The Kingdoms of the Elves & Dwarves

Background: My wife and I were active in the Gaming Con circuit from 1990 to 1998, but with the birth of our third child we found that attending cons was no longer feasible. Last summer she mentioned wishing should could play a Living City character of hers again, a 6th level elf thief named Raliana (who some of you may remember from various Con Con, Con Man, Gen Con or Total Confusion games). I quickly tossed together a solo game for this character, using various place and character names that I found on the Internet, for what I thought would be a short story. The storyline has now taken on a life of its own, and we have gamed over 300 hours of it. My wife suggested that I write down the narrated details of this location before I forget them, so I am posting the information here in case anybody else would also like to use this particular setting. Please feel free to comment on any of this, as this storyline is ongoing. I will also be using some of the NPC’s from this setting in an upcoming module with my regular group (a work-in-progress currently being plotted on this board as the “League of Assassins” thread).

Credits: Silvanost was the setting of various TSR Dragonlance novels and game accessories. Initial narrative passages, as well as place and character names relating to this land, were found in several places on the Internet. They were adapted for this setting, which is clearly a different place than that of the novels. Mengale, and some of its characters were found on the Eldahor World Internet site, and modified for this particular setting. Much of the details of the Mage’s school at Ravensgate can be traced back to the well published work of J.K. Rowling. The City of Brondani and its characters are derived from information on the nightmare.org Internet site.

History of the Kingdom of Silvanost:

Over 5,000 years ago the elvan deity Corellon Larethian brought together a group of nine elvan heroes to fight alongside of him against the forces of evil. An epic battle was fought on a barren and desolate plane, which covered a 300-by-200-mile area along the east-central coastline of the vast continent. They were successful in forcing the evil from the land.

The god chose to reward these courageous fighters. He blessed the land on which they had fought, turning it into a lush and fertile paradise, which was then named Silvanost. The friends of families of these nine were then teleported to this land, and the god granted them all life spans twice that of normal elves, a trait that they would pass on to their descendants. Finally, Corellon referred to the nine as the Knights of Silvanost, and to each he gave a magical stone, which have come to be named the Silvanost Elf Stones.

The leader of the Knights was an elf named Laretinor. The elves declared him to be their King, and he became Silvanost's first ruler. King Laretinor ruled for over 1,800 years, during which time the elves prospered and built a great Kingdom, with beautifully designed buildings that complimented the flora and fauna of the land, and vast cathedrals dedicated to the elvan god.

With the passing of each Knight, the remaining Knights would chose who each stone and title was to be given. The criteria for this was to select the one that showed greatest degree of courage, dedication and promise rather than having it be inherited. Many of stones did pass directly descendents of each Knight, as they often were the ones most inspired by the examples set by their parents.

Silvanost History

With Laretinor’s passing the mantle of leadership passed to his granddaughter Serrilan. She rules for nearly 1,200 years, but her reign was filled with strife and dissention. During the time since Silvanost’s founding a significant number of humans and non-Silvanost elves had found their way to the community. Near the end of Queen Serrilan’s reign the human population of Silvanost nearly equaled that of the elves, and many of the elvan bloodlines were now being diluted with blood of shorter-lived elves, half-elves and humans. Serrilan felt that all were welcome to live in Silvanost, regardless of race, as long as they dedicated themselves to the elvan god.

A charismatic elvan priest by the name of Ilgathius Geritar declared that the humans were destroying that which Correlon Lerihian had given the elves, and that they should be expelled from the community. Many of those of the pure blood agreed, but a large number of others did not, as these others had been with the community now for centuries and in many cases were now blood relatives. Even the Knights were divided by this schism. Four of the Knights agreed the priest, while four others supported the dictates of their queen. This division was moderated by the Ninth Knight, an enigmatic Bard by the name of Llyr. Llyr supported the Queen, but also provided council and support to Geritar to keep the racial debate at a cordial and intellectual level rather to keep it from becoming emotional and violent.

