into countless tiny keys forming sheltered archipelagos around a few larger, dominant islands. On its southern border, the Miraleen transitions into the Aruun, where it becomes a wet tropical rainforest.
Warm coastal currents from the south moderate the Miraleen’s climate, giving it subtropical weather despite the temperate climate of the Caraheen to the east. Rainfall is high but seasonal, with most of the year’s rain coming in the spring and fall. The summers are hot and sunny with balmy southern breezes. The winters are sunny, too, but cooler and with increasingly frequent chilling gales that blow out of the northwest.

История

It is likely that elves settled the Miraleen shortly after they first came to the Caraheen. The mild climate and bountiful ecology would have been a boon to the subsistence lifestyle of the elven ancestors. For thousands of years, the region remained only a collection of isolated villages. As elvenkind developed its arcane talents, however, its people were able to build larger ships and to master the skills that would eventually allow them to trade all along the coast of Eredane and with other lands far across the open ocean.
During the earliest years of the First Age, the harbor settlement of Alloduan grew into a large and cosmopolitan city that rivaled Caradul economically and culturally. Trade with the foreign lands of Palonia and Fasimir, of Sassima and Sarcosa, brought new peoples and customs as well as valuable goods to Erethor, and Alloduan benefited as the center for their distribution.
With the first coming of Izrador, however, trade with those foreign lands began to suffer. Foreign lands feared to attract the attention of this fabled fallen god, and the Miraleen were driven by Aradil to travel ever farther on the open seas in search of potential allies or even, should the need arise, new homes. Exploration received priority over mercantilism. The crews of countless Miraleen ships were lost to the dangers of storm, starvation, aquatic monsters, and violence at the hands of pirates. Still, Alloduan remained a cosmopolitan place and a bustling port, for though most of the elves spent less energy on trade, some among the Miraleen and the foreign merchants were still hungry for wealth and cultural exchange.
The trend that began with the first war against Izrador was compounded ten times over with his second rise. That decades-long conflict taxed the resources of all the elves, even the removed seafarers. All the timber, magic, foodstuffs, and finished goods that could be spared went to the war effort rather than to the ports, and all the Miraleen who could fight were sent north to war. By the time Izrador was vanquished at the end of the Second Age, the seafaring tradition of the Miraleen was all but extinct. The Miraleen had lost so many in the war that their lust for danger and excitement, even that offered by long sea voyages, had faded. They became an isolated, even insular people, content to sail their coastal skiffs, fish the warm waters of their mangrove forests, and dive among the ruins that were being rediscovered in the seas off the coast.
All the while, a few spirited sea elves maintained the skills and epic goals of their forebears. Their eyes were always on the horizon, their hands always at work mending sails, making rope, or repairing the few deep sea sailing vessels that still berthed at Alloduan. Soon, however, these too would be gone. At the end of the Third Age, in the shadow of a conquering Izrador, Aradil ordered a desperate gambit. She ordered the Council of the Throne to choose their three thousand most skilled, experienced, and courageous sailors, leaders, builders, and providers, and send them off in the stoutest ships as colonists to new lands. They were to carry elven ways with them to new forests and establish colonies there. They were then to send back ships to bring others to these distant outposts, thereby preserving the traditions of Erethor in case the worst were to befall the elves and Izrador conquered the Great Forest. The court scribes call this event the Exodus, and though one hundred years is not all that long in the life of an elf, many are beginning to wonder at the fate of the colonists, as no colony ships have yet returned. Many feel that these were the heart of the people of the Miraleen, and that, if lost, they will have made the greatest sacrifice of all the wars without even taking up arms.
In the past century, the size and significance of Alloduan has declined significantly. The fall of Erenland to Izrador’s armies choked off nearly all of the remaining coastal trade routes, the Exodus and war effort greatly reduced the number of ships available for trade, and the foreign powers that once sent flotillas to Eredane seem to be kept at bay—whether by fear or by the machinations of Izrador, no one knows. Much of the city and harbor now lie empty and unused.
Today, most of the Miraleen has reverted to the ancient traditions of small village life and subsistence fishing. Trade with the Caraheen is common, but what oceangoing ships remain are now reserved for smuggling and transportation for the war effort.

