Jui-Rae (jew-rye)

Written by jlficks

Jui-Rae. The Golden Forests. Land of beauty and gold. Majestic Sunfire Trees glow in the light of the day. Tall spires of magnificent Sunstone cities also capture the light contrasting quaint small and quaint forest towns. Rangers perch in the trees and treetop watchtowers and fortresses, arrows poised for any sign of trespassing Dark Elven raiders. Magically enchanted Flare Arrows flash in the night like gold lightning lighting up the land to spot any Unseen. Jui-Rae is home to the Quaelinari, the Light Elves, or just Elves as they are commonly referred to by the outside world. Unlike their mortal enemies, the Dark Elves, Light Elves are heavily involved in trade and at times frequent Western allies most notably Doljinaar. The eyes and ears of Elven marksman are legendary throughout the world, trained by the constant need to guard against those who walk Unseen.

Demography and Population

Jui-Rae is one of the two largest Elven kingdoms of all Covent. It is home to millions of Quaelinari. Light Elves are a diurnal people who live and adore the light of the sun. It is a completely forested kingdom and Elves are excellent woodsmen. Its population is comprised of mostly Elves, though it has a small population of westerners such as Men, Dwarves, Centaur, Fauns and other allies from the West. Elves also sometimes enslave Dark Elven prisoners of war. Jui-Rae has several tall Sunstone trade cities, including a Doljinaar port city built by its ally Doljinaar called Port Jishpektu. However, the beauty of even these grand cities pale when compared to the capital of Arynathia. Arynathia is said to be built of solid gold with a foundation of bloodstone. It is the seat of the throne and its location protected from outsiders. Any foreigner brought to Arynathia is blindfolded when visiting the capital, although most foreign trade is regulated to Palasera, Port Jishpektu and smaller towns on the northern borders.

The Elf Wars

The Light Elves have been at war with the Dark Elves of Jui-Sae for nearly two thousand years. The war has transcended generations of Elves, even despite their exceptionally long lifespan. The Elf Wars is a bitter and bloody conflict, causing massive casualties on both sides. The war has gone back and forth, but has now been fought to a bitter standstill. The war has been so devastating the two countries were forced to parley and write the Manarian Codes of War, to allow for short periods of peace and armistice so both kingdoms would not mutually collapse. The Elf Wars have raged for so long that many Elves do not recall the original cause of the war. The two Elven kingdoms were once united in the ancient united Elven kingdom of Manaria. Old Manaria was once ruled by the Silver Line, an Elf of mixed Light and Dark Elven blood, who united the two races, but war broke out between the two Elvish houses when the last Silver King died without an heir. High King Manar, the sixth, had been the last Silver King and now it is said he awoke from the grave and haunts the ruins of Manaria. It is said that every Elf who falls in the Elf Wars rises again in Old Manaria and the Last Silver King’s anger grows over the needless and endless war. Legends abound that if the war does not stop one day the Silver King will unleash his wrath, marching across the lands with his undead armies putting both kingdoms to the sword to end the age-old conflict forever. “If Elves cannot unit in life, they shall be united in death,” or so the old saying goes.

Territories

Jui-Rae’s borders lie in southeastern corner of Sylvane wedged between the black forests of Jui-Sae to the east and frontier land controlled by Doljinaar at Fort Wildeye to the north. Jui-Rae has near double the oceanfront of Jui-Sae, sharing not only part of the southern coast of the Haraglace, but the southern Ogolnuuk Ocean as well, although the Elves call this part of the sea the Majestearian in the Elvish Tongue, since Ogolnuuk is a Doelm name in origin. Jui-Rae doesn’t just have Dark Elves to worry about, but also the occasional raiding party of Doelms who at times slip past the Doljinn forts and try to raid northern Jui-Rae for bloodlust and plunder. The legendary tree city of Glorindel is instrumental in repelling this northern threat, while Ranger Pass, Fort Ralin and Fort Stalling are more important for creating a long line of defense against the constant war with the Dark Elves of Jui-Sae to the west. Just like Jui-Sae, Jui-Rae owns the southeastern half of the Ashwood, which was burnt out long ago in a clash of two Elven wizards who attained the Great Powers in a devasting duel of magic power during the height of the Elf Wars.

Military

Jui-Rae’s military is highly advanced, although certainly not as large as the human nation of Doljinaar. Elven architecture, fortifications and military have modern army advanced well into the iron age. The Elves have powerful magicians, enchanted weapons and siege engines. However, unlike Jui-Sae, Jui-Rae has a considerably sized navy and even large seafaring trade ships used in commerce with the West. Doljinaar also has a small presence in Jui-Rae to protect trade in Port Jishpektu, Palasera and the small town of Middletown near the northern border. Jui-Rae’s military numbers around 300,000 troops with all young males of fighting age required to serve as conscripts in the Elf Wars for decades. Given the devastating number of casualties in the war, Jui-Rae has been forced to widen the drafting age and is struggling to keep up with the unending demands of the constant war. Their army remains capable, but has been slowly bled out through a war of attrition but the same can be said of their mortal enemies the Dark Elves of Jui-Sae. However, both Elven kingdoms remain considerable military powers.

Religion

The Quaelinari worship the sun, who they revere as the sun goddess Dalinaria. The Quaelinari believe they came down to Covent from the sky and that they will ascend back up to Solnaria on the rays of the sun when they die. Elves equate the Great Feeding, a time when lava erupted and flowed over the entire world, to be the result of Dalinaria’s wrath for the nations losing faith in her healing light. Elvish magic schools of Sun Magic and Wood Magic are derived from their faith in the gods and their expertise in their forest kingdom. The heart of the Elven religion revolves around the Sun Temple in the small town of Delus, a half a day's journey southeast of the capital at Arynathia. Pilgrimages to Delus are a routine part of Elven society to pay reverence to Dalinaria. Countless rituals and ceremonies have been been based around the sun's rotation in the daily and seasonal cycles. It is said a jewel mounted atop the Sun Temples stores the light of their sun goddess and shines like a star even in the middle of the night.

Trade & Transport

Quaelinari are a somewhat private people, but have worked hard to incorporate trade into their lands. Light Elves see value in trade with the West, mostly with the human kingdom of Doljinaar and secondly with the Dwarven kingdom of Gildron. However, any day race is welcome in Jui-Rae and so smaller woodland peoples such as Fauns, Centaurs and sometimes even Trites can be found in Jui-Rae. As result, their naval and shipbuilding skills have greatly increased. Light Elves have also been known to be members of the human’s High Mage Order, which has increased their knowledge in foreign magics. One of the infamous Gates of Mindrasteral, a magic portal, has been erected near Port Jishpektu by the order further linking Jui-Rae to the West, although only members of the order are permitted passage. Regular Elves travel to Doljinaar via ship or take the long road down the winding Sunchild Chasm to East Falguard. Intermarriage has led to small populations of Half-Elves both in Jui-Rae and Doljinaar, though they are often subject to prejudice.