This however, ended shortly after Silvanost began its fourth millennia, with the assassination of Llyr. A group of demons had attempted to enter the elvan lands, and many of the Knights and fighters of Silvanost took to the forests to defend their land. During the confusion of these battles, a small contingent of assassins breached the defenses of Silvanost’s capital city of Belierin. A number of elves were assassinated, including Llyr, some of his apprentices, and the son and heir of another of the Knights, who was also the Queen’s cousin. Each of those killed was either at or beyond the human equivalent of middle-age, which meant that they could not be resurrected, as Correlon’s blessing of a longer life only applied to a single lifespan. To resurrect one who died, it would be as if their lives had always had the lifespan of a normal elf, so they would come back much older or not at all from such an attempt.

With Llyr gone the tensions rose in the community, and Ilgathius Geritar’s influence increased. Rumors began on both sides in the conflict, quietly accusing the other for being responsible for the deaths. Furthermore, Llyr’s stone was now missing, having vanished at the time of the assassination. When the land was on the verge of a civil war Queen Serrilan finally relented, granting Ilgathious and his followers permission to leave the Kingdom and establish their own home. The priest left, taking nearly 40% of the full-elvan populace with him, including four of the Knights and their Elf Stones. They traveled 800 miles to the west, settling in the deep forests at a place which they named Mengale.

Llyr’s daughter Llyretra. and many of the bard’s other apprentices, were highly critical of this decision of the Queen. For the next half-century they blamed her for not thoroughly investigating the death of Llyr, which they blamed on the priest and his followers. They were also highly critical of the establishment and selection of five new Knights to bring the total back to nine, although only four of the original Elf Stones remained. The elvan Queen finally became exasperated by this condemnation, and declared that the music and words of Llyr and his followers was to be banned. This brought about outcries from several noble families, but to no avail.

Within a few years the Llyr family, and ten other prominent and wealthy elvan houses, decided that they too had to leave Silvanost and the oppression of the Queen. They were invited to settle land alongside the human city of Brondani, situated on the southern coastline, approximately 900 miles southwest of Silvanost. As these hundreds of elves departed many of the remaining families also began to criticize the Queen, which caused her to enact further bans.

This growing dissent grew for the next several decades, as the community began to deeply feel the loss of those who had left and the unique skill sets that they had taken with them. The once great cities began to fall into disrepair, and an aura of despair began to take hold. Finally, the Queen was confronted by the Knights to resolve this. They appealed to her to lift the restrictions and to contact the elves of Brondani, and perhaps even the less fanatical ones at Mengale, and invite them back.. The Queen’s reaction to this plead was to accuse the Knights of being a group of disloyal traitors, and banish them from the royal estate. Three days later Serrilan formally resigned as Queen, spending the remainder of her days in seclusion.

Silvanost History

The Knights of Silvanost convened a meeting to chose their next ruler. They chose one from among their group who was unrelated to Serrilan and Laretinor. Their selection was Gealdor, the grandson of Elendros, one of the other knights who had accompanied Correlon. This choice was not without its own controversy, as the majority population had supported the choice of Atrelrathor, son of Engwahilien, another of the original knights and a cousin of Laretinor. Following this selection the family of Engwahilien also left Silvanost, joining their fellow elves in Brondani.

The selection of Gealdor provided to be a poor one. He had never been trained to be anything more than a Knight, and soon became weary of the responsibilities thrust upon him. He ruled for a short 300 year span. At that point an opportunity presented itself to him, where he chose to leave the world itself, and travel off with a race that journeyed through the night skies. Leaving behind his family and all worldly possessions, Gealdor departed from the world, and was never heard from again.

Gealdor’s second wife, Queen Liriel, was a natural leader and had actually been ruling through her husband for the prior century. She persuaded the Knights to name Gealdor’s young son from his first marriage as the next King. King Elufin was named the 4th Ruler of Silvanost. With the assistance of his stepmother, his rule was a great and prosperous one, and his reign lasted for over 2,000 years.

