Aerenal
Aerenal is the ancient island kingdom of the Aereni elves, who take their name from Aeren, a mythical hero said to have freed the elves from the giants of Xen'drik. It is also home to the deathless in the Undying Court. In addition to the Aereni elves, a small group of Tairnadal elves inhabits the northern steppes of Aerenal, though many have since migrated to Valenar. Due to fear of the "walking dead" and the isolationist nature of the Aereni elves, few non-elves ever visit the small continent. While the Aereni
despise the creation of undead, the deathless of Aerenal, unlike undead, draw power from positive, rather than negative energy, and are generally good in alignment. A manifest zone of Irian is thought to make the existence of the Undying Court possible. Aerenal is heavily forested, and many exotic plants grow there, such as the soarwood tree, whose wood is used to build airship hulls, and the necromantically charged Covadish plant.
Aerenal is made up of different elven lines. Each line is descended from one of the tribes that followed the prophet Aeren from Xen'drik. Lines are not a single family, but more like a city-state with lots of different families bound together by common history and led by one noble family. The nobles are allowed to be raised as deathless, but membership in a noble house is not hereditary. An elf becomes a noble by what the elf does. Aereni nobles do not even breed among their house; instead, they breed with other members of the line, keeping the noble blood spread throughout the community. Unlike humans, the Aerenal marry only for love. Anyone can become a member of the Undying Court if they become great in life.
The elves have perfected the art of embalming, and some practice this trade in the great cities of Khorvaire. When an elf is prepared for burial, two chronicles of the elf's life are written: one is put into the tomb and the other into the great library in Shae Mordai. The tombs are in catacombs that stretch deep beneath the cities of Aerenal.
Structure
Secular power is held by the Sibling Kings, a position that must always be held by a brother and sister. These siblings are appointed from the Aereni populace by the Undying Court. If either sibling of the pair dies, the other steps down and allows the Undying Court to choose a new pair of Kings. Currently, the Sibling Kings are Balareth (the brother) and Tezaera (the sister) of the Mendyrian family.
Both religious power and long-term national destiny are controlled by the Undying Court. This court is made up of the deathless, and therefore rule from Shae Mordai, the City of the Dead. The Undying Court is worshiped as a religion by the Aereni, and this belief is powerful enough that the Court's followers produce spellcasting clerics. The court also engages in national planning on a scale of millennia.
Type
Geopolitical, Kingdom
Government System
Monarchy, Elective
Official State Religion
Related Species
