Annwyth

The isle of Annwyth is located in the western hemisphere of Alatoria, adrift in the Endless Sea. Shrouded in a mysterious Elven covenant that prevents any from reaching the island unless satisfying the requirements of an ancient 'curse', the island is the homelands of the ancient Fae and Dark Fae, and their descendants, the Elves and Darkbloods respectively. It was once connected to the human lands by the Old Way, a bridge that has been sealed by a pact between two long-dead monarchs and no longer functions as a true gateway to the island. A wild place full of magic and high strangeness, Annwyth is often destabilizing to those who did not grow up there. It is not unusual to witness trees taller than towers, twisted landscapes, floating cliffs or waterfalls that flow in reverse, and there are places on the isle where gravity itself strains to work, especially close to the Fairmounts. Reality is more stable in and around Tirna, the only city on the island and the ancestral home of the Annwythi Elves. Annwyth is ruled by the Mastery, a coterie of Elven sorcerers who themselves are overseen by the most powerful of their ranks, who then takes the title of Master of Annwyth. As Elves are so long-lived, the island might be ruled by one Master for up to half a millennia unbroken. Annwyth's Master has the right to decree any law or governance they desire, and any Master who follows them is free to overturn the precedence set before them. For the most part, individual settlements and family groups tend to govern themselves. In order to pass to Annwyth as a person with no Elven blood, one must be invited to the island by an Elf. There is no official saying nor ritual to do this, and the invitation may even be implicit to work. Without one, you will never reach Annwyth's shores and will be lost or turned around in a strange fog permeating the island's perimeter. This quirk of Annwyth has led to many legends and fables trying to understand why this is so. And, thanks to the fantastical and mythical nature of the island, it is the subject of much external conjecture. Outsiders argue on the exact dimensions or geography of Annwyth, and the natives are in no hurry to correct them. Some view the island as a source of terror, due to its seeming unknowable nature, and do their best to avoid it. There are a thousand tales of Annwyth and its people, painting the island as a poisoned paradise, or a place where you will be tricked into entering and never permitted to leave. Also close in proximity is the Veiled Isles, which, according to legend, used to be part of Annwyth before being broken away from the main landmass eons ago through powerful, old magic. The Endless Sea provides a buffer for Annwyth from other powerful nations, such as the Fothonian Empire.

Geography

The geography of Annwyth is chaotic, to say the least, though at least it is consistent in its chaos. The island is very temperate, never experiencing snow or even a chill, and has a very pleasant climate for the native folk. A great river flows the length of the island, starting in the north at the Fairmounts winding south, and passes through the lake at the Merwyld, flowing all the way to the capital city of Tirna in the south of the island. Even those who've lived on Annwyth all their lives agree that the island itself seems subject to change, as landscapes seem to shift and alter themselves on unknown whims. This is not as noticeable near Tirna, but the further out one ventures from civilization, the more evident the changes become as the island seems to reshape itself around you or is subtly influenced by your subconscious; For example, after travelling deep into the wilds of Annwyth, familiar landscapes from your childhood may begin to emerge and disappear as the island seems to seep into every part of you. For the most part, however, Annwyth is consistent in being thickly-forested, with leafy greens and with relatively flat terrain. The Fairmounts are the exception to the rolling forests of the island, as the trees turn coniferous and unexplained natural phenomena increases. The Fairmounts themselves are a range of snow-capped peaks to the north, with endless systems of caves beneath them where the Darkbloods live. The strange sightings of levitating boulders, wrong-flowing water, weak gravity and caverns with looping chambers are clustered around the Fairmounts, and are tread lightly even by those born to Annwyth as it is far too easy to lose oneself there. Darkbloods, however, are perfectly comfortable in these abnormal conditions and have even come to understand them.

