Aldrané
Art Credit: Markus "Braxxy" Brackelmann https://www.artstation.com/artwork/Erbvv
Demographics
Did you know Thassa was an Elf? You wouldn’t. In fact, she was the first. With her powers and a following of devout, she rose to godhood and left her ancient, nameless homeland to find a new place to settle. She came upon Spirix when it was nothing more than a sputtering inlet and turned it into the mouth of the world’s mightiest ocean. Is it any wonder that Elves have dominated the area ever since?
Aldrané abides by all the ancient ways and has prospered for more than a thousand years because of it. It is for the ancestral people of the waves, the settlers of the sand, and the only race with a blood connection to the gods. So long as Veldera’an rules this land, it will be Elves and only Elves—with two exceptions. Our dark brethren who fled the light of day and the embrace of the sky are no longer ours. They have cut themselves from our line and diluted their blood with rituals to Lolth and inbreeding. They are Elvish by right and permitted access to our city, but we are under no obligation to pretend they are not stained. Foul Blood, misbreed beasts who insult the glorious history of Elvish accomplishment, are killed on sight within the area of the Kingdom of Roses.
All of Aldrané is Elvish or half-born.
Government
Aldrané has had many governments throughout its life, and nearly all of them have been weak, incompetent, corrupt, or disloyal to her history. The weakest and most corrupt was that of the Cordej Republic, a group of 5 elected officers tasked with leading Aldrané through cooperation, democracy, and trust. They began a war trying to expand their power and lost the nerve to win it halfway through. Now the Jade Empire is a name used by our enemies to mock what almost was, an insult of what could have been the mightiest and most prosperous power in all the world.
I returned home with a division of crestfallen men too ashamed to lift their heads to the city they fought and nearly died for. This deep humiliation was too much to bear, but I realized it was not our burden to carry. The blame laid squarely at the feet of the ones who ordered this offensive, those who sent their warriors to die just to measure the sand in blood. I brought those most loyal to me close and gave them my blessing, gave them weapons and armor, and they gave me the capital. Now there is no council of corrupt legislators, no danger of impotent bureaucracy. Now there is only the rule of a monarch who loves her people so absolutely, she would do anything to secure their future.
Aldrané was nearly consumed by something more dangerous than war, something more insidious than enemies at the gate. Those within its own government thought that for Aldrané to become stronger, she must look out to the rest of Spirix to find what is missing. That somewhere, under the sand and among the rabble we could discover some forgotten destiny. I consider this to be the closest we have ever come to complete annihilation. As long as I am Queen, the shelf we call home is all we will ever conquer, and all we will ever need.
Defences
Alrdané commands the most sophisticated defense system in the entire world, The Jade Gates. Precisely 70 miles southeast of the capital, and with precisely 70 miles between them, two obelisks of glittering jade stand so tall in the desert that they are visible from anywhere north of Des'dorakha. Each is manned round the clock every day of the year and is outfitted with munitions and supplies enough to survive a decade-long siege. Each is a veritable fortress. A highly intricate set of magical triggers and alarms have been scattered across the sands, alerting guard forces to any intruders. With several methods of long-range threat nullification, The Jade Gates have yet to allow a single unwelcomed guest into Alrdané in the 450 years since their construction. The alert system is so effective, and its deterrents so powerful and immediate, even local wildlife have begun to avoid them, shifting their migratory patterns to exclude Alrdané.
This makes ours the safest, most prosperous land in all Eniea.
Industry & Trade
One-hundred odd miles west of the glittering capital lies Varkart, once an Elvish satellite it became independent for hundreds of years only to relinquish its independence and become a vassal state once more. Varkart and Alrdané have an exclusive naval trade relationship, one of the only such relationships in the world, and both have benefitted immensely from it. When The Assembly fell to ruin and the Western Settlements became unstable, teetering on collapse, it was the generosity of Alrdané that accepted Varkat's pleas to return into her emerald embrace. Instead of conquering the small town, it has willfully become a component of our majestic kingdom, as it had always been destined to do.
