The Empire of the Rune Keepers
After the settling, the Elven people looked to be as far away from the Dwarves as possible and turned their attention to the southern reaches of the continent; heading to the vast woodlands and rich greens to build up their magic; their resources and their understanding of the world around them. The Halflings joined them to seek out good fertile lands to create comfortable living and relaxing lives for themselves. Following both of them were the Dragonborn, wishing to learn more about their magical ancestry and heritages, they eventually separated to create their own land to the East of the Runekeepers which over time became known as The Dragonlands.
The Elven Lands is covered predominantly with dense forestry, rolling hills and small clusters of mountains; the land is segregated by a huge central lake which splits into numerous rivers and streams which streak out across the region and provides fresh water to numerous large and small settlements.
Within the Empire of the Rune Keepers there are several major settlements: Tor Alyn; Tor Malmo; Tor Uviel; Arborea; Gatewatch and Horizon.
The title of "Capital City" is a contested one, with both Tor Malmo and Tor Uviel laying claim to it. Despite this dispute between the two cities, they enjoy a friendly, though spirited, rivalry. This rivalry can be most often seen on display during events and festivals which see their representatives come together.
Their is an annual event called The Capital Games which each city takes turns to host - this came about after centuries of each city trying to outdo the other in various ways, and eventually evolved into a full festival to celebrate elven culture.
The Rune Keepers is an Empire of dual political power: a Magocracy run by twelve powerful Magisters (wizards, sorcerers, scholars, arcane trained folk) who have been elected into a senate-like governmental force, and a Theocracy overseen by the High Priests and Priestesses of the key religion, the Seldarine.
Six of the twelve Magisters are located in Tor Malmo, while the other six are located in Tor Uviel.
There is a High Priest or Priestess dedicated to each member of the Seldarine in every major settlement, within the Temple Districts honoured by the people of the Empire - however, these members of the Clergy must answer to the High Priests and Priestesses of Var'Bellenaris if things go awry or require greater clarity from their superiors. The Clergy of Var'Bellenaris act as the top most positions of holy power within the Empire, only ever getting involved in the most extreme of circumstances, preferring to remain off Plane in their Temple City, to allow their counterparts on the Material Plane to oversee the majority of the work unhindered.
Structure
Magisters, high ranking scholars of arcane prowess, are members of the overarching magocracy and work together like a senate. Their position of power allows them to write laws; vote on important matters; oversee the control of shipping manifests; maintain treaties of concordance with the other Empires; mark individuals who have broken laws; issue commands to the Arcane Reapers, and much more.
They are the predominant governmental force within the Empire of the Runekeepers, their positions are coveted by mages of prominent power as their edicts essentially rule over almost every part of the Empire of the Runekeepers.
Young up and coming mages who aspire to become magisters in the future will often attempt to become apprentices; assistants or aides to current magisters to gain favour.
In order to appease the other major force of power within the Empire, which is of course the Divine, there is only ever twelve magisters at any one time, in accord with the twelve members of the Seldarine. It is in fact the power of the Divine sect of governmental control which appoints magisters when a new seat becomes available.
The two forces, mage and clergy alike, work together in a somewhat uneasy balance of control over the Empire of the Runekeepers. While the magocracy has the largest political say in the laws and legislations of the realm, they must answer to the theocracy to ensure the will of the Seldarine is done too.
It is widely questioned as to which of the powers truly holds the most sway. Some say the magisters due to their arcanic ability and wide stretch of influence, but some say the clergy due to their apparent influence over the magisters.
Military
While most towns and cities have their own "Guard" force and arrange their own defences, they will often look to the military forces within Gatewatch for advice. This is namely due to Gatewatch being the main hub for military training and stationing within the Empire of the Runekeepers, with the largest martial force in the region. The guard grounds of Gatewatch oversee the training of new guards, some of which go on to be deployed to other towns or cities within the region, and some of which remain in Gatewatch to join their standing forces.
A far lesser seen secondary "military" force exists within the The Empire of the Rune Keepers, acknowledged to oversee the command of the Fortress of Eternal Umbra and its prisoners, alongside the far more well documented duty of hunting dangerous mages who originated in the Elven Lands and have either gone to ground or fled to other nations. This sect of military might is a terrifying force, made up predominantly of mages capable of hunting and eliminating other magic users, or restraining and pacifying those of martial prowess. Known to the wider population of the Empire as the Arcane Reapers, these highly skilled combatants; trackers; hunters and slayers are not the sort of people to get in the way of, and behind closed doors however, these elite warriors are know by another name: the Undying.
Religion
The most recognised religion of the Elven Lands is the ancient traditions of the Seldarine, most if not all major settlements within the region host at least one temple dedicated to the Pantheon, though some small settlements host religious sites dedicated to the deity most keenly followed in that area. Many of the roaming Clans still follow the older traditions and worships to the Seldarine, occassionally paying homage at some of the old henges constructed in honour of their gods.
With the recognition of one side of the Elven Pantheon, comes acknowledgement of the other as well, and thus many Elves reluctantly know of the Dark Seldarine which dwells within certain regions of the Underdark, and potentially within some of the darker corners of the surface towns and cities.
Due to their Halfling population, the Halfling deities are often referenced in cultural conversations, and frequently have small shrines or temples built to them in the Halfling dense settlements.
Potentially, the most unique religion found to have gained traction within the Runekeepers is that of Oghma. While he only has one dedicated Temple Town in his name, it is a prominent one, as it boasts one of the Runekeepers few dungeons within its bowels, and is cared for by a large selection of priestesses who tend to the Temple.
Maps
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The Empire of the Rune Keepers
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Tor Alyn - City Layout
Type
Geopolitical, Empire
Alternative Names
Elven Lands
Training Level
Trained
Veterancy Level
Experienced
Demonym
Elven
Government System
Magocracy
Economic System
Market economy
Legislative Body
The magisters are responsible for the writing of laws, rules, trade documents and other matters which are required for functionality of the realm. These are often approved or disapproved by the clergy before formal instillation.
Executive Body
The laws of the land are enforced predominantly by the town and city guards of the Empire.
When things truly go awry the Arcane Reapers are called into ensure those who would break the laws are dealt with appropriately.
Official State Religion
Neighboring Nations
Related Species