Elven Kingdom

Kingdom of the Elven Forest

The Elven Kingdom is a vast territory that encompasses thousands of miles of forest and is said to be the oldest in the world, the birthplace of life for both animals and plants. In this land, the many types of Elves stand as guardians of the forest against the Orcs of the mountains and the Giants of the north. Most are welcomed through these borders as long as the rules of the land are observed strictly, the Elves have a love for their trees and the animals that live under their leaves. Any that would seek to destroy nature is unwelcome, the forest is sacred to the Elves and they have no need for massive cities or to harm the forest because they are able to live alongside it seamlessly.
This area is ruled by a man named Eladithas Cystenn, known by reputation and self-proclamation as the Maestro because of his renowned ability with music and as an enchanter of demi-level proportions. He is known for his intense love of music, the forest, and the traditions of his people that date back many thousands of years. Those not welcome in the forest are not dealt with kindly, it is the fastest way to see the darker temperament of a normally carefree and hospitable people. Despite this, he believes in decentralized power and lets individual areas of his Kingdom mostly self-govern.
The Elven Kingdom is the center of all things magical on the Northern Continent, having established the first Academy of the Arcane and the first historical archive founded by mortal races. The forests are vast and expansive, full of dangers that hone the skills of those who live there and create a people that are adept in everything that they do. The outer edges of the Kingdom lend themselves to Elves that would live alongside the land as Rangers, Druids, Barbarians, and Hunters of incredible renown that have stood for centuries as independent communities. The center of the Kingdom holds vast amounts of knowledge and arcane power, the Unending Scroll being the oldest establishment of magical teaching among the mortal races. Because of the forests and the magic academy, this place has become a testing ground for those who wish to hone their skills whether it be arcane power, navigation, or martial prowess. The areas near the Spine of Kallex are known for a variety of monster and Orc tribes that hide themselves within the expansive mountain range.
Fey creatures are often known to visit this area, the age of the forest is thought to be far older than that of any living creatures in the world. In fact, some even choose to make this region their home and most of them are good in nature which creates sheltered areas and blessed glades that are safe for all that love the forest. Regardless of how powerful the Elves or other residents in the area are, travelers can quickly find themselves outnumbered or lost in the more dangerous parts of the forest, even travelers who think their heritage dictates they should be at home in the vast forests should take care. Even with these dangers, the Elven Forest is beautiful and vast, home to plants and creatures that are vital for potions and their components, and they serve to sustain the livelihood of thousands of Elves in more ways than anyone could imagine. The forest is vital to the lives of the entire Kingdom, the animals and plants that live within it are connected to the inhabitants and the Elves live in a way that revolves around caring for the forest.

Demographics & Territory

The population of the Elven Kingdom is quite diverse due to the size of its borders and the prominence of the Unending Scroll as a magic academy and a center of knowledge. Various Elves make up 60% of the population, though subspecies of Elves including Silver Elves are all simply reported as Elf. Humans are a prominent part of the population comprising 10% which is mirrored by Ursakin that are found mostly throughout the area around the Spine of Kallex. Another 10% are reported to be various species of Avians that come to and from the Unending Scroll to conduct errands, mail carrying, and map creation requests. The remainder is composed of Dwarves, Halflings, and various Animal Kingdom species.
The Elven Kingdom is broken up into four major areas, each with its own government structure that unites under the banner of the Elven Kingdom. Many of the villages and settlements towards the mountains and the outer areas of the Kingdom are transient and

Quick Facts

Population Breakdown

Elves

60%

Humans

10%

Other Races

30%

Other Information

Magical Technology

Physi
Sorcerer Carpets
Topaz Robes

Common Flora

Aelinor Oaks

Common Fauna

Aelinor Elk
Juniper Wolves

occupied by Elves that move with the seasons. The Northern border is comprised of several outposts and a mountain fortress controlled by a Paladin Order, the Knights of Yggdrasil, and the center of the Kingdom is where highly developed Elven towns and cities become permanent establishments. These towns are unlike any other in the world because of how the Elves build their homes and live in tune with nature. Unlike how other species harvest natural resources and shape them into architecture and tools, anything made of wood, earth, or living material is grown in a certain fashion with a mixture of ancient practices and magic.
Elves reside in living cities that provide bioluminescent light to their denizens. It is uncommon for fire to be used here as hearths are powered by water that is circulated deep under the ground, bringing warmth up and heating stones and metals from underneath. Flare Steel has also become quite popular for heating the bottoms of hearths during dry seasons or areas where this method is not as available. However, many travelers will never see these settlements unless they are wise to the tricks that Elves use to hide their settlements from monsters. Those who have ill will towards Elven settlements or have never visited a particular settlement will find their senses dulled and simply wander past Elven cities without ever knowing that they are there. The larger or more important the city, the stronger this effect, with some describing the act of trying to locate the capital as hearing an entrancing melody that leads them astray for days of travel. This enchantment has been known to fail against those who are powerful magic users or masters of navigation in the outdoors, though it can present difficulties to even the most experienced adventurer.

