Nivasa
Nivasa was the Elven state tucked between the banks of the North Seneng River and the southern border of the Piercing Hills. Once covered in a dense, lush forest, Nivasa has since been decimated from the war as the wood was used for the construction of war machines to keep Vescania at bay. To that end, the modern Elves of Nivasa are sturdier than their Locrati counterparts and have proven themselves to be cunning sailors.
A Respite From War
Nivasa was conceived a short time after the Underwood Wars. The Wood Elves of Locrati took to the seas in search for less scarred land, hoping to revive some of the traditions lost to the near-extinction event of their mother nation. They navigated around the Umra peninsula and spotted the beautiful forest on the eastern coast of Astagua. They made landfall and found the forest continued for hundreds of miles - seemingly forever. They named Evergrove Forest and built a village of the same name. Over time, word spread of the forest's beauty and larger and larger groups of Elves made the journey. Soon, Evergrove was the jewel of the east. For centuries, Evergrove lived in blissful harmony with the surrounding land. The Elves meticulously and effortlessly kept track of what was foraged and when, what was hunted, what died, what birthed, what thrived or struggled - the balance they struck was impossibly perfect. And so the forest, and the Elves of Evergrove, lived in a golden age. Academic developments boomed, artistic expression reached heights never-before-seen across Vals'kar, and the population lived long, happy, healthy lives.Understanding the young king's position, and how doing nothing could damn his people, Duke Valfir looked up at him and asked, "What do you need?" King Omal, desperate for assistance against a ruthless and far superior enemy, looked the Duke in the eye. Even before he spoke, he could hear the forest groaning. "Everything."Eventually, humans from Marka carved a path through the forest and made contact with Evergrove. While the first meetings were tenuous at best, the humans possessed a vivacity that was impressive for creatures with lives as short as theirs, and the Elves knew that if they could share their wealth of knowledge with them, a beautiful friendship could be created. But the humans were far more short-sighted than their Elven counterparts. Their access to the knowledge, art, technology, and magic the Elves had perfected for centuries made them ravenous for more. While both parties were keen on working together to make further improvements, they approached their efforts differently. The Elves were patient; they studied, theorized, researched, proofed, and were careful not to affect anything too significantly while pushing the envelope of knowledge. The humans, on the other hand, were quick, careless, and often-time dangerous. They were passionate, to be sure, but because the Elves lived, on average, ten times longer than them, they didn't have the luxury of waiting if they wanted to reap the benefits of their efforts. Though Evergrove, as a whole, was frustrated with the local humans, they could not turn their backs to them when war struck the continent.
The First War and Unification
The humans of Marka were making wonderful strides in finding a better balance between their wants and needs as humans in contrast with their overall place in nature. While progress was slower than the Elves had hoped, it was a move in the right direction. All of this mattered little, though, when Marka went to war with Vescania with the aid of the Goliaths of Karinga and the fearsome Orcs of Aymaq. While Marka eventually launched a successful counterattack, draining a significant amount of its resources, things became dire for the region when Rustport, a smaller Human settlement south of the Human capital Highburg, was besieged and destroyed by Vescania. Nivasa was warned by its neighbors that it would only be a matter of time before Vescania, should Marka fall, raze Evergrove. After all of the city-states united under a single flag, they established The Unified Council to discuss a way forward. The Late Duke Hastios Valfir famously asked the young King Omal a simple question: "What do you need?" His benevolence would destroy over 70% of the forest over the 12 year conflict. King Omal asked for assistance in constructing trebuchets, catapults, ballista, galleons, frigates, and other machines of war. Marka and Nivasa began harvesting the younger trees of the Evergrove border to support the war efforts. To the Elves of Nivasa, what was some sacrifice to save the rest of the forest? But then Vescania, learning of the Unification, also attacked the Halflings of Etxera, torching their countryside in pursuit of Highburg before meeting significant resistance in the Gnomish region of Doma. Kille, capitol of Etxera, was nearly entirely destroyed, and it needed lumber to rebuild homes and defenses. The Tieflings of Iaakas, known as the Iaak, to the far east abused their bodies by channeling magical energy