Elufin’s rule was marred by one major incident, which occurred approximately half-way through his reign. Silvanost received word that the missing Elf Stone of Llyr had been found, and that it was in the possession of the Mengale elves. Furthermore, the exact location of this was revealed to be in a relatively unguarded location of Mengale. The Silvanost Knights mounted an expedition to Mengale to reclaim this stone. Unfortunately, this proved to be untrue, and simultaneous to this the Mengale elves heard the same rumors, of the stone being in an unguarded section of Silvanost. They too sent an expedition to reclaim the stone. Skirmishes occurred at both locations, and there were elvan casualties on both sides.

Killing a pure-blooded elf was always regarded as the most serious of all crimes by both communities. King Elufin was astute enough to realize that both groups had been tricked into a near war, and was able to negotiate a truce with the nine High Lords and High Ladies of Mengale (the Mengale equivalent to the Knights). In the only recorded episode of cooperation between the two Kingdoms, a parallel investigation was launched, which revealed the instigator to be the elvan mages of Brondani led by Llyr’s daughter Llyretra.

Both Silvanost and Mengale demanded that Llyretra be given to them for trial. The leaders of the elvan houses in Brondani refused to give her up, feeling that she had been framed by the same culprits who had initiated the original rumors about the stone. As a result, both Silvanost and Mengale decided to permanently sever all ties with Brondani as well as to ban the mention of the name, writings and music of all twelve of the elvan houses in Brondani. Silvanost declared that any member of the Llyr family to ever set foot in Silvanost was subject to arrest and trial for Llyreta’s actions. Mengale took this even further, declaring that anyone from Brondani who attempted to enter their Kingdom would be imprisoned for life. Mengale also banned the singing of any songs, from Llyr or any other bard, from that day forward.

Silvanost History

King Elufin’s reign ended 215 years ago, at the Battle of Tulisar. This decisive battle pitted the Elves of Silvanost and their human allies from the northern Kingdom of Alloria against a combined army of orcs and ogres led by a quartet of evil wizards. Despite his advanced age, Elufin was still a great fighter, and believed it his duty to lead the Silvanost troops into battle as he had always done before. Although slain in the battle, Elufin’s death served as a rallying cry for the Silvanost elves, who did not want their King’s sacrifice to be in vain. The elves and humans won the day, with the wizards retreating, taking with them fewer than half of their forces.

Despite the victory at the Battle of Tulisar, the war continued. Silvanost’s army commander, General Maelfellinor, declared martial law. The General would not permit the Knights to begin deliberations to choose the next ruler, stating that a military leader was currently needed to address the immediate threat of the war. Under Maelfellinor's rule, many victories followed, with the elves retaking territory that had been held by the enemy. After two more years of war the enemies were vanquished. The Knights then approached Maelfellinor to lift the martial law and return to civilian rule. The General refused, citing that danger still existed and that this was not the time for change.

The General’s repudiation of any change including retaining control of the Kingdom of Tauralda, the land immediately west of Silvanost. The enemy had occupied that land during the war, and when the Silvanost troops forced them out the General then put his own occupying army there to help restore the peace. However, after peace and order had been reestablished in Tauralda General Maelfellinor refused to remove his army, declaring that Tauralda was to be annexed as an expanded region of Silvanost.

To say that the General’s proclamation did not go over well with the residents of Tauralda would be an understatement. While this Kingdom had a large elvan population, and had always maintained cordial relationships with the neighbors, their culture was one that revolved around the worship of human deities. The General declared that from that day forward only Correllon Larethian was to be worshipped in Tauralda, and had all other places of worship boarded up and sealed. The General immediately found himself to be the most hated man in the new kingdom, which only caused this stubborn man to spend more time in that territory, in his attempt to force the population to accept him and his dictates. He established the Tauralda King’s Palace in the capital city of Weyeth as his new headquarters.

The General’s decrees were particularly hardest on Weyeth. Over two millennia earlier the apprentices of the bard Llyr had been forced to leave Silvanost in order to continue the practice of their music. While many of these students had gone to Brondani, some had settled instead in Weyeth, in order to be closer to their family and friends in Silvanost. During the passage of time since then the Llyr College of Music had grown in size and prominence, becoming the top bardic college on this region of the continent.

