Sol'Valen Codex

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Ruling House: Sol’Eilran

Demonym: Hytori

Population: 12 million

Territory: The Kingdom of Sol’Valen currently lies on the southeastern coast of Ailizane, in the region of Turoth. It is bordered to the north by the Dwarven Hold States and the Ruined Holds, to the west by Auris, and to the southwest by the Republic of Cathena.

Government Type: Federal Monarchy

Official Religion: Hytori Polytheism

Racial Distribution: 90% Hytori Elven, 10% other

Official Language: Mythrasi

Additional Languages: Vallenor, Common

Note: Both Mythrasi and Vallenor are pluricentric languages, divided into many dialects, and while Vallenor is sometimes considered a dead language, both languages have existed for thousands of years and have evolved in that time.

Since the beginning of recorded history, Sol’Valen has existed—the Kingdom of the Eternal Sun. It never truly had borders other than where its people walked with the blessings of the Dragon Gods. In the past, it counted distant worlds under foreign suns as its domain. In the current era, it has diminished but perseveres in its corner of Ailizane.

The Hytori no longer dominate the world of Ransera let alone many worlds, but they remain a power to be reckoned with, having survived various cataclysms, monstrous juggernauts, and uppity new races. The fabled capital of Erosya is lost, and the reigning Phoenix King, Ailuin Sol’Eilran, guides the First People from his capital of Silfanore.

While outsiders are allowed in Sol’Valen, they are met with—at best—stiff courtesy and—at worst—condescending hostility. This varies in the varied principalities that make up the Kingdom, but rare are the Hytori who see themselves as on par with the “lesser races” no matter how vociferously they condemn Ilixidor and his ilk.

Hytori abroad may be of a different sort and this ethnocentrism may well be why.


Table of Contents

Mise-en-Scène: Silfanore
Dramatis Personae: Non-player Characters

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History
Geography and Climate
Government
Law and Order
Culture
Religion
Flora and Fauna

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The Crown City

Silfanore is the capital of the principality of Tronóridan as well as the kingdom of Sol’Valen. Inland from the eastern shore of Ailizane, it is a mountain fastness that spills over into foothills and plains. Its high points lie upon the southeastern slope of Mount Tonlýkon, between the small rivers Kifisós to the east, Hyarmenya to the south, and the Vathiá to the north, the latter of which runs through the city. The ancient walled city measured about five miles in diameter, although the current city spreads out beyond into the broad valley. The Vounópolis is just south of the center of this walled area. The city was burnt by Kaitos Diraegon during the Age of Conquest, and parts were destroyed in later ages. The Hytori always rebuilt, restoring what was lost when possible, or creating new wonders, albeit with diminishing grandeur. Its beauty lies chiefly in its public buildings, for even the finest of private residences do not seek to detract from the glory of the city itself. Noble houses and even merchant princes keep fine, but modest residences, in the city, but build themselves far grander things on private country estates, where they are also stewards of the land and the aether. Silfanore consists of four distinct parts: The City, properly so called, and further subdivided into the High City, or Vounópolis, and the Low City, surrounded by those ancient walls; The Suburbs, beyond the ancient walls where the bulk of the Len’Hytori live; The Enclave, a walled area technically bound by the Suburbs, where foreigners are allowed to live; The Port City, Limánia, which is not contiguous with Silfanore proper, but is the nearest seaport, connected by a sometimes walled road for those without the funds to simply walk through a portal from the coast to the capital.

City Walls

The first iteration of the city walls were built in the Age of Dreams when the First People had only mastered bronze. There are segments of it that remain, preserved by powerful magics, though the bulk ove it has been built up stronger and more sustainable over time. The Hytori of Sol’Valen have been beset too many times not to have sound walls to pull its people behind when the next crisis comes.

In addition, the Makrýs, or Long Walls, a set of parallel walls guarding the road down from the Kókkina mountains southeast to Limánia. They are not without breaks, but do protect the road especially at strategic points.

Gates

Silfanore boasts many gates; the main ones are as follows:

To the East: The Dýolon, a doubled gate, and the most frequented. It connects the inner city’s inner Amforéon, or ceramics and pottery district, with the outer city’s outer Amforéon, which houses the grand Nekrópolis, and the Akademia. The Paladin’s Gate, between the Hill of the Rieloi and the Fist of Toralyon. The Lisseis Gate, so called because it leads to the deme Lisse, within the city.

To the South: The Gate of the Dead, near the Suionaeon. The Limánian Gate, which leads to the Long Walls and the road down to the coast.

To the West: The Sacred Gate, which is the nascence of the Sacred Way, leading farther into the Kókkina Mountains to various ancient monasteries. The Alasseis Gate, leading to the Lykeion. The Hinyeis Gate, leading to the Huoninque and the deme Hinya.

To the North: The Haleis Gate, leading to the deme Hála.