Insignia of the Elves

Elven King Insignia by RiverFang

The symbol of the Elves is a musical note only found in their culture dating back to before the formation of the Kingdom. Long has fascination with magic and music existed in their culture. These two things are often synonymous as interests and pursuits for Elves and serve as a unifying interest among their peoples. For that reason, the Elven Nobility have always been trained to become masterful composers. Music holds great importance to them as a means of tradition, communication, magic, and even education. The meaning of this particular note is to hold a note for 6 counts in a four-beat set of sheet music with an understanding to strike the same note in a higher octave on count 3 of a four-beat count.

Military

The Elven Military is the largest on the continent due to its organization and method of procuring conscripts. Enlistment in the Elven Military is required according to someone's lineage and as a repayment of certain criminal charges. Each lineage in the Kingdom is required to provide a hundred years of service for each generation and household. This is considered a way for the younger generation to move around the Kingdom, gain crucial life experience, and gain a substantial income in order to travel outside of the Kingdom or start businesses. It is common for Elves to make a career out of their military service resulting in highly experienced upper ranks of the various branches.
The Elven Military is organized into six brigades, most of which are aligned by region and mission. These brigades have specializations that allow them to leverage the various peoples within the nation from Archers, to berserkers, to defensive magic users. The most renowned brigade within the military is the Thayalin who are the progenitors of battlefield magic, or as it is known in other countries, Arcane Artillery. They have the ability to shape the battlefield with highly destructive long-range magic to inflict incredible damage from relative safety. This supports ground troops and enables offensive operations in a deployed posture ahead of built-up structures without sacrificing the safety of troops in the open.

Foreign Relations

The Elven Kingdom has diplomatic ties heavily related to natural resources and magical knowledge. They often export skilled Mages and have recently begun to open up teleportation circle travel between large areas, at this time it is heavily regulated. Their ties reach far throughout the world, as many Scholars are of Elven descent and take to traveling to pursue various forms of knowledge on behalf of the Unending Scroll. Due to this, they have ties to large population densities that enable them to export their expertise on large scales in terms of magical engineering and enchantments. Their relations are long-standing and enduring, often weathering several hardships and maintaining neutrality in political conflicts as they seek to have good standing with various peoples.
The Elven Kingdom lies at one end of the Great Tunnel, this acts as a highway from the west side of the continent to the east side though it is not as heavily used by Elves as it is by Dwarves. Elves generally dislike traveling underground, they also have relationships with surrounding nations that necessitate above-ground travel. Their trade caravans can be large and often span many months or a few years in some cases, though they always are well supported by Mages.

The Elven Kingdom keeps representatives in every country on the Northern Continent, save the Cradle due to a lack of interest in their magic. They have representatives in the major cities on each of the islands in the Zóni and even one in the Fire Islands that is painstakingly preserved. Their presence on the Southern Continent is more limited but prominent in large cities throughout the Sunset Fields, the Crumbling Wall, and Ocean's Edge. These are convenient for the Elven Kingdom to maintain due to the nature of their export requiring little in the way of goods and more in the way of knowledge and cultivation of key materials with occasional shipments from the kingdom itself.

Government Bodies

The government structure of the Elven Kingdom is highly localized and based upon delegation of power. There are four major political areas that the kingdom recognizes: the Outlands, the Northern Outposts, the Deep Forest and the Elderwood. These political areas have their own laws, councils, and grasp of local government but they are united under the banner of the Elven Kingdom.

The Outlands

The heavily forested areas surrounding the Kingdom's borders are governed locally by matriarchs who preside over families and large groups. These Elves often move, they live in tune with nature and move throughout the forest depending on the season. There are laws shared by them that have been set by the Kingdom but they are few in number.
Each group is autonomous and able to set their own customs, laws, and councils. The Elder of each group will occasionally meet for a council of the Outlands. Generally, a single family will act as the leadership for a given group of Elves in the Outlands and this responsibility will pass from generation to generation. This usually is convened to settle disputes between different groups in the Outlands or during a time of war.

The Northern Outposts

The Northern Outposts are controlled exclusively by an order of Paladins that was originally founded to hold the border against the dangerous Giants of the north. This order holds the line of the forest that touches the Neither Tundra and has several outposts along the border to keep diligent watch over threats. The densest population of this area is contained at a mountain fortress near the base of the Spine of Kallex, not far from the "Metallic Council". Here the citizens are protected by high walls and well-trained Fighters Who have been seasoned by gruesome enemies and long winters.
The northern border of the Elven Kingdom is safeguarded by a Paladin Order, known as the Knights of Yggdrasil, that has stood for thousands of years. During the early days of the Kingdom, they were established as a safeguard against the Giants of the north. Law is enforced by the Order here, the will of the Elven King is a prominent driving force in the establishment and proceedings of the Order. Despite this, they are mostly autonomous and center their efforts on protecting the people of the area from long winters and fierce monsters that wander down from the mountains.

