Ang'teng

I have met very few Dark Elves in my life, their Kingdom has been reduced to ash by their neighbours. I have heard that there was a time when they were the greatest Kingdom on Tersupra, but that time has long since passed

— Niccolo Chiatenne

The Kingdom of the Dark Elves is one of the oldest in the world, predating all other geopolitical organisations that exist today. At the height of their power, they were the most advanced nation in the world - boasting technological superiorty over all others. But now, the Kingdom has been ripped asunder by war and their greatness lies in bloodied tatters.

Structure

Ang'teng is an absolute monarchy. The title of ruler, known as Elder, is passed down through a family who can trace their bloodline back to Great Elder Yoru - who led the dark elves to Tersurpra.

History

Arrival

Many are aware of the elven legend that Ri'teng was founded by six great leaders who arrived on the island with their people after fleeing their dying homeworld through a shining portal. Fewer, however, are aware of the seventh great leader - Yoru.
Yoru did not pass through the same portal as the six leaders did after him, he feared the death of his world would come sooner than expected and so took his tribe through an unstable portal years before the six other leaders decided to do so. Despite the risks, he lead his tribe through the portal. Yoru's tribe of elves emerged from the portal having significantly changed. Golden skin changed to a darkened grey, colourful hair changed to whites and greys. Most significantly, the elves of Yoru's tribe had become attuned to dark magic - a force beyond the control of all others on Tersupra. They landed on an island in what would become the Elven Archipelago, and named it Ang'teng - meaning Dark Land.
The Kingdom of Ang'teng flourished, as the Dark Elves were by far the most advanced on Tersupra at the time - the temporal disturbances of the portal resulted that the other six tribes didn't land in Tersupra for decades. Despite their advancement, they showed little interest in expansion and remained more or less within their island.

Ri'teng

Centuries after the arrival of Yoru's tribe, the light elves arrived on Ri'teng. Elder Yoru, who saw the portal opening near the island, quickly went to welcome the tribe leaders to Tersupra and offer support to them - it was not successful.
As soon as they saw him, they declared him a traitor to his kind - insulting his changed appearance and actions. Yoru tried to reason with them but it was unsuccessful, they drew their weapons on him and Yoru was forced to flee back to Ang'teng - heartbroken as the Elders he had ruled with on their home-world turned their backs on him.
Ang'teng continued to grow, remaining the most advanced nation on Tersupra as all contact with Ri'teng ceased. It remained this way for centuries until the year 1203.
In 1203, the current Elder of Ri'teng decided that contact between the two islands would benefit both and, after several diplomatic talks with Ang'teng, they began to trade materials and knowledge between the two. The pair of nations thrived together as Ri'teng caught up with Ang'teng in terms of technological development - peace seemed infinite, until the purge.

The Purge

In 1265, the new Elder of Ri'teng (who had been promoting segregation between the two groups for decades) declared all Dark Elves as enemies of the state and heretics for not worshipping Dawn's Light. In the past, the armies of Ang'teng (who wield the stronger dark magic) would have destroyed the armies of Ri'teng (who can only wield the weaker light magic). However, the sages of Ang'teng had been forging enhancement talismans that increased the strength of the light elf sorcerers spells - making them equal opponents.
One morning, every Dark Elf in Ri'teng was executed by the guards. Shocked, the armies of Ang'teng prepared for battle as the sorcerers of Ri'teng summoned a portal large enough to transport the entire army to Ang'teng. Over the next few months, the island of Ang'teng was ravaged and the Dark Elves slaughtered - only a fraction of the population remain.
Eventually, new leadership of Ri'teng forced the Light Elves to realise their mistake and cease military action against the Dark Elves - but the damage was already done. The Kingdom has been reduced to very little, their beautiful temples reduced to rubble. Most Dark Elves have fled to the Senterren Empire as refugees and those that remain operate a tiny, insignificant nation in the archipelago.

Territories

Geography

The overall area of Ang'teng is 157,300 km². It is one of the larger islands in the archipelago, though not the largest.
The majority of the island is mountainous and highland, with cities and temples often being built on the sides of great mountains and hills.

Climate

Ang'teng has a mediterranean climate, with hot, dry summers and warm, wet winters. The temperature varies little between the seasons, with temperatures between 19°C and 28°C in the summer and between 9° to 18°C in the winter.

Honor the Dark, Curse the Light

Type

Geopolitical, Kingdom

Alternative Names

Land of the Dark Elves

Demonym

Angtengan

Government System

Monarchy, Absolute

Power Structure

Unitary state

Economic System

Mixed economy

Currency

Falen