Vounópolis

The acropolis, or High City, is a steep rock in the middle of the city, about 500 feet high, 3000 feet long, and 1500 feet wide; its sides are naturally scarped on all sides except the west end. It was originally surrounded by an ancient Ulundon wall said to have been built by the immortal Hytori who first settled the environs. At the current time, only the north part of this wall remains, and this portion is still called the First Wall; while the south part which had been rebuilt by a later queen, was called the Queen’s Wall. On the west end of the Vounópolis, where access is alone practicable, are the magnificent Andondes, "the Entrances," built by a prince whose name is lost to time, before the right wing of which is the small, ancient Temple of Keela Túre. The summit of the acropolis is covered with temples, statues of metal, living wood, stone, and various other works of art. Of the temples, the grandest was the Rielenon, sacred to the dead god Zedros; and north of the Rielenon is the magnificent Theadron, containing three separate temples, one to Keela Polias, or the "Protectress of the State," the Theadron proper, or sanctuary of Theadrin, and the Ysadreion, or sanctuary of Ysadrin, the dead goddess of summer. Between the Rielenon and Theadron is the colossal Statue of Keela Promachos, or the "Fighter in the Front," whose helmet and spear were the first objects on the acropolis visible from those journeying up the Makrýs.

The Low City

The lower city was built in the plain around the Vounópolis, but this plain also contained several hills, especially in the southeast part. On the east side, the walls embraced the Hill of the Rieloi and the Fist of Toralyon, and to the southwest they ran along beside the Hyarmenya.

Districts

The inner Amforéon, or ceramics and pottery district, in the east of the city, extending north as far as the Dýolon gate, by which it was separated from the outer Amforéon; the Amforéon contained the Agora, or marketplace, the greatest in the city, lying northeast of the Vounópolis, and north of the Hill of Skar.

• Tavárinoikos, a famous Maker studio.

The deme Lisse, in the east of the city, south of the inner Amforéon.

The deme Hwárin, in the northern part of the city, west of the inner Amforéon.

The Callo, in the southern part of the city, south and southeast of the Vounópolis.

• Eilranoikos, the home of the Royal Family

Unque, a district in the southeast of the city.

Lóre, a district west of Lisse and Callo, between the Vounópolis and the River Hyarmenya.

Hinya, a district in the west of the city, near the gate of the same name and the Huoninque.

• Harbinger Company Barracks

Vercaea, a district south of Hinya.

Hills

The Hill of Skar, east of the Vounópolis, which gave its name to the celebrated council that held its sittings there, was accessible on the south side by a flight of steps cut out of the rock.

The Hill of the Rieloi, northeast of the Hill of Skar.

The Fist of Toralyon, a semicircular hill, southeast of the Hill of Skar, where the assemblies of the people were held in earlier times.

The Suionaeon, “the Hill of the Muses,” south of the Fist of Toralyon and the Hill of Skar.

Streets

Among the more important streets, there are:

The Limánian Street, which leads from the Limánian Gate to the Agora.

The Vana’ambal Way, which leads from the Dýolon gate to the acropolis via the agora, along which a solemn procession is made during the Vana’ambal Festival.

The Street of the Nelde’tál, on the west side of the acropolis.

Public Buildings

Temples: of these the most important was the Temple of Eikaen Pater, southwest of the Vounópolis, near the Hyarmenya and the fountain Tuine, which was long unfinished, and was only recently rebuilt by Ailuin. The Metroon of Naori, dedicated to Naori as the Mother of All, on the east side of the Agora. The Temple of Fyraea, located to the east of the Agora. The Temple of Skar, to the north of the Agora. Besides these, a vast number of other temples fills the city, both ancient and relatively new.

The Assembly House, at the east side of the Agora.

The Colonnades, supported by pillars, are used as places of resort in the heat of the day, of which there are several in Silfanore. In the Agora there are: the Royal Colonnade, on the east side of the Agora; the Colonnade of Eikaen Etelehtios, on the east side of the Agora; the Colonnade Carme, so called because it was adorned with fresco paintings, on the north side of the Agora.

Theaters: the Theater of Nuenna, on the southwest slope of the acropolis, was the great theater of the state. Besides this there were several odeons for contests in vocal and instrumental music—an ancient one near the fountain Tuine, and a more modern one built by Taegan, close to the theater of Nuenna, on the southwest slope of the Vounópolis—these the most prestigious.

The Vana’ambal Stadium, south of the River Hyarmenya, in the district Vercaea, where the athletic portion of the Vana’ambal Games are held.

The Argyrocopieon, or Royal Mint, adjoins the heroon of Laurëtelepse, an ancient priest of Fyraea, said to be the father of Avenna.

Suburbs

The Outer Amforéon, northeast of the city, is the finest deme of Silfanore; here are buried the Hytori who had fallen in war, and at the further end of it was the Akademia.

Huoninque, east of the city, across the Hyarmenya, reached from the Hinya gate, a gymnaseion sacred to Zedros, where the Márâs school of philosophy was born.

Lykeion, west of the city, a gymnaseion sacred to Lyren Eosphorus, where Lykeios taught.

Enclave

Sometimes called “The Alienage” by the native Hytori population, the Enclave was once a secondary agora; when the younger races came flocking to the power and wisdom of the Hytori once more, it was outlined as a place for them to feel more at home. It is a microcosm of a cosmopolitan city, and contains the central market for foreign as well as illicit goods and services. Regardless of this, while organized crime might exist, they do not run the area. Hytori guards patrol the streets.

A broad concourse splits it in half and most of it is made up of residential and commercial districts. Industry is discouraged and permits for it in the Enclave are few. There are neighborhoods where denizens of specific races or nations gather, and others more diverse.