General Maelfellinor issued a proclamation that Silvanost’s ban on all music of Llyr was to strictly enforced in Tauralda, and all written works of the bard were to be burned. The college closed, and most of the faculty and students fled north to Alloria, reestablishing the college there. The Headmaster of the college, an elderly elf named Quevarin, refused to leave. Quevarin was the last surviving apprentice that had worked with the great Llyr, and said that it was his duty to stand up to injustice.

During the General’s next grand parade through the streets of Weyeth, which all of the population were required to attend, the elderly bard made his way to the center of the street and stood directly in the path of the approaching General. The General commanded Quevarin to move aside, to which the defiant bard began singing one of Llyr’s songs instead. The infuriated General had been brandishing his sword during the parade and his immediate reaction was to plunge it into Quevarin’s chest, instantly killing the older elf. Shocked at the murder of their most beloved citizen, the populace started to riot. They began throwing things at the General and his troops, who had to make a hasty retreat towards to the palace. The riots continued for several days, during which time a number of elves were injured. Peace was finally restored only after the General had two battalions of troops brought in from Silvanost.

The General next ordered the population out to witness another grand parade. What happened that day was officially declared an accident. The General and his entourage were approaching a large crowd along the main street of the city as a young boy moved towards the edge of the curb to get a better view of them. The boy had in his hand a bag with over 100 marbles; each made from the same type of stone as the cobblestone street. The bottom of the boy’s cloth bag was frayed, and as the boy held the bag tight it ripped, the marbles rolling out onto the street. The General did not see the small round objects that blended in with the street, and stepped upon them. He immediately fell backwards onto the street, releasing the sword had been waving as he fell. The Sword of Sharpness sailed high into the air and then fell back to earth, landing directly through Maelfellinor's neck, killing him. While rumors persisted that claimed to have overheard an incantation or two being said during this accident, nothing was ever proven.

Silvanost History

Shortly thereafter, the Knights of Silvanost began deliberations for the choice of a new King. Elufin had outlived most of his children, but had two young daughters through his fifth wife. Vanya, the eldest of these daughters, was now the human equivalent of fifteen. She had been raised since birth for the task of ruling Silvanost. The Knights chose her as the 5th Ruler of Sylvanost (the General having never been officially declared ruler). Vanya objected, stating that her father’s life had been cut short through battle, and insisted that a resurrection be attempted. Everyone considered this foolhardy, as King Elufin was well passed middle age. To the surprise of everyone except Vanya the spell worked, although he returned in a physical state that was extremely aged and frail. Citing health concerns, Elufin refused the crown. He convinced his daughter to become Queen, agreeing to serve as one of her advisors.

Queen Vanya of the House of Elendros has proven to be a kind and wise ruler, loved by her people. As her self-confidence grew, King Elufin began to slowly withdraw from the operations of the Kingdom. Queen Vanya has begun to delegate tasks to her younger sister, Princess Iseldre. Presently the Queen’s chief advisor is Lord Caeleth, leader of the Knights of Silvanost. Caeleth is the human equivalent of 60-years old, and has been a member of the Knights for over 1,400 years. His greatest victory was the slaying of Ugranduk, the Orc King of Berclach.
Whenever the Royal Family travels abroad they are accompanied by at least four of the Knights. In addition to Lord Caeleth, the present Knights are: Lord Calidor, Lady Cuirya, Lord Faegon, Lord Gildeth, Lord Ilferos, Lord Ingleth, Lord Khelandros, and Lord Rayek.

Silvanost continues to retain the same beauty that it showed back during the days of King Laretinor. Its unique architecture blends the luxuriant buildings in with the flora, and the land remains one of lush forests and crystal clear waterways. Each household is vast is size, consisting of hundreds of individuals, most of them extended family.

Those that are full-blooded Silvanost elves are regarded as the upper caste of society, and only full-blooded unions are recognized as true marriages, however those of this group currently constitute only 10% of the Silvanost population. That is because most full-blooded take on multiple mates during their extended lifespans, and many of these other mates are often human, half-elvan or non-Silvanost blooded elves. While most monogamous societies would find this peculiar, it is accepted here as a way to share the gift of Correllon. While a human mate would never be considered the true spouse of a full-blooded elf, the mates feel that the expanded lifespan that their part-blooded offspring will have more than makes up for that, life being the most precious gift of all.

