Sivellian
Pronunciation: sih VELL ian
Sivellian is a massive humid nation covered in deciduous forests, meadows, jungles, mountains, and shrublands. The local map only covers 1/3 of the entirety of Sivellian. The area receives heavy rainfall and borders the sea at its southern border. The region visible on the local map collects most of its water through Viviane Lake.
Sivellian has good trade relations with Uaithne, Sambal, and Hiyami. Uaithne imports much of the grain Sivellian produces for their large livestock product market. Both Sambal and Hiyami are large merchant nations with river access, which makes for easier importing and exporting of all kinds of goods between these nations.
Sivellian has good social relations with Uaithne, Trianta, and Paumérre. Sivellian and Uaithne have a long standing partnership through several treaties; they assist Sivellian in refugee efforts, trade goods with minimal tax, and share information freely. Both Trianta, Paumérre, and Uaithne are all actively against the war, which is in line with Sivellian’s interests.
Sivellian has bad relations with Addolorata, Makami and Ochny. Addolorata and Makami are the main forces in the war, and Ochny is an active and aggressive participant. Sivellian is a massive nation that can afford not to trade with Addolorata like many other otherwise war-opposed nations. Sivellian has strained relations with Hiyami and Sambal; both nations are contributors to the war, but are passive enough and valuable enough trade partners that Sivellian maintains a cordial relationship with them despite their actions.
Sivellian is neutral in the war. Sivellian is one of very few nations whose citizens are informed about the true nature of the war; still, many citizens of Sivellian think the war between Addolorata and Makami is purely mundane.
Caelynn is the capital city of Sivellian. It has a massive castle carved into the stone of the Yōseiyama Mountains, and has a magnificent, layered castle town surrounding it. The castle itself has several towers dedicated to the daughter kingdoms of Sivellian, many of which have now been transformed into ambassador / diplomatic housing for these nations. Outside of the castle town is a significant collection of smaller villages, all with large paved roads that lead down to the main port by the lake. It is the second largest city on the local map, next to Ikija in Makami. The port on the lake’s shore operates a ferry that allows travel between Caelynn and Lochairt or Melwig, the capital of Uaithne and another city in Sivellian.
Melwig is a large city in Sivellian located on the shore of lake Viviane. It is where many travelers from the eastern side of the Yōseiyama Mountain range begin their travels through the mountains to reach the western side; it used to be far safer to travel upwards to Delaney Pass, but the war has made this mountain route a viable option for many seeking to avoid wartorn lands. The city itself has a small port on the lake’s shore operating a ferry that allows travel between Melwig and Caelynn or Lochairt, the capitals of Sivellian and Uaithne respectively. Therefore, many merchants traveling on foot make their way through Melwig if they intend to travel to Makami through the mountains, or come from Makami and intend to find business in the east.
Faiefred is an old city in the upper middle part of Sivellian. It was once the nation’s capital, but the castle located in the city’s bounds has largely been abandoned for the much larger castle in Caelynn. The castle was left alone for many years before any attention was given to the state of the ruins; now, many of the locals’ jobs are to dismantle the remains of the castle and build up new homes from what remains usable, or ship the materials elsewhere. The city’s population has grown since the abandonment of the capital due to this, and still remains one of the larger cities on the local map of Sivellian.
Dianne is a city on the border of Linwood forest and the Phela Hua jungle. It is the congregation point for many merchants traveling on foot to and from the jungle, most with the purpose of on-loading or off-loading materials from river trading. The city was also built a long time ago by those that worship Heaven, so it is a hotspot for religious tourism or celestial refugees.
The flùrmòran meadow is a grassland filled with hundreds of different kinds of wildflowers and grasses. This stretch of grassland covers a mid-sized chunk of the lower-middle section on the local map. The area is filled with typical grassland wildlife and flora, but is most notable for its fields of colorful flowers that overtake the green grasses as the landscape’s main colors.
Linwood forest is a mid-sized deciduous forest located near the bottom middle of the local map. It is the most humid deciduous forest on the local map, and bleeds into the Phela Hua jungle to the east. The area is filled with typical oak forest wildlife and flora.
The Phela Hua jungle is a large tropical forest located in the bottom right corner of the local map. The jungle contains large trees with wide canopies, thick undergrowth, and a wild ecosystem befitting a jungle. The area is difficult to traverse for anyone who is unfamiliar with jungle terrain, but far from the worst regions to travel through on the local map; there are many cut roads through the jungle leading to major cities in the region for merchants and travelers to avoid the strenuous ecosystem.
The Uignare river is the widest shore-to-shore river on the local map, stretching from the melted runoff of the Kravkenrov mountains down to where it splits into the Yuva and Vayask rivers. The eastern shore of the river is composed of flooded grasslands, where the line between river’s shore and the land itself is blurry at best. The western shore is solid and more well defined; this shore is at a slightly higher altitude compared to the eastern shore.
