The Brangrove

The Brangrove's Symbol (previously Flag)

Geographical Location in Deacledroth

Prince Elamaris (heir)

5% Other

Bardos

Lairon

The Alliance

Oakenguard

Etägtulon (Racial Tension)

The Brangrove is the home of the Elves on Deacledroth. It's territory is measured by the size of the extremely thick jungle that has grown, beginning at The Point of Convergence. Since the 3rd Era the surrounding nations have taken to cutting the continued growth out of their territory as to not give the Elves sway in claiming the territory as their own. The Brangrove's terrain is extremely vertical, both thanks to the enormous jungle trees, as well as the massive mountains and valleys that make up the majority of the territory, especially to the southern and western areas of the territory.

The kind of terrain you can expect as you move south and westThe terrain towards the east of the territory (such as within what we now call Dundrasil)How even standard buildings can be hidden amongst the mountains

## Locations

### Eldergate

The Capital of The Brangrove, Grown around The Point of Convergence of two Leylines

*Main article: Eldergate*

### Western Oakentower

The Eastern Tower within The Brangrove's Territory works as the host for their Military force. Strike Force teams are deployed from this tower. The Strike Force and Wallguard are also primarily trained at this Fortress.

### Eastern Oakentower

The Eastern Tower within The Brangrove's Territory works as the host for their intel teams, co-ordinating information from other towers and preparing the expeditions sent out from the Western Tower.

### Unmarked Settlements & The Highway

The Majority of Elven Settlements are not marked on the map as even after centuries of co-colonization the Elves still try to keep their locations secret. Eldergate is the only City that allows non-locals to freely visit. You will not be met with Hostility if you make your way into one of the settlements, though you will be "encouraged" to not mark it on any maps.

There is a cleared roadway leading through The Brangrove from where it meets the Laironese territory to the area between the Balseign and Drasillian lands. There is also a road spitting off from the main roadway with a direct path to Eldergate. These roads are to allow quick travel through Elven territory for traders or travelers. The majority of the territory is left untouched and is extremely difficult to pass through by normal means.

## History

The Brangrove first sprouted in the First Era, Beginning by creating the grove that was later to be found as The Point of Convergence. Over the millennia it slowly expanded out, its inherent magic keeping the trees thick and strong. The First High Elves took this place as their home upon landing on Deacledroth, tending to and protecting the lands as it grew. The Elves consider themselves the first to colonize Deacledroth, though before them were the Giants and there is evidence that other races landed upon the continent at a similar time.

## Territory and Expansion

The Brangrove's territory is directly tied to the size of the Jungle that expands out from the Point of Convergence. when claiming territory in the then-new land of Deacledroth the Elves who traveled over created a contract to claim their territory, claiming any land within the jungle or on the lower part of the peninsula was claimed as theirs; with no detail in regards to the expansion of the jungle itself. Through this lack of detail the territory of the Brangrove has expanded greatly since it's inception, most notably during the 2nd Era due to nations in the wars being eliminated and their territory being left unclaimed until the jungle grew out to claim it. This method of expansion was stopped during the formation of The Oakenguard, the other nations who were being forced to reform finally having a chance to speak up against the Elves on the matter.

The Territory was shrunk during the Third Era, when the previous Lord of Eldergate and The Greater Brangrove separated land for the exiled people to form Dundrasil.

The Brangrove's Territory during the First EraThe Brangrove's Territory at the start of the Second EraBrangrove Territory Pre-Drasillian SeperationBrangrove Territory Post-Drasillian Seperation

## Culture

### Elven Maturity, Aging and Variation

Elves age at a similar rate to humans for roughly the first twenty five years of their lives. After this point, their aging slows dramatically at a rate directly tied to the density of magic within their environment. If held in a state of Antimagic an elf will gradually age until usually dying of old age around 750 years. The density of magic in the Brangrove results in an effective standstill in aging even centuries down the line.Elven society doesnt consider an Elf to be Matured until the end of their first century. Over the first two centuries of an Elf's life they are within an "Adaptation Phase." When in this phase the Elf's body shifts and changes to adapt to its environment equivalent to generations of Evolution; this Adaptation is what gives us the many different variants of Elves.

These variations of the elves can usually be grouped into generations. The Sun and Moon Elves being the oldest; having built the grand cities that facilitated the shift into what we now know as High Elves. The Wood Elves boomed as a result of the new environments within the Brangrove, Their skin shifting colour and shade to fit closer against the barks and shaded canopies of the Jungle. There are various splinter groups within these generations, most notably a group that took to the Seas, later joining up with the Seawolf Islanders.

