Kier

The standard of Kier

The Valley of Gelthurn in 245AT

Kier is an elven republic within the Valley of Gelthurn at the northern tip of the Godswall mountain range.

## Splendid Isolation

#### Geography

Despite its northern climes, it enjoys warmth year-round from the hot volcanic waters that flow into the bay of Gelthurn.

Volcanic activity in the Godswalls keeps the bay warm and fertile. The mountains descend steeply into the valley proper at sea level. The water is warm, keeping the temperatures relatively stable year-round. Skiing is a national pastime, taking advantage of the rapid ascent to some of the most developed and expansive slope networks in the world.

It’s geography provides brilliant natural defences, and the only route by which a large force may enter is through the bay entrance to the north.

#### Origins and History

In the final days of the Godswar, when the Elven and draconic homerealm of Balthuin was overwhelmed by the demontide, the Goddess Kornalla – patron of that realm – fled the world, bringing with her a great number of the elves and dragons. While most would follow her to Riah, many would come to Alorn. The followers would congregate on the islands of Anthalem, even as the Goddeath sealed the realms from each other, leaving them stranded. At the time, the gods could still commune with their followers within other realms, and Kornalla would direct them to the fortress of in the north, ancient even then. Many of the elves would heed her wish, travelling across the war torn and dangerous lands to find the valley of Gelthur.

Those that travelled north would find a fortress abandoned and emptied, destroyed in the last years of the war, its systems burned out by feedback from the Goddeath, but mostly intact. Many of the scars they found were beyond their ability to repair, and the signs of the ancient battle remain upon the city to this day. This much is well known, a period as it ingrained into the founding legend of the nation.

The next few centuries were not kind, as the mortal races struggled to maintain the technologies and knowledge that had been theirs during the earlier eras. The Kieri would undergo similar regression to that of the rest of the world, though the natural security provided by the bay sheltered them from the worst of it. At various points, the Elves would be locked into war with the various nations around them. Very rarely were they defeated, though grievous losses were taken. Kier itself was never taken, though it was besieged more than once. Over time, as the world lost the ability to utilise the weapons developed during the godwar, the dragons of Kier would face fewer and fewer direct threats. The relationship with dragons remains a core part of Elven society, with Dragonborn – a race created eons past to symbolise a peace between elf and dragon – being the only other mortal race other than native elves allowed within the fortress core of Kier.

The Dragons would not all remain in Kier. True to their reclusive nature, most would depart, seeking their own homes and territories. Many remain within the region, and no matter the distance many will come to Kier to meet mates or raise young under the protection of the elves.

The elves and dragons remained isolationist, if not unfriendly, to the rest of the world throughout most of history. Many Dragons live in the mountains around the valley, kept in balance by the efforts of the Kieri council, the bounties of natural wealth, and the almighty presence of Thronggradoth.

#### Thronggradoth

Thronggradoth is a vast being, a truly ancient Golden Dragon, one of barely a handful mortal entities on Alorn known to survive to the Age of Tears to have fought within the Godwars. Thronggradoth lives within the Bay of Gelthun, feeding on the vast schools of fish that flourish within the warm waters, sleeping for years at a time. He is venerated, if not outright worshiped, by the Elves of Kier, and is permanently one of the four Consuls of Kier – the others being Elves elected to the position on nine yearlong terms. Thronggradoth is also the greatest defence of Kier, though a deterrent against all but the most courageous – or insane – attackers. This has, to a certain extent, led to an atrophying of the Elven military arts, with only the smallest military force existing on a permanent basis.

