Exilés

The Displaced Elven People

The Exilés were a society of Elves that grew outside of Camor, largely exiles and enemies of the Nerifir's kingdom. This Kingdom existed from -577 until 123, centered in the city of Ortoise.

Government

As opposed to the Elven Kingdom, run by the Nerifir monarchy, the Exilés attempted to form a government that represented the people.

Anais Mundro by Jarhed

Many call the Exilés the first real democracy in Totania.
Of course, there became many problems with this in an Elven context due to the longevity of their lives. As the Exilés nation only existed for 700 years, there were those that lived through its entirety, especially those who grew rich or had the power to get medication to keep themselves alive.
Due to this, there was heavy corruption in the government from the elderly who were nearly unable to be voted out, and simply kept their position for hundreds of years while being disconnected from the will of the people.

Assemblée Nationale

It was centered around a parliament called the Assemblée Nationale or National Assembly.
The National Assembly consisted of 210 members, representatives elected by the Exilés. They met in an open auditorium where anyone could come to observe the goings on of the government.
Due to this, there were a few assassination attempts, and some successes, within the auditorium.
The National Assembly was the only major ruling body of the Exilés, making and enforcing all laws. They were not recognized by the World Court as a legitimate government due to the World Court's ties to the Nerifir family of the Elven Kingdom, but were eventually recognized after the nation was dissolved.

History

Under the Nerifir dynasty, the Elven Kingdom of Camor was thriving. On the surface, it was a successful Kingdom for over a thousand years, particularly under its first three Queens: Meiriris Nerifir, Holara Nerifir, and Orithea Nerifir.
It was the ascension of the fourth Queen, Macvara Nerifir, and her asssassination and coup by her brother Arazion Nerifir that started to throw things into chaos.
Arazion took over Draconian lands, and started neglecting his own people. No one dared challenge him, but when his son took over, there was little he could do.

Zenster Nerifir by Jarhed

Zenster Nerifir was called the Troubled King because he had no power to live up to his legendary father Arazion. He was a weak ruler and a frail man who surrounded himself with wealth.
Due to this, and a continued neglect towards his people, many took a stand against Zenster.
However, Zenster did still have the Elven Guard, and they were able to drive out these upstarts, exiling them. Others simply ran away with these exiles, taking that name as a badge of honor. Exilés.

"If we are to be exiled from Zenster Nerifir's Kingdom, then I say it is for the best. He throws the word exile around like a curse when I think all other words he speaks are far worse. Better to be an exile than a subject of his tyranny."

— Anais Mundro

The Head Exile

A woman named Anais Mundro was the head of this movement. She was an Elven metalworker who believed conditions since the Draco-Elvish War were too harsh on the peasants, and tried to peacefully ask for better conditions.

Meiriris Nerifir by Jarhed

Upon her request, Zenster simply exiled her and tried to have her killed. She escaped and led others away as far as she could to the land where she would build the city of Ortoise.
People compared Anais to Meiriris Nerifir, the Queen who had led the Holy Rebellion and founded the Elven Kingdom.
She did not like this comparison for many reasons. For one, she did not think of herself as such a mythic figure as Meiriris, but more than that, Anais did not want to be Queen. She believed the monarchy had been to blame for their suffering and instead led them to forming a new government. A representative democracy.

"This is the only way for the government to bring forth the voices of the oppressed and ignored."

— Anais Mundro

Meeting Other Nations

There is much to say of what happened between the founding and the time when the Exilés nation was dissolved. 700 years of history cannot be so easily sumarized.

Varth Dreamless by Jarhed

They met with many new nations that had been too far from or had not existed during their stay in the Elven Kingdom. The most notable was the Abral Empire, or rather the various Kamejin clans that would become the Abral Empire. These Kamejin often skirmished with the Exilés, but overall were neutral to each other.
Their first exposure to Humanity was Varth Dreamless, first Court Wizard of the Kingdom of Man, who was seeking a way to help his people. The Exilés did not seek to help him against the Goblins, and so he had to seek out the help of the Gods.
For this, when he was turned into a reaper, he did attack the Exilés, killing large amounts of their population on the western edge of their nation before he was driven out by his adopted son and first King of the Kingdom of Man, Gellark Lionrage.
Gellark would create a strong alliance between the Kingdom of Man and the Exilés, but it would not be enough for what was to come.

