Ivendar

## History

### Early Ages

It is not known when it was that the High Elves first arrived on the island that would come to be known as Ivendar. What is known is that, due to the islands abundance of natural resources (ores and precious gems from the mines of Sprite Mountain, lumber and wild game from Kitewood, and ample fertile soil for farming along the western coast) the newly arrived High Elves had very few worries, and were instead able to devote their time and energy into more artistic callings.

The works of Ivendar quickly became known throughout all of Aiur: Vast cities of beautifully intricate architecture; gems of the finest cut that seemed to posses an almost ethereal glow when in the light; enchanting ballads that could call even the meekest of heart to yearn for a life of adventure or love. In addition to the arts, the Ivendarai highly valued education, building a massive university within the heart of the capital city of Chirrhen that scholars from across Aiur journeyed hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of miles to attend.

Scholars were not the only ones willing to make the long journey to Ivendar. Travelers from all walks of life would frequently journey to the small island kingdom to partake in their wonderful arts. The High Elves, keen to share their creations of passion with the world, were eager to have them. Over the years beings of various other races began to settle on the island, unwilling to leave behind the wonders and the life of luxury that they found there.

### The War for the Crown

Little changed for the island paradise during the onset of the war. Though the Ivendarai military was comparatively small to that of the other kingdoms, it was highly trained, and the island itself was very easily defensible. For many years no foreign kingdoms, with such an abundance of enemies already at their doorsteps, were willing to devote the troops and resources to a campaign against Ivendar, and so the island kingdom continued to enjoy a time of peace and prosperity even as the fury of war raged on elsewhere across Aiur.

In the tenth year of the war, the peoples of Ivendar found their peace shattered in a sudden and ferocious invasion from the neighboring island kingdom of Wyvengurn. The attack caught the Ivendarai by complete surprise, as they had not believed the "primitive" peoples of Wyvengurn had any ships capable of ferrying a military force across the seas. Despite the unexpected suddenness of the Wyvengurn fleet, the High Elves of Ivendar would have had likely been able to successfully repel the invaders were it not for the dragons.

Never before had the peoples of Ivendar encountered a full fledged dragon (though wyverns were not uncommon in the highest ranges of Sprite Mountain). The power and ferocity of the mighty beasts were able to easily overwhelm the Ivendarai's hastily-gathered defenses, allowing the bulk of the Wyvengurn fleet to make landfall on the southern edge of the island. The invaders, free of any opposition as the Ivendarai rushed to assemble their army, laid waste to the southern cities, leaving nothing but smouldering ruins and the wails of their victims in their wake.

Unwilling to wait any longer and let more of their people die, the High Council of Ivendar ordered what troops they had managed to gather to march south and meet the Wyvengurn force as the invaders were making their way along the western coast. The generals of Ivendar believed that the rocky terrain of the coast would be to their advantage, as they had spent generations learning to fight among the mountainous terrain. Unfortunately for them, so had the Wyvengurn. The battle was ferocious, but ended quickly. The aerial superiority provided by the Wyvengurn's dragons proved to be an insurmountable obstacle on the rocky terrain. After taking heavy losses, the High Elves were forced to retreat.

Knowing the Wyvengurn Dragonborn would be following closely behind them, the Army of Ivendar evacuated any cities they could as they made their way north to Chirrhen, where the refugees could be kept safe behind the cities high walls. Those who refused to leave their homes soon found themselves enslaved of killed in the wake of the Wyvengurn's advance.

When the invaders finally reached the rolling fields outside the capital city of Chirrhen, they found themselves face-to-face with the full force of the Ivendarai military. The battle lasted for days, and for a long time neither side could gain any real advantage over the other. The Ivendar had superior numbers and training, but the Wyvengurn had dragons. In an attempt to break their opponents morale, on the third night of fighting they sent a group of dragons into the city of Chirrhen itself, where their breath burned down large sections of the city before they were finally brought down by the ballistas that lined the city walls.

With each dragon that the Ivendar managed to bring down, they found themselves gaining more and more of an advantage in the field. After losing all but a handful of their dragons, the Wyvengurn realized they were on the verge of defeat and retreated into the rocky passes of Sprite Mountain. The Ivendar armies pursued the invaders, intent on finishing them off, but the narrow width of the mountain passes negated the advantage they had in numbers, and the uneven terrain and lack of ballistas made dealing with the surviving dragons far more difficult. Despite this, they continued to press on, knowing that the Wyvengurn army would continue to burn and pillage the cities and villages of Ivendar for as long as they were allowed to remain on the island.

The fighting eventually made its way north, into Kitewood. It was here, two months after the Wyvengurn first made landfall on Ivendar, that the fighting finally came to and end. The Army of Ivendar was able to corner their foes against the eastern coast, cutting off their retreat and finally putting an end to the invasion.

### After the War

The aftermath of the war found Ivendar in ruins. Their southernmost cities, once grand works of architecture and art, were reduced to charred ruins and smouldering rubble. The final days of the conflict along found large swaths of the great Kitewood burned to ash by dragon fire. The fields south of Chirrhen were soaked through and tainted with the blood of High Elves, Dragonborn, and dragons alike, the once fertile soil now incapable of sustaining any kind of crop.

Aside from the physical and economical damages caused by the Wyvengurn invasion, the fighting took a heavy toll on the spirit of the High Elves of Ivendar. Losing so much of their society to the foreign invaders has left them wary of outsiders. Where once travelers were welcomed with open arms, they are now viewed with suspicion and, at times, outright hostility.

### Modern Day

Though the War for the Crown has now long since ended, Ivendar still finds itself under assault from the Wyvengurn, who continue to send frequent raiding parties to harass the rebuilding kingdom, though as of yet no force has been as large as that of the initial invasion. These frequent raids have forced the Ivendar to pour most of their resources into their military, severely impeding their progress of rebuilding their society.

Despite their newfound suspicion of outsiders, the Ivendarai are also painfully aware that if they are to have any hope of rebuilding what was lost, they cannot do it alone. Because of this, peoples of various races are still allowed onto the island, though they will likely find themselves under close watch by city guard. The exception to this is Dragonborn. Because of the actions of the Wyvengurn, the people of Ivendar have a deep-seated fear and hatred of the draconic people, and have explicitly barred any of their kind from setting foot on the island, regardless of whether they hail from Wyvengurn or someplace else.

Chirrhen is the last great city left standing in Ivendar, though there are still sections of it that are being rebuilt after the destruction rained down upon it during the invasion. The vast majority of the population of Ivendar resides in and around the capital, though numerous small villages have risen up across the rest of the island near the ruins of the old cities as the people work to rebuild or, at the very least, recover what they can from the remains.

After the loss of their fields and large portions of the Kitewood, Ivendar has come to depend heavily on the neighboring merchant kingdom of Aefel for food and materials. The Aefel consider the supplies they provide a form of payment to Ivendar for keeping the attention of the Wyvengurn away from the merchant kingdom, and ask nothing in return save for Ivendar's continued resistance against the warmongering Dragonborn.