#### The Rhetoricus Kier

The Rhetoricus Kier is the greatest centre of Elven learning left within the world, led by the twelve Sages Majoris, each a master of their field, are among the wisest and most learned individuals in their field world, though many consider them to be notoriously academic and divorced from practical experience. Each Sage Majoris is responsible for their own Rhetor, with which there are a number of Sages, Academus Majoris, and Academus, in descending order of seniority and knowledge. Additionally, there are the Academus Minoris, who make up the majority of Rhetoricus’ members and researchers. Of the twelve Rhetors there exists:

1. The Rhetor Physical
2. The Rhetor Divine
3. The Rhetor Arcane
4. he Rhetor Historical
5. The Rhetor Dragonic
6. The Rhetor Medical
7. The Rhetor Reliquary
8. The Rhetor Polis
9. The Rhetor Architectural
10. The Rhetor Musical
11. The Rhetor Philosopher
12. The Rhetor Nihlus

#### The city

The city of Kier itself is vast, towering arcology, formed around the ancient fortress, the Castrum Kier. The Castrum is an ancient fortification, predating even the gods themselves: it was constructed by the first gods to house arcane nodes vital to the control of the Wealm. Upon the goddeath and the collapse of the Wealm, the feedback and blasted its interior with vast amounts of ethereal power, destroying its inner buildings and leaving only the vast curtain wall, and a few empty vaults. The curtain wall remains, towering over two hundred meters high, and a kilometre across in a perfect circle, and shines with a metallic irradiance, bright in the sun, emanating a soft glow at night. Rising out of it is Kier, the city of a thousand spires. While this is an exaggeration, it is certainly true that the city is a brisling thicket of slender, bone white, towers, the highest rising nearly seven hundred meters skyward. Surrounding the walls is a gentle parkland, ringing the city with a belt of green, kept clear of buildings by ancient edict. The warm waves of the bay lap gently at the base of the walls on the north eastern edge, and surrounding the park is the wider urban area. Similar architecture can be found within other Kieri cities, though of course lacking the grand Castrum at their core.

#### The polity

The system itself is relatively simple, with the Keiri being divided into ten artificial voting tribes, decided by geographic region, across which there are 159 demos, adjusted to represent population. Each demos elects a number of candidates, who are pooled with all the candidates from each tribe, from which 51 are selected at random to represent their tribe in the Polity, totalling 510 representatives. Each citizen can only represent twice in their lifetime, with a fifty-year gap between each term. Given the length of an elvish lifespan, this gives any citizen with ambition a reasonable chance of serving within the Polity. Each year 330-day year is broken down into 320 days of session, and 10 for the Grand Assembly. At the start of each term, the 510 representatives draw ballots, splitting them randomly into 30 groups of 17. The three years’ time in session – three years of 320 days, is split into 10 32-day periods each year. At the start of period, the Polity representatives gather and randomly choose one of the groups of 17 to act as the Kieri Prytaneis. The Prytaneis is the executive committee for that 32-day period, running the basics of the Keir government. When a decision is made by the Polity, it is the responsibility of the Prytaneis to oversee the execution of that decision. The rest of the Polity debates major actions, such as war, budgetary considerations, laws, and pressing issues, presided over by one of the Consul. The four Consuls of Kier are chosen at the start of a session of the polity, elected directly by the population from any of the three previous Polity bodies, with the exception of Thronggradoth, who is ceremonially renewed, for a period of nine years. The Consuls act as arbitrators of ceremony and procedure, ensuring all are heard, chosen for their ability to balance debates and keep civility – the position holds very little direct power.

At the beginning of each year, the first ten days of Althmon are the period of the Great Assembly. This is a great public holiday, with all citizens allowed to attend and vote. The Prytaneis does not run for this period, and as the citizens of Kier gather in the massive park ring surrounding the Castrum, the Polity presents the various pieces of legislation and explains the reasoning to the population. The population will then, en masse, vote to either approve of the various pieces of legislation, or decline them. It is at this Grand Assembly that new polities are elected every three years, and new consuls every nine.

This system has lent itself to an isolationist and conservative mentality common within Kier, with lengthly debates often favoured over fast action.

