Haldirian

## General History

First among the firstborn, eldest among the Eldar, the High Elves of Elysenas are a magical people of otherworldly grace. Created by Corellon Larethian, they sought out places of ethereal beauty in the land they were given, in the midst of ancient forests and in silvery spires glittering with faerie light, where soft music drifts through the air and gentle fragrances waft on the breeze.

Some of the elves found their heart's delight among the budding flowers and blooming trees, the wet grass and the miraculous life of new birth. These were the children of Spring. Fearless they were, unafraid of new things, bold in word and in action. They called themselves Thalin which means "Dauntless" and they found a home for themselves where they could live with vigor and purpose. Numeia, they called it, "Born Anew" in Elvish.

Other elves favored most the warmth of the sun. Their mirth and merriment rang out in the sunny glades. These were the children of Summer, and they gave themselves the name Áre which means "sunlight." They built a city of large sunlit halls set alight each evening by the setting sun's descent across the ocean waters on the horizon. Lithoniel, they called it, which in Elvish means "Among the Ash trees."

Still other elves found belonging in the between. The sought out the spaces within the shadows, the turning of the leaves and the chill of the air. They were the children of Autumn, and they called themselves Dae, which in Elvish means "shadow." They sought out the mysteries and the strange things of the world and they reveled in them, creating a place for themselves that they called Calthiel, or "Among the Hidden," in Elvish.

Last of the high elves were those who found solace in the cold winds and high spaces of the mountains. These elves loved the moon and the stars of the night sky above all else, and they built for themselves a place where they could see clearly the constellations overhead. These were the children of Winter, and they called themselves Silme, or "starlight" in Elvish. Wise they were, fond of quiet and remote places, seekers of silence and stillness. They called their home Haldirian, "Mountain Aerie" in Elvish.

## The City

The city of Haldirian can be found within the Shinholden Woods at the base of one of the lower southern ranges of the Cormur Mountains. Haldirian is built up into the mountainside, with sections of the city spilling up out of the forest into sheltered caverns and onto the cliff face of the mountains themselves. A river runs through the mountains into a immense waterfall that empties into a large lake at the center of the city. Graceful stone paths wind gently and gradually upwards through the city, leading to several walled districts that almost resemble smaller cities within the larger one. The Academic District is particularly known for its beauty, perched on the edge of a mountain cliff, walled and turreted, with tall library spires reaching up to the sky. The High Library of House Silme is housed here, notable for its walls and domed ceiling being built almost entirely out of glass, giving patrons the perspective of being suspended in the air, high above the rest of the city.

The Temple District contains the highest point of the city, which can only be accessed through a spiral staircase that ascends up into the mountain from within the Temple of Aerdrie Faenya. This staircase leads to the goddess' most holy inner sanctum located at the peak of the mountain, and is accessible only to the highest members of her holy order. The staircase also leads to aerial stables which were once used to house the legendary Pegasai of House Silme. Members of Aerdrie's clergy were responsible for breeding and raising the [[Pegasai], and these winged steeds were the backbone of House Silme's military, as this aerial cavalry gave them complete control over the skies. However, almost all of the Pegasai were destroyed in House Silme's assault against the dragons in Dracorys' Peak in 1352 *A.H.A.*, and the stables have been empty since that time. Attempts have been made over the centuries to entice new Pegasi to make their home in Halidiran once more, but to no avail.

Halidiran is currently ruled by Lady Calthria Stilbrow, and is fully committed to protecting Elysenas against this ongoing threat from Telathiron.