The Vayask river is one of two rivers that fork from the Uignare river and lead out to the Valonda Sea. Of the two, this river is longer and wider, and likely older than the other splitting river, the Yuva river. The river’s current is slow and winding, making this one of the calmer rivers on the local map.
Viviane lake is a large lake sustained by melted runoff from the Yōseiyama Mountains. There is a substantial dip in altitude at the base of the mountain, which allows for the lake to persist without forming surface rivers out to sea. It is the largest lake on the local map.
The Yōseiyama Mountains are a rugged mountain range with jagged peaks and karst formations, interspersed with deep gorges and ravines. This landscape is purely alpine, being cold year-round and the higher altitudes experiencing persistent snowfall throughout the year. The Yōseiyama Mountain range is much wider than the Kravkenrov mountain range, but the two ranges are otherwise nearly identical.
The vernal equinox is the day in the middle of spring where the length of daylight and nighttime are mostly equal. The day itself represents the epitome of springtime, and is celebrated by the numerous season-dependent ethnicities and cultures throughout Rubicon. Many cultures throughout Sivellian have a specific name for the equinox, but almost all groups celebrate it to some degree.
The summer solstice is the day in the middle of summer where the length of daylight is the longest it will be for the entire year. The day itself represents the epitome of summer, and is celebrated by the numerous season-dependent ethnicities and cultures throughout Rubicon. Many cultures throughout Sivellian have a specific name for the solstice, but almost all groups celebrate it to some degree.
The autumnal equinox is the day in the middle of autumn where the length of daylight and nighttime are mostly equal. The day itself represents the epitome of autumn, and is celebrated by the numerous season-dependent ethnicities and cultures throughout Rubicon. Many cultures throughout Sivellian have a specific name for the equinox, but almost all groups celebrate it to some degree.
The winter solstice is the day in the middle of winter where the length of nighttime is the longest it will be for the entire year. The day itself represents the epitome of winter, and is celebrated by the numerous season-dependent ethnicities and cultures throughout Rubicon. Many cultures throughout Sivellian have a specific name for the solstice, but almost all groups celebrate it to some degree.
Since Sivellian is a melting pot of religions and cultures, no one New Year’s celebration reigns supreme. Still, since most cultures celebrate the new years to some capacity, most groups come together and decide on a day and time to celebrate with one another. If specific towns have a dominant religion, the celebration will be for that religion; otherwise, Sivellian’s general New Year’s celebration falls on the first day of the year, and includes the midnight celebration the night before.
Current State
Demographics
The three most populous races that inhabit Sivellian are elves (mainly high elves and eladrin) at 60% of the population, lepali at 12% of the population, and halflings (mainly lotusden) at 8% of the population. Around 10% of the population consists of refugee communities.Trade and Relationships
Sivellian primarily deals in farming exports; they have land that can support large scale farming, allowing them to export a variety of fruits, vegetables, grain, and animal products. Of these, grain is their largest export. They also export a large amount of magical goods, such as reagents and foci. Sivellian has a self-sufficient supply of lumber, stone, and most non-edible plant products. Sivellian imports worked metals and many luxury goods.Sivellian has good trade relations with Uaithne, Sambal, and Hiyami. Uaithne imports much of the grain Sivellian produces for their large livestock product market. Both Sambal and Hiyami are large merchant nations with river access, which makes for easier importing and exporting of all kinds of goods between these nations.
Sivellian has good social relations with Uaithne, Trianta, and Paumérre. Sivellian and Uaithne have a long standing partnership through several treaties; they assist Sivellian in refugee efforts, trade goods with minimal tax, and share information freely. Both Trianta, Paumérre, and Uaithne are all actively against the war, which is in line with Sivellian’s interests.
Sivellian has bad relations with Addolorata, Makami and Ochny. Addolorata and Makami are the main forces in the war, and Ochny is an active and aggressive participant. Sivellian is a massive nation that can afford not to trade with Addolorata like many other otherwise war-opposed nations. Sivellian has strained relations with Hiyami and Sambal; both nations are contributors to the war, but are passive enough and valuable enough trade partners that Sivellian maintains a cordial relationship with them despite their actions.
Sivellian is neutral in the war. Sivellian is one of very few nations whose citizens are informed about the true nature of the war; still, many citizens of Sivellian think the war between Addolorata and Makami is purely mundane.