Население

The Miransil, or “sea elfkin” are similar to their other elven cousins, though their skin tends to be darker and more weathered from the salt and sun, and always has a faint sheen as if slightly wet. Before the decline in overseas trade, many merchants, craftspeople, and channelers from central Erethor also lived along the southern coast, but most have since returned to the Caraheen. During the height of ocean trade, many foreigners visited and resided in the Miraleen, and especially in Alloduan. As trade diminished and their own homelands’ ships came to Eredane less often, most of these peoples left. Those who stayed did so for personal reasons or because they were abandoned when ships from their nations stopped coming without warning.
With the Exodus and the migration eastward to fight in or otherwise support the war against the Shadow, the population of the Miraleen has dropped significantly, and many settlements are virtually abandoned. Only about fifty thousand Miransil still live in the Miraleen, along with perhaps five thousand elves from other parts of Erethor and roughly two thousand southern Erenlanders and other foreigners, most of them war refugees.
Though most of the foreigners from overseas abandoned in the Miraleen remain there, many—especially their descendants—have struck out to other parts of Eredane, either in a desperate gamble to find a way home or simply out of resigned curiosity.

Поселения

The Miraleen has the greatest diversity of settlements of any of the elven woods. The few towns and villages not on the coast are traditional elven tree settlements but are relatively small and lack any defenses. Their host trees are generally smaller than those in the Caraheen, so they tend to be lower to the ground and simpler in design.
Villages on the coast are usually built on the exposed prop roots of giant mangrove trees. These roots arch out from the base of the trees, suspending the huge boles in the air before plunging into the mud of the seafloor. These roots hold the tree trunks up out of the water and provide sheltered moorings underneath for small fishing boats and swamp canoes. The roots and branches are carefully magicked into platforms like those of the homewood trees of the Caraheen, but most of the buildings are wall-less shelters formed with roofs of massive, interwoven, living mangrove leaves. Interconnecting bridges are uncommon in these villages, as residents move from tree to tree by diving into the water, swimming to the next tree, and climbing up ladderlike hand-and-foot holds formed in the tall prop roots. Narrow channels snake among the root systems, leading to other villages, fishing and hunting grounds, or the open sea.
Larger coastal settlements like Alloduan are built around natural harbors with deep, wide channels to the open sea. They still take advantage of the prop roots of the giant mangroves, but they also feature many ground structures. These are built on exposed rock or suspended above the water on prop-root pilings cut from their parent trees or built from blocks of coral stone quarried from coastal islands. These ground structures are nontraditional wood and coralstone buildings that are a legacy of a thousand years of foreign trade. These sites typically have complex webs of docks, walkways, and suspended bridges interconnecting the various collections of ground-borne and tree-borne districts that ring the harbors, making them confusing places for any visitors.
Perhaps as many as half of the smaller Miransil villages and several of the larger towns are not on the shore of Eredane at all. Instead, they are scattered among the islands that abound along the coast. Most such villages are sheltered on the lee shores of their islands and built in the traditional style. Many stand above or within the vast scatter of ancient ruins known commonly as the City of the Sea, where they take advantage of the few stone quays, bridges, towers, and seawalls that still stand.

Язык

The Miransil speak High Elven with a slight singsong lilt that cannot really be called an accent. They also use many maritime and ocean-related colloquialisms that are unique to their region. Over the centuries, they have included the odd word or slang term from foreign tongues visitors have brought to the Miraleen, and this frequently confuses speakers of traditional High Elven.

