Pyraelus

**Pyraelus** is a volcano located in Northwestern Brallia within the Birwick Mountains. It is also a city-state inhabited by people of the Fyrfolk race.

## **Locale:**

Pyraelus itself is a stratovolcano, or a composite volcano. It is the tallest mountain in the range, and it is believed that it is responsible for creating the Northern batch of the Birwick Mountains. After much study, an Elven scholar named Darvin Mallerd concluded that while the Northern mountains were created by the volcano, the Southern batch was created by tectonic movement, and the valley between the mountains formed by complete coincidence.

It is named after the most powerful known fire spell.

## **Government:**

The Fyrfolk people are led by 12 young chiefs --3 men of war, 3 women of war, 3 men of peace, and 3 women of peace-- and 4 elders --a man of war and one of peace, and a woman of war and of peace. Whenever something is to be decided on, a vote is taken by the chiefs and elders. Depending on the situation and rank, each person's vote is worth a different amount of points to the total vote.

* During peacetime, a chief of peace's vote is worth 2 points, while a chief of war's vote is worth one. Similarly, during peacetime, an elder of peace's vote is worth 4 points, while an elder of war's vote is worth 3. The opposite of this would apply during wartime.

## **Culture:**

The Fyrfolk managed to devise a clever system which forces the other races nearby to be dependent on them. Since the Fyrfolk are extremely heat resistant, they can survive within the volcano just as well as anywhere else. However, though not resistant enough to make residence within the volcano, the other races that live in the Birwick Mountains are capable of withstanding the conditions of the volcano for short periods, which would make it possible for them to raid the Fyrfolk. To prevent this, the Fyrfolk set up their residence within the volcano in such a way that it would help prevent the volcano from erupting. However, in the event that they would be raided, they would trigger a sequence of events that would erupt the volcano, thus preventing other races from attacking them.

While the Fyrfolk do worship the pantheon of Gods of The Isle, they also worship beings called Ifrits. Ifrits are a type of Undead which can be naturally born from the desire to take revenge on one's killer. They have formed a symbiotic relationship with the Fyrfolk. Using Tatouáz Magic, the Fyrfolk can physically connect the spirit of an Ifrit to their body, thus giving the Ifrit physical senses, while in return, the Fyrfolk are able to tap into the Ifrits' Mana to cast powerful fire spells. Some extremely powerful Fyrfolk Mages are even capable of undergoing a transformation where their connected Ifrit(s) create their full physical form using the Fyrfolk's body, thus giving the Fyrfolk a massive boost in power and access to all of the Ifrits' abilities.

## **History:**

### Founding of Pyraelus:

In the year 3786, the Fyrfolk people were discovered living in Pyraelus. It is guessed that they had been living there since the 1800's, but nobody knows for sure, as the Fyrfolk people did not keep record of their founding.

### Igneous Giant Invasion:

In 4303, several warships piloted by a subspecies of Giants called Igneous Giants arrived unexpectedly at the Birwick Mountains aiming to make a home within Pyraelus. When they discovered the Fyrfolk already there, a blood battle ensued. The Giants made camp outside the volcano and laid siege to Pyraelus. This short war would last until 4305 when the Fyrfolk finally finished off the Giant invaders.

### Quillith the Titan:

The Titans are a race thought to have been extinct for a long time, as there eventually ceased to be large enough food sources for them to thrive off of. However, throughout history, survivors of the race have been discovered. One such occurrence was in 4627 during the Wyvernsmouth Plague, which the Fyrfolk had been unaffected by. A group of Fyrfolk hunters discovered a Titan named Quillith who had been living a quiet life in the shallow ocean waters just North of the Birwick Mountains. Quillith was surprisingly friendly with the Fyrfolk, and shared some resources with them in return for their keeping his existence a secret.