Nylmaneth
Nylmaneth, known alternatively as the Ten Lordships, is the ancestral home of the Elven race. The high elves of the nations of Nylmaneth are one of the most ancient and powerful mortal civilisations within the material plane. Settling from the mighty mist-shrouded mountains located on the eastern side of the Aquié Patrium, the high elves of Nylmaneth are a proud and mighty great nation of masterful warriors, peerless mages and lords of the sky. They are an ancient people with powerful armies and even grander magic, building a grand and near all-mighty civilisation. At the zenith of their power before the Age of Dragons, the world was truly theirs for the taking. Since then their power has diminished, but in the past thousand years, they have begun to muster their forces once more.
Government
Nylmaneth is ruled by a collection of lords, ladies and mages, above whom preside the Grand Custodus and the Illuminor. The relationship between these rulers is not a simple one. The Grand Custodus is earned through merit while the Illuminor is elected, and both rulers maintain entirely separate courts. The Grand Custodus is always the Lord Regent of Tor Solmonath. His realm is the site of the principal shrine of Corellon Larethian, and he is regarded as the spiritual leader of all Elven realms. The position of Illuminor is always taken up by an elected mage from the magical conclave in Tor Lunmonath, where the Illuminor also holds their court. Hence the Illuminor has always been the most capable wizard of the Tor Lunmonath conclave. By contrast, the Grand Custodus is chosen from among the Lord Regents of Nylmaneth, one year after the death of the previous incumbent. Each is named during a holy ceremony, held at the massive pyramidal Shrine of Larethian and attended by the legions of the Vanari and the Lords of Nylmaneth. The process of choosing the new Grand Custodus is rife with intrigue. Emotions often run hot during this fraught and delicate event. Traditionally, the last thirty days of the year of mourning are set aside for the selection to take place; however, in practice, the debate starts much sooner than that. Often, the politicking starts long before the reigning Grand Custodus has died. The grandest of Nylmaneth's noble families each look for their candidate to be considered, and they vie for the support of their peers for their choice. Further to this, each realm in Nylmaneth desires the new Grand Custodus to be selected from their land. So it is that rivalries are set aside — or created — to ensure that the agendas of the noble houses are met. For all the deception, manipulation, and shenanigans employed during the selection process, it is almost unheard of for the tactics employed to escalate to violence or outright sabotage. Such actions are considered heretical, for the Grand Custodus is the anointed servant of Larethian. Few high elf nobles are so consumed with victory that they could believe, even for a moment, that their God Creator would ever approve of a king selected by the ruling council under such dubious and destructive circumstances.History
The people of Nylmaneth never truly left their homelands, and the ten lordships silently persisted throughout the Age of Dragons. In the aftermath of the Ballet of Scales the high elves who were settled in the cities of the Borrovyian continent were some of the first to fall for the scrutiny that would culminate in the Great Division. After the bloody conflict that ended with human domination on the continent, the high elves were being forced from their cities. When the elves fled, the people of Nylmaneth decided to cross the ocean they named the Aqué Patrium back to their ancestral homelands.
As their wood-elven brethren formed the nation of Thjordelle in magical forests that spread out from the coast and up to the Serpent Spine Mountains. This is where the high elves decided to make their home. Among these mountains, they built two shining cities. Tor Solmonath and Tor Lunmonath, one shining with the brilliant radiance of the sun and the other lighting up the mountains with a comforting luminance.
Surrounding these cities several elven realms emerged, creating a great nation united around the ideals of magic, peace and order. Despite being divided into sun and moon elves, by allegiance to either Tor Solmonath and their military traditions in the order of the Vanari, or Tor Lunmonath and the magical traditions of the Scinari, the high elves prospered in peace and harmony.
Territories
The realms of Nylmaneth are generally separated into the solar realms, which hold the western parts of the nation, and the lunar realms, which hold the eastern part of Nylmaneth and face the border of the Great Kus.
The Solar Realms
The solar realms are more rugged and accustomed to warfare.
The lunar realms are often characterised as being introverted and dreamy.
The solar realms are more rugged and accustomed to warfare.
- Solmonath: The realm of Solmonath is simply the hinterland of the vast city-state of Tor Solmonath, and the first amongst the elven realms of Nylmaneth. It is the home of the current Grand Custodus, Lyrion Ulthaine, and the site of his court. Solmonath is dotted with vineyards, villas and summer estates to which the noble families of the city retire. The city is one of the wonders of the known world and the source of Vanari's prosperity.
