Lathia
From World of Kralis
| Regional Information | |
| Population: | 750,000 (50% Tavia, 20% Druas, 10% Terga, 5% Ssaevu, 5% Oceanius, 5% Other) |
|---|---|
| Capital: | SyduValtha |
| Government: | Monarchy, Ruled by Queen Luryr Via Sylth |
| Major Religions: | Ammavaru, Rishata Tithwar,Saravasiti MorningStar and Gwyn Cyroe |
| Imports/Exports: | Spices, Timber, Crafts, Jewels, Silver |
Situated in the waters of the Sea of Tarn and the Sea of Tears lies the ancient homeland of the elves. It is an ancient land of magic, vast forests, high mountainous peaks, green plains and deep blue waters.
Very little is known, or at least to be known, of the island realm of elves. This is predominately because the elves themselves are very careful in whom they allow on to their shores.
Here the world of the elves thrives like no other place in Kralis, even beyond that of Ta' Kanasiti. This is the last resting home of elves that wonder the world, where they may retreat to when age finally begins to take its toll on the elven soul.
It is the original home of all the elven subraces where each inhabits a specific portion of the realm, their distinct cultures and personalities ruling their domain. It is home to numerous tribes of sylvan beings: unicorns, pegasus, sprite-kin, faerie-dragons, and all other sorts of Fae-kin and elven cousins.
The land is emerald in color trimmed in blue and white. The island is covered in trees, green plains, and is dominated by the Ta' Janur mountains in the north, the Hills of Haar in the west and the Dralo Baliz (the great inner sea of the island). The very shores of the island are covered in thick evergreens and giant oaks along with massive weeping willows, and ironwood. Only the shores of the Bay of Sihnen Baliz are covered in a blue-green sand where the great elvish sea vessels are built. In many places the great forest gives way to pastures of green grass, sylvan glades and great fields of wildflowers.
Lathia's climate is never very extreme. Each season is considered to be the pinnacle of that season, winters are never too cold, spring is pleasant and warm, the summers are balmy, with very few hot days, and the fall is cool and colorful. Even the land is not very extreme. The Hills of Haar are high and rolling cumulating in the Mound of Arvenda, a holy site within Lathia. The Ta' Janur mountains topped with deep snows and the Glacier of Ardul that sits in a deep basin within the highest points of the mountains. There are very few cliffs, the mountains slope slowly and gently to the Peak of Leauth, where the ssaefre elves dwell.
Contents |
Life and Society
While Tavia elves are seen as the most open and friendly of all the elves, many see elvenkind as elitist, secretive people that speak a language of otherworldly origin. They are one of the first mortal races to step foot upon the virgin lands of Kralis after its creation. This has led many to have certain misconceptions of who and what the elves are.
Elves are by their very nature a secretive race, while the Tavia elves have opened up much of the elven culture to the rest of the world, there is still much that they have hidden from the prying eyes of other races.
Elves see the world in two lights: those that are Ta'Jahu (The Elven People) and those that are Ni-Ta'Jahu (Not of the Elven People). This division within the elven mindset has led the rest of the world to view the elves as elitists and to assume that elves see the rest of the world as beneath them. This specific division is not meant to be a demeaning, rather it is away for the elven people to remain spiritually and mentally linked in their cultural beliefs. This is mostly seen in the macabre (at least in the eyes of Ni-Ta'Jahu) Blood Ritual. It is in this ritual that the elven people tend to live on forever, as the memories of those that pass on are passed on to the those that take a part of the Blood Ritual. It is these ancient memories that elves within a specific house pass on to each other. Because of this living memory, many view elves as a people who take on more risk than is necessary. While they are long lived, twice as long as most humans, elves are a focused people that push the limits of what a mortal can or cannot do.
