Shaelarin
The Crystal Dunes
Shaelarin is the elven realm in the south-easternmost reaches of the Virosian continent. They are an isolationist political body with a single city and capital, Qenaara. The spirit Fae operates as a leader of sorts, though the Crysaria Aendal, or Council of Singing Crystal, interprets what she advises and enacts what is seen to be her will. Though she has no official power, what she advises as wisdom is often transformed into law. "Sands understood, grain by grain. When you have as much time as us, it's hard to argue against the endeavor." -Tynaea Vaegath Few that enter Qenaara are not elven, and fewer still end up leaving. Reaching the Shaelarin capital takes weeks of travel through the dry heat of the Shaelarin Desert, and the weather is only one of the brutal dangers of the wastes. Crystal-sung orchards dot the providence of Shaelarin, which operate as guidance tools for the Elves, and showcase the dedication of the elves to preserve the beauty over centuries and millennia, if so their illusions allow viewing.Preservation of the Immortal
If not for the Akathian border between them and Fjorlosia, the elves would still be at war with the Dwarves. They care strongly for the sanctity and preservation of the world and to watch it be destroyed and manufactures tortures them to no end. The simple knowledge that it is happening stirs the realm to action frequently. Thus, all visitors to Shaelarin must have prior notice in the amount of at least ten years. All other business with the elves must be done with the emissaries in Aleryn. No outsider is to enter their borders, with the Decennial agreement being that venturing through the first twenty miles of the border will result in search and seizure of goods considered illegal or otherwise harmful to that of the Shaelarin, and an order to return to their home. If an unsanctioned group is found within that twenty mile "soft" border, lawful execution will be declared on the trespassers. As a result, not much is known by outsiders of what the real Shaelarin realm is like. Glimpses in always bring rumors back to the other realms, though those that have entered those borders for war rarely report that their senses were altogether present. Nearly every raid on elven lands has resulted in little in the way of spoils. Crystal orchards are guarded well by illusion and manipulations of the desert light, and to seek them out typically requires an insider's betrayal for any degree of success.Declaration of Isolation
As part of the Cohesion of the Realms, one of the admissions made for the Shaelarin were that they would be much more strictly separated in a few ways from the other realms. Namely, an order than any that enter Shaelarin borders would be killed on sight if they could not prove that they were expected. The elven taskforce responsible for this, the Iylisaen, are a sun-elven warrior class. They are supremely efficient at what they do, and that is to keep outsiders from entering Shaelarin.
Other wards also exist, not the least of which are the Mythrael Orchards themselves. In their sung forms are such shapes that cast great illusions over the dunes of Shaelarin, designed to lead trespassers astray. One might believe themselves headed unnerringly south, just to find themselves wandering north and into the O'ercliff Plains - or worse - deep into the driest heat of the desert.
Type
Geopolitical, Theocracy