Limánia

The satellite city has been inhabited since living memory. Limánia is a rocky outcropping on the Sol’Valen coast that features a steep hill. Although long connected to the mainland by a land bridge that is consistently above water, in prehistoric times it was an island connected to the mainland only by a low-lying stretch of land that was flooded by seawater most of the year. Whenever the land bridge dried up, it was used as a salt field (its ancient name, Aláti, means the 'salt field'), and its muddy soil made for a tricky passage. Over time, however, the area became increasingly silted, high, and dry—and flooding ceased—so that, by the Age of Steel, the land passage could be safely crossed at all times. Thus in ancient Sol’Valen, Limánia assumed increased importance because of its three deep-water harbors.

Much of the city is dedicated to the harbors and warehouses. A great deal of it is similar to the Enclave, though old local families hold tight to certain ancient neighborhoods and the outskirts of the city.

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The Court of Princes

Name: Ailuin Sol’Eilran
Title(s): Phoenix King of Sol’Valen; Prince of Tronóridan; Priest of Thiovan
Throne: Silfanore, the Crown City

Name: Artanáro Val’Devemar
Title(s): Prince of Tenérou; Priest of Aedrin
Throne: Norsavan, the City of Gardens

Name: Artaher Val’Melua
Title(s): Prince of Aktí; Priest of Aileor
Throne: Vallanar, the City of Stained Glass

Name: Skärlon Val’Kor
Title(s): Diarch of Aerion; Prince of Aerion; Priest of Skar
Throne: Aerion, the City of Champions

Name: Achiroë Val’Kor
Title(s): Diarch of Aerion; Princess of Aerion; Priestess of Malgar
Throne: Aerion, the City of Champions

Name: Salmakis Val'Mystra
Title(s): Prince of Casarrond; Priest of Fyraea
Throne: Inokova, the Amber City

In Silfanore

Name: Pater Themis Enediel
Title(s): Priest of Suion; Master of the Court of the Erotes
Location: The Temple of Suion Melaenis

[Hekatos]

The history of the Hytori is remembered only by the creators of Ransera, and the history of Sol’Valen began when the First People decided to give a name to their home. The bulk of that history can be found here.

The Age of Sundering

If the fall of the Clockwork Empire seemed a pyrrhic victory to some, it was not so to the Hytori of Sol’Valen. No longer did the First People feel Lysanrin boots upon their necks. But countless dragons and several Dragon Gods sacrificed themselves or were grievously injured in keeping Creation together after the premature detonation of the Godspire. Their patrons turned their faces away from the Hytori to recover, and suddenly they felt more alone as a people than they had under the tyranny of Kaitos Diraegon.

The world burned. The smoke choked out the sky. The Hytori weathered the storm and tried to rebuild. Many perished, but those who survived were the strongest and most resilient of them.

Malgar glutted himself, but he did not consume them all.

In addition to all this, magic no longer functioned according to the rules to which its first practitioners had grown accustomed. Large caches of dragonshards helped them work around these new problems, and even more problems were on the horizon. This was the first time the First People encountered the Dread Mists. The mists that people in the later age would know and love were even more wild and dangerous then.

To add insult to injury, their beloved dragons came back to them—the living and the dead—corrupted into deadly abominations. These Wraithwyrms terrorized the region of Turoth from the years 294-304 Sundering. This struggle began their partnership with the Order of the Dawnmartyr, whose gryphon mounts allowed them to take the battles to the shrouded skies.

The Withering Sickness. Among the many forms of fallout caused by the Sundering, this disruption of the natural order sought out the Hytori in particular. The disruption of the natural order of magic and the elves’ natural alignment with it gave rise to the Marasmós, which saw the healthy glow of Raella’s grace dim and die slowly and with great pain. Healers and magical theorists to this day are unsure exactly how this works, or how to reestablish a healthy connection with the aether. No amount of sustenance, even channeling aether directly into the aetheric body, would prevent the withering of the physical body to an aching husk.

Mortal Thorns. Eventually, a solution was found that required the combined might and minds of Sol’Valen’s best and brightest. This solution abides in the form of a collection of monoliths erected throughout the kingdom to coax the local aether into calm. From these, specialized mages were able to create the Valen Aetherwine, which brought the ailing Hytori back to health. The creation of the Obeloi and the aetherwine remain fiercely guarded secrets. They repel attempts to semble or reverse engineer them and those attempting it are dealt with. Whatever the costs paid, the Hytori know that their beloved Phoenix King, Taegan Sol’Eilran, sacrificed his life in the making and they revere him as a savior of the race. His son, Ailuin, acceded to the throne with the support of the Court of Princes.

Nearly a century later, in 393 Sundering, they wasted no time cooperating with the Order to combat the Graveplague and the Cult of Mending during the War of Souls. The fact that Ilixidor the Betrayer masterminded this abomination added fuel to their righteous fires.

The Age of Steel

The Hytori have long respected the Order of the Dawnmartyr. Having fought alongside them to end the necromantic horrors of the previous age, there were Hytori among the ranks, although for them, it was not a cult to dead Arcas, but a noble force for good across wider Ransera.

Under the deft touch of Ailuin Sol’Eiren, the elder elves chose to consolidate what they held of their ancient realm rather than stretch out across Ailizane as did the Imperium. Neither did they seek to conquer their estranged cousins to the south who put Moritasi on pedestals meant for Mistlords, nor to tame the wilds of Ecith where the wild things were. They had not yet recovered as a race from their slavery to the Clockwork Throne, from the Sundering, from the Wraithwyrms, nor from the Cult of Mending and its Graveplague. There had been too much and so they turned inward, protecting themselves and each other.