Правительство

The smaller villages of the Miraleen are most often inhabited by only two or three extended family groups. Each family is governed by the eldest blood relative. These elders for each family together administer the village, and though feuds and shouting matches are common, they are considered the natural way of working out compromises.
The larger cities were once governed by trade assemblies that consisted of representatives from the major merchant houses. The assemblies were responsible for daily administrative tasks as well as for developing trade agreements and treaties with foreign merchants. When the merchant trade collapsed, so did this practice, and now the larger settlements that remain depend on a traditional elven council of elders chosen from the population for their intelligence and experience.

Религия

The Miransil are perhaps even more sensitive to the presence of powerful spirits in the world around them than their inland cousins, as the sea is a chaotic and temperamental reminder of the forces of nature. As a consequence, the sea elves spend even more effort than most elves trying to earn the favor of benign spirits while working to protect themselves from the wrath of the malevolent.

Baalu

The Miransil believe that Baalu is one of the most powerful entities in the ocean and typically takes the form of a great whale. The sea elves pay homage to Baalu at the start of every fishing trip by releasing their first catch of the day from their nets. When seeking special boons, individuals often swim far out from shore and tread water for several hours at a time, demonstrating their trust and faith in the great sea spirit’s protection.

Kaaktu

Kaaktu is an evil demon who is somehow related to Baalu, and most simply think of the two as brothers. The stories say they became enemies when the fall of Izrador trapped them on Aryth. Baalu opposed the fallen god, but Kaaktu wished to serve him. The legends say the two have fought over the islands off Erethor ever since, and that the frequent storms are the results of their constant battle. Kaaktu is said to commonly take the form of a massive octopus. At the beginning of every summer, the fishers of a Miransil village dab the hull of a small boat with blood drawn from each member of the settlement and fill the boat with manikins made of sedge grass and dressed in old clothes. They then send the boat out to the open ocean on the ebb tide as a lure to draw Kaaktu away from their village.

Seedra

The seedra are chaotic, spritelike spirits who reside in ocean waves. They can be playful and are generally harmless, but sometimes their whim can cause a boat to capsize, swamp, or run aground. To prevent such unlucky mishaps, the Miransil paint the hulls of their boats with fanciful colors to distract the seedra from troubling them.

Торговля и ремесло

With the decline of the sea trade, even the people of the larger settlements of the Miraleen have reverted to subsistence lifestyles. They fish and hunt for themselves and make most of the mundane items they require. They do continue to trade dried fish and alchemical ingredients with the Caransil in exchange for things like hearthstones and steel tools. They are still master boat builders, and many Miransil shipwrights now work in Caradul building riverboats to support the war effort. The strangest wares that come from the Miraleen are not actually made by the sea elves at all. Instead they are artifacts found during the seasonal dive— hunts in the underwater ruins of the City of the Sea. The exposed and shallow ruins of the ancient city were scoured clean of objects of interest or value a thousand years ago. Now the only artifacts that remain are hidden in the halls and chambers of only the very deepest underwater ruins. Twice each year, for only a few days, the tides are low enough that the best divers can reach these deep ruins. The work is dangerous because of the extreme depth and the various creatures and spirits that reside in the ruins, but the rewards can be great. The scholars and wizards of Caradul pay high premiums for any unique or magical artifacts the divers can find. Studying these objects, they have learned many historical and magical secrets from the time of the Lost Gods.

Пути и традиции

Just as the Caransil are people of the forest, the Miransil are a people of the sea. Their lives are governed by the cycles of tides, and the currents bring them the food they eat. The waves guide their boats, and the ocean wind is a friend. They are practically born in the water and can swim before they can walk. They can read the moods of the sea like those of a lover, and they know both the beauty and dangers that dwell there. Though the ocean has no Whisper, many sea-wizened elves claim its waters speak to them nonetheless.

Souls in the Sea

The Miransil are of the sea, and rarely do they offer their dead to the Whispering Wood. Instead, sea elf dead are offered in a sort of homage to the spirits of the deep. When a sea elf dies, their body is wrapped in cords and weighted with a block of coral stone. The body is then taken out over deep water and dropped into an ebb tide. The body sinks into the deep, where it is consumed by marine scavengers. This ritual frees the souls of the dead to swim forever as seedra in the open sea.

