Aarelan (Our-Lan)
Aarelan is primarily a kingdom of mages for mages, and magic and the arcane are fundamental parts of everyday life. Unlike other kingdoms mages face no repression or discrimination and are bordly free to live how they choose. This is at an expense, while those who have magic are not second class citizens, those who are incapable of using magic have become second class citizens and even slaves.
Geography
The City of Aarelan is unique in all the known world, as it is the only floating city. Aarlan floats miles high above the surface of Runetalras, an exceptionally useful defence mechanism. The rest of the territories controlled by Aarelan are far more conventional, if scarred by weavite and the landmass being ripped from the surface. Aarelan is flanked to the West and South by mountain ranges that protect it, to the North and East are the Free States, and to the East the Kingdom of Elnusari.Population
As Aarelan was conceived as a refuge for any and all mages, the racial and ethnic makeup is among the most diverse in the known world. Humans are the most numinous within the population for two reasons, they are simply the most numerous race in the known world, and it is humans that suffer the greatest degree of magic discrimination and violence, which has caused many to flee to Aarelan. Dragonborn, tiefling, and high elves are also noticeably rare within the Kingdom as they suffer practically no stigma within their racial states leading few to request amnesty.Religion
As the population of Aarelan is so diverse the innumerable amount of deities are worshipped within Aarelan, as many refugees have clung onto their ancestral deities. The number is so numerous that the Great Temple District possesses over seventy temples. The most prominent deities are however those with an innate connection to magic, with the Temple of the Eight Pointed Star being both the largest temple within Aarelan and the largest temple to Mystra in the known world. Prominent temples also include the Temple of the Blue Flame to Azuth, the Tower of the Falcon to Ioun, the Seeing Star Temple to Savrus, the Larethian Temple to the elven deity Larethian, the White Temple of Laduguer to the dwarven deity of the same name, and the Dragon Spire to the draconic deity Kereska .Racial Relations
Within Aarelan racial relations are not anywhere near a significant or endemic problem, as neither the society nor state consider it particularly important. Far more of a problem is tension between those have and those who have not magic, with slavery not being uncommon with those who have not.Views on Magic
The people of Aarelan believe that magic is an innate part of Runetalras and without it the world would perish. Aarelan believes itself to not only be the greatest bastion and protectors of magic and mages, but also a proactive force pushing the agenda of mages through Runetalras. Aarelan does not follow the Arcane Bastille systems, it does harbour a Brightswords garrison which are used to help combat maleficarum. Aarelan also believe that it is mages who are best positioned to police magic; as such the Proclamation of the first Grand Archon outlines what Aarelan believes to be unacceptable uses of magic.Politics
Aarelan has three ruling bodies.The Council of Nine is the executive, composed of a representative for each school of magic save necromancy, and a Prime Magistra the first among equals. Each Magistra is chosen from the elite of the practitioners of the Abjuration, Conjuration, Divination, Enchantment, Evocation, Illusion, and Transmutation Schools of Magic, one known as the Magistra of Hedges typically a sorcerer or druid, and the Prime Magistra typically chosen from among the existing Council. The Council is the supreme source of laws, and the highest court when necessary. The Magisterium comprises an upper house the Congress of Magi and a lower house the Assembly of Mages, these two houses deal with the vast majority of laws and policies of the Kingdom. The Congress of Magi is made up of mages nominated by the Council of Nine and approved by the Assembly of Mages or vice versa, once a person receives a position within the Congress it is hereditary, providing that their child is capable of casting magic.International Relations
There was a time when Aarelan was a total international pariah; this was the result of transgressing the Toc’vastil Accords and openly challenging the system of repression against magic. Worse, Aarelan did little to earn allies while making a great number of enemies. Times have changed, the system of royal advisors has provided Aarelan with a great deal of influence, and their role within the Second War of Thaxnorian Expansion has provided them with strong allies amongst the southern Free States.Royal Advisors
The Free State of Aarlan sends delegations to a plethora of kingdoms great and small, but it is in the Free States that their advisors find their place on the council of rulers or near those ruler’s ears. Aarelan persists that these delegations serve only to advise rulers on matters related to magic, alchemy, monsters, and other areas of specialty; there are those who instead claim that these delegations are sent out to pursue Aarlan’s own political ambitions and their ideology, for this reason some kingdoms and Free States restrict or outlaw these delegations. At the present time a decent portion of theFree States have delegation from Aarlan. Aarlan also has delegations within Kingdom of Aran'Nack, Kingdom of Selu’Qidar, Republic of Valantia, Velgan Empire, Infernal-Draconic Ascendancy, and within the Craglandsof Thaxnoria.Education
