Kinh Hee Palm Grove

The **Kihn Hee Palm Grove** is a massive extension of coconut trees on the Cornfloor Peninsula that's said to have been planted by the second God-Emperor of Changrila, despite Xinjianng's followers of the Red Lotus Congregation affirming that it was planted by Xinjianng's predecessors. It's currently contested by both the Drow and the Red Lotus followers, the latter who in their expansion attempts have tried to settle in the area, only to be driven out to the sea by the Drow, who hold the numerical advantage.

## The Cornfloor Peninsula

The Cornfloor Peninsula has always been a very sought after region. Its warm climate, mild rains and fertile soil made it quite tempting for the different nations of Scimitarian. During ancient times, the land was covered in a mix of wild forests and farmlands, and was one of the priced provinces of the Western Elven Empire. However, that status as one of the crown jewels of the fey made it a prime battleground during the wars between Azan and the Western Elven Empire. The many attempts of Azan to create a beachhead to the south of Scimitarian meant that the fights in the region were quite numerous, and the effects of war quickly took their toll, destroying most of the farmland and natural forests in the area.

After the end of the wars between Azan and the Western Elven Empire, the Cornfloor Peninsula was left in the hands of the dwarven kingdoms, arrived there both as a way to repopulate the land and as to create a buffer zone between the two great powers. The dwarves created many cities in the area, and the region became the breadbasket of the Western Elven Empire, granting the dwarven kingdoms quite a lot of influence in the politics of the empire, even though they weren’t technically part of it. However, the arrival of the drow and the beginning of their uprisings would cripple the Western Elven Empire, giving birth to the drow-controlled Second Elven Empire. The Second Elven Empire was opposed by many of the races within Scimitarian, but the violent expansion of the drow managed to beat back many of the other inhabitants of the continents into submission, and that included the dwarven kingdoms. Many of the dwarven kingdoms tried to resist the authority of the drow, but the sudden and vicious expansion of the Second Elven Empire caught the dwarves unawares, and one by one they fell. By the year 1.937 ABE, all dwarven kingdoms had been subdued and absorbed into the new empire. However, the constant infighting within the drow meant that the Second Elven Empire did not last long. By 1.957 ABE, the Second Elven Empire was transformed into the Drow Confederacy, giving more autonomy to the individual cities. Even that didn’t last, and two years later the Confederacy collapsed, giving birth to the individual city-states that rule most of central Scimitarian now.

This period of chaos was catastrophic for the dwarven kingdoms. Many of their cities and halls were devastated, and even after the shattering of the drow, the majority of dwarven kingdoms either disappeared or lost their independence. The Cornfloor Peninsula saw quite a lot of fighting, and once again, the region became quite damaged by war. Controlling the peninsula was essential to reach and control the gold and silver mines of the Kingdom of Kinnog, but by the year 2.606 ABE, the mines’ output became so poor that the territory lost most its importance. The region fell more and more into obscurity (its last ruler, the drow city-state of Benzovarr, finally being abandoning the land to its luck in 3.059 ABE) and with it, the Cornfloor Peninsula was abandoned as well. This allowed the many dwarven refugees in the region to coalesce in the region, living in small independent towns.

At the other side of the ocean, the Azan Empire had ended its civil war, resulting in the independence of the Changrila Empire. The new nation, however, was not in a good spot, suffering great instability after many decades of war against Azan, and the recent attacks of the witchelven, plus internal instability and economic crisis. To combat this, the emperors of Changrila declared themselves god-emperors, concentrating all powers within them, and creating an aura of magnificent divinity to protect their power and authority, spending money in creating wonders and works of art. The new empire of Changrila also began dedicating great efforts to establishing relations with other nations.

In 2.263 ABE, a massive typhoon ravaged the eastern coast of the Cornfloor Peninsula, which destroyed many of the drow and dwarven coastal towns in the area. Seeing this as an opportunity, the God-Emperor of Changrila, **Kinh Hee the Celestial**, organized a humanitarian force to help the inhabitants of the region, as a show of magnanimousness for the Drow City-States. During a diplomatic visit, Kihn Hee fell in love with the region, the sunny beaches, the crystal clear waters, the ivory sands and the gentle palm groves. However, the typhoon had uprooted many of the region palm trees, so the god-emperor decided to dedicate special efforts restoring the natural environment. Over time, however, the god-emperor’s project grew out of proportion. The many botanists, alchemists and guanologists he had brought manage to not only recover the natural environment, but to extend the palm tree forests through nearly the entire peninsula. The god-emperor ordered to bring as many different species of palm tree to the region, and hundreds of different varieties were planted in areas where before there was only farmland.

This worried the drow immensely. The attitude of this newcomer made them think that Changrila had a wish to expand towards Scimitarian, just as Azan had expanded against the Western Elven Empire. Many city-states began preparing for war, but before it could all go wrong, the changrilese diplomats managed to convince the different drow cities that the God-Emperor had no intention of claiming land in the region. After signing multiple treaties of no-intervention in the area, the drow adopted a calmer attitude towards the great palm grove. The treaties between Changrila and the drow cities established that the region was to be a neutral area, proof of the friendship between Changrila and the Drow City-States, and that not one of them could claim full ownership and rule of the region. Changrila could use the dwarven docks in the region to repair and resupply their merchant fleet (but not their navy, unless an outsider attacks the region), and the drow could profit from the great natural harvests of the palm trees: bananas, coconuts, dates, sugars, wines, oils… This pact left both sides satisfied, and many changrilese nobles have set out paradisiac palaces in the region.

However, this massive spending in the Cornfloor Peninsula was done at a time when the changrilese economy was suffering, and this would be one of the many things that would bring the image of the God-Emperor down in the eyes of the populous. The creation of the Kihn Hee Palm Grove would be one of the many things that would factor in the rise of the Red Lotus Congregation and the start of the Changrilese Civil War. After the end of the civil war, the fleeting Red Lotus arrived at Riririn Island in 3.047 ABE, exterminating the drow and dwarven populations in the region. The changrilese authorities would take time to notice the surviving members of the cult, and by the time they did it, they had become a piratical threat in the area, protected by the heavy storms, mists and hurricanes around the island. The drow saw the threat that the zealots posed earlier, but were too divided to launch a coordinated attack. After a couple of years of raiding the local trade lines, the Red Lotus launched multiple attacks against the Cornfloor Peninsula, trying to conquer it to get its resources in the name of Dihong Xinjianng and the "Great and Holy Celestial Father of All". However, all attacks have been pushed back relatively quickly, since the Red Lotus does not have the numbers or the logistical lines to control such a massive portion of land, and help from the changrilese navy, who sees the rebels in Riririn Island as a deadly threat to the stability of Changrila.