Aarathien

The green plains and lush forests of Aarathien, also known as the Midlands and Ithimirath, are split into many kingdoms and independent baronies. Ancient blood feuds and political entanglements characterize the towns of the Midlands. Out of all the mortal lands, it is Aarathien that most interests the fae, as their domain is deeply connected to the green things of the world. The elves call it Ithimirath, which means "Land of Kings". Aarathien is also home to the White Spire, from which the Sovereign Church is governed.

Boundaries
To the north: Karbad, mountainous home of the barbarian kings.

To the east: Modnica and Gursricht, known collectively as the Accursed Lands.

To the south: The Badlands, blasted territory of the Orcs.

To the west: Umnithar and the Gulf of Grohera, beyond which lie the Kerrogos Isles. The north-western boundary is shared by the Gruhanan Highlands.

Religion
The Sovereign Church reigns supreme in Aarathien. Its churches and Clerics can be found all across the region, and indeed the White Spire itself is located in the Midlands. Although the Church in Aarathien is nowhere near as fanatic in its silencing of dissent as the Church of Gursricht, it does maintain a law against blasphemy. Enforcing that law, however, becomes a difficult task as the number of Clerics dwindles and the forces of evil grow.

Clerics of the Faith wander the Midlands in search of those in need. Most often this means blessing children and crops, or offering guidance to lost souls. These charities are not done completely out of goodwill, as their real purpose is in capturing the support of the peasants in order to ensure the continued power and wealth of the Church.

There are also, however, pagan faiths that still persist. Whether or not the numerous current practices of druidism in Aarathien bear any resemblance to those of the ancient Tagdaur and other barbarian peoples is unknown, but their practitioners certainly claim they are the same. Some pagan cults hold reverence for Faerie, others fear Faerie and offer sacrifices to ward off its magic. Still others even worship Demons, or old heathen gods whose tales are carved into ancient cave walls.

Languages
Most inhabitants of Aarathien speak Reodic, also known as the Common Tongue. This language's prominence is due to the fact that it is descended from Filindaur, the original language of Etaleth. Filindaur itself is an archaic language that emerged sometime around the formation of Etaleth from a blending of Elvish, which was spoken by the early nobility of Etaleth, and Tagdaur, which was spoken by the early lower classes. Filindaur is now only known by scholars, and Elvish is almost only ever used by Magicians. Tagdaur has been mostly forgotten by time, as it had no written form.

Ancient History
It is not known when, but various human tribes arrived in the Midlands very long ago. Most of them came from the east over the Mountains of Danabad, but some migrated from across the Great Plain to the south. Among the peoples who populated the Early Midlands, few are recorded. However, the Tagdaur people are remembered for the important role they would play in the history of the Midlands.

The Tagdaur and the neighboring human tribes lived peaceful lives in the fertile valleys of Aarathien. They were originally nomadic, but became sedentary once agriculture had developed far enough. They settled a lush valley in the south west and farmed the grain they found there.

Elmon and Umilythe
The greatest realm ever known to mortal-kind would eventually be born in the lands of the Tagdaur.

In 6005 AE, one of the clansmen of that proud people took an Elf princess to wife, beginning a royal line of long-lived Half-Elves. Her name was Umilythe, and his (in Elvish) was Elmon. The gifts of wisdom, grace, and magical power that were given unto Elmon and his clan granted him status as King of the Tagdaur. He gathered many clans to his side, and soon ruled over many peoples of the Midlands.

The union of Elf and Human pleased some in the courts of Faerie, but angered many others. When husband and wife brought a son into the world, there were those among the Elves who considered the child to be an illegitimate heir, as only one of pure Elvish blood could inherit the titles of Umilythe's House. A civil war broke out between the Elf Purists and Umilythe's supporters in 5999 AE. King Elmon died while leading an Elvish host during that war. The purists won in 5998 AE and forced many of their enemies into exile in the mortal plane, relinguishing Umilythe of her nobility. Those exiles dwelled in enchanted forests called Elfwoods, and became known as the Sylvan Elves. The tradition that the ruler of the Tagdaur marry a Sylvan noble continued for centuries, much to the distaste of the Faerie Court.