Guldin Nerifir by Jarhed

War of the Exilés

The War of the Exilés was waged by Zenster Nerifir's son, the Hero King of the Elves, Guldin Nerifir. Guldin was a member of the Elven Guard, a soldier who had many great heroic achievements under his belt.
For this, he wanted one final one. He intended to right the wrongs of his father and bring the Exilés into line by any means necessary.
The means that he, as well as his Captain Commander Narkard Leran, came up with was that the Exilés nation needed to be dissolved, and that if they needed to do so by force, they had the army to carry it out.
The War of the Exilés began in 118 and was waged for five years. Many historians, even foreign tacticians at the time, believed this was unnecessary, that Guldin and Narkard's forces were enough to win in 2 years.

Narkard Leran by Jarhed

Some question if it was because the Exilés fought more tenaciously than expected for a nation with no standing army. Some, instead, believe that Guldin was stretching it out to keep his image up, as the people loved to see their King fighting on the front lines.
It boosted morale and kept his popularity up, but the Exilés did truly put up an impressive fight.
Their last stand at the Battle of Ortoise, using the northern frost against the Elven army, is considered one of the most brilliant tactical moves of the modern age, and the fact that Narkard Leran was still able to maneuver around it and capture the city is a testament to his skill as a warrior and commander, which is why he has gone down in history as one of the greatest soldiers to ever live.

Dissolution of the Exilés Nation

Some survivors fled to distant lands or even hid out in the Elven Kingdom pretending to have lived there their entire lives. Others were even accepted back on the condition that they disavow the Exilés.
However, the nation itself was fully destroyed. All legal documents were taken and placed into a vault in Camor Keep while members of the National Assembly were all hung in Ortoise.
Guldin Nerifir gave a speech in Camor afterwards announcing his victory and his intentions now that the war was won.

Settlements

There were many major settlements in the Exilés nation. Due to the lands being taken over after the nation was dissolved, the remnants of these places are not all intact.

Ortoise

The only city of the Exilés that is kept in its condition, Ortoise was the northernmost settlement on the continent of Elone, on its northernmost peninsula.
This was said to be a city of freedom once upon a time, nicknamed "The Freest City in the World."
It accepted people from all walks of life, and brought them in under their wing.
They did not have a standing army, but many of their citizens trained to fight.
Ortoise was the final city of the Exilés to stand upon the Nerifir invasion.
In the years that followed the Exilés defeat, while the nation was gone, the city was preserved in the ice of the north. It serves as a time capsule of democracy, even as an entirely different nation of Humans lives in it as a military base for a King.

Talet

Talet is a city that once stood in the same general region as Saumart, on the edge of the Gulf of Cassis.
Some believe it actually was across the Gulf from Saumart, where the modern day village of Cassis stands.
It had a great fishing scene, but due to its many docks, it was easily invaded by sea and razed to the ground.

Sausier

Sausier was a city that stood at the foot of the Temple of Leigong's mountain, a city that would later be renamed to Baoying under the Jihdi Empire.
It was mostly populated by followers and monks of Leigong, but they accepted anyone willing to follow their teachings and not cause trouble.

Martissonne

The present day land of Shaoyan, it was a small vacation town around a lake, meant for more peaceful times for those that did not want the hustle and bustle of the Exilés cities.

Aviteu

At the edge of the Fuccium mines that Suzuishan now stands atop, Aviteu was the center of the Exilés gathering of strategic resources that ultimately failed to save them.

Bougneux

The present day land of Narmomble, Bougneux was one of the largest and most successful regions for farming, and was the source of most crops for the Exilés, though it was often attacked by the nearby Goblins of Gremont.

Bourzon

A town that still exists, only under Human rule now, Bourzon is at the edge of Kipmar Pond, and is known for its fishing.