- Zaeldrion: Here, almost two thousand years ago, came Zaeldrion Dragontamer. Mightiest of the ancient mages, he befriended the fearsome dragons and forged an alliance, harnessing the enchanted sunflames of the dragons he smelted and forges armours for the dragons made in purest sunmetal. His followers named their kingdom Zaeldrion in his honour. Here the steel dragons oversee the high elven forges and occasionally fly out to aid them in battle.
- Tiranoth: The realm of Tiranoth is the westernmost of Nylmaneth's realms. Once it was the fairest of the elven lands, where majestic snow-capped peaks towered over sweeping flower-strewn plains. Its people were great cultivators who settled the lands to the west. Wealth flowed from these lands: gold to gild the city's spires, silver to be wrought into the bodywork of chariots, furs for winter wear, and medicinal herbs to cure the sick. The charioteers of Tiranoth, famed throughout the land for their skill and daring, race between their white marble cities for sport.
- Hurakan: The realm of Hurakan is the oldest of all the high elven realms. Ancient glamours lie upon its tangled groves, and creatures of legend like the Treerunners still walk beneath its eaves. Yet Hurakan's glories are maintained only by the constant watchfulness of the Windchargers that guard its borders, for, despite their friendly relations with its neighbouring wood elven brothers, the spirits of the forest that has struck an agreement with its Thjordellian inhabitants, are ever encroaching on the unwelcome high elves.
- Nocturnum: The realm of Nocturnum, also known as the Shadowlands, are a dark and desolate region, but was once one of the greatest of the elven realms. Here, the first Grand Custodus once held court, and it was here that the greatest battle against their foes to the north was won. That desperate struggle hardened and embittered the folk of Nocturnum, so that other elves came to regard them as a cruel and bloodthirsty people. After the first Grand Custodus's death, his son inherited the realm. When the son rose against the new Grand Custodus, he led his warriors in a savage and destructive civil war. Nocturnum was destroyed and many of its people fled to the Underdark where their brethren who had served the goddess Lolth had once gone. They joined these cultists, spreading the influence of the drow beyond the Borrovyan continent.
The lunar realms are often characterised as being introverted and dreamy.
- Lunmonath - The realm of Lunmonath is an enchanted land, with skies that shine with all the colours of the rainbow, hills that move by night and warm rivers that glow with gentle light. Magic courses through the blood of high elves, but all of Lunmonath's lords are mages of awesome power. They are reclusive and idiosyncratic, dwelling in exquisite mansions far from other outposts of civilisation. Each noble's home has its own character that reflects the interests and magical research of its patron. Lunmonath is ruled by the Illuminor, the chosen of the conclave, and it is here that they hold their court.
- Ellydor: The realm of Ellydor is a land of gentle summers and mild winters, of sweeping plains, azure skies and heady pollen. It is famed for its horses, who thunder across moor and heath from dawn to dusk. The steeds of Ellydor are the swiftest and most noble of four-legged beasts, much prized by nobles of the Ten Realms, and those of the lands beyond. To folk from other lands, the Ellydorian steppes appear to stretch on forever. Indeed, time and distance work strangely here. A traveller can walk directly towards his destination for hours upon hours, growing ever more distant from his starting point, yet never coming closer to his goal. The Ellydorians know the secret paths and ways through their land, for they have learnt them from the horses, but such secrets are seldom shared, even amongst the elves.
- Heron: The realm of Heron is a windswept land known for perfecting the art of archery and ranged combat. The realm is famed for its floating isles on which the cites of Heron are built. It is here that the intricate bows and ballistas of the Vanari are crafted.
- Syari: The realm of the Syari are naturally talented artisans and craftsmen. The people of Syari do not bother themselves with anything but the perfection of their chosen art, be it basketweaving or stone carving. This has resulted in Syari being one of the most aesthetically striking places in the known world.
- Illiath: The realm of Illiath is the land of mists. It encompasses a sizable part of southeastern Nylmaneth. It is a wild landscape, fringed by deep coniferous forests. The foothills of the Serpents Spine Mountains march off to form distant peaks that tower dramatically into the clouds. Illiath is the least densely populated realm of Nylmaneth, and by those elves from other realms, it is often considered a bleak realm and less than lovely, but to those who call it their home, the towering cliffs and soaring griffons are sights as fine as any to be seen in Nylmaneth. It is rumoured that the wizards of Illiath make use of cloning magic, to stifle their shrinking population.