All those born within Aarelan are entitled to an education until the age of thirteen, at which point the education system decides who is likely to manifest magical capabilities and who with time could come to learn how to cast magic; though who are deemed capable of either are kept within the education system, and those who are not are removed and put into a more 'fitting' role, usually as a labour of some kind. Should a student prove incapable of manifesting or learning how to manipulate the Weave are likewise removed from the system.Gender, Sexuality, and Inheritance
Aarelan’s history as a refugee kingdom did much to expose its people to a wide variety of gender identities and sexulaities. As a result most gender identities and sexual idenities are accepted within Aarelan, however, male and female, and hetersexaul are generally considered the default and norm. Aarelan possess an absolutel primogeniture which is a form of primogeniture in which sex is irrelevant for inheritance. Political power through Magisterium and Council of Nine is held for life, and on death a new member is voted in.Infrastructure
Aarelan has extensive and developed systems of infrastructure, built by both magic and back breaking labour of 'lessers' those without a connection to the Weave. Systems of aqueducts, wells, and even reservoirs have been constructed, as have fine roads and waterways.Agriculture & Industry
The agriculture of Aarelan is perhaps the most advanced within the known world, being out of necessity more than anything else; as mages are, in general, not prone to the ploughshare. There are advanced systems of subterranean aqueducts enchanted to send water where it is most needed, and even up hill, its arbour arcanists have also experimented with minapulating seeds on a base level fundamentally alter it and its offspring, mostly to positive results (however, this process also created the archespore was created), and the arbour arcanists' work also allows for crops to grow to maturity fast, allow crops to grow outside of their natural season, in total, allowing for multiple harvests a year. It is however those born without a connection to the Weave and those not capable of the argerious task of learning to force a connection that physically work the land.History
Aarelan, much like magic throughout much of Runetalras, is defined by the crimes of the Age of Blood and the violence that followed it. Much and more has been written about the Age of Blood, but to understand the history of Aarelan all that one must know is that it was caused by abuse of magic, caused a millennia of immense suffering, and that Magic fulled its greatest and most vile excesses. In the aftermath of the suffering people chose to blame mages and magic for their pain, culminating in the Grand Cleansings. The cleansings had two stages: Wild Cleansings and Controlled Cleansings. The Wild Cleansings were chaotic, with mages hunted down and nonhumans targeted. The Controlled Cleansings brought order by codifying discrimination and putting monarchs in control. They ended mass violence but still resulted in discrimination. The Wild Cleansings began around 3:Contempt and lasted until 23:Contempt, and the Controlled Cleansings took over and lasted until 105:Contempt. It was in the context of Grand Cleansings, where mages were hunted and murder that Aarelan came to be; mages, alchemist, those associated with magic, and those accused of being or harbouring mages were forced to flee or die, eventually these refugees formed communities. It was from these communities that the Magintern and Aarelan emerged, Aarelan grew as a safe harbour and expanded to the point it became a town and then a city all in secret. The secret city as it was known could not remain secret forever, hundreds grew to thousands, then to tens of thousands. To organise the city they decided to elect nine representatives, these would become the Council of Nine. The representatives decided to make the city’s existence known, they gave the city the name Aarelan and sent out envoys to declare the emergence of Aarelan in 77:Contempt. The emergence of Aarelan was difficult, and it was practically a pariah state. Diplomatic relations were slow to grow, a result of the distrust and hatred of magic, Aarelan’s disregard for the Toc’vastil Accords, and Aarelan’s use of the Magintern which actively sought to subvert and attack those who opposed magic. The opponents were active in their outrage, forces from Fothral, Toc’vastil, Parthal, Runia, and the Order of the Righteous Flame brought Aarelan to siege in 96:Contempt; They sought to extinguish Aarelan and put an end to the kingdom which was the beacon of the arcane. Aarelan was almost destroyed in the Siege of Aarelan. It was only with the sacrifice of Prime Magistra Weldan Eboncrest and the other Magistras, who performed a ritual which tore Aarlan from Runetalras itself. This created the Floating City of Aarelan which saved the city and its population. After the Siege of Aarelan its physical security was assured, however, it still required allies and trade partners. To achieve this Aarelan distanced itself from the Magintern and stopped blatantly agitating for revolution. This allowed Aarelan to end its status as a pariah state. Aarelan played a significant role during the Second War of Thaxnorian Expansion and Wars of Undeath between 532 - 533:Contempt. Aarelan provided support to the Heroes of the Free States, and provided military support to the lower Free States in the Second War of Thaxnorian Expansion and were part of the alliance in the Wars of Undeath. The mages of Aarelan played vital roles in the Second Battle of Havdar Field and the Siege of Garthedd, in the latter of which they suffered significant losses. The participation in the wars was driven by the Heroes of the Free States and Fiona Tansig, the latter of whom earned great renown and became a Magistra of the Council of Nine.
Magic is the Future
Founding Date
77:Contempt
Type
Geopolitical, Kingdom
Demonym
Aarelans
Leader
Government System
Magocracy
Power Structure
Unitary state
Economic System
Traditional
Controlled Territories
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