Druidism became the official religion of the Tagdaur. It was overseen by the Faerie Temple, which encouraged a spiritual connection to the earth, nature, and the realm of Faerie which governs those forces.

The son of Elmon and Umilythe was named Isarrel. By the time of 5788 AE, he would inherit the throne after the death of his queen mother and become a despised king among the Half-Elf nobility of the Tagdaur. He was slow to act, and spent more time pondering in his library than ruling his kingdom. Lands and loyalties were lost as a result. He faced the first accusations of being swapped at birth by forces of Faerie, but he would not face the last of these. Such accusations became almost like tradition whenever a king was disliked.

However, it was his daughter (for the Half-Elves inherited titles regardless of gender, as the Elves do), Queen Saelihn who would lead the kingdom during its rapid rise to power.

The Kingdom of Etaleth
Etaleth means "Elf-Friends" in Elvish, which is why it became the name of the growing kingdom of Elmon's descendants. By 5521 AE, Queen Saelihn had forged a realm unlike any that had been seen by living men, spreading settlements far to the south in the Great Plain of what is now called the Badlands, and besting northern clans in battle to build strongholds by the rivers and hills. She was the first queen of the majestic realm of Etaleth, but it would be many years till that dominion reached its full strength as the most influential country in the world.

At the height of its power in 3023 AE, Etaleth spanned from the northern reaches of Aarathien, to the northern boundaries of Ghar, from the western coast and the Gulf of Grohera, to the Danabad range in the east. But the scope of the reach of Etalethan culture cannot be measured. Traders from the south and east brought versions of Etalethan druidic spiritual practices back to their people, along with the language of Filindaur.

Rise of Mezhal
In 6AE, the evil Sorcerer King called Mezhal began his dark war against Etaleth. In the pits of the great dungeon of Orkunash, Mezhal had used evil magics to mix demon blood with that of humans. The result was a new race of monstrous, dark-green, red-eyed beastmen with an undying thirst for violence. They were called the Orcs, and their legions would soon bring kings to their knees.

For six years the Orc War raged on. The Great Plain became a blasted wasteland as a result of Mezhal's foul sorcery, and the Midlands became drenched in blood. Many an ancient keep or prosperous town was razed to the ground by the bestial hordes of Orkunash. King Ulandeyr, the last undisputed ruler of Etaleth, was slain on the field of Panfinas in 2AE.

In the chaos of the war, the previously obscure Cult of the Sovereigns rose to prominence. The emerging cult offered answers and respite to those suffering the demonic onslaught of the orcs. Clerics welcomed refugees into their places of worship and healed the sick and dying through miraculous feats of divine intervention. The spirits of the earth, it seemed, had abandoned the people, and so the people turned to these new gods. There were some attempts by the lords of Etaleth to stamp out this growing religion, as it posed a challenge to the Faerie Temple which had grown so powerful with the rise of Etaleth. But the practice of the Temple had strayed far from its original purpose of fostering a spiritual connection with the earth, and had become instead a symbol of wealth and power. Many turned away from the Temple, and many more did so when it seemed that the Temple was more interested in stamping out the Clerics than in fighting the orcs or helping the poor.

After the death of the King, his three offspring (Prince Atorin, Princess Norwalyn, and Prince Loravor II) took up the leadership of the war effort. Prince Loravor II traveled to the lands of Etaleth's allies, persuading them to join the war. In 1AE, the Dvergar of Nagh Moldur, the Pirate Fleets of Kerrogos, the Barbarian Clans and the Giants of Karbad all united with Etaleth and the Elves to drive back Mezhal's orcish legions. It was around this time, also, that Prince Atorin converted to the Cult of the Sovereign, seeing it as the only possible savior of Etaleth.