Military
The Nylmanian military is able to field peerless coordinated phalanxes of spearmen and formations of swift cavalry, whilst their formidable mages deluge their enemies in destructive, magic. All of the warriors of the high elves are able to use their innate arcane abilities to either enhance their Sunmetal weapons or dispel the magic of their enemies. The forces of Nylmaneth are divided into three different sections.
Vanari
Vanari are the primary military organization of the Lumineth Realm-lords acting as their standing armies and form the radiant core of their hosts. They are charged with defending the nations of the Nylmaneth from threats from inside and beyond their mountainous. They are organized in phalanxes made of Auralan infantry who with magical aid form shining companies whose dazzling brilliance makes them a harder target. Each Vanari army consists of smaller battalions formed according to the principles of efficiency and warlike optimization. They often have the same number of Auralan Wardens and Auralan Sentinels. Enemies that attack in large numbers are stormed by Dawnriders to balance the numbers before the enemy reaches the Vanari battle line. Auralan means luminous host in elven and has its origins in magic, as with so much of high elf society. Each weapon is enchanted, its tip made of sunmetal that has basked in the fires of Zaeldrion for centuries at a time. When the Auralan Wardens call out the correct magical phrase, bolstering their power with magical aetherquartz to ensure its focus, the tips of these spears glow whitehot. They can melt through a thick breastplate as a heated knife would carve through a plate of wax. The spear blocks of the high elves have learnt to time this ability perfectly – when the enemy is but a hand's breadth from their blades, their speartips glow bright, and those who think their armour will turn aside or break the polearms realise with a heart-wrenching jolt that they have made a fatal mistake. The Vanari use aetherquartz reserves kept in the form of a jewel on the helm as magical conduit in battle. They also wield decorated weaponry or enhanced armour they burn with the energy of tiny suns to make them stronger. Many primitive enemies prefer to flee that face their eerily precise military movements and the magical light they emit to blind their foes. Marksmen that peer through a telescope or scrying lens at the bright Auralan formations might be blinded and those who strike at them find their vision blurring and their blades turned aside. The Vanari forces consists of six types of regiments:
They are made up of a mage caste who commands the vanari armies of each of the realms of Nylmaneth. While many specialize in casting blinding rays of magic, some among their numbers form part of the Cathallar Order, mages who learn to harness mighty enchantments to charm or frighten the enemy before the battles have even begun.
The realm of Zaeldrion is a thinly populated, mountainous realm. Its sparse population has ever boasted of its power, for it is here, beneath the blazing peaks of the Serpent Spine Mountains, that the rare and mighty steel dragons dwell.
Vanari are the primary military organization of the Lumineth Realm-lords acting as their standing armies and form the radiant core of their hosts. They are charged with defending the nations of the Nylmaneth from threats from inside and beyond their mountainous. They are organized in phalanxes made of Auralan infantry who with magical aid form shining companies whose dazzling brilliance makes them a harder target. Each Vanari army consists of smaller battalions formed according to the principles of efficiency and warlike optimization. They often have the same number of Auralan Wardens and Auralan Sentinels. Enemies that attack in large numbers are stormed by Dawnriders to balance the numbers before the enemy reaches the Vanari battle line. Auralan means luminous host in elven and has its origins in magic, as with so much of high elf society. Each weapon is enchanted, its tip made of sunmetal that has basked in the fires of Zaeldrion for centuries at a time. When the Auralan Wardens call out the correct magical phrase, bolstering their power with magical aetherquartz to ensure its focus, the tips of these spears glow whitehot. They can melt through a thick breastplate as a heated knife would carve through a plate of wax. The spear blocks of the high elves have learnt to time this ability perfectly – when the enemy is but a hand's breadth from their blades, their speartips glow bright, and those who think their armour will turn aside or break the polearms realise with a heart-wrenching jolt that they have made a fatal mistake. The Vanari use aetherquartz reserves kept in the form of a jewel on the helm as magical conduit in battle. They also wield decorated weaponry or enhanced armour they burn with the energy of tiny suns to make them stronger. Many primitive enemies prefer to flee that face their eerily precise military movements and the magical light they emit to blind their foes. Marksmen that peer through a telescope or scrying lens at the bright Auralan formations might be blinded and those who strike at them find their vision blurring and their blades turned aside. The Vanari forces consists of six types of regiments:
- Auralan Sentinels: Auralan Sentinels are the archers of the high elven forces, who consider archery an art form as the bow is seen as a noble weapon in Nylmaneth. The Archer can send an arrow straight and strike with killing force, its shaft flexing and counterflexing as it moves through the air to add a degree of punch to the strike. To strike from afar they will send their arrows high, lofting them so they curve back down in a trajectory that dips down sharply at the last moment allowing it to avoid the strongest points of armour.
