Elven Republic
The Elven Republic is a strange place, and alltogether foreign to the citizens of the Empire. While the mortals in Tolhera have their leaders picked for them by divine right, in the Elven Republic, the Gods have given every citizen a divine mandate to determine who will lead them. The Elven Republic, or "The Republic" as it is usually called, is made up of two groups, the Wood Elves that live in the Emberwood Forest and the High Elves that live in the Citadel of Selene. Each group elects representatives to take one of the one hundred seats of the Senate, where they debate all the different laws and policies taken by the Republic, from accepting new spells to declairing war, if that ever becomes nessesary.
In this environment, Elves of both types are encouraged to be thoughtful, measured, and analytical, in order to elect the best possible representatives, and maintain a balance between the different religious, arcane, political, economical and cultural interests of their homeland. There are some that believe that this system is overly focused on proper representation, and not enaugh on proggress and results. However, because their home island of Ulathian is protected by the divine magic of their Gods, they do not have to struggle every day for their survival, as those in the The Empire do, and can devote their time to what they want.
It is said that during the Age of Divinity, they did not interact with other gods, and moulded their Mortals to be more like them. Instead of growing their power, spreading their followers, and reshaping the land, the elven gods focused their divine magic in protecting their land, and cultivating their followers. The elven gods were known to hold long discussions on morality, philosophy, and meditation, helping the elves expand their understanding of themselves, and the world, in a deeper way, while at the same time fortifying the magical defences of their island home. It is not known if the elven gods anticipated the events of the Schism, of if they merely got lucky through their isolationist practices, but when the war between the gods finally broke out, the island of Ulathian was hidden in the Divine Mist, which protects them to this day. The followers of the Plaguelord made particularly strong attempts to break through, but have been unsuccessful for now.
When the Divine Seal was created, the Elven Gods did not hide their resentment. They told the other gods that what they did was not smart, and now that it backfired, they are being forcefully removed from their followers. After spending a full year with their followers, focused mainly on empowering the Divine Mist, and discussing the new way of governance after their departure. Their departure was taken badly by many elves, and the resentment to the Gods and people of the Empire holds strong to this day, as they blame them for ruining the perfect world they previously had. It has been almost a thousand years since then, and many elves alive today look back on those days with rose tinted glasses, and would have gladly seen the rest of the material plane destroy itself, should it mean that their gods could still reside with them.
During AngelDeath, the Calamity War however, the Elves would not be so lucky. As the Demons flooded the surface of Tolhera, the Elves thought themselves invincible, protected by the power of their gods. They were mistaken, as a massive portal to the realm of Baphomet, Lord of Beasts, from where Demons and Minotaurs poured forth.
On that day, the Emberwood Forest burned with black flames, and if the High Elves had not acted quickly, those fires would have spread to the Citadel of Selene. In order to close the rift, and banish the invaders, all the elves focused their magical powers, and their gods did so too. As a result however, servants of Osryx, Bearer of Plague and Famine and other gods managed to infiltrate, and bring down the Elven Flying Cities. This event bred the first signs of disagreement between the followers of the two elven gods, as the high elves resented the fact that they had to save the wood elves, but in the process doomed their most valuable possessions, and many of their best and brightest who lived there.
From then to today, the Republic has stayed remarkably stable, not requiring any major changes. Elves stay focused on their goals of education, cultivation, and personal development, in order to better themselves, and please their gods. At a younger age, elves learn in schools, and as apprentices to more experienced older individuals. At age 50, with adulthood, they set on their own individual persuits, which can vary from arcana, to the study of nature, or even swordsmanship, and participate in different circles of discussion and debate. As they have done so however, their arrogance has grown, and many have begun to resent the other mortals for their stagnancy. Others on the other hand have seen the incredible progress that has happened within the The Empire in the past few centuries, and left their homes to join them. Initially they were hated, but in modern times, elves have become accepted citizens of the Empire, though they still face some prejudices and hatred.
There has also been a resurgence, in closed and secretive circles, of analysing the parts of Elven history that are not so bright. The Drow were initially a group of elves during the Age of Divinity who did not wish to follow the gods, and wanted to be free to leave Ulathian, and determine their own lives. Their numbers were significantly bolstered after the events of Angeldeath, where seeing the Elven Flying Cities fall shattered the faith of many. Such protestations were, and to a large extent are, still brutally punished. Any who voice such thoughts are ostracised, cut off from family, removed from schools and other groups, and should they continue, are either removed from Ulathian, or sometimes completely disapeared.
Governing System The elven system of governance is as complex as the minds of the individuals that are governed by it. At the top is the Senate, made up of 100, who hold debates on the senate floor about each specific topic. These debates can take time from a few days, to many months in the case of especially complex topics, and are always very thourough. The number being even is intentional, and it means that its possible for the senate to be split in the middle, which is meant to encourage dialogue and debate, and ensure that everyone's votes can be changed. If that does happen is up for debate.
