The Tangle

During The Twilight Era humanity flourished, while the growth of other races were on the decline. This was due in large part to widespread war between various races, and civil war therein. One of these wars, referred to as The Lost War, saw the end many ancient elven houses, as well as the widespread destruction of much or recorded elven history from that region. The war was so long, and so thoroughly destructive, that the exact details of the war are nearly impossible to pinpoint. In the centuries following the war many elven families were exiled or became nomadic, eventually evolving into what would become both wood and drow elves. Some of these families after exile migrated to an area known as The Tangle, a notoriously mysterious and perilous untamed region which exists deep in the western region of the Yatil Mountains. The families that dwell within the tangle, have remained largely untouched. While they have learned to coexist with and utilize the land around them, the outer areas still remain terribly dangerous to the uninitiated.

Inside the inner tangle, the exiled elven families discovered the true wonder it’s center; An Ancient Copper Dragon, Ezyaws. The aged dragon had retreated to the tangle to get away from the wars and the looming age of man. The dragon has seen it’s share of tumult, and many scars and chunks missing to prove it. As it enters what it knows is it’s final centuries of life, it uses it’s remaining time to impart the secrets of the tangle to the exiled elves. At the time of it’s passing, a ceremony was erected around the dragon where (as Ezyaws wished) it was dressed and it’s parts used for the good of the elves. Ezyaws’s final words to the tearful and appreciative elves were ‘Be kind, until the time calls for you to be unkind’.

The tangle is a tight knit grouping of villages located in the Yatil mountains. Repsaj is what is referred to as ‘the core city’, essentially functioning as the capital. Each village has a council, and each council has one matriarch/patriarch. They essentially facilitate and mediate council meetings, and serve as the face of each council. These matriarchs/patriarchs then convene to form The Core Council, lead by the core matriarch Mother Yelpir. Yelpir is the oldest elf in all of the villages, as firm and tough as she is kind and gentle. The Core Council convenes every 5 or so years to discuss common issues shared by villages in the tangle, and any other applicable issues. Each village council operates daily, communicating with villagers, facilitating trade, and ensuring the safety of the tangle.

Whenever traders leave the tangle, they travel in caravans. Typically it is 3 tradesmen or women with 1-2 council appointed trade guides. These guides act as an additional safeguard against danger, as well as reporters on trade for official village records. Caravans come and go in groups, departing from the core village. Prior to leaving, they trade goods within each caravan (as each village has a variety of offerings) and then part ways on their different routes.

The inner Tangle is comprised of of a handful of towns and villages (Repsaj, Notlad, Yalc, and Terrag). Mas T. Toille is the son of a prominent family in the the tangle, residing in the central village of Repsej, known for their proficiency in magic and carpentry. Chances are if anyone in the region owns a bow or wooden instrument, it has touched Toille hands. Mas has lived a simple and largely uncomplicated life, but in the recent centuries has become enamored with the outside world on his various trips to nearby regions to engage in trade. He has decided to venture outward to see more of the world around him, and investigate other possible opportunities for commerce. Mas is particularly fond of the nearby dwarven communities, as they have made fantastic partners in trade, and are always good for a fun time.

A few centuries after settlement, these now mountain dwelling families began to re-emerge, having tamed the land and exporting goods to other nearby regions. These primary exports were goods made from tanglewood (known for it’s bizarre properties), leaf of the tanglewood (a strange sparkling tobacco-like plant with a multitude of uses), and various concoctions that make use of the ultra pure water found in streams springs and waterfalls found therein. The most infamous of these concoctions is known as Sky-Eye, an ultra-potent alcohol that is clear as water, which is said to ‘show one the true nature of things’. Although this implies it holds some deeper philosophical significance, it is best known as an excessively powerful intoxicant, and incredibly efficient cleaning agent.