History
The land that makes up modern Sivellian was once occupied by a large variety of native tribes, clans, and other small groups comprised of eladrin elf, dryad, lepali, lotusden halfling, and firbolg ethnic groups. These groups were unified, mostly by force, by a now nonexistent elven nation hailing from the southernmost part of modern Sivellian; this nation was also called Sivellian, but is drastically different from modern day Sivellian. The old Sivellian conquered many native groups and cultures, incorporating them into what the nation called “The Fey Kingdoms”. As Sivellian grew, several kingdoms that Sivellian had conquered resisted the rule of the massive nation and managed to gain independence from the behemoth nation. Over time, Sivellian’s many kingdoms lost the name “The Fey Kingdoms” and instead became known as Sivellian’s Daughter Kingdoms, with Sivellian calling itself the Mother Kingdom. Also as the kingdom aged, the native populations reintroduced old cultural influence onto the greater Kingdom, blending the conquering culture of old Sivellian with the druidic cultures of the native clans. More recently, the High Queen of Sivellian has been granting many daughter kingdoms their own independence from Sivellian and reducing the size of the kingdom drastically; Uaithne and Sambal were both part of Sivellian’s grand network of nations a few hundred years ago. Sivellian is still in the process of granting several daughter kingdoms their own independence and cutting back on its enormous size.Culture Overview
General Culture
Sivellian is most similar to medieval England. They have cultural roots in magic as a whole, driving their culture to rely on arcana more than many nations on the local map. Notably, most of the lepali cultures within Sivellian do not have last names. They are an individualist society and are generally focused on personal ownership and achievement. Entertainment in Sivellian is mostly centered around festivals, art, and music, often using magic as a medium of expression. Children are taught in group schooling from a young age. The most common career in Sivellian is farming grain, but there is a sizable portion of the population dedicated to refugee assistance and war efforts.Religion: Agnostic - No dominant religion
Sivellian is a melting pot of religious influences. Since many citizens are educated on the planes and the nature of domains, most do not see these topics as religious and instead view them as facts of life. That being said, the majority of the nation still directs their worship towards something; one of the two central deities, animism, or some other form of faith. Sivellian is one of the few nations on the local map that is generally agnostic.General Government
Sivellian is a feudal matriarchal monarchy. The High Queen is the highest authority that oversees the affairs of the nation. The oldest daughter of the Queen inherits the throne when the current one dies. The High Queen then grants the rest of her daughters rule over Sivellian’s daughter kingdoms; if there are no more daughters to pass these nations on to, their current Queen’s daughters have the right to the throne. These daughter kingdoms divvy up the land between dukes and duchesses, who further divide the land under them.City Politics
Dukes and duchesses are regional authorities that oversee the legal processes of their lands. Beneath them are general noble landholders with large land grants, keeps, or individual cities and villages. The rest of the noble class is made up of non-landholding nobles that either act as marshals, judges, or the lower gentry. There is a sizable middle-class made up of artisans, teachers, aristocrats, and guildsmen. The rest of Sivellian's citizenry are considered commoners.Major Cities
Caelynn
Pronounced: KAY lin (like lint without the t)Caelynn is the capital city of Sivellian. It has a massive castle carved into the stone of the Yōseiyama Mountains, and has a magnificent, layered castle town surrounding it. The castle itself has several towers dedicated to the daughter kingdoms of Sivellian, many of which have now been transformed into ambassador / diplomatic housing for these nations. Outside of the castle town is a significant collection of smaller villages, all with large paved roads that lead down to the main port by the lake. It is the second largest city on the local map, next to Ikija in Makami. The port on the lake’s shore operates a ferry that allows travel between Caelynn and Lochairt or Melwig, the capital of Uaithne and another city in Sivellian.
Melwig
Pronounced: MELL wigMelwig is a large city in Sivellian located on the shore of lake Viviane. It is where many travelers from the eastern side of the Yōseiyama Mountain range begin their travels through the mountains to reach the western side; it used to be far safer to travel upwards to Delaney Pass, but the war has made this mountain route a viable option for many seeking to avoid wartorn lands. The city itself has a small port on the lake’s shore operating a ferry that allows travel between Melwig and Caelynn or Lochairt, the capitals of Sivellian and Uaithne respectively. Therefore, many merchants traveling on foot make their way through Melwig if they intend to travel to Makami through the mountains, or come from Makami and intend to find business in the east.
Faiefred
Pronounced: FAY fredFaiefred is an old city in the upper middle part of Sivellian. It was once the nation’s capital, but the castle located in the city’s bounds has largely been abandoned for the much larger castle in Caelynn. The castle was left alone for many years before any attention was given to the state of the ruins; now, many of the locals’ jobs are to dismantle the remains of the castle and build up new homes from what remains usable, or ship the materials elsewhere. The city’s population has grown since the abandonment of the capital due to this, and still remains one of the larger cities on the local map of Sivellian.
Dianne
Pronounced: die ANNDianne is a city on the border of Linwood forest and the Phela Hua jungle. It is the congregation point for many merchants traveling on foot to and from the jungle, most with the purpose of on-loading or off-loading materials from river trading. The city was also built a long time ago by those that worship Heaven, so it is a hotspot for religious tourism or celestial refugees.