Most elves of Lathia live by a very strict code of honor and reputation, which is played out between the various elven houses. The houses are the most important aspect of an elf's life. They do everything to bring prestige to their houses, winning battles, securing new trade, and ultimately winning the Druc a’ Orraunil. This often furthers the idea that elves are an arrogant people. Elves view arrogance as proper, they treat each other with a sense of haughtiness, forever striving to prove that their house is greater and more prosperous.
Home Life
Elven society is highly complex and organized around tradition (Ceth), station (Jahl) and the status (Jahur) of their house. These houses are of noble lineage and to which various parts of elven community owe fealty to. Social station is one of the most important aspects of elven life. Depending on the historical nature of the house, a house can be lead by Matriarch or a Patriarch. This often shifts when either the Matriarch or Patriarch dies and is replaced by their partner. When both die a house then spends sometime in mourning before performing the Johta Belar (Leadership War) where the best within a house compete in similar fashion as the Druc a’ Orraunil, in order to determine who should now lead the house. These are non-lethal events.
The home life of elves, while centered around the continued existence of the house, is a simple affair. Most houses have between 60 and 100 individuals living within the Tumluraq (Estate), not all relatives of the house live within Lathia, many younger elves leave the island in search of personal glory or Cyral Nal Da'athe before returning home to serve within the house. Many times, the house will continue to allow them to continue to explore the world freely.
While there is no set aristocracy as within many human kingdoms, elven culture is highly imperial in basis and form with a strong political structure, bureaucracy, culture, religion, and philosophy. Most of Lathia is divided into provinces based around the sub-races elves, called Dryntar'va. These are further divided into the various houses or clans (Kuh). A house is made up of 6 to 10 families (Afinerr'a).
Under most circumstances, husbands and fathers are the pinnacle of family life, their word is law and is final. Elven men traditionally dominate public life assuming leading roles in politics and the military. Male life is very straight forward, with little need to define their role within elven society. In general terms, elven women are treated as equals in most matters. Maintaining the general household of a family is the main duty of the elven woman. They are left to manage all the household affairs, care for children and elder relatives and with defending the home forcibly if needed. Within public elven society most women are expected to by humble, obedient, show great self-control, strength and loyalty. Unless an elven woman is the Matriarch of a house, they are restricted from engaging in any political affairs.
Most elven marriages are done between two houses in an effort to create a greater and stronger house-clan. This is more often seen as a formality among most of the upper houses, but is seen as a crucial element for lower houses attempting to rise in power. Most marriages are for the life of those involved, however, there are the rare occasions that elves may divorce each other, thus dividing the house, but this tends to be an embarrassment for the two houses who arranged the marriage and tends to be avoided.
As mentioned above social station (Jahl), status (Jahur) and honor (Da'athe) are important to elves, where dominate houses are considered royalty within the specific elven culture. All elves place a strong emphasis on proper behavior, rigid adherence to elven customs and strict social station with little mobility for individuals. Because of this, family life for elves is very strict and rigid. There is a set way of appropriate behavior that elves learn to work within.
An elf without honor is not an elf at all. Elves that lose their honor or station can be exiled from their house, left alone to become a 'Jahu'Izzyt'. He is worth nothing to any house other than for labor or mercenary work. Without honor, the trappings of a house, status and station within the elven world are meaningless. Honor is how elves measure themselves up to the most noble and greatest of elves. Personal honor is a measure of their character and a reflection of their house's tradition, station, status, history and deeds. It reflects the elf's worth within society as well as their house, as well as their trustworthiness, decency, loyalty, respect, and influence.
All elves live by the Saduni Tylin (code of Law and Ethics). It is a code written and established in tradition, and is the moral and ethical path that every elf, from birth to death, attempts to follow. All houses recognize the Saduni Tylin as a legitimate tool for teaching elves their proper place within the Celestial Omniverse. This ancient text, which is handwritten, sits in a place of honor within each elven home, often in Sani'Doru (meditation rooms) or 'Bela Kuhal' (training hall). According to the text an elf must adhere to the following basic virtues of honor or Da'athe:
- Honesty and Justice ('Da'ath Uihtyr'): Elves are to deal openly and honestly with all others, and adhere to the ideals of justice. There are no shades of gray, there only is or is not.
