The Dual Courts of Etraine

Etraine is divided between its Eastern and Western halves, and with them

## Lands

### Eastern Etraine

Directly bordering the Independent Duchies of Kovarik and the Wild Clans of Stur Clen, the lands of the Eastern Courts are composed mostly of rolling hills cut by fertile river valleys. The nobility of Eastern Etraine wield the magic and carry the blood of the Faerie Lords, and their influence can be felt in its ground. The emberlantern forests are the most striking visual in eastern Etraine, present on the sigils of both House Twinleaf, and incorporated into the sigil of the Court of the Fey at large. The soft nightly glow of their forests, and ephemeral beauty as the leaves burn up before hitting the ground has made saplings from the trees prized additions to the gardens of both nobility and commoners alike.

## Landmarks

### Summit Bridge

The Summit Bridge serves as both the geographical and cultural center between the two Courts. One of the only great works of the empire left standing after the Cataclysm, it was built thousands of years ago by House Bridger’s elven ancestors, who quarried a mountain until only pebbles remained. The bridge and the fortress that sits atop it are near mystical in their durability, inspected stone for stone by every single engineer on Lumora for any hints on how it could be replicated. It has survived not only mundane sieges and natural disasters, but also attacks by beasts from the Depths, the Fey, and even a pair of dragons using it as a battleground for a territorial skirmish.

Perhaps the only thing more impressive than the bridge itself is the arsenal contained in its vault. Much larger and more secure than the chamber of their treasury is House Bridger’s armory. The armory is a multi-generational project that began long before the founding of the courts, containing lore and weapons devised from as far back as when the Fey first returned to Lumora prior to the creation of humanity. These weapons and strategies are all able to kill as a last resort, but their primary purpose is as a deterrent and a means to incapacitate so the offending member could be judged as per tradition.

## Peoples

### Halflings

Though the first halflings were said to be born from an odd coupling of humans and smaller fey, they have long since left those roots behind. They have grown to have their own culture distinct from the humans that begat them, and are welcomed as trusted members of both the Dragon and the Fey. While they have no great house to call their own, they are the cousins from a cadet house and trusted family friends in valuable court positions across nearly all the noble houses.

Halflings of Etraine place a great value on acts of creation, with growing,  or making something with your own two hands being the first rite of passage a halfling child will remember experiencing. The most valuable position they serve in Etrainian society is those treasured few who become Wyvern Riders. Comparable to Ironborne artillerymen or Mistyvale’s elite mages, Etrainian Wyvern Riders serve as the elite units of the noble houses, fighting from the sky as scouts armed with a single pistol for the rider that controls the beast and acts as a spotter, and a long rifle for the armsman that rides behind.