The senate is split in two groups, fifty from the high elves, and fifty from the wood elves. Each elf over the age of adulthood (50 years), gets ten ranking votes, each of which carries a number of points corresponding to the rank, the 1st rank of each elf has 10 points, the 2nd has 9, etc. Every elf is eligable to be voted for, though usually the likely candidates are poppular figures in large circles, who are experts in their fields.
In recent years, in high elf politics, the ten most politically domiant families, which are thought to be better at educating their members, and helping them achieve excellence, have risen to form an unnoficial group known as the "ten houses". While not every elected representative belongs to one of them, the majority do, and just belonging to one of them increases one's chances of being elected. To what extent its true that they have the best education and cultivate their members the best, or are simply the richest and most inluential, is difficult to tell. The wood elves do not support such practices, and consider them to be against the will of the gods. In their politics, open forum discussions, and individual speeches are the only means of being elected to the Senate.
The worship of the two gods, Selene, Elven Goddess of The Moon and Solis, Elven God of The Sun, is done by the two groups of elves that inhabit Ulathian. The worship of Selene is done in the stone walls and buildings crafted by the goddess herself millenia ago, where the very ground they tred was wieved by her divine will. The High elves cultivate their minds by deepening their understanding of arcana, the nature of the world, philosophy and politics. Through this, they honor Selene, who gave them the ability to do so, and keeps them safe every day. They tend to be more measured and calculated, and only leave Ulathian if their field of expertice demands it. In contrast, the worship of Solis is more physical, through the deepeing of ones understanding of nature, the forest, life, and philisophy. The wood elves that worship him are more likely to leave the island than the high elves, as they seek to find more about life, what it means to be alive, and explore more of the world.
In this environment, Elves of both types are encouraged to be thoughtful, measured, and analytical, in order to elect the best possible representatives, and maintain a balance between the different religious, arcane, political, economical and cultural interests of their homeland. There are some that believe that this system is overly focused on proper representation, and not enaugh on proggress and results. However, because their home island of Ulathian is protected by the divine magic of their Gods, they do not have to struggle every day for their survival, as those in the The Empire do, and can devote their time to what they want.
History
An important distinction between the history of the Republic, and the history of the rest of the world, is that as elves live often over 300, and sometimes even close to 500 years, there are many alive now that lived through the founding of the Republic, while in the Empire, the founding has almost become a myth for most. Before the founding of the Republic, much like the rest of the world, Ulathian was governed directly by the Elven Gods, Selene, Elven Goddess of The Moon and Solis, Elven God of The Sun. Even before the schism, the elven gods were suspicious of their brethren, and were in favor of raising borders between the different worshippers of each god. They were not popular however, and as a result they had to resign themselves to a faraway hidden island, which they named Ulathian. Using their incredible magical powers, the Gods and Elves together also raised the Elven Flying Cities, three small cities that could fly anywhere in the material plane, but remain undetected due to the Divine Mist.It is said that during the Age of Divinity, they did not interact with other gods, and moulded their Mortals to be more like them. Instead of growing their power, spreading their followers, and reshaping the land, the elven gods focused their divine magic in protecting their land, and cultivating their followers. The elven gods were known to hold long discussions on morality, philosophy, and meditation, helping the elves expand their understanding of themselves, and the world, in a deeper way, while at the same time fortifying the magical defences of their island home. It is not known if the elven gods anticipated the events of the Schism, of if they merely got lucky through their isolationist practices, but when the war between the gods finally broke out, the island of Ulathian was hidden in the Divine Mist, which protects them to this day. The followers of the Plaguelord made particularly strong attempts to break through, but have been unsuccessful for now.
When the Divine Seal was created, the Elven Gods did not hide their resentment. They told the other gods that what they did was not smart, and now that it backfired, they are being forcefully removed from their followers. After spending a full year with their followers, focused mainly on empowering the Divine Mist, and discussing the new way of governance after their departure. Their departure was taken badly by many elves, and the resentment to the Gods and people of the Empire holds strong to this day, as they blame them for ruining the perfect world they previously had. It has been almost a thousand years since then, and many elves alive today look back on those days with rose tinted glasses, and would have gladly seen the rest of the material plane destroy itself, should it mean that their gods could still reside with them.
During AngelDeath, the Calamity War however, the Elves would not be so lucky. As the Demons flooded the surface of Tolhera, the Elves thought themselves invincible, protected by the power of their gods. They were mistaken, as a massive portal to the realm of Baphomet, Lord of Beasts, from where Demons and Minotaurs poured forth.
On that day, the Emberwood Forest burned with black flames, and if the High Elves had not acted quickly, those fires would have spread to the Citadel of Selene. In order to close the rift, and banish the invaders, all the elves focused their magical powers, and their gods did so too. As a result however, servants of Osryx, Bearer of Plague and Famine and other gods managed to infiltrate, and bring down the Elven Flying Cities. This event bred the first signs of disagreement between the followers of the two elven gods, as the high elves resented the fact that they had to save the wood elves, but in the process doomed their most valuable possessions, and many of their best and brightest who lived there.
