Airlann

> *"May your nets always be full." -- Airlanni proverb*
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Airlann is a small archipelago of allied kingdoms on the northwest coast of Old Avalon. Initially inhabited by gnomes and halflings, humans first reached the island when the defeated forces of Queen Angharad of Breten fled north. The gnomes and halflings welcomed the human refugees, and since then the islands have become renowned for their art, their advanced technology, and their resilience in the face of hardship.

## History

Gnomes were the original inhabitants of Airlann; according to their histories, the god Segojan Earthcaller created the islands as a gift to the gnomes. The gnomes quickly applied their magic and their innovative minds to making the rocky islands their home, and over time Airlann became a series of verdant, fertile gems despite the rocky terrain and windswept climate. Eventually, a wandering band of halflings came to the island, and the gnomes welcomed them like siblings. The gnomes focused more on magical technology; the halflings focused more on coaxing bounty from the earth and the coasts; together they created an integrated and prosperous society.

In HE 119, the human queen Angharad and those loyal to her fled to Airlann after losing the war for the crown of Breten. They were greeted warmly (if cautiously) by the kings of Airlann, and over the decades the refugees and their descendants were also integrated into Airlanni society, with some families even rising to great prominence.

A generation later, King Cianan II of Breten decided to finish what his father started and invaded Airlann in an attempt to wipe out any remaining Queen Angharad loyalists, as well as their descendants. Despite having superior numbers, the would-be invaders were stymied by Airlann's inhospitable coastlines and the inhabitants' novel battle tactics that took full advantage of their familiarity with their homeland. This would be the first of multiple unsuccessful attempts by Breten to conquer the islands; the most successful was in in HE 627, when Queen Meredith's navy managed to partially conquer the southernmost island before being driven out. Airlann's ability to repeatedly fend off larger and better-funded invaders is partially attributed to the patronage of Seojan Earthcaller, but the islands' difficult seas and the magical ingenuity of the gnomes are the factors cited most commonly.

Airlann was not directly threatened by the empire of High King Oberon, who seemed content to ignore the islands. However, at several points during his millennia-long reign they experienced severe weather and famine to an extent never seen before; many suspect that this was Oberon's way to indirectly attack the nation.

## Politics

Each island in Airlann is its own kingdom, ruled by a king (of any gender) who is voted upon by the senior members of the major families on each island. Upon a current king's death, the families gather for a *moot* to vote on the next king; it is often, though not necessarily, the offspring of the previous king. Additionally, the kings vote in the *kingsmoot* on who shall serve as Overking of Airlann, nominally ruling over the entire archipelago. In practice, the title of Overking is largely symbolic and each island has great autonomy, with the Overking exerting authority mostly in times of war or when there are major disputes between kings.

Currently, the Overking is Maura the Wise; the other kings are King Somhairle the Swift, King Ailill the Red, King Reagan the Elder, and King Ealair the Fair. While there is nothing officially preventing a human from being elected king, and prominent human families do get to vote on who becomes king, human kings are rare; generally, it's believed that humans are too short-lived (and thus short-sighted) to make prudent decisions. King Reagan the Elder is the only human king at this time.

Airlann has had a longstanding alliance with the kingdom of Gaul, mostly to serve as a counterbalance to the threat of invasion by Breten. For example, in HE 3020, when Gaul experienced a peasant uprising, Overking Maura the Wise supplied the Gaulish monarchy with several of their most advanced war machines and weapons to quickly squash the would-be revolutionaries - despite the moral objections of several of the under-kings. Her reasoning was that a Gaul weakened by political strife would no longer pose a credible threat to Breten, which would in turn embolden the Bretenese monarchy to invade Airlann.

## Economy

Airlann's most important export is magical items and technology, as well as the knowledge of how to use them. "Made in Airlann" has become shorthand for the cutting edge of arcane creations, and many of the instructors at Ixidor Academy were either born or educated on the islands.

Besides magitech, the fishing and wool industries are major players in the economy; the shallow waters around the islands are bountiful year-round, and the verdant hills provide excellent pasture for sheep. Additionally, several of the islands sport coal mines.

