The Vale

History and Government

"Equality, or death!" The words echo on every banner of the Vale's capital, often with proclamations of justice and liberty. To most, these echoes are nothing but hollow rings in the background of their lives. The Vale was settled in the Age of Enlightenment, primarily by Dark Elf outcasts of Farenai and refugees from Delos'Nordan, where the race was traditionally persecuted. It was intended to be a bastion of freedom in a broken world, a place where the persecuted could exist without fear of oppression. Symbolically, Rhylanar Icharn is viewed as the founder of the nation, because he was responsible for The Icharn Column, around which the capital is centered. In reality, he had little to do with the city (much less the nation's) actual founding, which happened largely organically.
Whether the Vale has met its aspirations is a matter of debate. Indeed, oft-persecuted races, including Dark Elves, Tieflings, and Dhampirs, often find a more tolerant space for themselves within the nation's capital - and, really, it's only major city - Vaelhart. This tolerance is enforced by legal threat, and often obeyed for fear of imprisonment rather than genuine acceptance by residents of other races. The elite Just Guard enforces the so-called Fairness Laws, which set up tribunals for victims of discrimination and effectively lock the accused into an extensive bureaucratic process that is best avoided. Higher up, the Council of Equity ensures the removal of oppression at a systematic level, overseeing all laws passed by the city-elected Popular Parliament, and vetoing those it deems of ill consequence. In practice, the Council has a fearsome and authoritarian visage within the city. The process by which its members are chosen, and their identities, is highly secretive, further compounding worries of corruption among the populace. The Popular Parliament, while giving citizens more rights than most neighboring nations, has its own problems, and can rarely agree for long enough to pass a law. When it does, it is law that is typically already endorsed by the Just Guard, who answer directly to the Council, which sees its job not simply as overseers, but protectors, should the Parliament fail to accomplish such a duty. This leads to the Council having virtually all power within the city.
But not all is bad. Compared to other absolutist governments, the Council is a remarkably enlightened set of governors, investing heavily into education, industrialization, and social safety within the city. It's said that anybody can survive in the Vale, for if one cannot subsist alone, the Council will take care. The Council has also, historically, always been staunchly opposed to war, and been responsible for peace talks between hostile actors on Pharos - most recently, Devania and Nothgard.
Outside of Vaelhart, the Vale is scarcely populated by those who would consider themselves citizens of the capital's government. A few cities do exist which are bound to Vaelhart by the influence of the Just Guard, but these are typically otherwise-isolated and purely strategic in their existence. Conversely, Old Faith tribes thrive in the Vale. The southern plains are traditionally the homeland of the Yelentsi, with whom the Vale has had some hostilities, but with whom there is generally a mutual respect. All manner of other tribes also exist within its borders, in less significant amounts, due to being pushed out of adjacent lands.

Cities

Vaelhart

Vaelhart is the capital of the Vale, and it houses just over half a million citizens. It is a carefully constructed city, divided up into twelve "circles," which are roughly symmetric about the center. These circles were built outwards as the city's population grew, which resulted in initially sparsely-populated circles. These have since grown into densely-populated city districts, with the occasional historical building that has a sprawling courtyard or lawn. At the very center, about which all the circles extend, is The Icharn Column, the massive black tower rumored to be the home of Vaelhart's first ruler, Rhylanar Icharn. The tower is magically locked, and its entrance is not known to any other person; nobody has entered or left it in centuries, but it is rumored to have psychic effects upon those who get close.
In the center-most circle also lies the Golden Gardens, which is a publicly-accessible expanse of parks and gardens, maintained by the city. Most government buildings lie within the Golden Gardens, including the Council Court which houses the Council of Equity, and the Center of the People, in which the Popular Parliament holds its meetings. The Golden Gardens neighbors the Universal Square, which makes up the campus of the University of the Vale, which is secondary only to the Nexus Aurorealis of Rhowyn as a college of magic. Arguably, the University of the Vale also excels at non-magical studies, and surpasses the College of Arches in the humanities, though they have always been in narrow conflict.

Hearth

Hearth is a fortress which lies on the border of Southmoor, though it has expanded, roughly, into a city as a result of accepting refugees from the war-torn nation (in particular, those fleeing the city of Yelts). Hearth now has a permanent residency of about four thousand people, who are not allowed to venture further into the nation due to worries about their place of origin. Most do not wish to, anyways, preferring to wait in Hearth until the situation in their homeland hopefully settles down, and they can return to their old lives.