The Leader of the Family Household is the one, regardless of gender, who can trace the highest percentage of their lineage directly back to one of the original nine Knights. Their full-blooded married spouse is then considered to be the operational head of the family unit, and commands all of the other mates of both married partners. The raising of children is the responsibility of the unmarried mate, although these duties are often shared.

There are three languages spoken in Silvanost: Common, Elvan, and Ancient Elvan. Most citizens speak among themselves in a unique dialect that is actually a composite of the three languages. When dealing with travelers and visitors Common ise always spoken. At religious services only Ancient Elvan is spoken. Nearly all written text of Silvanost, except for magical writings, is in Ancient Elvan.

Mengale History

Mengale

Some 800 miles west of Silvanost is the Kingdom of Mengale. The area of this Kingdom is shaped approximately like an isosceles right triangle, the longest side measuring approximately 300 miles north to south, and each of the other sides projecting to the west for a length of approximately 200 miles. The land is one of light forests, and is bordered on all sides by a dark and thick old growth forest that varies from 10 to 30 miles in depth. There are only three roads through this forest to the interior of Mengale, one from near the southern corner, another on the eastern side approximately 60 miles below the northern corner, and the third about 40 miles southeast of the western corner. A mountain range runs along parallel to the diagonal line created by the northwestern side of this triangle, and it from these mountains that the rivers of Mengale flow. Within Mengale these separate rivers merge, and flow out of the Kingdom parallel the southern road.

The Elvan community of Mengale consider themselves to be the true descendents of those blessed by Correllon Larethian. From the time of breaking with Silvanost, approximately 2,600 years ago, Mengale has been ruled by a council of nine High Lords and High Ladies. Each of these Lords and Ladies can trace their lineage directly back to one of the original nine who accompanied Larethian. The firstborn child of a High Lord inherits the position upon the death or resignation of their parent.

The Mengale Elves believe in racial purity, and feel that the bloodlines of those blessed by Correllon should be kept untainted. From the time of Mengale’s founding the forests surrounding the land were manned by elvan archers to keep any unwelcome folk from entering. For the first 1,400 years of Mengale’s founding the only visitors ever permitted to enter the land on the three roads were those of pure blood from either Silvanost or Brondani, who were then encouraged to stay and become part of the Mengale community.

That changed approximately 1,200 years ago, with the incident that became known by those of Mengale as “The Betrayal”. That was when the Bards and Mages of Brondani tried to incite a war between Silvanost and Brondani. Skirmishes occurred at both locations before the Kingdoms realized they had been tricked. A total of eighteen Mengale elves were slain at the hands of the Silvanost elves. These eighteen are now revered by those of Mengale, and worshipped as saints and martyrs of the Kingdom. Brondani refused to accept responsibility for the destruction that they had initiated. As a result Mengale decided to forever ban outside visitors from the two other Kingdoms. They also banned the singing of Bardic songs from that day forward.

In the twelve centuries since then the Mengale society has become far more isolated and insular than ever before. Without the influx of new pureblooded members from the other two Kingdoms the population has actually begun to decline, and is currently estimated to be at approximately 6,000 elves. About 20% of these are on guard detail in the border forests, the rest of the population living in twenty separate communities throughout the land. The largest of these communities, with a population of only around 500, is called Ilgathius, named after the Mengale founder, an elvan Cleric who died approximately 900 years ago.

Three of the nine High Lords and High Ladies reside in Ilgathius, the other six each living in communities named after six of the nine that had originally accompanied their god. The High Lords and High Ladies are the leaders of the seven communities where they reside. The thirteen smaller communities is each ruled by the High Priest of the church in that town.