#### The Brethren War

It is rare for the Great Assembly to authorise foreign interventions, reluctant to commit itself to endeavours likely to be costly in blood or wealth. With safety guaranteed by their natural defences – not to mention the presence of Thronggradoth – it is rare for the Kieri to be threatened. The only recent exception to that, was the Brethren War. Those who had remained on Anthelam, in the safety of the deep vaults scattered across the islands, had found that the safety was an illusion. The vaults contained weapons and relics of the Godwars, sealed away at various points. The site of a battle between the Demontide and the hosts of Valka, many of the vaults had been tainted by the malignance of the demons. Over the centuries that followed, the Elves and dragons that resided there would go down a darker path than their northern brethren. Using technologies from the vaults

From the islands, they had established an empire, colonies dotting the coastlines of Augal sea and beyond. For a few centuries during the mid-Long Age, they had ruled with relatively stability, but when the Great Purge began, they come under suspicion. Human Hasaders would come to the isles in great number, and though the Elves of Anthelam would evade destruction, and their faith in the Second Pantheon proven, many settlements were sacked and their powerbase irrevocably destroyed. The drow would be reduced to raiders and pirates, gradually rebuilding over the next few centuries. Surrounded by hostile nations, weakened, in desperation and bitterness they turned on the elves of Kier – viewing the Kieri silence on their plight as a bitter betrayal. Unlocking the deep weapons within the vaults – something they had avoided from well-placed fear – they plotted an attack against their traitorous kin. They would strike during a Great Assembly, 2262 Long Age. A small number of Drow elite made their way through the Godswall mountains, finding a way through the guardians and into Kier itself. The powers unleashed devastated the Kieri population, draw up in huge crowds to vote, but fortunately for Kier the ancient device was poorly understood, and the Drow could not master it. Thronggradoth was wounded gravely, thousands upon thousands were dead, but Kier survived, and event mourned as the Assembly of Woe.

Thus, would begin the brutal, but relatively brief Brethren War. It would last 7 years, see much of Kier damaged, unprepared as it was for war and without time to muster. Yet while Kier’s isolation had left it with no friends or allies, Anthelam had many enemies, enemies alarmed by the use of such devastating relics. Other nations would side with Kier, buying the elves the time needed to raise its population to war, and for Thronggradoth to heal. Worn down by other nations, Kier would eventually besiege the islands themselves. The following event is not understood, even by the Elves. It is thought that the drow, in their desperation, attempted to unleash another of the weapons within their vaults. Whatever the case, it brought about their doom, and the doom of many others. The islands were devastated by arcane toxins, invisible to the eye but for the mutating effects it would have upon the land and all life within. The very souls of living beings were decomposed, yet their bodies were left initially untouched, living husks that would rapidly be twisted into unnatural and terrifying creatures.

The Kieri host fled, taking many relics with them, as did the few drow fortunate enough to avoid the immediate effects. This was the birth of the Agony. Its effects would spread, slowly, over the following decades, leaking across the sea towards the continent. Its effects would be reduced by time and distance, but soon the ancient trade metropolis of Asklepos would become equally uninhabitable, its population scattering. This shattered the east-west trade routes, causing a global economic slowdown. The fertile region to the further north, Esan Hur, was also affected, though to a much lesser degree. Weakened by repeated crop failures and increases in various monstrous activities, the region was easy prey to orc tribes moving into the region, eventually becoming known as Karn Hur.

For Kier itself, the population was divided. The losses had been grievous and much had been destroyed. Yet the war had nearly spelt the obliteration of Kier, if not for the intervention of other nations. This humbling realisation caused many Kieri to demand that Kier do more to secure friendly relations with nearby power, a sentiment that overwhelmed much of the isolationist instincts within society. Since then, Kier has taken on a more open approach, opening up to trade and allowing foreign merchants into Kier, excepting the walls of the Castrum itself, and establishing diplomatic missions in many nations. It’s lack of foreign ambitions has made it a popular mediator, giving it a strong measure of soft power.