From then to today, the Republic has stayed remarkably stable, not requiring any major changes. Elves stay focused on their goals of education, cultivation, and personal development, in order to better themselves, and please their gods. At a younger age, elves learn in schools, and as apprentices to more experienced older individuals. At age 50, with adulthood, they set on their own individual persuits, which can vary from arcana, to the study of nature, or even swordsmanship, and participate in different circles of discussion and debate. As they have done so however, their arrogance has grown, and many have begun to resent the other mortals for their stagnancy. Others on the other hand have seen the incredible progress that has happened within the The Empire in the past few centuries, and left their homes to join them. Initially they were hated, but in modern times, elves have become accepted citizens of the Empire, though they still face some prejudices and hatred.
There has also been a resurgence, in closed and secretive circles, of analysing the parts of Elven history that are not so bright. The Drow were initially a group of elves during the Age of Divinity who did not wish to follow the gods, and wanted to be free to leave Ulathian, and determine their own lives. Their numbers were significantly bolstered after the events of Angeldeath, where seeing the Elven Flying Cities fall shattered the faith of many. Such protestations were, and to a large extent are, still brutally punished. Any who voice such thoughts are ostracised, cut off from family, removed from schools and other groups, and should they continue, are either removed from Ulathian, or sometimes completely disapeared.
Governing System The elven system of governance is as complex as the minds of the individuals that are governed by it. At the top is the Senate, made up of 100, who hold debates on the senate floor about each specific topic. These debates can take time from a few days, to many months in the case of especially complex topics, and are always very thourough. The number being even is intentional, and it means that its possible for the senate to be split in the middle, which is meant to encourage dialogue and debate, and ensure that everyone's votes can be changed. If that does happen is up for debate.
The senate is split in two groups, fifty from the high elves, and fifty from the wood elves. Each elf over the age of adulthood (50 years), gets ten ranking votes, each of which carries a number of points corresponding to the rank, the 1st rank of each elf has 10 points, the 2nd has 9, etc. Every elf is eligable to be voted for, though usually the likely candidates are poppular figures in large circles, who are experts in their fields.
In recent years, in high elf politics, the ten most politically domiant families, which are thought to be better at educating their members, and helping them achieve excellence, have risen to form an unnoficial group known as the "ten houses". While not every elected representative belongs to one of them, the majority do, and just belonging to one of them increases one's chances of being elected. To what extent its true that they have the best education and cultivate their members the best, or are simply the richest and most inluential, is difficult to tell. The wood elves do not support such practices, and consider them to be against the will of the gods. In their politics, open forum discussions, and individual speeches are the only means of being elected to the Senate.
Military
There is no organized military in the Republic. For small threats, individuals are relied upon to use their magical and martial training to deal with them. For large threats, the Divine Mist, and protection of the gods has been enaugh to defend Ulathian against any who would seek to remove them from their isolation. There are some that say that they are being overreliant on the gods, and should take steps to ensure their own protection, but if this has kept them safe for millenia, why should they begin to doubt their gods now.Religion
It is thought, by many philosophers and religious experts, that the reason for the elven gods insitance on the cultivation of elven minds and souls, is a matter of quality over quantity. To the elves, who understand that their worship grants power to their gods, the idea of a god relying on growing the number of followers to empower themselves sounds inneficient and terrible. They feel that while their gods seek to cultivate them, and deepen their mental and spiritual abilities, the gods of the Empire simply seek to breed more followers to increase their power. Their gods are viewed as nurturing parental figures, while other gods vary from manipulative and uncarying at best, to evil and malevolent at worst. To the average elf, other Mortals are the sad biproduct of their gods greed, and they will never be able to achieve the level of growth and elightenment that every elf has.The worship of the two gods, Selene, Elven Goddess of The Moon and Solis, Elven God of The Sun, is done by the two groups of elves that inhabit Ulathian. The worship of Selene is done in the stone walls and buildings crafted by the goddess herself millenia ago, where the very ground they tred was wieved by her divine will. The High elves cultivate their minds by deepening their understanding of arcana, the nature of the world, philosophy and politics. Through this, they honor Selene, who gave them the ability to do so, and keeps them safe every day. They tend to be more measured and calculated, and only leave Ulathian if their field of expertice demands it. In contrast, the worship of Solis is more physical, through the deepeing of ones understanding of nature, the forest, life, and philisophy. The wood elves that worship him are more likely to leave the island than the high elves, as they seek to find more about life, what it means to be alive, and explore more of the world.
Header Image Credit: DonatoArts
Founding Date
430 B.F.
Type
Geopolitical, Republic
Ruling Organization
Government System
Democracy, Representative
Related Ethnicities
