Yupanki

Children of the Sun

The first and the last civilisation in this world.

The Yupanki are one of the elven nations of the south, together with the Kaolai, Kenatan and the remnants of the Ishmak. In the north there are additionally the nations of Aldrim, Geleter, Shatun and the Dumul. Save for the Aldrim, most of them have fallen. While the elven nations in the south are much more prosperous, the Yupanki see themself as the last proper civilisation in the world.

History

The elders of the Yupanki tell, that at the same time the Empress of Eternal Spring build her own Empire, the Yupanki already had established the glorious Empire of the Summer's Sun Urimapara Itinarima, their everlasting and prosperous realm. Elven history is notoriously unreliable and it can't be set whether this claim holds any truth. The Geleter claim that the Empire of Eternal Spring encompassed all elven nations. Pragmatically speaking it is more likely that this controll wasn't as strong as claimed. Both stories are told exclusively from the viewpoint of a single nation.
After the defeat of the Empire of Eternal Spring, the Yupanki became one of the members of the Union of Askareia, widely regarded as the pinnacle of elven civilisation. During the third council they sided with the other elves against the Shatun. Thus they also entered the War against the Second God. Due to their geographical location the Yupanki homeland was mostly untouched by the war. During the war some astromancers brought up the possibility of erasing the Second God by burning parts of the atmosphere. This would inevitably destroy large parts of the continent. The other nations were largely against this possibility, although a milder version was sometimes considered.
After the end of the Age of Askareia and the subsequent decline of elven civilisation, the Yupanki became ever more isolationist. They saw the decline around them and decided to encapsule themself in their homeland and preserve, what according to them, was the last remnant of this great age. As time went on other elven nations declined ultimately. The Shatun were corrupted and defeated. The Dumul destroyed themself. The Geleter and Ishmak never recovered from the devastation of their homeland. The Aldrim split apart and many gave up on their own nation, with only a few thousand remaining. Only three nations still thrive. The Kenatan are lost in their own endless search to unravel the mysteries of the universe. The Kaolai are fighting a hopeless war against the enemy at their gates. Lastly the Yupanki have isolated themself in their mountainous homeland and shun the rest of the world.

Empire of the Sun

The Empire of the Yupanki went by different names troughout its history. Some simply call it Yupankinarima "Great Land of the Yupanki". Another common name is Itinarima "Our/native great land". Often the Empire is refered to as "Empire of the Sun". Dwarves call the Yupanki Empire therefore Alap Kartoosh in Classical Dwarvish. The Yupanki themself use different designations for their Empire depending on its stage in history. Its formative stage is called the Kunpara Itinarima, the "Empire of the Rising Sun", while its current stage is called Timanurimapara Itinarima the "Empire of the Everlasting Sun".

Society

Like all elven societies, the Yupanki are organised as magocracy, with the oldest and most powerful mages leading society.
Their current Emperor is Timan VIII, who is also currently the oldest person in the world. He is over 2500 years old and thus one of the Undying, yet he barely counts as one of the oldest people in history. In the past, there were far greater and older mages. This decline in the number and age of great elven mages is seen as another sign of the inevitable decline of their civilisation. Like most mages his age, Timan spends most of his time in meditation. The last time he woke up was over six decades ago. Most day-to-day business of government is managed by a council of mages of medial age. For those who live a regular live as mage, three to five hundred years of age are considered the norm. Every mage who seeks to live longer has to compromise and live in meditation to preserve their energies.
Most people of the Empire aren't mages however and live normal and quiet existences. Life in the Yupanki Empire can be considered uneventful and peaceful. The Empire is separated from the outer world by large mountains. Most of its inhabitants live between these mountains in fertile valleys. The environment of the mountains is often considered a world on its own and features everything from lush forests to deserts inbetween.
The Yupanki guard their borders jealously and attack trespasses indiscriminately, much to the dismay of the human kingdoms to their north. The Sound of Fire and much of the Golden Sea cannot be savely traversed even for trade. The only exemption being the Kingdom of Meshkianna to their east. They earned themself the privilege of trust of the elves and are allowed to travel freely between the continents, much to their own profit. Despite directly bordering the Empire, contact between humans and elves however is minimal and even directly at their border, the two societies are worlds apart.

Name
Yupanki
Population
26 million

Encompassed species

• Elves