Council of Old Yudath
The Council of Old Yudath is the ruling council of elves that governs the Woods of Old Yudath, a forest in Dreonica.
Structure
The Woods of Old Yudath are run by a council of nine elders, these elves wielding absolute control and power over the country. Every few centuries, a member of the council will seek an elf child to take on as a ward, teaching them and raising them to be their eventual replacement. These families are rewarded with increased social standing, power, etc, and automatically join the ranks of the nobility.
The Woods are run by a council of elders, who wield absolute control over the populace. Each member of the council is given the duty to pick their own successor. When the council member dies, their appointed successor will take their place on the council. When a member of the council decides it is time to appoint their successor, custom dictates that they choose a young elf, and take the elf under their tutelage. The elder will teach the younger elf, grooming them for the responsibility they will eventually assume.
In the rare case of a councilmember dying without an appointed successor, or a council member dying and their successor being unable to accept the responsibility (usually because they are also dead), the other council members will appoint someone to the role.
The families of chosen future council members always are granted nobility, and generally keep it after their council member passes on. Much of the elven nobility can trace back at least one, if not multiple ancestors to the Ruling Council.
Public Agenda
Social hierarchy
- The Ruling Council of Elders
- The Nobility - Nobility is determined by family name, wealth, influence, and most importantly: The Ruling Council. The ruling council has the ability to make or break a family's noble status. Most of the families of former council members are amongst the nobility.
- Common Wood Elves - The common wood elves make up the bulk of the population. Most of these elves are skilled laborers, or soldiers. Some may own smaller trading operations, or work for a noble family.
- Other purebred Elves - These are very rare, as most elves from outside the Woods do not visit, much less choose to stay.
- Half-Elves - Specifically bred from a male elf mating with a human female (the reverse is unheard of, and would likely get the elf banished and the human killed), half-elves are ripped from their mothers arms after their birth, whisked away back to the woods to be raised among the father's family. Half-Elves mostly live outside the Woods, though they can come and go without trouble. Half-Elves are bred to go out into the human lands and be the representatives of their elven family in matters of business, so that the "real" elves do not have to mingle with humans unnecessarily.
- Non-Elves - Non-Elves make up the slave class of the Woods. Mostly imported from other countries (The Woods will buy prisoners and other malcontents from just about anyone), these slaves are not treated like people, and are used for hard labor in the farms and the mines of the kingdom.
Assets
Despite being openly cold to their neighbors, the Woods enjoy a lucrative business in exporting lumber and other finely made wood products. Products made of Yudathian wood seem to last longer and are stronger than traditional wood. They are also able to undercut most other wood operations in the region, making them the largest source of wood for the countries bordering them, as well as the independent cities across The Lake of Salt. The only acception is The Bulrak Mountains, which refuses to do any trade with The Woods. Given that The Bulrak Mountains are in the middle of an undead wasteland, this doesn't bother the elves too much.
The primary import for The Woods is people. They will take prisoners and undesirables that other countries do not want and enslave them in the Woods, using them as a cheap labor class.
History
3000 BYD: The Woods of Old Yudath were founded by Wood Elves refugees who fled the destruction of their world, Yudath, at the hands of the Drow and The Black King. They claim the entire forest as theirs.
2950 BYD: The Council of Elders rejects an envoy sent from the Kingdom of Samblar, informing them they do not wish to open up relations and that any interference in The Woods would carry a high price.
800 BYD: Daeron Havidhill, an elf wizard being groomed for the Council, abandons his position and is never seen in the woods again. The Council declares him exiled after the fact.
581 BYD: The Council briefly goes to war with the newly formed Kingdom of Dhalmass. Sanctuary and Zepolaleuis quickly form an alliance with the Dhalmass, and the four countries experience a few minor skirmishes on their borders. After learning of the strength of the human force and determining the potential losses to be unacceptable, they sign a treaty and form borders with the nations. The Wood Elves cut down a mile wide gap across their borders, separating their forest from the other countries forests.
435 BYD: The city of Teramund appears on the other side of The Lake of Salt. Yudath attempts to trade with the city, but their ships burned and their sailors killed. The Woods of Old Yudath enter into an unlikely alliance with The Kingdom of Dhalmass and the dwarves of The Bulrak Mountains, as invaders spill out of Teramund and invade all their countries. This is known as The War of the Three Kingdoms
430 BYD: The War of the Three Kingdoms ends. The combined forces of the dwarves, elves, and humans prove too much for Teramund. The city recalls all of its troops and signs a peace treaty, agreeing to honor their borders. As part of this treaty, Teramund is allowed to exist as an independent city-state.
The Year of Darkness: The Woods see an increase in the killings of non-elf trespassers, as people flee into their woods to escape the undead hordes. In the interest of the common good, the Council suspends the law ordering the death of non-elf trespassers, instead allowing them to be captured like animals and forced into a lifetime of slavery. These people are not freed after the darkness goes away, though the law on killing trespassers is implemented again.
Location
Controlled Territories
Neighboring Nations
Comments