Religion

The Exilés were still Elves, and a majority still believed in Selene, their creator Goddess and the Goddess of Love and the Moon.
Others found faith in nearby temples. There were three major temples that were in or around the Exilés nation. The Temple of Nyx, the Church of Athena, and the Temple of Leigong.
Faith in all three of these Gods was spread throughout the nation, and Nyx was actually the official state religion, partially because the Exilés did not wish to have the same state religion as the Nerifir's Elven Kingdom.

Diplomatic Relations

The Exilés did not have a widespread net of diplomatic ties, but they had interactions with a few nations around the world.

Elven Kingdom

The Elven Kingdom never fully recognized the Exilés as an independent nation, always instead claiming the land and people as their own despite them being exiles.
Zenster Nerifir said that they did not have the divine right that the Nerifirs did to rule and therefore were a false nation.
It would be the Elven Kingdom that would destroy the Exilés.

Abral Islands

The Exilés eastern neighbors were the Kamejin and Tainuki of the Abral Islands.
This was largely before the united Abral Empire, so they had varying different relations with all of the clans, but when the Abral Empire was formed, they did not get along very well, as the Exilés wished to expand east and the Abral Empire wished for more land to the west.

Neran Goblins

The Neran Goblins had no problem with the Exilés living in the land that they did, but whenever the Exilés showed signs of expanding beyond that, especially west into the Neran land.
However, Neran adventuring parties would often go into Exilés land and fight them, claiming them "enemies of the Neran people."
These parties did not have official ties to the Goblin matriarchy, but some claim they were hired in secret.

Ophidians

The Ophidians of Bang Kruthiwat, snakefolk that invaded all nearby lands, would often raid the land of the Exilés, and never sought to have any other diplomatic relations. They just wanted a fight and heard Elves could give them one.
There was never an official war between the two, but neither was there ever truly peace.

The Northern Nereid Kingdom

The Nereids that lived in the seas west of the Exilés were relatively uncaring towards the Exilés. As long as the Exilés were not invading the water and were peacefully fishing, the Nereids kept relatively relaxed diplomatic ties with the Exilés, and let them do as they pleased.
Nereids were allowed to live in the Exilés nation, but as with all attempts from Nereids to settle on land, it was doomed, and the Nereids that lived in the Exilés nation were all killed in the War of the Exilés.

Dwarven Kingdom

The Dwarves were torn on how to accept the Exilés. On one hand, they opposed the Elves. On the other, they were Elves.
Ultimately, the Dwarves sent the Exilés weapons and acknowledged them as a legitimate nation, but never supported them further.

The Kingdom of Man

When the Kingdom of Man arrived, they were friendly to most nations around them (save for the Neran Goblins) and were likely the only people to truly accept the Exilés.
The Exilés did not last long however with the Humans as their allies, and the Kingdom of Man then took their land.

"Those who oppose the Nerifir dynasty and our people are enemies to peace. They use words like freedom and democracy to cloud your minds into thinking they have good intentions, but their intentions are oppression and hatred.
They were founded on the principle of hating us, the free world, and so we stand now amidst their ashes, free. Free from their corrupt politicians, free from their anarchic view of the people having power, and free from the military might that was able to repel our army for five years. None may stand against us, for they stand against peace and justice!"

— Guldin Nerifir

Captain Commander Narkard Leran was more unsure about the destruction of the Exilés nation after it was over, but he ultimately was quoted as saying:

"It is my duty to follow the King's orders and protect the Elven Kingdom. If it meant I had to destroy a nation of criminals and exiles... even if they were merely looking for freedom, then so be it."

— Narkard Leran

There were no leading figures to survive from the Exilés nation, or at the very least any that did were in hiding, so they could not be asked their thoughts on the result of the war.

Impact

The Exilés left much impact on Totania. For one, many generations of Elves were born in their nation as Exilés, and some even continued to live, including the seemingly immortal Olmand Shinebright.
Other Elves, though not born here, had connections to the Exilés, such as Head Priestess of Selene Amara of the Divine Heroes, who sympathized with the plight of the Exilés.
Their cities may not all stand, but those that do are lived in by majority Human populations who utilize their facilities for their own purposes, and some even continue to live by their principles.
Finally, there were many historical events which the Exilés citizens took part in that continued to impact the world long after their nation was gone.