They warded their borders with the help of ancient instruments and ingenuity fired by Necessity. Whereas the Re’hyaen apostates used Mesmer wholesale to control the minds of the people, the elves rebuilt what was lost or stolen to the best of their ability, attempting to bring back the wisdom of their forebears, the grace, strength, and beauty.

They might have countered the gains of the Gelerian Imperium, but Ailuin had other plans. Rather than fight their Siltori cousins to the west, the dwarves to the north, he quietly prepared to find a land that was lost beyond treacherous seas.

But the Dragon Houses staked out territory. The populations boomed. What matter if Gel’grandal’s grasping began to scrape hungrily against the borders of Zythura, Dalquia, and the Sangen Federation? There were elves that fought to protect Ailos, but Sol’Valen let it fall. Ailuin focused on his principality of Tronóridan rather than have a seat at the table of Five Kings and their Accord.

Sol’Valen thrived, isolationist, while other lands burned.

[Hekatos]

Geography

Located in Southeast Ailizane, Sol’Valen consists of a mountainous mainland. Due to its highly indented coastline and numerous islands, the elven homeland has a much longer coastline than one might imagine. Eighty percent of Sol’Valen consists of mountains or hills, making the country one of the most mountainous in Ailizane. Mount Toralyon, the mythical abode of the deceased Dragon God of Mountains, culminates at Mýtitoutheoú peak 2,918 meters (9,573 ft), the highest in the country. Western Sol’Valen contains a number of lakes and wetlands and is dominated by the Lípos mountain range. The Lípos reaches a maximum elevation of 2,637 m (8,652 ft) at Mount Alphito (the second-highest in Sol’Valen) and historically has been a significant barrier to east–west travel with Auris, who shares the range as a border.

The Lípos range continues north through the Dwarven Hold States. The coastal islands are peaks of underwater mountains that once constituted an extension of the mainland. Lípos is characterized by its high, steep peaks, often dissected by numerous canyons and a variety of other karstic landscapes. The spectacular Stamnos Gorge is the deepest gorge in the world. Another notable formation are massive rock pillars, upon which many ancient monasteries perch.

Northeastern Sol’Valen features another high-altitude mountain range, the Kókkina range, spreading across the region and up into the Ruined Holds; this area is covered with vast, thick, ancient forests, including those around the capital of Silfanore, in the far northeast of the country. Surrounding the capital are mountains, forests, and mighty rivers. The Kókkina and Lípos ranges curve into each other in the south of Sol’Valen, forming a rich riverland.

Extensive plains are primarily located in the north-central regions. They constitute key economic regions as they are among the few arable places in the country. Rare marine species live in the seas surrounding mainland Sol’Valen, while its dense forests are home to bears, lynx, roe deer, and wild goats.

Climate

The climate of Sol’Valen features mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers. This climate occurs at all coastal locations, islands, and parts of the north central breadbasket region. The Lípos mountain range strongly affects the climate of the country, as areas to the west of the range are considerably wetter on average (due to greater exposure to south-westerly systems bringing in moisture) than the areas lying to the east of the range (due to a rain shadow effect).

The mountainous areas of northwestern Sol’Valen as well as in the mountainous central parts of the Kókkika feature an alpine climate with heavy snowfalls. The inland parts of northern Sol’Valen feature a temperate climate with cold, damp winters and hot, dry summers with frequent thunderstorms. Snowfalls occur every year in the mountains and northern areas, and brief snowfalls are not unknown even in low-lying southern areas, including the coast.

[Hekatos]

The Age of Steel saw the reformation of the Court of Princes. Only five of the original eighteen Dragon Houses have been found, but each controls a wide swath of Sol’Valen. The search continues for the others, but some speculate that the powers that be are not trying too hard, lest they be forced to share power among a greater number. The former oligarchy still exists, though it has adapted to more decentralized power.

Contemporary Sol’Valen is a federal monarchy, which is to say, the House of Sol’Eilran provides the Phoenix King or Queen—currently a King—and the other Dragon Houses are largely autonomous within the boundaries of their principalities and the purview of their delegated powers. While the monarch does not hold absolute power, the princes rarely do more than advise lest too much resistance earn disfavor.

Different principalities have different forms of internal government.

House Sol’Eilran

Taegan Sol’Eilran was the first Dragon King to return. A descendant of Queen Thessalia, he was a hero of the Hytori people during the Clockwork Age and brought back the other Houses Royal. His sacrifice was necessary for the creation of the Mortal Thorns, which saved the First People from the Withering Sickness. As such, it is no surprise that his son, Ailuin, succeeded him as Phoenix King and remains so to this day.

House Sol’Eilran rules from Silfanore, the Crown City of Sol’Valen. Descendants of Eilran the Dreamer, the head of the house has always been one of the rare Dreamwalkers. They are the House of the Diamond Dragon.

Ailuin Sol’Eilran speaks for the Hytori people to the outside world. He also rules the realm of Tronóridan.

House Val’Devemar

Though all Dragon Houses are also called Houses Royal, descendants of the other houses are not entitled to use the Sol’- prefix unless they were to become the house of a reigning Phoenix Monarch.

Val’Devemar rules from Norsavan, the City of Gardens. They are descendants of Devemar the Builder, the House of the Green Dragon. Elementalism is the Cardinal Rune for which they are known. Norsavan is the capital of the riverlands of Tenérou, and the current prince is Artanáro Val’Devemar.