Mengale

A caravan travelling through the heavy forests is only permitted to stop only at designated campsites, situated every 4 to 7 miles along the road. Fresh water, firewood and latrines have been made available at each of these campsites. The boundries of these camp areas are clearly marked, and anyone going beyond a boundry will be executed by the well camouflaged archers assigned to monitor the travel of the caravans. Once through the forests and into the interior of Mengale the caravans are required to continue until they reach a trading area near the center of the Kingdom, again stopping only at designated camping areas. While the roads through to the interior of the Kingdom pass by some of the communities, caravan personnel are forbidden from interacting and conversing with any of the local population.

The trading area consists of fifteen large buildings made of stone and oak. The largest building is an elaborate temple to Correllon Larethian, where all merchants are expected to worship at during their stay in the trading area. Twelve of the buildings are auditorim-sized trade rooms, where the different merchants set up their wares in the center of each building for the populace to walk through and view what is for sale. The remaining two buildings are a boarding house for the merchants and a livery/stable for their mounts and wagons.

The boarding house is a massive two story structure with a central dining room on the first floor and fifty private bedchambers. The required etiquette for the caravans is for the merchants to meet in the dining room for morning and evening meals, spend the majority of the day in the trading rooms presenting their merchandise, and the remainder of their time each in their private bed chambers. The only exception to this is use of the Cathedral, which the merchants are free to go to during any hour of the day or night. Merchants are expected to bring and clean their own serving dishes and utensils. Food and beverages are provided for the merchants, set out for them by the Mengale elves when the dining chamber is unoccupied. Following each meal the merchants are expected to clean up the dining room and wash off the dining tables, then also leave behind trade goods as payment for and to show their appreciation for the meal.

Each merchant can expect to spend at least several days displaying their goods before any actual sales are conducted. While hundreds if not thousands of Mengale elves will make their way through each building, it is always in complete silence. Only after everyone has seen the merchandise will a Mengale spokesperson actual speak to a merchant. The spokespeople are usually either a High Lord, High Lady, High Priest, or High Priestess of Correllon Larethian. Negotiation over prices frequently takes several days. The more successful merchants hire skilled negotiators to conduct these price disucssions. These are elves who have developed a long-term working relationship with the people of Mengale, of at least a few decades, and have built up a level of mutual trust. The traits most admired by elves of Mengale of outsiders are patience, trustworthyness and reverence to the elvan god.

The caravan will not leave until all of the merchants who came with it have compelted their negotiations, which means that some could be waiting for several days or weeks for the last one to finish. On the morning of the caravan’s departure from the trade area a formal farewell ceremony is held, which will be attended by all Mengale elves who spoke during the negotiations. At this point in time the top negotiator of both sides will then exchange presents. This is usually a contest of “one-upmanship” to set the tone for the following negotiation period. Each side presents something that they feel is superior, so that the other will feel an obligation to accept lower prices durng the next time that the merchant caravan visits.

Communities near Mengale

The following describes two of the three communities that trade with Mengale:

Larivaswen: This mostly elvan ommunity is located just a few miles away from the northeastern road into Mengale. It has a population of approximately 1,600, and their primary focus is agriculture, with miles of lush fertile plains of wheat and grains, as well as sheep and goat farms. A group of gnomes also tend apple and pear orchards near the town. Larivaswen provides a significant amount of the food consumed by the people of Mengale.

This farming town was originally settled 1,200 years ago, at the time of “The Betrayal”, by Mengale elves that did not agree with the new restrictions placed by the High Lords and Ladies. These elves did not want to forever cut themselves off from family and friends of Mengale. In the time since the Larivaswen people have become disheartened by the stoicism that present Mengale has become. They see their small community as their former Kingdom’s only hope of reestablishing relations with the outside world.

Larivaswen also has a bardic and art school, where they preserve and teach the music and artistic culture that was banned in Mengale. From its founding this school has attraced students of all races. Over the centuries these charismatic artists and bards have helped the elves of Larivaswen become far more accepting of other races that their Mengale counterparts.


Penthathigon and Luynn: The wide river flowing south out of Mengale, which runs parallel the southern road, goes for twenty miles before it reaches the sea at the port cities of Pentathigon and Luynn. Humans comprise approximately 70% of the population of these cities, with the remainder being an even mix of all other common humanoid races.