- Auralan Wardens: Auralan Wardens fight defensively occupying the most tactically advantageous points of the battlefield and position themselves in front of ranged units such as mages and Auralan Sentinels. This allows ranged units to launch a rain of arrows and magical bolts forcing the enemies to charge towards the Nylmanian lines which resemble forests of spears that the wardens have lowered in perfect unison.
- Bladelords: An order of sword-bearing warriors known for their prowess in martial and philosophical matters. The Bladelords are exemplars of the Elven martial arts. Each has studied warfare and personal combat for decades, or even centuries and wield their Sunmetal Greatswords with such precision that they can strike crossbow bolts in midair.
- Dawnrider: Each Dawnrider is bonded to their stallion. Together, they leave a trail of shattered enemies when they blaze across the battlefield. They have formed a powerful bond with their mount, allowing each to instinctively know what the other will do a moment before they do it. The stallions are each given a name not chosen consciously but sought through inspiration as the rider presses their forehead against that of their horse.
- Starshard Ballista: An artillery piece similar in design to an upscaled version of the many-stringed compound bows utilised by the Vanari Auralan Sentinels, mounted on an elegant tripod allowing it to swivel.
- Hurakan Windchargers: Warrior ranks of the Hurakan forest folk. They are fast-moving hunters, moving across the battlefield with matchless grace. It is said that once the Windchargers set their eyes upon a mark, there can be no survival. They strike like the wind - impossible to catch, impossible to evade, and always racing strong. They are different to the Auralan Sentinels in that they do not let loose volleys of arrows, but a single sniper's shot, striking with precision to kill a target. Windchargers tame their Treerunner mounts by singing them a soothing melody or tune to the beast' skittish soul.
They are made up of a mage caste who commands the vanari armies of each of the realms of Nylmaneth. While many specialize in casting blinding rays of magic, some among their numbers form part of the Cathallar Order, mages who learn to harness mighty enchantments to charm or frighten the enemy before the battles have even begun.
- Bannerblades: Champions of the Scinari. Only the most dependable and steadfast of the Vanari Bladelords could ever hope to be entrusted with the position of Bannerblade, for the majestic standards they bear - known as World Banners - are extremely valuable.
- Calligrave: Esoteric wizards that can alter reality and bolster their magic with the aid of giant runes made from aetherquartz.
- Cathallar: A sisterhood of wizards tasked with releasing their mighty mind-altering enchantments and illusions on the enemies, to spare them from ever meeting the Vanari battleline.
- Loreseeker: Emulating both the Grand Custodus and the Illuminor, the Loreseeker embody both halves of high elf society, combining the mastery of the blade with arcane knowledge.
The realm of Zaeldrion is a thinly populated, mountainous realm. Its sparse population has ever boasted of its power, for it is here, beneath the blazing peaks of the Serpent Spine Mountains, that the rare and mighty steel dragons dwell.
- Forgemasters: Having passed their draconic patron's test, these hammer-wielding forgemasters have mastered the art of turning stone to mighty sunmetal. They are the creators of all vanari weaponry and armaments.
- Knight Draconis: The mightiest of high elven lords and ladies might take their chance to follow in the footsteps of Zaeldrion and befriend the mighty Steel dragons. Those who succeed join the knights of the Order Draconis.
Foreign Relations
The Nylmaneth is an isolationist nation that cares little for the dealings of the short-lived human nations around them. Whilst the nations rise and fall around them, Nylmaneth has so far only had six Grand Custodus' and five Illuminors in over three thousand years.
An amicable relationship exists with their wood elven brethren in Thjordelle. In the eyes of the high elves, they are the only kingdom worth the time to invest relations with. They trade goods and should one be under serious threat the other would provide aid in any capacity.
The only other nation that Nylmaneth holds any respect for is the magical nation of Sa'resteece, whom they respect for their singular focus on magical advancement. They thusly have a friendly exchange of knowledge and magical research.
We are the chosen of Corellon, beloved of the gods and heirs to the world.
Maps
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Nylmaneth
Founding Date
155 AM
Type
Geopolitical, State
Capital
Demonym
Nylmanian
Head of State
Head of Government
Government System
Meritocracy
Power Structure
Feudal state
Deities
Official Languages
Neighboring Nations
Notable Members
Related Species
Comments