Darkmere Shard

Darkmere, also known as Rielseth, is a midsized shard and the strongest of the remaining elven kingdoms. It's located somewhere in the Pacific Northwest on the North American continent of the Old World. Never welcoming to visitors to begin with, since the Shattering its already scarce human population has dwindled into nothing and it's become for all intents and purposes a closed elven-only shard with a strongly isolationist mindset.

Climate and Geography

Located in the mountains at a high elevation, Darkmere is cool year-round with light snow in the winter. It's a mix of alpine valleys and wide, sweeping slopes blanketed in forest, with the peaks of the mountains themselves largely bare faces of granite; the ground steadily rises from south to north, transitioning from oak at the far south and west of the shard to high alpine, rocky ground with the city itself built on a plateau at the base of a sheer cliff containing the lake itself. Though farming would normally be a struggle at this elevation, the elves of Darkmere are able to use their skills and the powerful place-magic of the Darkmere itself to coax a yield from the thin soil.

Population and Governance

Darkmere's population is split evenly between the city and its outlying settlements, with the nobility living in the city and many of the common people choosing a more comfortable life in the lowlands compared to the (relatively) cramped Lower City. The towns are governed by their respective noble families, with a generous portion of their output being tithed to Darkmere itself via the shard's well-maintained roads and a magical waygate. The city, for its part, is ruled by a royal family that's governed it for more than ten millenia.
Despite living spread out across the shard and largely divided by social status, the elves of Darkmere have a strong sense of identity and act as a very unified whole. They're disciplined and follow the king's authority almost to a fault; the fall of various elven kingdoms such as Starfall and Silverleaf has only strengthened their will to survive and has unfortunately fostered a certain mistrust of outsiders and the other races. As the current city serving as the seat of the High King, their view has increasingly become that they are responsible for their own survival and intend to focus on it to the exclusion of all else.

Capital

DARKMERE/RIELSETH Seat of the High King and home to much of the nobility, the City of Darkmere is the oldest center of elven civilization and prides itself a great deal on its heritage and traditions. The city is built at the end of an alpine valley, arranged in levels terminating in the royal palace built against the sheer face of the mountain itself. Though its style of building seems more human than elven, with far more use of stone and heavy reinforcement rather than the characteristic fluid grace of elven structures, the city's still undeniably beautiful and has survived the test of time well. Elevation indicates status within Darkmere; the royal palace sits at the highest point of the city and is surrounded by several switchback tiers of walled 'gardens' that simultaneously force an invading force through an ascending gauntler, and the major noble houses enjoy similarly high ground.
The lowest, least defensible buildings are located below the Shelf, a natural fault running through the city that serves as one of its most significant defenses. In times of war, the king can use the intensely magical Lake of the Darkmere that the city was founded around to raise the very ground the city sits on. The Shelf is the cleave point where that cliff is created; anything on the outer side doesn't benefit from this protection and is expected to be destroyed, and despite the fact that the city hasn't come under major attack in milennia the city's layout still keeps this in mind. Anything existing below the Shelf belongs to commoners, though it also contains most of the city's infrastructure, markets, and temples.

Other Notable Locations

THE DARKMERE
The great lake which led to the city's founding in the distant past, the Darkmere is often credited as the birthplace of elven civilization and provided their earliest refuge in the days when dragons still ruled the land. It's located in an underground cavern whose entrance is located inside the royal palace, and access is strictly forbidden except with the express permission of the king; the most honored of Darkmere's dead are buried on the shores of the lake. As the focus of an enormous amount of natural magic, the Lake of the Darkmere is considered one of the most powerful locations in Genesis.
MARKET OF FLOWERS
The exception to Darkmere's disciplined atmosphere, the Market of Flowers is located on a handful of small islets and serves as the city's entertainment center. It's an ephemeral, ever-changing place with buildings constantly created and re-created to suit their changing needs; this is the place to find performances of song or theater, host or attend dances, celebrate secular or religious festivals, or seek out intimate companionship. It's screened with carefully grown trees and constantly lit with magical lanterns.
TEMPLE ISLE
Temple Isle is located on an island in the river that runs through the capital city of Darkmere, and contains temples to all members of the pantheon of Genesis. Its most prominent is the temple of Lore, who's considered the creator of the great lake and the patron god of the city.

map of Darkmere Shard

Quick Facts

Approximate Size: ~2100 sq. miles
Number of Entrances: 3
Capital City: Darkmere (Rielseth)

Dominant Race: elven
Approximate Population: ~55,000

Type

Territory

Relevant Articles

The City of Darkmere
Factions of Darkmere