The Deep Forest

In the deeper areas of the forest that comprise a large portion of the central Kingdom, you can find Elven towns and cities, often shrouded by magic so that violent entities do not wander into their midst. These areas follow a rule similar to that of city-states that are led by a religious leader, these leaders form a council that presides over the larger area and has representation in the Elderwood's courts. These religious leaders comprise a council of churches across the Elven Kingdom and have established well-known places of worship even beyond the borders of the Kingdom that provide refuge to the afflicted and the cursed.
These towns hold the majority of the Elven population, as such they have the most representation to the King and also pay the majority of taxes. Most goods from the Kingdom come from Elven cities where craftsmen of traditional skill and magic are able to shape the elements of the forest to accommodate their needs. Despite holding a large amount of political influence, the Deep Forest holds almost no power in international affairs and during times of war they will act as refuges, pushing far beyond the limits of their own cities. The religious leaders in these cities have full authority to enact laws that do not contradict those from the Elderwood and pursue justice through a system of order.

The Elderwood

This is the center of the Elven Kingdom and the capital proper. A grand city, Alfensil, holds the oldest tree in the Kingdom at its center. This tree houses the Unending Scroll and its upper branches house the royal palace of the Elven King that allows him to gaze across even the top of the Spine of Kallex. Here the King rules through the use of the nobility and his courts as an absolute monarch.
The King has the ability to declare laws, levy taxes, pardon people, and various other functions of high-level government. However, the current King is often more concerned with his pursuit of magical knowledge and often appoints nobility or governors to manage things on his behalf. The only law-making ceremony that he still heavily participates in is called the Ten Year Review. During this, the King and his advisors review every decision, law, decree, and outcome that has come to pass in the last decade. Time dilation magic is used to facilitate this process and condense it to the span of one day in the regular world.

Founding Date

182,750 IM

Type

Geopolitical, Kingdom

Capital

Alfensil

Leader

Eladithas Cystenn

Government System

Monarchy, Absolute

Power Structure

Confederation

Official State Religion

Pantheons of Isekai

Subsidiary Organizations

• Bauxatehn
• Northern Outposts
• Outlands

Location

Elven Forest

Official Languages

• Elvish

Controlled Territories

• Alfensil
• Qimbyr Pass
• Silver Spire

Neighboring Nations

• Fairy Kingdom
• Human Empire
• Kingdom of Giants
• The Cradle

Related Species

• Elves

Related Ethnicities

• Elven Culture

Related Historical Events

• 5000 IM
  Creation of the Northern Outposts
• 5000 IM
  Formation of the Knights of Yggdrasil

Religion

This area primarily worships Lycana and the Huntress, the aspect that embodies the hunt. These are the primary deities with Kallex being acknowledged secondarily due to the geographic location of the "Metallic Council" near the Elven Kingdom. Places of worship are often dedicated to both of the primary deities of the area due to how close of a relationship they have. Kallex is almost always honored with a secondary area of worship but other deities, while recognized, will not often have dedicated areas of worship or knowledgeable Clerics. Religious texts dealing with gods of the nature or arcane pantheons would be the easiest to obtain while those dealing with the pantheons of death or war would be the hardest to obtain.
Areas of worship in the Elven Kingdom are usually composed of small, magical plant structures with large outdoor courtyards for ceremonies and processions. The largest of these structures are found in the Deep Forest while places of worship in the Outlands would be composed of a collapsable structure or tent with a fenced-off area or open courtyard marked with decoration of the two primary goddesses of the area.

Currency

The specific currency used within the Standard Metal Value system for the Elven Kingdom is called Branches. They have a highly detailed design with a sharp imprint based on the value of the metal that they are made of. These coins are widely used and have an Elvish script on the lower edge of them that denotes a time period while the reverse side has the initials of the current ruler. Due to their detailed look, they are used mostly as an internal currency but do show up in the Human Empire and throughout the Fairy King's Wood. There are some collectors that like these coins because they can be traced to a time period and ruler and are among the more detailed coins made in Isekai and aren't often seen outside of the Northern Continent. Despite the Elven Kingdom being moderately well off when contrasted to other nations, the majority of their coins are in Gold and Silver due to how plentiful it is in the mines of the Spine of Kallex. Mithril coins are the highest denomination used by the Elves in almost every circumstance, they consider these coins to be quite beautiful and seldom let them outside of their own borders. This has made it so that Branches are often the target of counterfeiters that want to exchange large sums of money in far-off lands.