Astrithyr
Gateway to the Feywild
Astrithyr, realm of the High Elves, lies at the heart of a great forest. Long ago this forest extended all the way to the east and southern coast but much of that land was eventually taken by human invaders. The High Court of Astrithyr is one of the oldest kingdoms in all of E’ahna, if not the oldest, though it has gone through many changes and families over the course of its history. This forest has a very close connection with the feywild- the veil here is extraordinarily thin and it is not incredibly difficult to pass over. Many do by accident every day- both to and from. If one is looking to stay in the prime material plane they are cautioned never to walk the woods at twilight as this is when most of these rifts open. The sheer number of fey crossings has given the region the name "The Fey Gate". It is believed that this forest originated in the feywild and grew through one of these rifts and keeps the two connected very literally. It was from here that elves crossed over into E’ahna, decided to stay, and established their own court. The culture that grew here was deeply rooted in aristocracy and hierarchy, similar to the feywild, as well as a love of the finer things. Many other fey creatures, such as Centaur, Satyrs, Fairies, Rabbit folk, etc have made their way here and some live within the magnificent high elf cities.
Inhabitants
The population of Astrithyr is mostly fey creatures and elves, though one can also find forest gnome and firbolg communities. Though the elvish towns and roads are relatively safe, goblins and gnolls still lurk in the deepest parts of the forest. There are some humans, halflings, and gnomes who may choose to live among the elves for one reason or another, but they are very much treated as second class citizens unless they are very wealthy or very talented in some area. Even half-elves are condescended to, and this is why the majority of them end up leaving for Kardath. Some may choose to come here looking to study under the Diviners of the Infinite Stars or train with the Order of the Divine Martyr and some wish to learn at the most prestigious magical academy in the world. For this they are willing to tolerate the haughty attitudes of the high elves.A Love of Magic
Not long after their arrival, the elves of Astrithyr learned arcane magic from dragons and came to revere it as the ultimate art and most pure form of power. They built much of their culture around arcane talents, and they built the first, the oldest, and the most prestigious magical academy of the world- The Arcane Academy of Astrithyr. They held onto these gifts for thousands of years, unwilling to bequeath knowledge of it to idiotic and dangerous humans or others. Humans ultimately learned the skill from the dragonborn instead, to their great dismay. Eventually (as in very recently) they allowed extremely gifted non-elves to learn among their finest as well in the hallowed halls of the Academy. Not all elves approved of the worshipful regard for magic that emerged over the centuries. Some sects of elves emerged that had come to abhor this magic obsession and its tendency to sow corruption. They preferred the druidic arts, the oldest form of natural magic long-known to the fey. These elves left their homeland and established tribes and clans in place of corrupt courts (the largest being Shora and Melifera). Astrithyr does still have a few druid circles who remain, but they consider themselves to be separate entities from the kingdom. One druid circle, one of the largest ones, acts as a begrudging advisory council to the queen- if not just as a form of damage control. This is not to say these elves only worship magic (though the deity of magic Vundath and the god of knowledge Izumir are some of the most popular). They are also still classically worshipful of Elyra and Arthfael, the major twin deities of nature as well as Sinarah, the goddess of death and Ceralae, the goddess of creation and destiny. To ignore any of them would be a dangerous gambit, after all. They are far more worshipful of Danha than most other elvish populations.Enmity with Humans
The elves of Astrithyr have long held humankind with contempt. In the earliest ages they saw them as violent barbarians (which, to their credit, was mostly true). For many millennia the elves single-handedly kept humans out of the east, protecting their territory and the territories held by the peaceful halflings of Hywela, whom they greatly respected. It was not particularly difficult with their arcane prowess- which in those days was not limited by the deity of magic. However, when humans gained knowledge of the arcane and began forming their own mageocracies, they finally became a proper threat. They invaded en mass and the elves struggled to maintain control of their vast territories. Much of the forest of Astrithyr was burnt down by reckless human wizards atop their floating cities. This was the war which culminated in the Event. By the end of it, the elves had managed to protect the heart of their realm and keep it from being utterly destroyed. However humans had staked their claims to the south and west and would eventually follow suit in the north. There would be many skirmishes and small wars between the elves and humans as they fought over various areas of the east. Though the borders have been settled on for many centuries now, there was, is, and probably will always be bad blood between these high elves and the realms of Marasen and Belstrad. The relationship with Kardath is on better terms as many of the inhabitants are also elf or half-elf. Astrithyr has come to see it as almost a pseudo-colony.The Fey Courts
