Revansgar (/Rehv-ins-gar/)

History and Government

The High Elves once stood as a glorious race - the chosen of the gods and the stewards of life-blessed Pharos. To claim such a role today would be faulty. Delos'Nordan is in shambles, and Pharos is not the breadbasket of life as it was once thought to be. While the foolish Nordani preach the Canon and scream of their ancestors, Revansgar treads a new path forward - not as dominator, but as humbled ally.
Once, Revansgar constituted three of Delos'Nordan's proudest client-states, as well as the lands of two present clients: Mytheth Aethel and Emena Alanar. Its Ul-Grif roared upon the frontlines of many battles, from The First Expansion to The Silver War. During the Elven Wars, the territories of Revansgar took the brunt of the southern Elves' offensives into Delos'Nordan, and its borders were questioned in the same treaties that gave rise to the Upmarch. The Revanese developed both a fierce pride independent of their love of the Elven Empire as a result of these transgressions.
It was only after the conclusion of the Elven Wars, and after centuries of peace, that this pride began to grate upon the relationship between the contemporary clients and the empire. While the Nordani held firm to a doctrine of war, the spirit of the Revanese war tempered with an inclination towards peace, even as they remained some of the most feared and revered warriors of the High Elves. Tensions spilled over in the third millenium, when at the height of The Rotspur Ravage seven clients were removed from the Council of Thrys for campaigning for normalization of relations with the other states of Pharos. Among these seven clients were the five whose territories are at least partially modern Revansgar, as well as Emyana Ortheid and Thele Dorthore, who relied heavily on trade with Rhowyn and the The Minstrel Kingdoms.
The Last Crisis of Thrys, as it is known in Revansgar, led to an open revolt by the Revanese client-states. The Delos'Nordani army was crushed by the Ul-Grif Ar-Grim as they rapidly destroyed its fortresses and supply depots, and the Revanese were permitted once again into the Council of Thrys. Hostilities between the two factions would continue until Revansgar seceded peacefully at the end of The Grand Sea War, further embarrassing the hobbled High Elven military, who was powerless to respond.
Today, Revansgar stands as a look into High Elven life for the outside world. While old habits die hard and superiority is hard to supress, the Revanese High Elves (often, to the rest of the world, the Raven High Elves) have put in significant effort to entangle themselves with the other nations of Pharos. Trade, military cooperation, and diplomatic guarantees now link them to the rest of the world, and while the Revanese still view industrialization with a wary eye, it is entering its borders. The three clients which ruled Revansgar for millenia have been replaced by a unitary government which functions as a triumvirate between the old three ruling families. Democratic governance exists by way of city councils, though their power is limited and Revansgar still functions primarily as a feudal military state.

Cities

Ravenshold (The Raven's Hold)

More a fortress than a city, the Raven's Hold is the seat of government for the League of Three. It is also the center of logistics for the border-forts of Revansgar, and all supplies and patrols flow through its gates. Roughly fifty-thousand soldiers are stationed in the Raven's Hold at any time, and a significant civilian population has built up outside of its borders. The civil districts of the Raven's Hold have come to be a town of their own, often referred to as the less-official Ravenshold. Ravenshold houses a permanent population of around fifty-thousand as well, though this population is frequently in flux as the families of soldiers follow them temporarily to the outpost.

Geography

Much of Revansgar is flatland plains, though its southern stretches tend to be more hilly as a result of their positioniong beside the Summerpeaksmmerpeaks-handofdog]. The nation's tall grasses and daisy fields are interrupted by the great Skywoods in the east. The trees of these woods are considered holy by many High Elves, for they rise upward towards the sky, standing taller than even those of Everaldimor. The region is strictly protected, and no logging is permitted to take place.
In the west, Revansgar holds claims within the Wolfwoods which remain unrecognized by Ganemyth, but which have long de facto been within their grip. All of Revansgar's lumber supply comes from operations with the Wolfwoods, which further causes friction with their western neighbor.
Two rivers run through Revansgar, serving both as a primary water source and a border demarcation. The Ulvelenor River divides the border with Delos'Nordan, and the Revanese control all river crossing between the two nations, giving them practical ownership of the river itself. The Thal'i River denotes the border between Revansgar and its south-eastern neighbors. Ownership of this river is far more contested, for neither the Upmarch nor The Feral Lands have a stable government from which to negotiate water rights; nonetheless, both do so regularly, running afoul of Revanese laws and limits on fishing.

Resources

Revansgar has few natural resources, as it has historically relied heavily on Delos'Nordan for subsidies. Foreign legions of Ul-Grif Ar-Grim were once Revansgar's primary export, intervening in various civil wars and noble conflicts. Those days have passed, however, and Revansgar today is an agricultural supplier of Elvenmint, Emegum from the Skywoods, grapes, olives, vanilla and soybeans. Its lumber and ore industries are primarily self-sufficient and operated by the military government, though some projects within the Upmarch generate profits on metals which go directly to Revanese coffers.
In recent years, Revansgar has become a primary exporter of Exaltium, as there seem to be many deposits of it within the depths of the Summerpeaks.

Ethnicities

Historically, Myds and Wyldfolk had lived in parts of Revansgar, especially within the Skywoods. These peoples were purged throughout the length of the Elven Wars, and few remnants remain today. Instead, contemporary Revansgar is largely homogeneous, consisting almost entirely of High Elves with roots in the region - though some Imperial High Elves have also fled Delos'Nordan and settled in the nation more recently.

Diplomacy

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"The Gryphon State"

Adjectives: Revanese
National Animal: Ul-Grif (and Griffons in general ravens
National Instrument: Psaltery

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Ethnicities: Delos'Nordani
Languages: Delos'rithei, Human Common (Pharosian Gultic)

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Capital: Raven's Hold
Ruler: The League of Three
Government: Military Dictatorship

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Hallmarks: Tolerant High Elves, military pride, international conscientiousness, walls and fortresses
Characteristics: Unwavering, open-minded, serious, loyal

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Related Historical Events

• 1513
  Revansgar Secedes
• 1428
  Raventide Revolt
• 1427
  Last Crisis of Thrys
• 1350
  The Rotspur Ravage
• 1339
  The Sapphire Sparkles
• 1304
  The Third Elven War

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