## Geography and Flora

Airlann is an archipelago of five islands. The largest is Inis Mor; going clockwise, the remainder are Inis Lurgan, Inis Oirthir, Inis Dheas, and Inis Meain.

The islands are made of volcanic and igneous rock, primarily basalt, with prominent veins of obsidian running through each island. Most of the coastline is steep cliffs, with few bays that are amenable to ships making port.

The climate is cool but temperate; while it frequently rains, contributing to the islands' lush vegetation, snow is rare except on the northernmost edges of the archipelago. The southern reaches have very small patches of mixed deciduous/coniferous forests, which the gnomes have carefully managed for millennia; the majority of the islands consist of highland moors, with bogs interspersed throughout. The bogland is also where most coal veins are found. While there are small rivers, streams, and ponds on the islands, which provide fresh water, there are no major lakes.

## Fauna

### Mundane Species

There are only a handful of mammal species native to Airlann, and they are all marine mammals - seals, sea lions, and sea otters. All other mammals currently living on the islands were introduced, whether deliberately or incidentally, by sapient visitors and immigrants. This includes common domesticated species, most notably sheep and goats, but also pigs, cows, cats, dogs, and rabbits; feral populations of all these species are now common, as well. Unintentionally introduced species include rats, mice, squirrels, weasels, and bats; finally, at various points in the past there have been attempts to establish populations of deer and foxes for game hunting purposes.

Conversely, the bird population of Airlann is a study in diversity. There are hundreds of species of wading birds, waterfowl, gulls, songbirds, game birds, corvids, and birds of prey. Some species can be found only on one island; other species are migratory, nesting in Airlann during the warm months and then traveling all the way to Andalus to overwinter.

While there are a handful of amphibious species in Airlann, mostly found on the southern islands, there are no reptiles.

### Magical Species

Grey renders can sometimes be found in the boglands, which makes any new mining venture a potentially hazardous one. Phase spiders make their homes among the coastal cliffs, as do stirge. Most notably, many fey creatures can be found throughout Airlann, such as redcaps, pixies, hags, and yeth hounds. Occasionally griffons can be spotted in the northern reaches of the islands, but they appear to be occasional, temporary visitors; there does not appear to be a permanent population.

## Demographics

The population of Airlann is almost evenly split between gnomes, halflings, and humans. While gnomes and halflings have lived on the islands for centuries longer than humans, humans' shorter life spans and subsequently higher birth rate allowed them to catch up in a relatively short amount of time. Most humans live on Inis Mor, the largest island, and the southernmost island Inis Dheas, though there are at least small populations on all islands.

In addition to gnomes, halflings, and humans, there is a small community of air elves on Inis Largan, the northernmost island. Additionally, immigrants of other sapient species, such as orcs, dwarves, hobgoblins, high elves, etc. call Airlann their home, but not in notable numbers.

## Culture

Airlanni culture is a balance between respect for nature - due to the limited natural resources of the islands - and love of technological process. This has led to more widespread use of magical items than is typically found on the mainland; for example, even relatively poor families often use magical flames to heat and light their homes. Additionally, Airlann has a strong maritime culture, with every child learning how to swim, boat, and fish - though, due to the lack of large trees on the island, they have not developed large sailing ships like their neighbors in Breten have.

Song and poetry are given preeminent importance in Airlanni culture, and bards are afforded great respect because they are both creators of art and repositories of knowledge, and they often combine the two roles for the betterment of society. Wizards and artificers also considered prominent roles, though not to the extent of the bard.

## Notable People of Airlann

* Morrigan Devlin - necromancer and member of the Pride of Avalon who stopped Ruedi's return - though, in the process, she became an arcane vampire.

1. ↑ in Gnomish and Halfling, the closest equivalent of the Common word "king" is actually gender-neutral and is applied to rulers regardless of gender
2. ↑ His epithet is something of a joke, as, at 76 years old, he is the youngest king in Airlann