The first court of the elves of Astrithyr was called the High Star Court and was, according to legend, ruled over by a child or grandchild of Titania (Queen of the Summer Court in the Feywild). Elves belonging to this court called themselves "High Elves", hence their name to this day. The High Court is now located in Mianith and is the seat of power with their current leader Queen Eristhena Fenmarell upon the throne. There are two additional smaller courts (or baronies) helmed by her children in both Aramastil and Sylan (called the Moon and Sun courts). The Elves have long evolved from their ancestors, the Eladrin. Time away from the feywild has stripped them of their functional immortality and they have become more grounded, culturally speaking, than their chaotic and whimsical cousins. There are still family bloodlines with stronger fey lineage and these individuals are called Noble Elves. Some elves specifically seek out fey consorts to "enrich" their bloodline once more, though such a thing is considered to be in extremely bad taste. They do so because such individuals tend to enjoy higher stations in society and to be members of the aristocracy or members of court. All High Elves still see themselves as still being primarily Fey (even if they are technically not) and they still love and romanticize and flaunt their origins. Its easy to see why, with so many fey crossings around to keep them connected. It is believed that the energies that leak through these rifts contribute to their longevity and that elves who live elsewhere don't have the same incredible life expectancy, which can reach 1000 or more years.The Ancient Cities
Sylan Sylan is one of the oldest, if not the oldest of the high elven cities in E'ahna. It was built up with a grand library archive at the center- likely the oldest library that still stands. Though many make the assumption that the city was perhaps named for the elvish goddess Sylanna, it has far more ties to Izumir, god of knowledge who according to myth was the one who started the library here. The city itself rests near the edge of Lake Elyra, tall and glittering spires crafted largely of marble harvested from the nearby mountains. It is the closest thing the elves have to a tourist destination and most non-elf outsiders take a ferry from Yersek in Kardath over the lake to Sylan. The trek further inward is often not worth it's risks for most traders and visitors. That is, unless they've come to learn at the Arcane Academy. Though Mianith may boast about being the center of magical knowledge in all of E'ahna, Sylan boasts of superior archives of all of world knowledge and culture, as well as vast museums filled with many artifacts that pre-date the event. Mianith Mianith is the current central heart of the realm of Astrithyr, though this is only after The Event. The original heart of their realm was lost in the wars with human mages in the age of the arcane. Mianith is still very old, a wondrous city, half on the ground and half up in the trees which have been warped and styled with druidic magic to suit specific purposes. It is a major religious centre for the high elves and the location of both the monarchy as well as the Arcane Academy that Astrithyr is famous for. It is also the location of "Elyra's Grove" a massive semi-magical food forest that feeds much of the populace of Astrithyr. Mianith is an expensive place to live and most end up in some of the smaller townships on the outskirts instead of living directly in the city of Mianith. It is mostly populated with elvish aristocracy and students of the academy. Aramastil Aramastil is a remote city compared to most of the others, though it didn't used to be. It lacks the glam and majesty of the others as it was originally more of a military fort erected as humans began pooling to the south. The forests used to stretch so much further than they do now. Now Aramastil is perched near the forest's border, terribly close to the lands claimed by Belstrad (though those lands are blackened and flaming from the ancient wars). Aramastil stands tall, undefeated in those ancient wars, and now a silent warden against the roaming undead and any human trespassers who do not mean well. The only safe route into the elvish territory from the other side of the mountains passes through Aramastil and they heavily patrol the woods surrounding. They have been known to allow sorcerers being pursued by Belstradian authorities to find refuge in this city but they generally send them on their way towards Kardath or Namiza.
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