Leyfel

Physical map of Leyfel

The Isle of Leyfel is a country in Tirónar, on the coast of and within the Eastern Sea. It is run by Admiral Matpat.

## History

### Ancient Era

According to the accounts left behind by the settlers from Waldren, the island of Leyfel was completely uninhabited when their ships arrived in Tirónar. It's hard to say how true this is. Waldren could have easily lied about this, hiding their hostile takeover of the island's previous peoples from history. On the other hand, Waldren was not ashamed of their campaigns for land in other parts of Tirónar, so perhaps they were telling the truth. Regardless, if such a culture once existed, Waldren's takeover would have been swift and genocidal. Unlike Lantraeth and Halennor, which still bear faint, decrepit evidence of past civilizations, the island of Leyfel was either completely untouched by human hands before the Waldren Occupation, or all signs of the past inhabitants were systematically wiped from the island soon after Waldren's arrival.

### Waldren Occupation

Waldren first landed in Leyfel around 1000, where they immediately established its first of many colonies. From there, the imperialists traveled north, where they quickly and easily took over the forested regions of Lantraeth and the rocky coast of Halennor, both of which were almost completely empty and practically defenseless after the Dragon War. With a source of lumber, mining opportunities, and tropical produce, Waldren was drunk on success and decided to seek more profit further inland.

Fast forward to 1495. With their navy almost completely decimated by their failures in Halennor and Tandeli, Waldren attempted to retreat back to Leyfel to nurse their wounds and continue profiting from their remaining holdings in Duilintinn and Lantraeth. However, by this point, Lantraeth had quietly been forming its own factional governments, and Waldren was in no position to bring the northwestern region back in line. Meanwhile, Duilintinn's rocky coastline, variable climate, and the factional chaos that had grown in Waldren's absence had all been written off as more trouble than it was worth.

On top of everything else, there were stirrings of unrest among the people of Leyfel, who were getting sick of being nothing more than a launching point for a company that playacts at being a government, yet doesn't use its tremendous profits to actually support the people they supposedly "ruled." With the writing on the wall, Waldren decided to cut their losses in 1500 and return to their home country of Senfara, leaving Leyfel to fend for itself.

### Modern Day

When the Waldren Occupation ended, the people left behind in Leyfel continued managing themselves with the same corporate power structure. Over time, this administration evolved into an entirely unique system of government divided between seafaring citizens and land-based ones.

## Government

### Politics

The government of Leyfel is an odd one, specifically because it didn’t start out as a government. Instead, it was the hub of Waldren, which controlled settlements and trade posts around the coast of the continent. Eventually, these settlements broke off and formed their own nations (specifically Tandeli, The Island League, Halennor, and Lantraeth). When the Waldren Occupation ended, the people left behind in Leyfel continued managing themselves with the same corporate power structure. Over time, this administration evolved into an entirely unique system of government. Since such a large portion of their population is constantly at sea, there are two major levels of government; the land-based government described above and the crew hierarchy of individual ships. The captain of each ship is the primary contact between citizens at sea and the national government. It’s common that at least a third of the population will be completely oblivious to new laws or decrees until they return home after months at sea. The head of state is called the “Admiral” to reflect the impact of naval power structures within their government.

### Military

The military is entirely naval-based. The infantry is kept to a minimum, and the calvary is more or less nonexistent.

## Geography

### Major Regions

The "Isle" of the title is actually a misnomer; Leyfel also includes a portion of the mainland. The mainland is where most administrative and publishing work is done, while the island is where the voyages are prepared and set sail. Farming also happens here. There is a small port by the southern coast of the mainland for emergencies and/or inland trade with the countries to the south.

### Climate

Leyfel is hot in the summers, but with milder winters than in Duilintinn. However, while the cove where Admiral Matpat's capital can be found is shielded from much of the wind that plagues the coast of Duilintinn in the winters, but the rest of the coast and the island itself still have to deal with them. The western side of the island is shielded from these winds by the island itself, so most ships are kept there when not in use. While the mainland is fairly dry in the summer, the island is very humid and gets significant rainfall, especially on its north-eastern side.

## Economy

Leyfel exports research, exploration, maps, and knowledge from all corners of the world.

At sea, they mostly eat preserved meats and crackers made, salted, and dried out on the mainland. At home, they feast on fruits and vegetables native to the island, along with more of the food they eat at sea, though thankfully not as dry or stale.

### Technology

The entirety of Tirónar is at a relatively high level of ship tech due to the nature of the Eastern Sea. Namely, the fact that it's full of islands and weird storms and stuff. The reason that Tirónar went undiscovered for so long is that that's how long it took for other continents to figure out how to make boats that were maneuverable enough to navigate that part of the ocean! Since then, the ship tech that Waldren brought to Tirónar has been expanded upon enormously and, in some cases, adapted to fit other pre-existing ship tech in places like the Island League. This has allowed for trade between the nations of Tirónar to thrive, especially since it's incredibly difficult to cross between the mountains that form their inland borders (and even more difficult when you've got a lot of goods in the back of the cart!). Leyfel as some of the best ships, second only to the Island League. They're the two nations with sailing-related stuff in their culture that isn't just for trade and travel.

### Transportation

Leyfel doesn't have open borders, and instead requires visitors to be invited to enter. However, invitations are sent out regularly to academics and their peers/students by various Leyfel institutions. If you ask one of their passing ships, they'll give you an application you can fill out requesting an invite and send it back with them. The island and mainland strip are too small to sustain consistent tourism, which is a shame because it's really gorgeous. Immigration to live there permanently is discouraged for this reason, but this is balanced out with a strong immigrant integration program where those coming to seek a new life or asylum can work on the crew of one of Leyfel's many, many ships.

## Demography

### Language

The language of Leyfel is mostly the common tongue, but there are some scattered influences from various other languages.

### Education

The education is very interactive and focused on training young minds to formulate new ideas and think outside the box. Not everyone will become an academic, but even the most mundane layperson has the ability to come up with new ideas that will make their job easier and/or more efficient. Being a sailor, explorer, researcher, scholar, or author are all extremely desirable careers.

### Sentient Species

In addition to humans, Merfolk are a sentient species in Leyfel.

## Culture

This nation has built its niche around exploration, discovery, and ingenuity; three values which permeate almost every aspect of their culture on both land and sea. Making new discoveries through the reevaluation of existing information or through exploration and research is considered the ultimate life goal. To accomplish this, scholars are constantly pouring over research in the mainland cities, while ships full of explorers and researchers are constantly setting sail from the island’s many ports. These voyages will go anywhere and everywhere around the continent; from familiar kingdoms to unexplored wildernesses. Some will even travel beyond Tirónar itself, seeking the mysteries of the rest of the Mortal Realm beyond the ocean horizon. The results of these explorations are published in regular pamphlets which are then sold all over the world. It’s estimated that nearly half of Leyfel’s population is at sea at all times, sometimes for months or even years.

## Foreign Relations

### Known Allies

Leyfel is allied with Haneul, Borrike, Halennor, and Duilintinn.

### Public Opinion

There are mixed views on Leyfel. Some believe Admiral Matpat and his fleet should have more respect for the places, cultures, and events that they explore, research, and publish on. Others find the discoveries and pamphlets that come out of this land absolutely fascinating and think critics are overreacting. Admiral Matpat has addressed these claims and has enacted policies towards ensuring no disrespect is given, unintentionally or otherwise.