House Val’Melua

This House rules from Vallanar, the City of Stained Glass. They descend from Melua the Seer, the House of the Topaz Dragon. Semblers all, more names from this family are among the Sophoi than any other. And more than any other realm within Sol’Valen, their poleis enjoy democratic practices.

Aktí is the region under Val’Melua. Vallanar sits on the coast of the bay Sol’Valen shares with Auris. After Silfanore, Vallanar sees the most outsiders given its port and convenience to other nations. In fact, many traveling to Silfanore reach Vallanar and walk through a Gate to reach the Crown City rather than risk the rocky ports of Tronórion and the path up to the capital.

Artaher Val’Melua rules and selects the Navarch of Sol’Valen.

House Val’Kor

The House Val’Kor rules from Aerion, the City of Champions. Descending from Kor the Champion, they are the proud House of the Red Dragon. Prince Skärlon and Princess Achiroë are the diarchs of their realm, wielding equal power, each holding a veto over the other's actions. However, their powers and duties consist mainly of leading the army on campaign and certain religious functions, as well as having ex-officio seats in the senate. Actual day-to-day public administration in Aerion is managed by their Ephoroi. The elite warriors of the Hytori are trained within his realm. Citizenship requires military service.

House Val’Mystra

This is the ruling house of Inokova, the Amber City. Its members are descended from Mystra the Forgemaster. They are the House of the Iron Dragon. Runeforging is deemed the highest of arts, though all world magics are especially venerated there.

Salmakis Val’Mystra rules the region of Casarrond.

Silfanore

The Prince of Tronóridan will occasionally call a Convocation, wherein the nobility and the holy might opine on matters political and report on challenges within their realms. A prince and, indeed, any noble, is expected to offer hospitality to those who come with a complaint, to suppliants, and the like. Of course, they have gatekeepers who will vet these guests.

The Archontes—These are the magistrates who advise the Prince of Tronóridan on matters of city management, and enact their will. An efficient and not overly bloated bureaucracy supports their efforts.

The Episkopoi—These are the magistrates who advise the Prince of Tronóridan on matters of other cities within his principality, and a smaller number do so with regard to the other principalities. They are also called Phylakes, or guardians, as their role is also to ensure that the poleis are protected by the Prince's law, that nobles and local magistrates are not taking advantage of distance to cause injustice.

The Liturgy—When it comes the financing of public institutions, it is thought that without funding from wealthy individuals, at least symbolically, the legitimacy of these institutions could be called into question by the poleis. The idea emerged long ago that the rich people were not contributing as they should, unless required or compelled to do so. To prevent this, the revived Sol'Valen restored this ancient practice of high-status and wealthy individuals in society distributing part of their wealth to the community.

[Hekatos]

The idea of Justice in Sol’Valen is predicated upon the value of Hytori life. Having immortality stripped away from them made life more precarious and so a sense of fraternity and sorority exists that often surprises strangers. The other fundamental virtue is Honor, a gift from the Dragon God Skar. There is a term in Mythrasi—philotimo—that does not translate into any other language younger than Vallenor. The closest translation to Common would be “love of honor,” which is both a civic and a personal virtue. Justice—and much of Hytori law—is derived from philotimo.

This translation is lacking, however. If one asked different elves, one would most assuredly get different answers. Doing good, or doing the right thing. Loving and honoring the Gods, and society. Striving for perfection. Helping others despite the cost to oneself.

Looking historically, it comes from the Vallenor word—philotimia—which was the common parlance before Raella’s grace dimmed in the First People. Then, it was more clearly a love of honor, but also a love of distinction, ambition, and a virtue that could easily become hubris and vice. The zenith of philotimia, and perhaps contemporary philotimo, is one who loves to receive the praise of his city and his people, but also serves the community.

Many a shipwrecked crew on the rocky islands of Sol’Valen’s coast has been saved because elven fishermen exhibited philotimo.

Law

Much of elven law comes from precedents, many set down before any surviving recorded history. As such, some can be changed, but that requires great consensus. Even a Phoenix Monarch would not make unilateral changes. Exact codification of laws varies from realm to realm, but largely, one ought to consider the harm principle: The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others.

Of course, in reality, for all the egalitarian principles of Sol’Valen, it remains a stratified society. Noble houses have been noble since before recorded history, proving that great virtue continues to run through golden veins. Len’Hytori are equal to Len’Hytori, Val’Hytori to Val’Hytori, and Sol’Hytori to Sol’Hytori. An injury done to a lord is more grievous than the same injury done to a common citizen, although crimes against lower classes are not unpunishable.

Lesser courts oversee cases over the Len’Hytori, and their cases only move upward if a higher judge steps in or a consensus cannot be reached through the machinery of the lower courts.

Order

The Pilindioitar—Also called the Arrows of the King, these are the police force in Silfanore. In practice, they answer to various of the Archontes, but do not carry great authority in and of themselves. Theirs is the task of maintaining order, which entails crisis management more than the potential violence their moniker might indicate. They are all trained in first aid as well as those skills that would require it.

Military—Most elves volunteer for the armed forces upon achieving their majority. The highborn show their commitment to the protection of the Hytori homeland equally as do the low. No elf's citizenship is called into question if they do not serve, although elves in Aerion are barred from certain positions and honors if they have not shed blood for their people. But even pacifists are given roles—logistical, medical, or the like—such that they can support a total war if ever such was required again to maintain Hytori sovereignty and freedom. In such a case, the Phoenix Monarch would declare war, then name one of the Val'Kor diarchs the polemarch to execute that war.