Pentathigon is the name of a large island situated at the mouth where the river flows beside a large penninsula out to sea. This was the original city, surrounded by a well defended wall. Three bridges connect Pentathigon to the penninsula. The ancient walled city has a population of only 3,750. The Luynn Penninsula is much larger, and its city has a population of approximately 15,000 people. While each city has its own City Lord and own governmental structure, the two communities often think of themselves as one combined city, and most maps of the area only list the original Penthathigon name.

The city of Pentathigon has 2 castles; 1 government building; 6 inns; 4 brothels; 1 craft guild; 2 churches; 2 shipyards; 1 magic shop; 1 bank; 2 trade bazaars; 1 leathershop; 3 armorers; 3 furriers; 1 stonecutter; 3 fishmongers; 1 blacksmith; 3 weavers; 2 breweries; 2 glassblowers; and 3 food warehouses.

The city of Luynn has 4 castles; 3 government buildings; 12 inns; 15 brothels; 1 craft guild; 9 churches; 7 shipyards; 4 magic shops; 4 banks; 9 trade bazaars; 4 leathershops; 6 armorers; 7 furriers; 2 stonecutters; 5 fishmongers; 2 blacksmiths; 8 weavers; 4 breweries; 34 glassblowers; 7 food warehouses; 3 winerys; 2 butchers; 3 tailors; 5 mills; 3 jewelers; 2 potters; 1 alchemist; 1 cartographer; and 1 college. The college is for scholars of all races, and has an extensive research library.

Communities near Mengale

The third community that trades with Mengale is a town by the name of Forest End. It is situated approximately 25 miles south of Mengale’s western corner, and has a population of around 400 people (approximatley 60% humans, 25% part-elf, and 15% full-elf). The town gets its name from the fact that it is situated at the interesection of two great forested areas, the old growth forests that surround Mengale and the Kelset Forests, which is a lush forested land, approximately 400 square miles in size that run westward until the mountain range. Runoff from the ore-filled mountains has created a unique and very fertile land, where a special type of tree thrives. This hardwood tree is named the Kelset, and has a color and texture that is a cross between an oak and cedar. While Kelset seeds have been planted elsewhere on the world, none have flourished as they have here. The wood of the Kelset tree is reputed to be the best on the world for the production of arrows and bows, which is the primary trade good of the town of Forest End.

The town also has a number of poulty farms, to get the feathers needed for the production of arrows. A few farms that raise unique birds, to get feathers for special arrows. The town’s other craft persons include several people skilled in the making of dyes, to dye the colors of the arrow shafts and feathers; several leatherworkers to make quivers for the arrows; and a few skilled metalcrafters to produce arrowheads, although most arrowheads used here are actually imported from distant cities. All of the arrows and most of the bows used by the elves of Mengale come from Forest End.

The town’s main merchant is a middle-aged human known as Potter, who employes 30 to 35 elves two work his caravans. The Potter Trading Caravan Company was establed 85 years earlier by Potter’s grandfather, and many of the elvan employees have been working for it since that time. Well over half of the citizens of Forest End sell their products to Potter, as he pays them a better price than they would be able to get otherwise. Potter also makes trips between caravan runs to several towns and cities on the continent, where he purchases various other goods to trade with Mengale. Potter also makes these trips to visit various lady friends in several of these cities, each of whom thinks that they are the main woman in Potter’s life.

Potter employs two elvan negotitators, one named Artelison who negotiates the sale of arrows, bows and other weapons, and another for non-weapon items named Ren (but known by his father’s name of Aragorn to those of Mengale, as an elvan name works better with negotiations). Both negotiators have worked for Potter since the time that he inherited the business from his own father, over three decades earlier. These elves live very relaxed lives in Forest End, only working the two or three times a year that they are on a caravan run. They are well paid, earning a commission of 20% to 40% on their sales. Artelison goes off on an extended vacation every year or two between caravan runs, and spends all of his accumulated earnings on wine, women and gambling. Ren has all of his earnings invested in banks in several different cities. He estimates that in another twenty years he will have enough saved up to be able to retire and live in luxury for the remaining half-millineia of his elvan lifespan.