The Rook

The Rook is a remnant of High Elven civilization, from when Delos'Nordan stretched the continent of Pharos. It has been restored and maintained by The Vale for decades, serving as a major headquarters of The Kamestra, as well as a fortress which defends the river for trade from the Sea of Stars. The fortress itself has space for 20,000 inhabitants, but outskirts stretch outwards, allowing for another 35,000 to remain, both permanently and temporarily.

Geography

The majority of the Vale's territory is composed of the nation's southern flat plains. These plains are scarcely populated, and largely under the authority of the Yelentsi tribes, though Vaelhart has launched initiatives to colonize some of their expanse, coupled with plans to construct canals from the Syren River to allow for better farming conditions. These initiatives have typically found opposition from Ganemyth, which considered the river its own territory, but the Popular Parliament has been, as of late, pushing a harder line on the issue.
The region immediately around Vaelhart is a mixture of plains, sparse forests, and river floodplains, where a majority of the nation's agriculture and industry can be found. While the direct outskirts of Vaelhart are, by law, unpopulated, farms and mills prosper roughly ten miles out, beyond the "forbidden zone" of construction. This fades out, along with Vaelhart's influence, as one travels further west, and ends completely roughly where the forests of the Far Hope Mountains begin.
Beyond this forest, the Rhyders have primary influence, and the land becomes much more hilly. Uniquely, this territory is where many Rhyders have settled down in exchange for a life of farming, free of the requirements of Rhydien proper. The lands are almost perfect for agriculture, nestled between the plentiful tributaries of the Aily River.
The forest itself is a peaceful and untouched home of many Fey; "untouched," however, does not mean ignorant of the world around them. The Fey of these woods are typically highly defensive and cautious, eager to protect one of their last remaining sanctuaries on Pharos (outside of Everaldimor).

Resources

The Vale has plentiful natural resources, although most of them are untapped. Logging is a major venture in the woods around Vaelhart, though these are fading fast, and environmental measures are increasingly popular among the Popular Parliament, as well as the Council of Equity. North of Hearth, mining ores in the Far Hope Mountains contributes significantly to the Vale's economy, but this has also been called into question, primarily as a result of the situation in neighboring Southmoor further deteriorating.
Vaelhart itself is a major center of trade, and is often called the "center of Pharos," both literally and figuratively. This helps to fund the city's expensive social programs, at least, even if it does not exactly grant it a prospering economy. The biggest export of the Vale stems from the mills outlying Vaelhart, in the form of textiles. Much of the materials for clothing on the Pharosian continent have their roots here, but even this industry is not so lucrative, as the raw materials are imported, and the textiles are exported before a final product is made. This middle-man status of production brings yet another meaning to Vaelhart being the "center" of Pharos.
The southern plains of Pharos have occasional farms, though settlement is difficult due to the dominance of the Old Faith tribes there. Still, these farms are significant to the world-wide economy, as farmers largely have full control of their produce without the need of paying fees or taxes to the government. While Montbay dominates the markets for luxury plants in southern Pharos, the Vale's southern farmers contribute fennel, sage and walnuts to the world market.

Ethnicities

Various ethnicities inhabit the parts of the Vale where the capital's authority is limited. The southern plains are the primary hunting grounds of the Yelentsi peoples, as well as some Myds. In the north, Cyrs have historically settled, though they have faced the brunt of repression by Vaelhart, as their communities lie close to trade routes with northern Ciraeldon. In the west, the Rhyders sometimes spill over for their hunts, and a significant proportion of those who have settled down to farm live on the Vale's side of the border. On the border with Southmoor, Valsh tribes have traditionally traveled over to trade with the Yelentsi, but the outbreak of Southmoor's civil war has resulted in crackdowns on travel and amplified border-guard.

Diplomacy

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"Equality, or Death"

Adjectives: Harter (colloquially), Valish (officially)
National Animal: Winged Lemur
National Instrument: Ukulele

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Ethnicities: Harters, Yelentsi, Rhyders, Myds
Languages: Human Common (Pharosian Gultic), Yelentsi, West Old-Tongue (Rhyders), Karo'rithei, East Old-Tongue (Myds)

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Capital: Vaelhart
Ruler: The Popular Parliament and The Council of Equity
Government: Egalitarian Republic

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Hallmarks: Equality, harsh legalism, metropolitanism, tribal autonomy
Characteristics: Diverse, taciturn, conscientious, permissive

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Related Historical Events

• 1412
  The Plain Accords
• 1404
  Founding of the Vale
• 831
  The Western Exodus
• 576
  Century of the First Lich

Eashavar

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Map of Vaelhart

Map of Hearth