The military leadership skews heavily toward warriors from Aerion, though all principalities are represented. The genius of the Hytori military is its adaptability. There are phalanges of hoplites with shields and spears. There are Hytori-Avialae who rain down from airships. For every challenge, there is a tool. But to an outsider, the byzantine structure of the Hytori military would be baffling.

Elves are extremely long lived and few travel beyond the bounds of Sol'Valen. They don't need an anonymous, depersonalized ranking system as many other races because they have known all of their companions for decades or centuries. Each elf knows his or her place and how everyone contributes. The most common unit is a company, wherein the members swear loyalty to a leader, albeit a loyalty secondary to their prince.

Strategoi lead land-based companies, navarchoi lead those based on sea- or airships.

[Hekatos]

Culture

The elves of Sol'Valen once enjoyed the direct and undivided attention of the entire Dragon God pantheon and their attendant spirits. This instilled in them a joie de vivre and a sense of entitlement to the pursuit of one's desires, but also a respect for the others like them. Within these people remains the boundless curiosity that lead them to marvelous feats and tragedies of hubris. The modern Hytori temper this passion with the lessons of the past, but they are no less emboldened by their legacy. They are a proud race and their cities are among the most ancient in all the land; they have forgotten more lore of the world as a people than most races have discovered. While there are holes in their racial memory, the history of the Rift Gate War, the Kinslayer Wars, ruling planets, and enduring slavery, have made them some of the proudest and most accomplished warriors, artists, and sages in all the world. To the outsider, a Hytori might be arrogant. Some undoubtedly are. However, they see themselves as a part of a continuum from the dawn of time. They can be leery of the younger races but they are not unfriendly, merely guarded. Of course, they are not a bloc. Some are certainly racist, others paternalistic when it comes to the rest of the world.

Tradition is what keeps them grounded in themselves and their race. They have not, as a people, healed from the trauma brought on by the loss of immortality and the favor of the pantheon. Their society has existed for tens of thousands of years, and has gone through innumerable permutations. Everything, it seems, has been done before and that can lead to a sense of ennui. Contemporary Hytori culture as practiced in Sol'Valen has manifested definite trends, but their arts and fads draw upon as much of their history as they have recovered; every once in a while, something new is recovered.

As a society, the Hytori prize art, music, and fashion. They have known such wealth and power that their society has gone through more than one golden age. The Hytori dance the knife's edge between decadence and pious austerity. With such long lives, they have the time to master many things, and are known to make major shifts in order to maintain their passion for life. They will often surprise strangers with their juxtapositions—a warrior-poet, the athlete-scribe, the dancing mage. Or they will build skill upon overlapping skill until their mastery of a vocation can only amaze those of shorter lives.

While no longer capable of archmagic, the Hytori mastery of the arcane still borders on the miraculous to outsiders. They remember ancient powers, they produce creative innovations, and, working in tandem, occasionally manage archmagical rituals, as many believe brought about the Mortal Thorns that healed them of the Withering Sickness. Their reigning king, Ailuin Sol'Eilran, comes from a long line of Dreamwalkers, a power all but extinct beyond Sol'Valen's borders. What must he have learned from his travels through the Land of Nod?

As their period of enslavement to the Lysanrin still lies heavily upon their cultural memory, the Hytori largely eschew the technologies of their oppressors. However, historical elves had made many discoveries that underpinned steam power, clockwork, and many of the engineering feats favored now in places like Zaichaer and the Gelerian Imperium, and contemporary elves did still utilize those theories to differing extents. But the quotidien technology is magical in nature. More clockwork is rolled into menial golems than into steam trains, but the prevalence and availability of magic have afforded the Hytori a high standard of living and more leisure time than most.

Geomancers sculpt buildings out of stone and aether. Xulomancers carve furniture without taking a blade to a tree. Streets are lit at night by aetheric torches and lanterns. Anything that can be done by hand and mind can be done better by magic.

Virtues

• ertië: Social solidarity with an emphasis on group consciousness, cohesiveness, and unity. Familiar in the pre-Sundering era, the term became popularized again in the struggle against the Clockwork Empire. Ertië is neither necessarily confined to elven blood nor based on religious feeling. In the modern period, the term is analogous to solidarity.
• philotima: Love of virtue.

Marriage Customs

Modern Hytori are rather laissez-faire about marriage. Young couples in love will often handfast, pledging themselves to each other for a year and a day, and, at the end of that period, handfast again or part ways, often without animosity. Marriage is similar. It is a contract. As such, a couple can sign a contract before a suitably ranked magistrate and be married. A term can be named, or the marriage can be dissolved at will. The contracts have a great deal of leeway to fit the people signing it. Some couples dissolve their marriages once their children are of age, deciding to make a major pivot in their lives. Many return to military service at that time, as military service is often seen as a liminal period between major periods in an elf's life. The sex and gender of those involves are immaterial, and most marriages are contracted with an eye toward name, bloodline, and inheritance upon death. Many people will spend their lives with another without formalizing, and there is no social stigma attached to that.

