Irenvald
The Kingdom of Irenvald extends to the west of Belahm. A land of expansive forests, secret glades, and white sandy beaches Irenvald is also largely isolated. It lacks roads and bridges save the one leading to its capital and those it does have are poorly maintained and choking with overgrowth.
Ruled for the past five-hundred years by the Fey and their Queen of Wind and Darkness, the recent withdraw from war has heralded a regime change.
The Fairy King of Earth and Light has now taken the mantle of rule and there is tension over how, if at all, he will change the country. From the perspective of the farmers and villagers in Irenvald the new monarch has changed little, save for what they are asked to tribute. Shifting from livestock to grain and vegetable products. They submit these offerings to the "House" Elven lords and ladies that rule them from ghostly, moving castles. There is little other ranking between the enslaved, peasant or lord, and their ruling True Fae whose strength keeps Irenvald free from internal struggle. This strength besets the country with other challenges, for these True Faes' mercurial nature had, under the Dark Queen, been violent, arrogant, and petulant. Sometimes stealing entire towns away, murdering former Elven Lords or Ladies and not replacing them, and leaving large regions to the horrors of the deep dark forests, lakes, and caves that fill the country.
The new King, and former Queen, are safe from retribution or assassination, for they make their home in the capital itself, Tir-na-noth, a ghostly silver city that floats in the sky above a great staircase and its vast arch. The city is rumored to appear and disappear with the fazes of the moon, and no assassin sent in has ever returned from that city that is believed to be completely under the eye and hand of its ruler and guarded by the draconic slave-beasts that Irenvald has long used for war.
Structure
The ruling body of Irenvald is always a single monarch of alternating seelie or unseelie fey relating to a paticular element and light or darkness. What prompts these exchanges is unclear and seems to have only minor impacts on the daily lives of Irevnald's residence. Whether this lack of change is a product of their irresponsibility or complex approach to rulership is also unclear, made more mysterious by the monarch's usual isolation to Tirnanoth. Beneath this single monarch are a number of hand selected True Fey, powerful beings composed of symbolic titles born of mortal dreams and nightmares. Each of these dukes/duchess and lords/ladies of Irenvald are assigned specific territories to rule and take a similar hands off approach to the monarch they answer to. They visit on strange personal schedules if any at all, and rely on House Elf slaves to dictate the actual maintenance of their territory and the individual taboos they decide should be followed. Though these Elves would appear to have power their frequent direct interactions with their mercurial masters means that they are frequently punished or kidnapped as a "favorite" dependent upon their behavior. Each is considered a form of death, leaving the residents of their territories frequently confused, receiving rapidly changing orders, and entirely dependent upon their own ingenuity.
While some of these behaviors have stabilized under the new ruling Lord of Light and Earth the isolation many of the communities has not considerably improved.
Culture
Irenvaldens are a kingdom of slaves, butlers, bartenders, farmers, hunters, and survivors. They're a hardy and distrustful folk, both incredibly independent and distrusting, to the point of paranoia, of strangers and most agreements with them. Most Irenvaldens will claim this independence remained in those left behind when Belham rebelled, though the Irenvalden form of independence includes a great deal more cold politeness to it. An open welcome with a clear undertone of cautions avoidance of strangers. This same tense environment is a welcome, albeit dangerous, environment for foreign traders who risk the dangerous roads of Irvenvald to do business with the haggle-adverse, extremely explicit customers within the country. No native Irenvaldens ever turn to trade, almost none but the brave ever travel go into the wilderness for hunting or wood, and precious few take to leading and policing the roads of Irenvald at the order of True Fae or to avoid having to be ordered. Although natives sometimes believe its in the hopes that a death could prove them escape.
This constant paranoia, dangerous surroundings, a frequency of deaths and disappearances, and seemingly insane taboos or strictures means that Irenvaldens can seem callous toward horrible things, overly emotional at mundane or terrible ones, terrified by seemingly normal patterns, and even the resilient native Road guards are prone to similar mental disorders that such torment may inflict.
Assets
Irevnald poorly maintained roads and dangerous wilderness make an invasion almost impossible without suffering heavy losses. Their capitol is only intermittently accessible from a single staircase at the westernmost cliff of an island that can only be reached by braving a frightful bay or taking a heavily defended bridge to the mainland. The True fae will treat their slave populace as extremely expendable and facing the rare True fae within their territory requires powerful soldiers or a cunning plan to overcome. The powerful rules also frequently outfit their citizens with magically enhanced weapons when they are on the offensive.
For less militant powers they have the primary source of traditional precious metals - platinum, gold, silver, and copper and an active trading presence in nearby countries. While the non-fae populace never bargain in Irenvald, the slaves-citizens sent outside the country are frequently efficient arguers with silver tongues. Some are spoken of in whispers as possessing magical abilities of manipulation or even being True fae themselves. When not sending their own people to trade Irenvald will frequently hire foreign caravans as intermediaries.
All the World
Founding Date
Year 0 of the Green Rains, 200 ES, 1st of Zoretha
Type
Geopolitical, Country
Alternative Names
The Kingdom of Madness, Arcadia, The Night behind the Curtain
Demonym
Irenvalden
Currency
Irenvald uses Gold/Silver/Copper denominations, although every coin has a different design and size to it in accordance to the preference of the regional fae.
Uneasy Truce
The controller of Belahm before it revolted against them under the Eagle Duke. Irenvald, when ruled by the Queen of Air and Darkness, has wanted the country back for some time and has made multiple military incursions to this goal. There last incursion prompted the Western border Standguard stations, and caused the death of an Owl Oracle at a location called Lost Hope. There is skeptical hope that the new King may have more peaceful relations in the future.
Peaceful trade
Though brutal to each other while at war, Baactri-Tochar's early withdrawals from the Belham region and their value as an intermediary trading partner has eased any lasting tension between the two countries. This effect was further impacted by Irenvald's recent ruler change and the Emperor's silence on the other nation beyond trade policy.
Neutral
While in limited communication through rare delegate visits, Pei-tsu and Irenvald are mostly ambivalent to eachother's existences. Both are shrouded in enough mystery and are distant enough that direct trade isn't beneficial, so they have no real motivation for interaction that is yet known.
At War
Irenvald's history of slave taking of dwarves, such as those that bore the creation of gnomes, has lead to a violent hatred of Irenvald by Ravenashen. Irenvald, meanwhile, who has never had a successful invasion by Ravenashen is far more focused on Mourholm. While they maintain a slightly negative relationship with Ravensashen this is more of a result of their refusal to open up trade deals, particularly for guns which Irenvald's rules are interested in, and their sale of cold iron to Mourholm.
Though supposedly still at War, there has been no directly aggressive moves between either in recent history.
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