In addition to Potter’s operation, there are around twenty other businesses, each with at least one full-elvan partner, who are independent merchants. The elves with these businesses will often accompany Potter’s caravan into Mengale. Each of these merchants specialize is a certain categoy of trade goods, and do all of their own negotations. At the closing ceremony of the Mengale negotiation they always defer to Ren to be the spokesperson for the combinded group.

People and Calendar of Mengale

The high elves of Mengale are a devout people, dedicating their lives to their deity and to their beliefs of racial superiority. There are “five tiers” of Mengale society. In addition to the twelve communities and the Trading Area, there is also a central meeting place called the “Mengale Gathering” where groups from all tiers can come together for religious ceremonies or other meetings. Multiple buildings are in this location to house the different tiers when they are at a gathering. This area is situated only a few miles away from the Trading Area, and is where the Mengale elves interested in making purchases stay whenever a caravan is visiting. This area is also highly guarded at those times, to ensure that no inappropriate contact takes place with outsiders.

The top tier consists of Mengale society consists of the nine High Lords and High Ladies. These individuals could be of any character class, but most tend to be clerics. These nine are precluded from ever becoming High Priests and High Priestesses, as that office would present a conflict of interest among their duties.

The next tier of Mengale society are the High Priests and High Priestesses. At any point in time there will be 25 to 30 individuals holding this rank (presently 27), who meet and make rulings by committee. All High Priests and High Priestesses are considered to be of equal rank. Whenever this group meets a new Chairperson is selected, who will act as spokesperson for the assemblage until the next time they meet. At least nine different Chairpersons must preside before any one would be allowed to repeat that role.

The third tier of Mengale society are the Lords and Ladies. These individuals are the senior members of each elvan household. They are authorized to speak for their family on all matters of importance. There are presently 162 individuals who hold this title. While these groups frequently meet at societal social functions, a formal “Council of Lords and Ladies” is only held once or twice every century. The leader of each of the twelve communities will rely on the Lords and Ladies of that community as their chief advisors.

The fourth tier of Mengale society, which comprise the vast majority of the population (about 90% at present) are the Citizens of Mengale. A citizen is one who has sworn allegiance to Mengale, and forsaken allegiances to any outside community. They have agreed to abide by all of the Laws of Mengale, which includes monogamous marriages. The tier contains a mix of all key classes, except for Bard, which is outlawed. The few wizards and thieves of Mengale tend to be from this tier, as those professions are looked down upon by the three higher tiers. While all citizens are considered to be equal is status, in reality the spouses, chief advisors, heirs and other immediate family of those in the top three tiers tend to receive more favorable treatment.

The lowest tier of Mengale society consists of Non-citizens, who currently number around 400. Most of these are full-blooded elves that had come from either Silvanost or Brondani prior to the time of “The Betrayal”, but who were not willing to fully commit to all of the Laws of Mengale. These are primarily elves that had previously been in polygamous unions. They have been allowed to retain those prior marriage structures as long as they do not actively promote that lifestyle or take on any new spouses.

Also included with those considered to be Non-citizens are former citizens who have been found guilty of breaking the Laws of Mengale, but the offense was not considered serious enough to warrant banishment from the Kingdom. These individuals have been temporally stripped of their citizenship until such a time that the High Lords and High Ladies decide that they have redeemed themselves.

A final group of Non-citizens are a dozen foreigners who are not full-blood high elves that descend from those that had been blessed by Correllon. These people are each in Mengale through very unique circumstances, and have each been granted a special exception to reside in the Kingdom. They are prohibited from ever engaging in sexual relations with the full-blooded Mengale elves. Five of these twelve are high elves, two are Grey elves, one is a wood elf, one is a high elf/sea elf hybrid, one is a high elf/silver dragon hybrid, one is a high elf/human hybrid, and the other is a gnome.

The Mengale Calendar.

All official time records for Mengale begin on the day of the Kingdom’s founding, 2,628 years ago.