Trelios
Trelios is a predominantly Human country located in central Khalon. Situated between Ilyria and Morenthyr, Trelios has some of the most fertile land on the continent. A loose alliance of principalities, Trelios maintains its unity due to the proximity of Morenthyr. Continued border tension ensures each prince maintains a sizable standing army. A recent civil war between the two faiths of Trelios has left lasting scars, with both sides distrusting the other.
History
Elven Era
After the Elven Conquest, the lands of modern Trelios were heavily settled. Elvish colonists established vast estates, working the newly conquered humans as fieldhands and laborers. The resources of Trelios flowed south, allowing Thyrians to enjoy an unparalleled standard of living. Compared to Ilyria, there were very few free humans. Most estates passed from elven parent to child, along with their Human property. Any human who was freed faced a variety of legal restrictions, leading most to migrate elsewhere. This only changed with the Great Revolt. In the late 1330s, clandestine groups of slaves began to meet in mines, factories, and plantations across Morenthyr. Provided with smuggled literature by Gnomish travelers, these groups were quickly radicalized. When a revolt broke out in Allanar, it soon spread throughout the empire. Most of the bloodiest fighting occurred in modern Trelios. Here, human revolutionaries had been preparing for over a decade. Groups across Trelios began to rise up, killing their masters and recruiting newly-freed slaves. These groups quickly grew in size, unleashing a vengeful wave of reprisals against their former elven masters. For most of the revolt, these armies were largely independent, led by local leaders operating with little guidance from Lysander or the central authorities in Calydon. Following the revolt, these leaders soon became de-facto rulers of the lands they controlled. Whether out of respect or fear, the local populations began calling them princes, a title which continues to this day. The various princes of Trelios trace their ancestry to these original generals of the revolt. In the 1350s, the principalities of Trelios began to take shape. In early years, some minor battles broke out between the principalities, but all-out war was prevented by the continued threat of Morenthyr. Alliances were formed between many of the principalities, binding them together in self-defense.First Hin Uprising
The First Hin Uprising in the 1380s led to tens of thousands of Thyrian legionnaires crossing into Cimirid, the Halfling homeland sandwiched between Trelios and Morenthyr. The Princes of Beluir and Trasp quickly responded, sending in soldiers to ostensibly protect halfling interests. This escalated, with Thyrian legionnaires crossing Vidrus river into the principalities of Biesenfeld and Kerzenlicht. Traveling from across Trelios, the princes met in Weix during the summer of 1382. Recognizing the resurgent Thyrian threat could topple each of the small principalities, the princes agreed to a permanent alliance. Armies from each of the princes massed on the Thyrian border, while counter-attacks were launched in Kerzenlicht. Facing a unified Trelios, the Emperor-Regent of Morenthyr sent a delegation for talks at Gullykin in 1384. Negotiations between Meriele Trabalar and Prince Lothar of Beluir lasted for a few weeks until a deal was struck. The current conflict line would become the new border, ceding the northern half of Cimirid ti Trelious. In exchange, the Trelian princes promised an end to Trelian support for Hin rebels in the south.The Years of Peace
Bound together through alliances and marriage, the Princes of Trelios began to meet every two years, alternating between Weix and Deitenburg. At these meetings, the princes would vote on new laws and agreements for the principalities as a whole. New decrees had to have unanimous support among the princes. The biennial meetings ensured continued harmony among the princes for the next three decades, but began to break down with the Elterian revival in the late 1410s. The early 1400s saw many in southeastern Trelios follow the Old Ones, a pantheon once worshiped by humans prior to the Elven Conquest. Calling themselves Elterians, this faith grew rapidly.Hadricht’s Crusade
In response, the Lysandrian Church launched a crusade against the Elterian principalities in 1416. Led by Bishop Hadricht of Stomit, the Lysandrian League did everything possible to suppress the Elterian faith. The brutal war ended in a stalemate following the Chemitz massacre, with Prelate Gelasius signing the Peace of Vettelbach with the Elterian princes led by Grand Prince Tederich of Kerzenlicht. The peace preserved the defensive alliance among the princes. Each prince would be allowed to choose his religion, and had broad latitude in determining the religious rights of each faith in his domain. However, individual subjects could practice whatever faith privately without fear of prosecution. Bishop Hadricht was defrocked for his role in the crusade and was turned over to the Elterians for trial, eventually being burned at the stake for his crimes.Recent Years
In the years since the Peace of Vettelbach, an uneasy truce has come to Trelios. The biennial meetings of the princes resumed. Putting aside deep personal animosity, the princes have worked together for the improvement of Trelios. Intermarriages between the two faiths however remains minimal, with both the Lysandrian League and the Elterian Revivalists keeping an eye on one another. In eastern Trelios, Lysandrianism remains the dominant faith. The core of the Lysandrian League zealously ensures that no Elterian practices are allowed in public. This polarization is also seen in the west, where Elterians are dominant. In western principalities, only a handful of Lysandrian churches exist which are closely monitored by local authorities. The reconciliationist princes tend to rule over a divided population, allowing some measure of religious rights to both groups.Demography and Population
The Trelian population is concentrated in the triangle between Biesenfeld, Dietenburg, and Weix, with smaller settlements scattered in the hinterlands. While Trelios claims the Osningwald Forest in southeastern Khalon, the region is sparsely populated with no sizable settlements. Excluding the Disputed Lands, the vast majority of the population is human. A scattering of half-elves, halflings, and gnomes can be found in large towns.
Religion
About two-thirds of the population of Trelios is Lysandrian while one-third follows the Old Ones. The Lysandrians are located in north and central Trelios, while the Elterians are found in the southeast. Among the halflings living in the Trelian-controlled portion of the Disputed Lands, most follow the Kith & Kin, along with a handful of Lysandrian converts.
Allies
Ilyria and Gaul are staunch allies with a shared heritage stemming from the Great Revolt.
Cold War
The cold war along the Trelian-Thyrian border has continual flairs of violence, especially in the Disputed Lands.
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