- Heroic Courage (Uro-neri Roh): Life life without fear, but with respect and caution.
- Etiquitte (Suhdal): Elves are to be polite and courtesy, it is the one thing that separates elves from the rest of the world, and reveals the true strength of an elf.
- Sincerity (Suh'ir): An elf is to show wise consideration to their actions, and to remember that their actions represent their house, their family and all of elvenkind.
- Duty (Aphisu): Elves have a moral commitment to their house, their family and elvenkind. Elves must commit himself/herself to the house without consideration of themselves or actions that appear to be of self-interested, it requires the sacrifice of their immediate self-interest and it shows the highest quality of elven life.
- Loyalty (Phyda): Elves are to show loyalty to those that they deem worth the time and effort. Loyalty to house and loyalty to family is the true measure of an elf.
Within a house young elves are assigned to a 'Elghal' for their 'Qinth Josta' (Time of Awareness or Awakening). This is a time of a structured elven discipline and elven knowledge. The two become spiritual bonded during this time, master and student, as the 'Shilmaat' (pupil), begins to learn their way within elven society and elven way of life. The Elghal is often an older brother or sister within the house, however, there have been times when the Elghal has been another elf who is not kin, many times this occurs between two elves that are in Cyral Nal Da'athe. The Qinth Josta lasts for several years as the Elghal pass on their knowledge to their Shilmaat.
While there are the recognized racial Houses: House of Silveal (Tavia Elves); House of Quisnar (Terga Elves); House Malzin (Druas Elves); House Alutyr (Avitanus Elves); House Saefre (Ssaefre Elves); and House Tasana (Ssaevu Elves). There are hundreds of different Houses that claim heritage to one of the six original houses. Currently, there are over 350 different Houses that are recognized in Lathia, with an additional 150 recognized houses in Ta Los. These numbers do not reflect the current 250 Houses that make up Ta' Kanasiti.
Major Cities
Lathia is not a nation of great cities. The elves of the island prefer to keep a balance with nature and as such "great" cities do not appear as the commonly known great cities of Ta Los. Rather elven cities on Lathia are often mistaken by guests as small villages.
While the elves strive to maintain a balance between their building and the natural world, no where on Kralis (except perhaps the grand caverns of the dwarves) does the architecture of buildings on Lathia exist. Trees and other plants are grown to form unique homes and other shelters, rock has been magically grown from the grown to form grand fortresses and perfectly flat roads. Crystal has been molded into grand towers, sculptures and round domes of important places. Shining through the thick forests are glimmering towers of white granite the stone perfectly grown, coaxed from the earth through ancient magics.
Most of the grand homes of the elven Houses are built from the wood, where walls and floors are formed from solid sections of living wood. The floors are granite grey from where the elves have asked the stone to rise from the earth. Roofs are often constructed from thick, heavy bark.
Lathia is dominated by four great cities: Aethier, Yharfay, Vikassylth, Sahsiti
Aethier (The White City)
The greatest of the elven cities lies on the northern shores of the Dralo Baliz situated on a series of low hills overlooking the inner sea. Situated near the mouth of the Fres Ratrel the city is known for its glistening white granite towers that have been made to grow directly from the ground. Its streets glisten as the sun highlights the crystal within the white granite that the elves have beckoned from the earth. There are vast mansions, the majority of which are the various Houses that make up this northern city. Nearly, 90,000 elves inhabit the great White City.
It is a legendary city and its architecture is just as legendary. It is beautiful beyond words, here the very best of what is elven has grown and prospered under the watchful eyes of the High Magistrate. There are many natural parks whose entrances are marked by white granite arches, many reflecting pools and gardens of which most of the world will never see and will never be able to replicate.