to heal the wounded and repair that which could be mended while every other populace was giving their lives to fight back; what more was some of the adolescent forest compared to those sacrifices? Eventually, as the war stagnated for some time, Nivasa sought to pause the harvest of Evergrove, citing control of other woods meant lumbering them would spare their home. But the rest of Unified Council insisted on using the trees of Evergrove for their pliability and strength. Not wanting to put tension on the Council so soon after its inception, Duke Valfir permitted the deforestation so long as it was conducted under Elven supervision. The younger generation of Elves began taking to the seas, utilizing hit-and-run tactics in their faster, smaller ships to sink galleons and transports of the Vescanian Navy. Their numbers and support were a turning point in the Astaguan war-effort, even though it meant subjecting the young Elven minds to violence their elders had read about but never experienced. The trauma of war on the younger generation, and the destruction of their home permitted by their elders, was the birth of the growing rift between the generations.Recovery of the Forest
After the war was officially laid to rest, much of Astagua still had rebuilding to do. Duke Valfir put his foot down when the deforestation approached the heart of the forest, where the oldest trees resided, and demanded Astagua turn elsewhere. Despite push-back from the Council, Nivasa held its ground and the lumber-mills emptied around the forest, leaving behind the scars of survival for everyone to see. Without the workers and supportive infrastructure, Nivasa fell into an economic depression as its people surveyed the land for what could be done to restore the forest to its former glory. The older Elves - those who read of the violence of the Underwood Wars but didn't fight in the Vescanian war - suggested the meticulous, patient method of regrowing the forest through planting. Though many species native to the forest were driven to extinction from the war effort, the older Elves knew, with time, the forest could recover. But the younger Elves, who had experienced the war, either from volunteering or through Astaguan conscription efforts, knew that some things would be forever lost. Though the lives of their brothers and sisters in arms were gone for good, they had learned from the Tieflings of Iaakas that magics existed which could bring back parts of the forest sacrificed without their consent. And so began the research and application of Floranecromancy, a blurred line between druidic tradition and the generally outlawed practice of necromancy. Initial recovery efforts were remarkably successful and fast as the forest was effectively resurrected from the magic taught by the Iaak. But the Elder Elves, seeing dark similarities in the magic used to revive the forest and the magic which nearly exterminated Locrati during the Underwood Wars, demanded it be stopped. They threatened to pull money, food, and any kind of support from their children in an effort to prevent the sinister magic from blighting the land. When the young didn't listen to their warnings, the Elders even went so far as to threaten violence. Though an empty threat, it widened the divide between generations. In keeping with his peers, however, Duke Valfir forbid Floranecromancy from being used until it was better understood.Civil Unrest
Since the outlaw of Floranecromancy to rebuild the forest, tensions have continued to grow worse between the older generation of Elves - the Haki, or "untested," as the younger Elves call them - and their children. The younger generation, who call themselves Ilaen, or "war-weary", feel as though their parents and grandparents sacrificed their birthright, Evergrove Forest, while they sat idly-by, waiting for their children to sacrifice their minds, bodies, and lives in defense of Astagua. The Elves who experienced the Underwood War are few and far between, even less so in Nivasa, so the Ilaen resent the Haki for their uneducated guidance on the matters of war and recovery. The Haki, on the other hand, feel as though their children and grandchildren lack the wordly experience to see how misguided their efforts to resurrect the forest at any cost are. They attribute their frustration and insolence to the amount of time they've spent with humans. They feel as though the anger the Ilaen feel is misplaced, and that Vescania should be the target of their wrath, not their ancestors. They also feel as though the Ilaen don't understand that, despite their reservations about Floranecromancy, they still want to rebuild the forest; they'd just rather do it over time, even if it means never seeing it returned to its former glory before they die.
History of Unified Council Delegates:
758 2E - 863 2E: Hastios Valfir 863 2E - Present Day: Zuriel Ulakas
Founding Date
17 2E
Type
Geopolitical, Duchy
Demonym
Nivasan
Leader
Related Species
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