Kyonin
Although many people in the Inner Sea region see the elves of Kyonin as standoffish and isolationist—a stereotype unintentionally reinforced by the elves’ long focus on various internal struggles—the newly returned threat of Tar-Baphon has drawn the elves’ attention outward once more. Elven experts’ own experience and historical records suggest that it’s only a matter of time before Tar-Baphon becomes an unavoidable threat to the entire region, and thus Kyonin’s leadership has begun sending more diplomatic emissaries to other nations in preparation for a large-scale war that could ravage the continent. At the same time, this need for greater cooperation with other nations has led Kyonin’s leaders to open their own carefully watched borders to ambassadors and visitors from a wide array of ancestries and nations.
This elven push for international alliance is seen by many as a drastic change from Kyonin’s traditional policy, yet elven records and memories reveal many instances of similar collaboration against evil, now long forgotten by younger nations. Still, the elven love of freedom means that many of these efforts are the acts of like-minded individuals rather than ruling institutions—in truth, even the elves’ current undertakings are less the result of a formal governmental order and more a collective drive among individuals to work toward the greater good. The fact that Kyonin’s assistance is almost never a national decision, but instead the independent undertaking of numerous individuals, has given rise to the widespread opinion that elves as a whole care little for the other nations of Avistan. The recent destruction of Lastwall has rallied many younger elves into action, hoping to combat their nation’s reputation for ambivalence as well as the Whispering Tyrant.
Despite a heightened involvement on the global stage, life in Kyonin has changed little over the centuries. The elves continue their appreciation of deep learning, crafting, and the arcane arts, though the influx of outsiders into the realm has led to the introduction of new ideas that diverge from purely elven tradition. Elves’ apparent disinterest and detachment belie a keen eye on current events, a shifting political landscape, and growing and changing threats on a global and long-term scale. Even within the courts of Queen Telandia Edasseril, intrigue abounds as disparate factions vie for influence, and not all players agree with the decision to allow outsiders into the realm. Likewise, even this increased outreach has not overcome longstanding rivalries: Kyonin remains at odds with the River Kingdoms, especially regarding the human-occupied elven ruin of Sevenarches, and Razmiran’s hostile policy toward the elves has caused an ongoing cold war across the West Sellen River.
Those groups who question the wisdom of allowing outsiders into Kyonin have been most convincing with regard to the Fierani Forest, and especially the capital of Iadara, where several aiudara—elf gates—link the elven realm to distant lands, and where the Sovyrian Stone that powers all aiudara is carefully hidden away. For this reason, parts of the city remain swathed in illusion and supernatural mists to deter non-elven visitors from straying from their designated areas. Ironically, many of these same groups worried about the safety of the elven capital also appreciate the influx of non-elven warriors from the north, who bring experience from the demon-hunting Mendevian crusades that may be crucial in elven efforts to contain the threat of Treerazer in Kyonin’s southern reaches.
This elven push for international alliance is seen by many as a drastic change from Kyonin’s traditional policy, yet elven records and memories reveal many instances of similar collaboration against evil, now long forgotten by younger nations. Still, the elven love of freedom means that many of these efforts are the acts of like-minded individuals rather than ruling institutions—in truth, even the elves’ current undertakings are less the result of a formal governmental order and more a collective drive among individuals to work toward the greater good. The fact that Kyonin’s assistance is almost never a national decision, but instead the independent undertaking of numerous individuals, has given rise to the widespread opinion that elves as a whole care little for the other nations of Avistan. The recent destruction of Lastwall has rallied many younger elves into action, hoping to combat their nation’s reputation for ambivalence as well as the Whispering Tyrant.
Despite a heightened involvement on the global stage, life in Kyonin has changed little over the centuries. The elves continue their appreciation of deep learning, crafting, and the arcane arts, though the influx of outsiders into the realm has led to the introduction of new ideas that diverge from purely elven tradition. Elves’ apparent disinterest and detachment belie a keen eye on current events, a shifting political landscape, and growing and changing threats on a global and long-term scale. Even within the courts of Queen Telandia Edasseril, intrigue abounds as disparate factions vie for influence, and not all players agree with the decision to allow outsiders into the realm. Likewise, even this increased outreach has not overcome longstanding rivalries: Kyonin remains at odds with the River Kingdoms, especially regarding the human-occupied elven ruin of Sevenarches, and Razmiran’s hostile policy toward the elves has caused an ongoing cold war across the West Sellen River.
Those groups who question the wisdom of allowing outsiders into Kyonin have been most convincing with regard to the Fierani Forest, and especially the capital of Iadara, where several aiudara—elf gates—link the elven realm to distant lands, and where the Sovyrian Stone that powers all aiudara is carefully hidden away. For this reason, parts of the city remain swathed in illusion and supernatural mists to deter non-elven visitors from straying from their designated areas. Ironically, many of these same groups worried about the safety of the elven capital also appreciate the influx of non-elven warriors from the north, who bring experience from the demon-hunting Mendevian crusades that may be crucial in elven efforts to contain the threat of Treerazer in Kyonin’s southern reaches.
Type
Geopolitical, Kingdom
Capital
Head of State
Location
Controlled Territories
Neighboring Nations
Related Species
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