Most of the city, like most Lathia elven structures, is built using elven magic to coax the natural surrounding forest and rock to grow buildings, transforming these natural materials into seamless structures that are incredible strong and able to withstand any amount of damage. Each of the Houses that occupy the city are vast mansions with many, many rooms, gardens, courtyards and other buildings meant to supply the House. Precious green-blue crystal is used to roof most of these mansions, as is magically enhanced bark and layers of leaves.
The harbor of the White City is deep and well sheltered and many ships dock along its coral created harbor. The Fres Ratrel flows into the inner sea where the harbor extends out. Both the river and the inner sea are constantly filled with elven boats and sailing ships moving from one side of the island to the other. In the center of the inner sea there rises a shallow where in the elves created the world gate Syrith, it allows ships to be moved from the inner sea to other seas around the world. This has had an interesting effect in many land locked Gates when travelers open the gate and find themselves trying to stay afloat in the Dralo Baliz.
This city is home to the various elven sub-races, with a greater majority going to the Tavia and Druas elves. Many Terga elves make this city their home, as the ancient oaks of the city tower nearly 150', their trunks nearly 10' in diameter.
Yahrfay
Situated along the eastern coast of the Sea of Tears sits the city of Yahrfay. Half the size of Aethier it is inhabited primarily by Tavia elves, who make up 90% of the population, nearly 30,000 elves call Yahrfay home. The coastal city is known for its vast fishing fleets that patrol both the shallow waters among the Sythi Dahun islands that lie just off the coast and the deeper, colder waters of the Sea of Tears beyond.
The city is home to just over 80 Houses. Unlike the grandeur of Aethier, Yahrfay has a more rustic feel to it, here homes are created from the pines and aspens that grow in large numbers. Additional, the streets here are built from a gray slate that is brought forth above the sandy-brown ground. The area is not as fertile as most of the rest of the island, which in most of the rest of the world would be enough to grow beautiful and plentiful crops.
Vikassylth
Populated by a large population of Terga elves, the City of the Hills, is nestled among the green rolling Hills of Haar. The city is well known for its lush meadows, and fertile grass covered hills. The area is well known for its "mining operations" of the elves where they pull silver, iron ore, gold and even some red ore from the hills around the city. This is all done via elven magic, there is very little actually mining done instead of coaxing these veins of metal from the earth just as the building material for the island is summoned forth from the earth.
Most of the city are low, single-story buildings with attached yards, barracks, stables and other necessary structures to support this city. The city is also well known as the City of Spells as it contains four separate schools of magic, each dedicated to the one of the four elements of nature. Most of the city is created to appear as natural formations jutting from the surrounding hills.
Sahsiti
The fourth largest city of Lathia is Sahsiti, the most heavily guarded of all the towns, as it is the harbor town that builds, repairs and maintains the entire Suuro Ryka. Here nearly every elf is somehow involved with the construction of or maintaining of the grand sea vessels of Lathia. Here the elven navy includes fast attack ships called the Yathendi, coast hoping catamarans, heavy cargo ships called Yathurro, galleons, and the grand Yathurogag. In addition, a number of ship yards produce the fast, and elusive Buidath, that are known to be seen high above the island patrolling the skies for attack.
Major Features
Forest of Murnath
While most of the island is covered in all types of trees, only the Forest of Murnath is home to many magnificent Sidz Ra and giant redwoods the size of which are unmatched anywhere on Kralis. They stand nearly 300' in height and have trunks that are over 30' in diameter. Terga elves call this section of Lathia home, and build their villages high within the boughs of the great trees.
Hills of Haar
The Hills of Haar are an unusual formation, unlike some hilly regions where hills tend be a part of each other, the Hills of Haar are made up individual mounds of earth and are counted as being nearly 2,500 of them that cover the area between the Sea of Tarn and the Dralo Blaiz in the center of the island. The mounds are in a general shape conical shape and are symmetrical.