½ elf=half elf (race)

¼ elf= half elf race (race)

⅛ elf= Depends which parent you favor (either Half Elf or the other parent's Race)

Any more “diluted”= no longer an elf.

This list of degrees of Elven is not a view on blood purity, it is a guide for Players to see what race/s they can choose depending on their history. an 1/8th Elf who favors the other parent may still benefit from some benefits from their Elven side such as a Human living to 100 rather than 80 years of age.

#### Elven Variants

**Faeborn**: The oldest of the still living variants. This race is the transitionary phase from Fae to the new race of Elves. Many historians still class these as Fae rather than the first step of the Elven Branch. Very few still remain on the Main Material Plane. Settlements made by the Faeborn are magically held in a state both within the Material Plane and The Feywild.

**Sun and Moon Elves**: Two tribes formed milennia ago, evolved from the Faeborn. They were the ones who severed the direct connection to the feywild that was integral to Faeborn settlements, instead choosing to form their own dynasties. The two tribes were at war for millenia, each dynastly rising and falling multiple times before an uneasy peace was formed. By the end of the war both had formed great cities that would form as the cradle for the next Generations. Some refer to the two tribes collectively as "War Elves"

**High Elves**: Born within the great civilisations of the Sun and Moon Elves without the knowledge of what it took to form them. Being held up on the altar of their predecessors without any of the struggle caused the shameless superiority that the Elves are now known for. When the new lands of Deacledroth were discovered, they sallied out to claim a dynasty of themselves.

**Sea Elves**: *Note: There are Sea Elves on the Other Continent, this is speaking of the variants formed specifically on Deacledroth.* A splinter variant formed during the initial settlement of Deacledroth, who chose to stay by the seas instead of travelling inland towards the Point of Convergence. They initially built villages on the southern shores, later moving to a settlement upon the water as the younger's bodies adadpted more to the water. It is assumed that they then moved below the waves, though the Doctrine of Privacy stands true even for the splinter groups.

**Wood Elves**: *Note: There are Wood Elves on the Other Continent, this is speaking of the variants formed specifically on Deacledroth.* Primarily born within The Brangrove, the Wood elves are a fairly recent development decended from the High Elf Settlers. Surrounded by the superior attitude of their predecessors, but without the grand dynasty to fuel their ego, the Wood Elves have begun to take up a more humble attitude. Instead of being focused on forging a great dynasty for themselves, they are instead attempting to reach out and form connections with the other civilisations throughout their continent. This attempt is unfortunately held back by both the older views still held by many of their number, the anmosity towards their race from outsiders, and the continuation of the previous generation's doctrine of Privacy that keeps the location of all but the capital from being shared outside of the Nation.

### General

The near imperceptibility of Elven aging, especially within the Brangrove, is commonly attributed as the cause towards many modern Elves' resistance (and sometimes outright refusal) to embrace change in their lives. "*When they get through this adaptation phase, everything just...*Stops*. I suppose they expect everything to stop alongside them."* This has caused them to miss many innovations from outside their territory. Most notably, this has manifested in the nation's complete lack of knowledge in terms of Artificing (specifically using manufacturing methods to recreate or harness magical effects)

The Nation is ruled by a council, formed by the Lord and Lady (the Lady having more power than the Lord) of each settlement, with each settlement having an equal amount of power with the Exception of the Lord and Lady of Eldergate, who are set as a tier above to prevent complete stagnancy.

Deforestation outside of licensed and dedicated areas is punishable by a minimum imprisonment of 30 years for outsiders, Three centuries for locals (30 years aint shit if you're immortal). All the towns and cities are built through magical growth of the existing foliage or through advanced Conjuration magic. Another benefit to this non-destructive creation is its ability to keep areas hidden from untrained eyes.

Most of the high-class High elf families and many of the lower class dens are known for being a bit racist (especially against Dwarves) and very Xenophobic. The more modern Wood Elves are much less racist and xenophobic but there is usually still an underlying factor. *The High Elves in the Brangrove are basically if your racist uncle/grandpa never went away and slowly got power through Seniority. The younger generations, mostly made up of Wood Elves, have started the shift away from this way of thinking but the progress is painfully slow as those who hold the views are still around, constantly preaching it. The High Elves did secede their greater political control gained purely by seniority as part of the deal that exiled those that would become the Drasillians, instead needing to position themselves to true places of power instead of simply having that power through that Seniority.*

The current Lord and Lady of The Brangrove are both Wood Elves, though there is still a lot of influence from the upper class High Elf families. Though the weight of this influence has lessened since the forming of Dundrasil, they can still pull influence through the sheer number of High Elves in the Country and higher political offices.