Romantic relations are often blessed by one of Suion's holy, of course. A marriage between princes might be signed in scrivened sigils to bind them due to the political ramifications. Parties are frequent because elves do love a party

Bastardy is a concept the elves understand but eschew. So many have enough power of Semblance that paternity of a child is hardly a secret, and so responsible parties will be encouraged to look after their children. But while parents are the main caretakers of elven children, much of that care is spread out among larger families, and at a certain age, whichever family member seems most akin to that child often takes on the role of a tertiary parent, better equipped, for example, to guide a young scholar than parents whose works are mercantile and artistic.

Polyphilia has always been normalized among the Hytori, though they recognize that some pairings are so potent that they leave no room for anyone else. To each their own, was first uttered by an elf.

The Younger Races

Avialae—They are, perhaps, a distinct race depending upon one's perspective. That their winged women are a mere memory and the fact they must endanger women of other races to procreate is a failing in Garel the Necromancer, who did solve the Hellmaw problem, albeit inelegantly. But the Hytori can be practical. There are now winged Hytori, mostly preferring to live in the more mountainous regions of Sol'Valen, and the bulk coming from military families. These winged Hytori are considered Hytori and have full rights of citizenship. That Brother Arcas chose to be reborn in the form of an Avialae is a matter of some interest, though why he chose a winged Siltori is, of course, a matter of some debate.

Awoken—Pending re-write.

Dratori—The Drashil’a’tori remain a reminder of Ilixidor the Betrayer. There is a minority voice in Sol'Valen that seeks to reunite the cadet branches of the First People, to rehabilitate and redeem them. The modern Children of Dusk and Ashes may not bear the responsibility for the decisions and actions of their ancient forebears, but their rages and their devotion to minor spirits are signs of a bestial, primitive nature. Envoys from Dalquor have been greeted with cordiality, but no embassy has been established within the borders of Dalquia.

Dwarves—Little. Swarthy. People(?) Pending write-up.

Fae'ethalan—These orphans of the Everwilds are a reminder of ancient times. Those who truly consider the story of Caiwynn Len’Dathros might feel a pang of displaced guilt for the Hytori role in their presence on Ransera where they don't truly belong. That they often mimic elves in form, even in language, speaks to a nobility of spirit, but it were better they returned to their plane of existence. Ransera is crowded enough as it stands.

Gnomes—That they were created by Keela Herself as a testament to the greatness of a copper greatwyrm says much for them. They can be such delightful little creatures, capable of creative ingenuity befitting their creation story. If only they would let someone semble the Anvil of Stone properly, the Hytori might find a path back toward immortality themselves.

Humans—A reminder of their sainted Phoenix King, Arsoren Sol'Miaren, it is a shame what they gave up. Pending re-write.

Goblinoids—The disgusting product of Lysanrin eugenics programs, these creatures shouldn't exist. Alas, Brother Vhexur took pity upon them. Hide your purse. Cross the street. Smile urbanely until they go back to the Enclave where they belong.

Lysanrin—Perhaps the worst of Ilixidor's sins, his Children of Ash and Ember are not only perverted by the Mists, but they did what nobody else could: they conquered Sol'Valen. The Sin Walkers devour aether rather than shaping it. If the contemporary remnants of the species aren't responsible for the sins of their forebears, the only good Lysanrin remains an enslaved Lysanrin. If there is any hope for them, it is from the bottom of society under the control of the high-minded Hytori.

Moratallen—These half-giants are all that remain of Aedrin's titans. The Hytori can understand being diminished, and so many feel a sort of empathy and kinship for them, especially elementalists and summoners. Most Hytori only know them from stories, however, as few bother to come to Sol'Valen and many elves never leave. They are romanticized and exoticized.

Neptori—Such an interesting story of Hytori resilience, although they cannot be said to be Hytori any longer, the Neptori are another romanticized race that few Hytori actually encounter. Some might visit the coastal cities of Sol'Valen, and some adventurous aquamancers might seek the underwater city, but most just wish that the survivors of the Sol'Miaren line weren't all humans or elves with webbed feet.

Orkhan—While they respect and venerate Malgar, He murdered an ancient dragon, molded vaguely elven statues out of the bloody mud, and then gave them the flame imperishable so they could suffer on Ecith... Well, the Gods work in mysterious ways. No Hytori has figured that mystery out yet.

Rathari—Like the Goblins, the ancestors of these bestial creatures were the victims of Lysanrin eugenics and experimentation. They had neither the wisdom nor the mercy to shape life, and it required the intervention of a Mistlord to fix what was broken. The overwhelming feeling most Hytori feel toward the Rathari is pity, though. If Myshala deemed them worthy of existence, far be it from an elf to deny Her wisdom.

Siltori—Some historians gently criticize the post-Kinslayer Wars Hytori for their treatment of the Siltori after the long, drawn out violence was done. Forever marked by their sin, it seems impossible they should ever be reconciled. Over the millennia, they have become a dark mirror to the Hytori, who prefer the Dragon Gods but respect the Mistlords. The border with Auris is protected, but violence has not been a problem there.

Undead—The elves revere Lyren. After all, He holds secrets they crave. However, Raella is their patron. Life and, now, death are their natural cycle. Zombies are to be pitied and destroyed as humanely as possible. Ghosts still sentient are exorcised so the Mourning Lord can shepherd them; ghosts too far gone to be more than energy vampires are to be exorcised or trapped in soul gems. Abominations and corpse golems are to be destroyed. If possible, their soul gems are brought to a necromancer to see if their souls can still be sent to Wraedan. There is monastery hidden away where elves seek to purify the Rune of Vitalis, but vampires are not otherwise permitted within Sol'Valen. Phantoms are interesting, but cannot enter the realm without permission. Ghouls are cannibals. No.

