Sylvan Kingdom of Cernoa

A wild fairy forest kingdom hundreds of thousands of years old.

The last stray sunbeams lance through the forest's tree cover as twilight descends. A satyr sits on a rocky outcropping playing the pipes for a group of glowing pixies dancing in a warm breeze. An elderly centaur sends the last of his young students home from the grove while a patrol of lightly armored wood elf hunters ghost down a forest path. Walking til night, the Cernoan capital of Mathghamein slowly comes into view. It is a forest of lights and growing, living buildings. Legendary smiths work in forges shaped from smooth solid stone, raucous street markets flourish night and day, awash in strange fey goods alongside Moghadamian wine, books of poetry from Halaan, delicacies from the Tarqan Plains, and clockwork toys from Fealand to the south. The largely fey people of Cernoa love music and fear cold iron. They know the oldest stories in the world, and will even tell them for a price. It is a secluded, insular kingdom older than Tanatra and it shows: their customs are strange, their cities are alive, and the land itself seems magical.

Origins

After the underground kingdoms of the dwarves and the gnomes in Tanatra, Cernoa is the oldest settled region in world. The capital at Mathghamein is home to the oldest and largest druidic academy, where bards, druids, rangers, sorcerers, and wizards are all trained.
Legend has it that Cernoa is where the fey first appeared in the world. It is said that a rift to the Feywild opened a million years ago and the fey poured through - the first of many invasions from another plane.
Cernoa is by far the largest, most powerful, and oldest fey-controlled territory. Unlike the isolationist treants and fey of the Carentan Forest, the residents of Cernoa welcome visitors. However, given the alien morals and scruples of the fey, entering Cernoa can be dangerous for outsiders.
The Cernoan fey court stays in contact with the wilder fey of Carentan, as well as maintaining diplomatic relations with the Empire of Halaan, the undersea Laharan Empire and the various southern kingdoms.
It is said that early on, some fey intermarried with the indigenous gnomes, forever tying the two people together and creating the subrace of forest gnomes.

The Nine(?) Archfey of Cernoa

More than a few archfey have made Cernoa their home since the rift to the Feywild openend there 800,000 years ago. By far the most famous is known as the Warden of Summer's End, who died leading fairy troops against the earliest draconic invasions.
For tens of thousands of years, the same eight Archfey have made Cernoa their home. Each controls aa territory, but few actually care to rule. They are:

• The Herald of Summer
• The Warden of All Thorns
• Wintersong. It's territory includes the capital city of Mathghamein. Perhaps because of this, Wintersong is seen in the world more often than the other archfey. It often appears as a tall human with elk antlers and ears, overly large grey eyes and a thick fur cape.
• Mother Night. Often appearing as a (true neutral) hag, Mother Night also owns a large inn deep in the Carentan Forest in the village of Belsharrah.
• The Maiden of Spring looks like a beautiful young woman with green skin, dark purple hair and yellow eyes.
• The Baron of Clouds
• Sevenflowers
• The Secret King of Cernoa. The Secret King is just a rumor and stories disagree on what he looks like. It is possible that he or she doesn't exist and that bards made up the stories of the Secret King. Maybe because having nine archfey is more aesthetically pleasing than having eight. Maybe because it seems strange for Cernoa not to be ruled by an archfey. Maybe just for fun.

The archfey are generally secretive, rarely appearing in public. It is rumored that there is a ninth archfey in Cernoa who rules over all the rest from the shadows. It is said that this archfey is the hidden king of all Cernoa, and that the fey who sits on the throne in Mathghamein rules in name only.

Military buildup in the Bandar Forest

Halaan and Cernoa are engaged in a cold war over this territory which both countries claim. It has historically been a part of Halaan, but the fey citizens of Cernoa don't necessarily understand borders and they've been settling the forest for decades.
If Cernoa were to gain the Bandar, they would have access to trade with the undersea Laharan Empire, and through them all the way west to the Second Alousian Empire. This would break Halaan's near-monopoly on trade with the Laharans. It would also possibly allow for new overland trade routes between Lahara and the southern countries, which are currently blocked by the Halaanese.
If Halaan were to retain the Bandar, all trade west from Cernoa would continue to travel overland through Halaanese customs posts.
The buildup of Cernoan fey in the Bandar Forest region has so far been overlooked by the xenophobic, racist Halaanese elves, but that can only last so long. As fey settlements creep closer to Halaanese settlements, the Emperor will inevitably be forced to act.

Maps

• 

  Cernoa, Sylvan Kingdom of (political)

• 

  Cernoa, Sylvan Kingdom of (geographic)

Founding Date

circa 200,000 B.C.

Type

Geopolitical, Kingdom

Capital

City of Mathghamein

Demonym

Cernoan

Founders

• Mathghamein I, King of Cernoa

Government System

Monarchy, Absolute

Power Structure

Federation

Economic System

Mixed economy

Official Languages

• Cernoan Sylvan
• Old Yesrenic
• Sylvan
• Tanatran

Neighboring Nations

• Empire of Halaan
• Kingdom of Bhalla
• Magisterium of Fealand