**[RELIC]**Known for their expertise in Magic, especially in the enchantment of Magical items and near-perfection of the main Arcane schools (with the exceptions of Necromancy and War Magic). If you are wanting a Grandmaster of a specific Arcane Magic School, this is the place to check. *This will likely be narrowed to a few schools. Definitely Conjuration due to the reference to them using it to create their structures.*

The Settlements of The Brangrove are mostly independent, with their most senior family usually taking the role of leader. These senior families have near complete power, only submitting to the Lord and Lady of Eldergate, who have the authority to overrule any and all laws or orders from their subordinates. Despite this, many believe the Lord and Lady of Eldergate are merely puppets of the council formed of the Senior Families.

The Elves of the Brangrove have no qualms with eating the dead, though there is no particular craving for flesh, to not do so is simply a waste of resources in their eyes.

## Recent Major Events

### *875 3rd Era*: Seperation of the lands to be later known as Dundrasil.

The numerous High Elf families had gotten frustrated with the sheer number of non-Elves and Half-Elves that had slowly grown in number within The Brangrove (The non-Elves primarily in Eldergate, Half Elves scattered all over the territory) and began conspiring to pass a bill to exile all without a certain degree of Elven Purity from their lands.

Fortunately for those affected who had chosen to live their lives within the reigon, the Lord and Lady of Eldergate of the time (The predecessors to Aelrindel and Shalanna) were more sympathetic to these "others" than their peers. The Lady managed to convince the High Elves to add their request to the next bill to be passed, which was modified to secede territory from their Eastern Reigon, as well as guarantee that the High Elf families cannot pull their Seniority to pass a bill like this again.

The requested population were Exiled from The Brangrove and took up the abandoned lands, later forming the Nation of Dundrasil.

### *1220 3rd Era*: Birth of Elamaris, Heir of Lord Aelrindel and Lady Shalanna of Eldergate and The Greater Brangrove.

Until he is to take up his position he has chosen to live the life of an Oakenguard Ranger. Most of his original Division were slaughtered in 1254, a heavily injured Elamaris being carried back to Eldergate by another surviving member of the division. Since this event, Elamaris has seemingly avoided being viewed by the public eye. Some theorise this is due to his injuries disfiguring or crippling him in some way, though the offical word is that he has chosen to live at the Oakenguard's Tower as opposed to returning home between expeditions.

## Oakenguard

### General Overview

Reportedly, the Elves' resistance to change has held true on the functioning of their branch of The Oakenguard. Their towers are reported to be full on fortressess, full of Oakenguard who treat the situation as if the Invasion began days ago as opposed to centuries.

Despite the Treatise that seperated Dundrasil forbidding non-elves from permenant settlement on Elven land, The Oakenguard takes on any volunteers regarldess of race.

**[needs proper writing]** The operation of the towers is run by tiers of buerocracy. Groups of four or five divisions of Strike force report to a commander, these commanders report as a council to the middle tier, who then report to those in control of each tower.

The Brangrove mans two towers, though the original placement was purely for correct placement for the casting of the Cloaking Spell.

### Eastern Tower

The Eastern Tower is primarily used to house the Intel teams of The Brangrove Oakenguard, almost all of their military might being Wallguard as opposed to Strike Force. After Dundrasil's seperation and formation as it's own nation, it would support this tower with volunteers from it's people.

### Western Tower

The Western Tower holds the primary Military force for The Brangrove Oakenguard, the majority of the Strike Force rangers and Wallguard being trained and deployed from this tower.

## Trivia/Notes

* The Brangrove's name (not really suggesting the Jungle-Like climate) is a matter of a never corrected mistranslation from the original Elven. It's name was lazily translated by human settlers in other parts of Deacledroth and has kept it's "common" name since.

## Update Notes

**Things that should be updated, not things that have been updated**\*

* New Heraldry (is that the word? replace the tree and bow image with a better one)
* reformat Culture section to be more readable/up to date
* Marked Paragraphs with **[Relic]**. Information in these paragraphs are from previous versions, though may not be untrue in current (requires updating)