[Hekatos]

Hytori Pantheism

Though no longer functionally immortal, the Hytori elves of Sol’Valen have not lost their cultural relationship with the Gods and the elder creatures and spirits. Their ties to dragonkind are evident in the family crests of their noble houses, and the population of dragons who do walk among them. As such, they revere Eikaen as a distant patriarchal figure, and honor Naori as a mysterious mother. Their more active worship, however, falls upon those Dragon Gods and Mistlords between the Most High and the demigods, whom they respect, but do not venerate as full deities.

To their mind, the First People existed before, for example, Arcas. As a child of Eikaen, he was a powerful brother. Now, of course, as news of his resurrection and the mobilization of the Order of the Dawnmartyrs, their position might change in that regard. But even apostates can become demigods, and they certainly aren’t going to honor Re’hyaen rebels. The Orkhan deities are respected, but seen as racial heroes granted immortality by the true Gods. For foresight, they will always look to Aileor rather than Galetira; for art, to Suion rather than Syren. Skar over Raxen, et cetera.

Raella will always hold a special place in their view of the pantheon; She granted them Her grace, and they hope to one day return to Her favor to the point that they need only court Wraedan when the exigencies of Life require their sacrifice. They fear Wraedan still. Death is seen as a curse to those who were born knowing Him as the one who came for animals.

They revere the other Dragon Gods as their divine teachers and patrons. Even the Mistlords offer them adversity whereby they can learn wisdom as Keela bade them. Myshala teaches them to be wary; Malgar tempers them from ore into mithril.

Priesthoods

As the Hytori honor all true Gods, there are various priesthoods and orders devoted to specific worship, often more than one for each deity. Monasteries dot the landscape to honor Gods, ancient Greatwyrms, and such; the less ascetic of them reside within cities, as well.

Each Dragon House has at least one divine patron and their house heads are considered priests. This does not denote a lesser respect for those Gods and Mistlords not selected; the Dragon Houses feared extinct covered those and there was some degree of overlap.

Sol’Eilran—Thiovan, the Dragon God of Dreams
Val’Devemar—Aedrin, the Dragon God of Nature
Val’Melua—Vicis, the Dragon Goddess of Fate; Aileor, the Dragon God of Divination
Val’Kor—Malgar, the Dragon God of Suffering; Skar, the Dragon God of War
Val’Mystra—Lyren, the Mistlord of Knowledge; Fyraea, the Dragon Goddess of Craftsmanship

The heads of house are also compelled to ensure that no dogma arises that would be deemed blasphemous, and they also oversee rituals of ostrakismos, or ritual shunning and expulsion of citizens who practice or preach blasphemy.

There are a multitude of words in Mythrasi that translate to priest in the common tongue, but this does a disservice as they do not all perform the same functions.

For example, one could call Ailuin Sol'Eilran a priest, but there is no real religion surrounding Thiovan. Ailuin is a sphageus, responsible for public rites held on His feastday. He offers sacrifices to protect the dreams of his people. The manteia of Aileor would better be called oracles than priests, and yet foreigners would call them such.

In the same vein, sacred texts do exist, but none are considered to be more than didactic and inspirational materials. A person's relationship with the Gods or lack thereof is a personal issue, though a lack of proper reverence will be punished, most likely with social ostracism.

Cults

While formal priesthoods with some degree of orthodoxy exist, so too do various and sundry cults. Some exist only in memory—quite literally preserved in mnemosyte—while others have survived through the ages or been reborn since the fall of the Clockwork Empire. Many of these honor Gods who have died, but are remembered by the First Children. Some of these are communities set apart from the greater population. Some are mystery religions. All are honored in their way.

• The Court of the Erotes
• Aimatikós

Undeath

The undead are permitted within Sol’Valen, albeit with restrictions and caveats. Levels of acceptance vary from place to place. For example, where Lyren is particularly popular. The Hytori well understand the yearning for immortality, though not at the expense of the First People.

Ergo, Vitalis is outlawed without special dispensation—very special dispensation. There is one monastery whose location is not common knowledge that venerates the memory of Xarakses, the Mistlord of Blood. They have one monk at a time to carry the Cardinal Rune forward, and their hunger is managed humanely. Otherwise, they focus upon bloodlines, and cast auguries for princes and potentates regarding conflicts and conspiracies.

Turning someone without affirmative consent and certain religious approvals is a capital offense.

Blasphemies

—Murdering a Hytori
—Emblems of Aværys or Varvara
—The Cult of Reha
—The Cult of Mending
—Ilixidor
—Unlicensed undeath
—Enslaving Hytori

[Hekatos]

Flora

Fauna

Heláfi

Great cervine creatures ridden as traditional terrestrial mounts. Ancient elven carvers also bred more warlike cousins to the hoofed ruminant ungulates, a cousin species that one might not recognize from afar, but up close—when it was too late—one would notice that they have claws instead of hooves and fangs in place of teeth. They eat meat.

Roc

Great accipitrine creatures ridden as traditional aerial mounts. Ancient elven explorers brought them to Ransera from a world that could support innumerable megafauna. They do better near the shore where they can hunt for the fruits of the sea. They eat meat.