Ta' Janur Mountains
The grand mountains of the north, the Ta' Janur grow from the earth in a slow angle, reaching a peak height of over 13,000. The mountains are not difficult to traverse, however, there are still dangers that lurk in the shadows of the peaks. Most of the mountain is sacred to the ssaefre who see the mountain as holy and their original home in Kralis. It has many hidden valleys and several hundred cold lakes that are fed by the various glaciers at the mountains peak.
Dralo Baliz
Considered by many non-elven sages to be nothing more than a salt-water lake, the Dralo Baliz is in actuality a deep inner sea. It is also home to a number of Oceanius clans. The center of the island is unique in that the undersea ground has risen to a point that it almost creates an island here. It is the home of the Lathia World gate. The inner sea is believed to be fed by a deep, underground ocean tunnel that connects somewhere in the Sea of Tears.
Important Sites
Mound of Arvenda
Situated in the center of the Hills of Haar, the mound of Arvenda rises into the horizon. Unlike most of the other hills in and around the area, the Mound is made from glistening white marble upon which the alter of Arvenda resides. It is a solemn reminder to all elves of the violence that occurred between the various elven races. Elves come to this place to honor the dead, and to ask for wisdom in battles, war or any type of confrontation they maybe involved in. The mound is riddled with a network of finely chiseled tunnels and rooms. In the very center of the hill lies the pool of Arvenda, where the dead are brought and their bodies allowed to slip into the silvery waters of the pool. It is said that the pool connects to another pool in the Temple of the Mother located in the Celestial Plane of Jahanna. It is there that the spirits of dead elves are reunited with their bodies to for ever live in the light of the True Mother. The pool is also rumored to raise those that were killed before their destiny could be accomplished.
Hall of Mysinar
This sacred place, located in the center of the Murnath Forest, is visited by all the elves of Lathia at least once or twice a year. They come for solemn ceremonies, private worship and private meditation. It is the place where Ammavaru and the Quarial Ta'luthin first arrived in Kralis. It is built from white marble and has many rooms for which elves can seclude themselves in sanctuary as they seek the wisdom of the elven gods. Tall columns line the simple stone pathway and are covered in various ivy and roses. The front entrance is a heavy red-steel gate that protect the area from entrance from undesirables. The whole of the grounds that the Hall is built upon is protected by Sidz Ra as well as magically awakened trees that are able to protect the hall from outsiders as well as attack those that mean to do harm.
Major Organizations
Suuro Ryka (The Elven Navy)
Only the imperial fleet of the Empire of Resha can compete in its strength, courage and beauty when compared to the sheer awe of the Suuro Ryka. There is an estimated 500 ships within the Suuro Ryka, many are docked in the Bay of Sihnen Baliz, while several (40-50) are serving out in the open waters of the Sea of Tarn, as well as in the Sea of Ithangar.
Occasionally, these massive vessels have been seen in the Sea of Maganra as well as the Sea of Dragons, having been magically teleported to these waters as they hunt down slavers and pirates that have taken items from Lathia.
Quisnaphaja (Ariel Guard)
While the Suuro Ryka patrol the waters, the Quisnaphajais charged with protecting the skies. This is accomplished through the use of grand Buidath that sail high above the lands of the world. These magnificent airships are used as stations for the various Quisnaphaja patrols of giant eagles, dragoons and pegasus riders(though these are a rare sight, and generally reserved for the most experienced and hardy Quisnaphajur).
There are only four Buidath in the world, three of which are stationed over the Sea of Tarn and the Sea of Tears. The third is known to sail the open skies going where its captain determines.
Sylth Qualth (The Shadow Guard)
While not a secret organization, the Sylth Qualth is the magnificent army of Lathia that is charged with protecting the Elven way of life from all usurpers both elven and non-elven. These elven soldiers are well trained, and those that "retire" from the service in the Sylth Qualth are often sought after by mercenary groups and other kingdoms to raise great armies and create grand defenses for these realms. Currently, nearly 1/2 of the total force is waging war in the disputed lands on the shores of Ta Los near the Eastern Shire.
