Eldheven

Eldheven is one of the three elven nations that currently exist on Irdas. It is the home of the Valmoran Elves, a reclusive race of elves who are more commonly referred to as wood elves. The nation has an isolationist stance and attacks most outsiders, especially those who are not elves. That being said, there is much that is known through second-hand accounts and defectors from the nation.

## History

Before Eldheven was a distinct nation, they were a cultural group of elves from the mythical Elven Golden Age. Specifically, they were the elves that lived around the city of Valmora, one of the three legendary cities of elven civilization. Valmora sits upon the northwest shore of Lake Ilimedae and is said to be a massive network of trees centered around a huge central one where the Valra lives.

When the orc hordes moved south from the frozen continent of Forgoram, they laid waste to the northern central and eastern Eltera, destroying the cities of Melenor and Telenderil. The elven civilization around Telenderil was entirely destroyed, with only ruins remaining.

The elves of the now destroyed Melenor formed a pact with the dwarven kingdoms in what became known as the Alliance of Need. These elves extended the alliance to Eldheven, who refused. The Valra guided her people to stay out of the fight, citing a need to protect her own land. This generated animosity between the elves who would later form Solheven and Eldheven that still exists today. The northern elves fought and eventually repelled the orcs, only further building tension between the two groups.

As humanity began to expand across the Veridian Sea, they came into contact with Valmora. The coast of Valmora became infamous because sailors would land there and then mysteriously vanish. The first official confrontation between them and human expansion occurred during the reign of Xerxes II of Ozymandium, who marched a massive force northward to confront whatever was stopping his expansion efforts. Once his forces arrived on the border of the massive forest that marks Valmora's borders, he learned of a rumored city of elves within. Looking for glory, he ordered a grand show of force to get the elves to negotiate with him. After marching his armies up and down the length of the forest's edge, an emissary from the Valra approached and warned Xerxes II not to push further, declaring that the forest was protected by the gods themselves and that all who enter without their blessing are doomed to death. The elf was beheaded by Xerxes II himself and he ordered his troops forward. His entire force moved into the forest, and none were ever seen or heard from again. Valmora was always avoided by future Ozymandian emperors and even the Aquian Empire themselves.

Over the centuries, Valmora has more or less maintained its size, though several parts of its coast have been slowly eaten away by human civilizations. Only elves have ever been allowed inside of the reclusive nation, and even then only with permission of the mythical Valra, the immortal leader of the nation.

## Government

Valmora is said to be ruled by the immortal Valra, a being of supreme godlike power. She is said to have once been an elf, but she made some sort of deal with the god of the forest and has become a conduit for the forest itself, seeing, hearing, and feeling all that happens within. She lives within the huge tree in the center of the forest. The Valra has absolute control over her nation and her word is law, though she does keep a council of advisors that are there to argue against her decisions so that she never makes a decision without first thinking through the consequences thoroughly.

## Culture

The "wood" elves of Valmora are the rarest elven cultural group to encounter in human settlements. Those that do hail from Eldheven are typically abroad because they either left or were banished. In both cases they will not likely be allowed to return, which makes it difficult to find favorable descriptions of the place. The elves who live within tend to value community and responsibility, emphasizing hard work for the greater whole. They almost always make excellent trackers and scouts, and Valmoran elves will often find work as guides and hunters for villages on the edge of the wilderness. They are far less common in metropolitan areas.

Many Valmoran elves will be fairly quiet, often commenting on how loud human towns are if asked. They value loyalty and community, often becoming pillars of whatever settlement they find themselves in, though they will never actually acknowledge it. Humility is often cited as one of the most important qualities to them.