Enav'ral

Elven communities are a thing of beauty, delicately crafted in harmony with the world around them. As those who create beauty as a way of life, it stands to reason that the black elves would create the most beautiful. Indeed, the greatest home of the black elves is sometimes known as one of the most beautiful places on the face of Covenant.

Demographics

As is common in elven communities, only the black elves, themselves are allowed to live here. Others are allowed to visit, but few ever stay long. Most of these are from Bjornland or the nearby Fasach. This means that visitors tend to be human or even orcish. Although, sometimes adventurers come from further afield, drawn by the town's beauty.
There are two races that have a particular relationship with this community. The first are dwarves, who trade very closely with the elves here and are therefore more common here than in most other places. The others are elves, the black elves don't trust light and dark elves. Therefore, they are not allowed here.

Government

The government of Enav'ral is something of a mystery. They are ruled by a being known as the Moon-Child that lives beneath the town. None have ever met this being, or even know what manner of creature it is. The elves simply do not discuss it with outsiders.
Day-to-day governance and the maintenance of law and order are very informal affairs here. For the most part, outsiders that harm others tend to be dealt with very quickly by the injured party, or someone else better equipped on their behalf.

Defences

Enav'ral has very few overt defenses beyond its place in the mountains. There are no walls or even watchtowers. Indeed, with its wealth and beauty, it seems like it would be the perfect place to attack, even despite its isolated and hard-to-reach location. These appearances are very deceptive, however.
The elves who live here also have no formal military or defensive forces. However, many of them are talented warriors or mages, using their long lives to truly master their crafts. Any invading force would no doubt find themselves under attack from masterful combatants more than dedicated to protecting the beauty of their homes.

Industry & Trade

The black elves are artists first and foremost. Their crafts are known throughout the world as being very fine in workmanship and unmatched in beauty. Adventurers, in particular consider black elven arms and armor such as Mooncutter to be a status symbol, and travel from far and wide to come here, spending a great deal of coin for them.
Much of this wealth is traded for simple necessities such as food and raw materials. Most of the mundane trade is with the dwarves that share their mountain homes. These trades are usually wooden crafts for some of the ore from dwarven mines, which the elves need for their own works.

Infrastructure

Built in its place in Skaddi's Peaks, Enav'ral is actually one of the largest elven communities in the world. The most important part of town is the market towards the outside of town. Even this place is beautiful, and music constantly fills the air. Visitors tend to find this place quite pleasant.
There aren't many useful services for visitors outside of this part of town. The rest tends to be residential areas, both for the poorer and richer citizens. The homes of even the least influential are works of art, and some travelers do come here, if for no other reason than to walk these streets.

History

Enav'ral originally dates back to that primordial period when elves fought with one other over the fate of the other races of Covenant. One faction of elves simply did not want to fight at all. They fled into the mountains, and came out only in the dark of night.
As they lived here, they began working under the light of the moon to build a community for themselves. The built in the elven way, slow and carefully, as if coaxing the stone of the mountain into its current shape. They feared their brethren would find them and drag them into the war, but they never did.
Just like their kin, the dark elves, they changed over time, becoming something distinct. They became the black elves, and slowly spread through the mountains. Still, no matter how many smaller towns they built, none were ever greater than their first home of Enav'ral.
The elves of Enav'ral have for their entire history stayed out of the affairs of others. As such, history has mostly passed them by. Even when the orcs invaded all of Skogsmark, they were too busy fighting the humans of Bjornland and Fasach to worry about elves who would rather simply keep to their own.

Architecture

The architecture of Enav'ral is among the most famously beautiful in all of Covenant. The stone of its walls are worked to appear perfectly smooth. Silvery metal is worked into it appearing as vines creeping up the walls. This causes the whole town to glisten gently in the moonlight.
The streets of the town are accessorized with multiple archways that make it seem that much larger and grander than it is. Delicate-looking spires rise above the surrounding structures. These towers are stronger than they appear, however, and make Enav'ral seem to have an almost otherworldly quality.

Type

Large town

Population

Approx. 15,000

Inhabitant Demonym

Enav'ralest

Location under

Skogsmark