Против Тени

The Miraleen has yet to suffer direct assaults in the war with Izrador. Daily life in the Miraleen seems far removed from the advance of the Shadow, and it is often easy to forget the looming threat to Erethor. The orcs would have to take the Caraheen before they could invade coastal Erethor, or they would have to master ocean travel and naval warfare—skills for which they have so far demonstrated little aptitude. Still, the Miransil are not fools and know that if the heartland falls, so does the Miraleen, and so many of their people leave the coast to join the fighting in the east.

Ketrilio

Ketrilio is a young and brave sea captain. Her fleet of five ships makes daring runs to southern Erenland, smuggling magical trade goods from the Caraheen to exchange for weapons, information, and other items of value to the war effort. She has made dozens of successful voyages and has sunk many of the small boats the Shadow forces use to patrol the southern coast. Many think she is a brave hero. Others think she is a fool. None know that she is one of the Witch Queen’s secret avatars.

Pashiro

Pashiro is one of the oldest sea captains of the Miraleen and has sailed to more distant lands than any in recent memory. He is gray and has lost much of his strength, and though he is now too old to sail, his wisdom and experience in the ways of the sea are still solicited. He once served on the Council of the Throne, but that was years ago. He now simply likes to sit on the quays of Alloduan and watch the waves roll in. He claims they tell him stories about where they have been, and it is easy to believe he tells the truth.

Места и особенности

These are some notable features of the western Miraleen.

Alloduan

Alloduan is the largest city in the Miraleen and was once a great trading port, Erethor’s gateway to the sea. With the fall of Erenland and the associated collapse of foreign trade, Alloduan has seen a complete decline in both its influence and population. More than half the dwellings and structures in the city now stand empty and idle, and the town has reverted almost entirely to a subsistence economy. Its large harbor supports only a few small ships, and most of these have been turned to the war effort. The city’s population continues to dwindle as more and more young people head east to defend Erethor.

The City of the Sea

The City of the Sea is the name the Miransil have long used to describe the various ruins scattered on the shores and in the shallows around the islands of the Miraleen. The legends say that a great elthedar port city once stood in this place but was punished for some terrible transgression against the Lost Gods. The gods’ wrath destroyed the city, shattering the very ground on which it stood and forming the many islands of the region. The ruins then sank into the sea and were covered over by marine growths and time.
Countless tumbles of stone blocks, ancient pillars and quays, and even a few building foundations still stand exposed on the islands. The majority of the ruins, however, are under the water. In many places, piles of stone still rise above the surface at low tide, and fishers know where mostly intact buildings still sit on the seafloor.
The most accessible ruins were explored and pilfered long ago. Deeper sites can only be reached by expert divers when the tide is very low. During these few days each year, the normal village labors stop and a festival-like atmosphere takes over as the islanders join in dive-hunts for artifacts of the elder fey. The dive-hunts are a time of feasts and celebrations, but they are dangerous too. Every season, several divers never resurface, lost to marine predators or vicious sea demons residing in the ruins.

Islands of the Miraleen

The countless islands of the Miraleen are scattered like handfuls of emeralds along the coast. Many are inhabited, supporting elven villages large and small. Others are deserted, having never been tamed. The Isles of Ernan adjoin and extend the Miraleen, and have the greatest concentration of the now rare spirits of the true fey. The Archipelago of Eywulf is a seaward extension of the Aruun Rainforest, and it houses spirits of a far less benign temperament. Both take their names from their largest islands. The forests of Ernan conceal whole cities of towers untouched by time. Similarly, the rainforest on Eywulf contains the last fragments of demonic civilizations that rose and fell during the ages since the Sundering. The origins of the tall, coral-stone towers are lost to time. A few have long since toppled over or sunk into the sea, but many remain whole and intact, tempting explorers with their mystery. Whether because of their isolation or the attraction of their divine auras, many of these remaining towers are now home to powerful spirits, whether fey or outsider, helpful or malevolent.