Localized Phenomena

Annwyth, due to the highly-disordered nature of its existence on Alatoria, is an undeniable nexus of magic. Sorcerers and wizards of all classes and schools find their magic enhanced on the island, and Elven covenants formed on Annwyth are far stronger and can be very long-lasting. The most infamous of the phenomena associated with the island is without a doubt the 'curse'. The origins of the specific ancient spell or enchantment cast on Annwyth is lost to time, though there are countless legends and myths written and spoken of that claim any number of reasons for this particular strangeness. Most commonly, it is attributed to the Fae. Whatever the origin of it, the island is cloaked in a powerful, misty magic that will repel any non-Elven visitor to Annwyth unless they are invited to the island by an Elf. The Endless Sea that surrounds the island becomes truly endless under these circumstances, as ships that sail in without an Elven invitation find themselves turned around and returning to their own shores inexplicably. Traders, as a result, tend to employ at least one Elf so they and their crew might always have a way to visit the Elven homeland should it be needed. There is also the mirage-like quality of the land the further one treads from the safety of Tirna. Fae magic still lingers in the most unknown parts of Annwyth, and it twists reality like one twists a ribbon, curling it in on itself and rendering it almost unrecognizable. Landscapes change frequently, hills shifting positions and trees sprouting out of nowhere. The bizarreness of the island's wildlands is well-known and well-feared. Though not necessarily localized to Annwyth, the Kindred Bond is also heavily associated with the island, as it manifests more frequently in Elves living on or from Annwyth than it does in Elves living elsewhere.

Fauna & Flora

Elves of all sort are found on Annwyth, as it expected; High Elves, like the Annwythi Elves, but also Low Elves, like the Mer in the Merwyld and countless other, more animalistic species classified as descendants of the Fae and Dark Fae. What Humans might call 'monsters' dwell here too, and there are hundreds of different species living in the depths of Annwyth's wildlands, some no doubt never documented by explorers or scholars.

Natural Resources

Wood, stone, and rare gems from beneath the Fairmounts are the primary natural resources found on Annwyth, along with many exotic fish roaming the shores. This bounty of wealth is rarely touched by the Elves, however, who prefer to rely on their rare craftsmanship and talents to fuel their economy versus exploiting their dangerous homeland. Not only are they leery to disturb the natural flow of the island, fearful of the magic it might bring down upon them, the shifting landscapes of Annwyth from beyond Tirna's walls mean that there is little promise that something like a mine or a farm would still be there in a week, a day, or even a few hours.

History

Annwyth is believed to be the place where the oldest vestiges of life began, long before Humans arrived on Alatoria. The Fae and Dark Fae ruled the island with their godlike powers, shaping it to their liking and taking pleasure in destroying that which did not amuse them. The warped nature of the island is attributed to this frivolous use of magic, old spells thrown away like trash and seeping into the land The city of Tirna was constructed by the Fae to be a shining center of their hedonism, and the strange curse placed on the island to keep those not of their blood away ensured they were safe in their paradise. Dark Fae settled in the Fairmounts, their magic destabilizing existence around them, though it never bothered them so. When Humanity fell to Alatoria and began to settle across the world, some were naturally curious of Annwyth, the strange island spoken of but never seen by mortal eyes. It did not take long, however, for some to be invited there by Fae, curious of what to make of these strange, foreign peoples. Humans enchanted them with their charisma and strong wills, which seemed to run in antithesis to the Fae's flippant, almost forgetful lifestyle, and the island welcomed these newcomers boldly. Before long, Elves and Darkbloods were born of their un-natural unions, walking the land with a foot in both worlds. Over thousands of years Elves became refined as a species and were soon the dominant people of Annwyth, and ruled from the city of Tirna like their forbearers did. The Fae and Dark Fae, realizing their time was waning, retreated into the deepest parts of Annwyth, where they dwelled until their eventual demises. The Annwythi Elves therefore considered themselves the true heirs to the Fae's legacy, and maintain a grip on the island to this day. Now, Annwyth is viewed as a dangerous curiousity. The Kingdom of Tenebron maintains the most friendliest relations with the island, even if the Old Way was long-sealed by their ancestors, and the existence of Tenebronian Elves points to this historical relationship.