Mezhal was slain by the great warrior Delanora in 0AE, his decrepit form obliterated by the sword Sunshard which was blessed by the Clerics of the new Sovereign Church. All that was left of the dark wizard was a single charred hand, as the rest of his body had been incinerated by holy light. The Clerics kept this hand for a time, trying many methods to destroy it so that the last memory of Mezhal's evil could be banished from the world. None of these methods succeeded, however, and so the Hand of Mezhal was buried deep within the dungeons of Orkunash, which were sealed shut by long forgotten secret spells in 3DE.

Much of the realm of Etaleth had been destroyed by the war. But the heartland of the kingdom, the lands of Aarathien, remained under the power of the kingdom. But a kingdom needs a king, and the one to take that position was now not so clear.

The Dark Era
All years that follow the defeat of Mezhal are known as the Dark Era, as they begin with the fall of the kingdom of Etaleth, mightiest realm to have ever graced the world.

The Splitting of Etaleth
With the war over, the time came to crown a new ruler of Etaleth. In the old traditions, the next in line would have been Princess Norwalyn. But the growth of the Sovereign Church had brought with it new traditions. The Church's values were patriarchal, such that men were to be the inheritors of wealth and title in order to carry on the legacy of their fathers. And so Prince Atorin, under the divine right of sons, disputed Norwalyn's claim to the throne as he was the eldest son of King Ulandeyr. His support came from the south-western parts of the kingdom, which had been hit hardest by the war and where the power of the church had grown the most. To complicate matters even further, Prince Loravor II had rallied many peoples to his cause during the war, giving him a considerable following of pirates and barbarians. He promised these new allies lands and titles should they support his bid for the throne. And so, in 1DE, the War of Kin began.

Each sibling fought for their claim for the rulership of Etaleth. Due to the weakened nature of their retinues following the Orc War, however, the war could not continue for long. By the end of the year, it ended in a stalemate, which each sibling simply declaring independence from the others and ruling their own kingdoms. These became the realms of Andamas, Esthine, and Stagrun, ruled by King Atorin, Queen Norwalyn, and King Loravor respectively.

The three kingdoms of Aarathien declined over the next decades, till many of their lands had split off into independent baronies and even petty kingdoms. In 55 DE, the kingdom of Esthine ceased to exist entirely as its vassals split from the crown in petty disputes. During this long decline, the Sylvan Elves turned away from humanity and became more and more ambivalent towards the world of mortals. Filindaur was no longer spoken by the people of Aarathien, as elvish influence disappeared from all aspects of their lives, and it was replaced by the language of Reodic, which was itself a combination of Filindaur and various barbarian tongues.

The Faerie Temple declined even faster, as it was only preserved in the kingdom of Esthine. The White Spire was built as a centre for the Sovereign Church in 12 DE, solidifying its authority over Aarathien. Ever since 55 DE, druidism can only be found in small cults of barbarians and wild folk, but this form of druidism can be traced (however strenuously) to ancient barbarian practices and does not find its origins in anything to do with the Temple of Faerie. Some would argue that this allows barbarian druidism to stay truer to its roots, as it was never tainted by the wealth and power of Etalethan High Druids. Whatever the case, it has nothing to do with elvish lore and is even persecuted in some places as a form of demon worship.

The many kingdoms of Aarathien consist of constantly shifting titles, as wars and political manoeuvres are always sending shockwaves through the realms. The centre of Midland is made up by what are known as 'The Disputed Lands'. Various kingdoms lay claim to the baronies of the Disputed Land, meaning wars are fought there almost constantly over those titles. It is a wartorn land of roving bands of soldiers and bandits (telling the difference is a challenge), where the only law is war. It is a place where heroes are made, then killed and forgotten just as quickly. Many a gruesome tale has come from the conflicts that take place on that blood-soaked soil, and many more undoubtedly will.