Marrow

The Marrowan Confederation is made up of three sovereign elven nations that come together under one flag, linked by both geography and religion. The three nations that make of the confederacy are: the Inari, elves who inhabit the jungles north of the Deepwood Brook; the Sassagira, elves who inhabit the vast mangrove swamps on the south side of Deepwood Brook, as well as some small islands in the serpent sea; and the Vaneer, elves who inhabit the Ebony Isles.

## Geography

​Bordered by the Serpent Sea and the Indrus Channel to the west, and the Amnicon Ocean to the east. Marrow is a rather tropical country with rain forests in the north and mangrove swamps in the south. The country also encompasses the large island of Selva, as well as a small archipelago dubbed the Ebony Isles.

### Zin Trees

Zin trees are extremely rare trees found within Marrow that only bloom once every couple hundred years and produce a single seed. The tree is known to have lots of latent energy and thus one is planted in each clans capital, with the oldest Zin tree residing in Elder.

### The Ebony Isles

The Ebony Isles is arguably the most alien landscape within Marrow, and possibly within Valar. The exotic islands are typically covered in fog, and are covered in strange monuments and carvings that correlate to the cultural practices of the islands peoples, the Vaneer.

The Ebony Isles is composed of six main islands with smaller ones scattered around them. The main islands are Lua Dormir, which is the center island and hosts the capital Varasha. The other five islands seem to almost form a ring arounf Lua Dormir, blocking the island from stormy seas and strong winds. The other five islands, starting with the island directly to the east of Lua Dormir and going in a counterclockwise fashion, are Titunua, Renalis, Barahu, Erihar, Irati.

## Cities

Each clan has a capital within their territory but the main capital, Elder, is on the island of Selva, which is completely devoted to the capital and is neutral territory if any of the main clans begin to fight.

### Elder

The capital of Marrow, Elder is a city that resides on the Island of Selva. The city as well as the island is neutral territory, not under the control of any one ethnic group. The oldest Zin tree within Marrow is in the city of Elder. The Matriarchs quarters and meeting room is carved into this giant tree. and fountains are placed on the branches, so that water flows down from one pool to another. The rest of the city looks rather modernized, taking architectural features from all four of the elven races.

### Arbor

Arbor is a sprawling city that is Incorporated into the jungle around it. It is the capital city of the Inari and is located roughly in the center of their territory. The city is rather urban, but also closely related to the jungles around it and is environmentally friendly. The city is build among the tall jungle trees, with many bridges and spires.

### Restoria

The capital of the Sassagira, Restoria is a city that lies on the beautiful Asan Bay. While still a large city, Restoria has more of a traditional feel, and is somewhat more reminiscent of the slow moving rural life experienced by most Sassagira in the outlying villages.

### Varasha

Vaarasha is the capital of the Vaneer territory, and is located on the island of Lua Dormir. The city is mainly built our of white stone and black wood, a common trope in Vaneer architecture. Varasha is also the location of the grand temple of Lua, a holy place that has been noted to have beautiful architecture.

## Culture

### Religion

The religion in Marrow, Oracy, is an ancient one that all elves used to follow. While all Marrowans recognize every deity, specific clans seem to champion specific Great Ancestors. The Vaneer champion Mar and Lua, the Inari champion Zolisar and Arvana, and the Sassagira champion Vibora. Due to their religion being such an integral part of their lives, the Marrowans are also commonly called the Oretic Elves.

### Political Structure

Marrow is a confederation of three elven clans, where each clan maintains a generous amount of sovereignty. The central government located on selva is composed of two governing bodies: the matriarch and the triumvirate, who maintain equal political power even though the matriarch is considered the country's leader. The triumvirate is made of a representative of each three elven clans, who enact policies based on the interests of their constituents. The matriarch is elected democratically every 10 years and is open to all qualified citizens. When the confederation was first established, the position of matriarch rotated from clan to clan each term, so that no two consecutive matriarchs were from the same clan. This practice has been dropped in modern times due to the increase in populations of mixed ancestry throughout the country.