The Nation of Arbane
The forests of Arbane lie north of the Voiceless Wastes and east of the clan territory of Hakkak. The population of Arbane is primarily Sylvan in nature, though there are many humans and other races as well. They are politically in conflict of Hakkak in the Endless War, but are neutral to the territories south as long as they are left alone.
Arbane political structure is often complicated to outsiders. There are several sylvan courts with kings and circles of elders in the forest lands, all of which are ruled under High King Torinn, the Oroboro of Arbane, in the center of the great forest. This is only complicated when they learn that there are many portals and breaches in Arbane to the First World, often making the kingdom seem larger than it is.
Culture
Though there are many races besides elves in Arbane, the pointed ear humanoid make up the majority of the body of the nation and their culture can be felt in all aspects of the country. Elvish is the official primary language spoken, born from the mix of Sylvan, dragonic, and celestial, followed by Common as the second. Most residents also speak Sylvan, it is often referred as ‘the true language of Arbane’, because of its close residence with the First World.
The people thus reflect this origin. Folks tend to take the long term view of events, as if life was a never ending game of chess, and there is a general attitude to preserve and work with the natural world. Many try to avoid activities that could stir long grudges as such life may indeed be centuries. As such, most find it difficult to be accepted seriously in their profession unless they have been perfecting it for a few centuries. This has lead to some attempted social movements by the shorter lived races within the nations boarder that have thus lead to little change.
Public Agenda
Arbane has stated, through war and peace, that its intensions has always been to be a haven for its people and a guardian of knowledge. They have no desire to expand beyond its boarders, though have accepted territories who have peacefully conceded their lands to their rule in the southern region over the last hundred years.
History
Arbane is one of the oldest nations on the continent. They are the first and last stronghold of the elves who once ruled all the lands before the dwarves. It is a fact they are very proud of. While they still fall under the rule of Oroboro, most of Arbane still see their forests as an independent icon among the other nations only slightly associated with the Seven Silver Circle. This might seem confusing to outsiders when listening to a resident of Arbane speak lovingly about their dragon High King and critically about the existence of the Oroboro.
Arbane has a rich history with scrolls and tablets going back to the First Reckoning. Part of that is because unlike the rest of the continent, they have maintained their connection with the First World through Breaches, something they are also very proud of. Because of this deep history and value on knowledge, it is common for families to have volumes on their family tree going back several centuries.
Most oldest texts of the history of Arbane lay in the Capital’s Conservatory in the “City of Light”, however there are still lost ruins deep in the forests that are discovered all the time with new treasures of knowledge and lost magic. There is a small section of the Conservatory that only those given leave by the High King are allowed to enter for the sake of preserving the oldest texts.
Some of the oldest texts in the Conservatory describe the First Reckoning, otherwise known as The Great Abandonment, when the Material Plane split from the First World and the Shadow Plane. Most of the knowledge of this era is actually as a result of Arbane’s collection of first hand accounts. When the gods abandoned their rough draft of the universe, the First World, most of the continent moved on. Arbane however spent centuries figuring out how to get back to their fey cousins and created the first Breach shortly before the Second Reckoning in 1241 1ER. From there, they were reunited with their fey cousins and have never parted.
Many more breaches were created after that, leaving accounts of Abane being “saturated” with the First World. One text even describes how you could hardly ever tell which plane you were on at any given moment and many people who were born in the First World didn’t realize it until they died the first time and were reincarnated in the First World. This saturation was a slow progress, but by the time the Oroboro came in 2000 1ER, it had transcended to a metaphysical problem and there was the threat of the Material Plane collapsing into the First World. High King Torinn forbade the creation of any more breaches in Arbane and, with the help of some heroes, closed over half of them to stabilize the plane. Today all breaches are registered and maintained for stability. While some breaches occasionally appear naturally, they are closed when discovered.
Arbane benefited in metaphysical stability and peaceful existence with little wars of note until 3504 2ER when Hakkak erupted in a rebellion against their Oroboro leader. After removing their own dragon, those in Hakkak turned their attention towards Arbane in seeking to “liberate” their neighbors of the High King. What they weren’t expecting was the genuine resistance they received from the forest residents who did not wish to remove their own dragon overlord. Unable to accept this reality, Hakkak continued its assault determined that the elves will be thankful after “liberation”.
This started the Eternal War between the two nations.
While the Eternal War has years of temporary armistice and battles across the river that divides the two nations are often no more than skirmishes after the last armistice in 3928 2ER. That armistice was brokered by two of the Champions of Gaz’roc’s Civil War, Lilac and Kuzu, however short it ended up being.
Religion
Calistria, Desna, Nethys, and Shelyn are the most common gods worshiped in Arbane, though finding two or three devotees to the Eldests of the First World in a village is not uncommon. The clergy in Arbane tend to be less formal than the rest of the continent, drawing inspiration from their gods then sticking to ritual.
Death is always a hot topic in Arbane. The clash of enteral reincarnation from their brethren in the First World and the finality in the Martial Realm, is often cause for confusion and conflict. This is aggravated by the Eternal War. Resurrection as a result is a common practice, even among the smallest of villages who often pool together funds in taxes to ensure its availability for its people. As such, the magic has been practiced and perfected far more than any other part of the continent, costing half its normal price.
"Sow knowledge, reap wisdom."
Maps
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Arbane
Type
Geopolitical, Kingdom
Capital
Leader
Head of State
Government System
Monarchy, Crowned Republic
Economic System
Mixed economy
Currency
Laurë and Bartering
Parent Organization
Official Languages
Controlled Territories
Neighboring Nations
Notable Members
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