For over four-thousand years, the Kingdom of Roses has been revered for its craftsmanship, smithing, armor-craft, spellweaving, leatherwork, art, textiles, jewelry, and even its pottery. Since the days of Argan's Final Flame, Dranéan crafts and weapons have become incredibly valuable collector's items and family heirlooms. Merchants have longed to re-enter the capital and trade for such items, but have been prohibited from passing beyond the Jade Gates since the 800s E.Y. Every now and again, an artifact is dug up from beneath the sands, an old battle site from the days of empires that never were. These artifacts fetch high prices at open auctions, but many of them are purchased by envoys of the royal family, then returned to Alrdané where they can be reunited with their families.
Assets
Alrdané is the host of the greatest technological and magical minds in the known world. The capital city is a marvel that stretches toward the skies, pillars of gold and jade bursting from the orange sand like the fingers of a god sheltering their followers. Within it is the most important piece of land in Spirix, the Roseround Oasis, the Bident's Base, a patch of land that never loses its fertility, a spring of ever-flowing water that never diminishes, and the only point in the material world that connects to Adenbane
The Throne of Thorns also keeps a fleet of naval vessels that patrol its waters and prevent unauthorized access, but these ships are so well made and so expertly captained that they can travel four times further into the Unnamed Oceans than any other ship. Alrdané has found islands and great historical artifacts lost to time, and its sailors become more skilled every day. Though we have vowed to never again share our culture with outsiders, these uninhabited lands are resource-rich and aid in the further development of Alrdané's interest.
History
Virtually all of Spirix is barren, inhospitable, and hostile. There is civilization, large and small, ancient and newborn alike, and maps may fool an undiscerning eye into believing they are abundant--this is not the case. Spirix is a forbidding and desolate place that has long defied life from thriving within its borders, most of all on the blasted cliffs of its northwestern shelf. The shelf looms some 100 feet above sea level, making it even drier than almost any other part of the desert and the easterlies caused a sea of shifting dunes that made any permanent settlement unthinkable. It was here that Elves first learned to harness Solanil's magic at the boundaries of her oasis and create life. The alliance was able to keep the sand at bay and make their first sacred grove in 1752 E.Y. Over the next half-century, they created what would come to be known as Alrdané.
Expansion continued for centuries as Emerald Elves swallowed almost half of the region. It was the only time in history when more land in Spirix was livable than was not. It ended in 988 when Alrdané's republic came upon the eastern tribes of Orcs and Smokeless. The burning throne of Karusha was as ancient as Alrdané and just as strong, but their nation was small and their fires were fading. The Elves put their forces in the space between the orcs and the Smokeless to conquer them individually, clearly favored to triumph in a matter of years. But one was able to slip through the Elvish defenses, one was able to pass the blockade. A Smokeless named Argan, the Blazing who roamed the desert in their youth and found deep friendship with an orc named Koruk Greene. The two of them together began a counter-offensive that smashed the Elvish position and prolonged the war. I was lucky enough to do battle with both of them on many occasions, but the war ended with The Final Flame, a battle where Argan sacrificed themselves to draw out the emerald Elves so that they could be encircled by the smaller orcish army. In 983 E.Y., the Elves retreated from the lands forever and returned to Alrdané. The republic that started the war was replaced and the emerald Elves vowed to never again attempt to spread their influence beyond the reach of the bluffs. Ever since the policy of Alrdané and its monarchy has been to protect its own by staying to its own and keeping all others out.
This entry is narrated by Meydrixius Veldera'an.
Founding Date
E.Y. 1694
Alternative Name(s)
The Jade Empire, Kingdom of Roses, Throne of Thorns
Type
Capital
Population
1.245 Million
Inhabitant Demonym
Dranéan (pronounced like canyon)
Location under
Included Locations
Owner/Ruler
Characters in Location
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