Notable Geography
Flùrmòran Meadow
Pronounced: flur (like “mur”der, with an fl) MORE anThe flùrmòran meadow is a grassland filled with hundreds of different kinds of wildflowers and grasses. This stretch of grassland covers a mid-sized chunk of the lower-middle section on the local map. The area is filled with typical grassland wildlife and flora, but is most notable for its fields of colorful flowers that overtake the green grasses as the landscape’s main colors.
Linwood Forest
Pronounced: LIN (like “lint”) woodLinwood forest is a mid-sized deciduous forest located near the bottom middle of the local map. It is the most humid deciduous forest on the local map, and bleeds into the Phela Hua jungle to the east. The area is filled with typical oak forest wildlife and flora.
Phela Hua Jungle
Pronounced: FEH (like feddy) la HWA (like “wa”ter but with an H at the beginning of the sound)The Phela Hua jungle is a large tropical forest located in the bottom right corner of the local map. The jungle contains large trees with wide canopies, thick undergrowth, and a wild ecosystem befitting a jungle. The area is difficult to traverse for anyone who is unfamiliar with jungle terrain, but far from the worst regions to travel through on the local map; there are many cut roads through the jungle leading to major cities in the region for merchants and travelers to avoid the strenuous ecosystem.
Uignare River
Pronounced: wig NAH rayThe Uignare river is the widest shore-to-shore river on the local map, stretching from the melted runoff of the Kravkenrov mountains down to where it splits into the Yuva and Vayask rivers. The eastern shore of the river is composed of flooded grasslands, where the line between river’s shore and the land itself is blurry at best. The western shore is solid and more well defined; this shore is at a slightly higher altitude compared to the eastern shore.
Vayask River
Pronounced: vuh YASK (“ya” like “yarn”)The Vayask river is one of two rivers that fork from the Uignare river and lead out to the Valonda Sea. Of the two, this river is longer and wider, and likely older than the other splitting river, the Yuva river. The river’s current is slow and winding, making this one of the calmer rivers on the local map.
Viviane Lake
Pronounced: vi (like “video”) vee (like “bee”) ANNViviane lake is a large lake sustained by melted runoff from the Yōseiyama Mountains. There is a substantial dip in altitude at the base of the mountain, which allows for the lake to persist without forming surface rivers out to sea. It is the largest lake on the local map.
Yōseiyama Mountains
Pronounced: YO say YAH maThe Yōseiyama Mountains are a rugged mountain range with jagged peaks and karst formations, interspersed with deep gorges and ravines. This landscape is purely alpine, being cold year-round and the higher altitudes experiencing persistent snowfall throughout the year. The Yōseiyama Mountain range is much wider than the Kravkenrov mountain range, but the two ranges are otherwise nearly identical.
Major Holidays
Vernal Equinox
Pronounced: self-explanatoryThe vernal equinox is the day in the middle of spring where the length of daylight and nighttime are mostly equal. The day itself represents the epitome of springtime, and is celebrated by the numerous season-dependent ethnicities and cultures throughout Rubicon. Many cultures throughout Sivellian have a specific name for the equinox, but almost all groups celebrate it to some degree.
Summer Solstice
Pronounced: self-explanatoryThe summer solstice is the day in the middle of summer where the length of daylight is the longest it will be for the entire year. The day itself represents the epitome of summer, and is celebrated by the numerous season-dependent ethnicities and cultures throughout Rubicon. Many cultures throughout Sivellian have a specific name for the solstice, but almost all groups celebrate it to some degree.
Autumnal Equinox
Pronounced: self-explanatoryThe autumnal equinox is the day in the middle of autumn where the length of daylight and nighttime are mostly equal. The day itself represents the epitome of autumn, and is celebrated by the numerous season-dependent ethnicities and cultures throughout Rubicon. Many cultures throughout Sivellian have a specific name for the equinox, but almost all groups celebrate it to some degree.
Winter Solstice
Pronounced: self-explanatoryThe winter solstice is the day in the middle of winter where the length of nighttime is the longest it will be for the entire year. The day itself represents the epitome of winter, and is celebrated by the numerous season-dependent ethnicities and cultures throughout Rubicon. Many cultures throughout Sivellian have a specific name for the solstice, but almost all groups celebrate it to some degree.
Collective New Year’s Celebration
Pronounced: self-explanatorySince Sivellian is a melting pot of religions and cultures, no one New Year’s celebration reigns supreme. Still, since most cultures celebrate the new years to some capacity, most groups come together and decide on a day and time to celebrate with one another. If specific towns have a dominant religion, the celebration will be for that religion; otherwise, Sivellian’s general New Year’s celebration falls on the first day of the year, and includes the midnight celebration the night before.
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