Valaui

**Valaui** (Iremian: *Valu'i*) is a kingdom and region in southern Ivlon. Valaui encompasses the entirety of the Valaui Peninsula, a northern-pointing peninsula which forms the eastern edge of the Bay of Polovania. Directly above the peninsula lies the island of Elvekia.

The peninsula is home to large sandy shores on all sides, with a combination of temperate grasslands and a variety of deciduous forests. In the southern area of the country there is also bits of jungle. The principal river in Valaui is the Eskel River (Valaui: *Iskyil*), on which the country's largest city Hinulla and its capital of Eskelova lay. The cities of Valaui are generally very open, undefined communities in which local farmers live together. Almost no cities have any sort of permanent wall around them, as the country is unlikely to be invaded and lacks much internal strife to cause a building of such defenses. The port cities, however, begin to resemble traditional cities of the bay region. The city of Piriou Niou on Valaui's northwest coast is said to be very similar to the Grecoan city of Corposia.

Valaui's history began with migrants from a land far south that arrived in the peninsula around three thousand years ago. The locals (excluding those who had already left), were driven out mainly to Elvekia. Valaui was considered a unmanageable land by most kingdoms up until the conquests of the Elvekian king Spoacos Corpos. He conquered all of Valaui, and organized the tribal settlement of Hinulla into the first real city of Valaui. Valaui gained independence in 1299 SY, and the ruling dynasty made their hometown of Eskelova the country's capital.

## Etymology

The history of the name Valaui is complicated. For most of Valaui's history, the inhabitants of the peninsula had not considered themselves to be apart of one national entity or ethnic identity. Thus, various regional names developed - some of which were repurposed when giving names to the cities of Valaui. The name Valaui (*Vala u'wi* originally) was a name initially used by tribes living near the city of Sivvh to refer to the land they lived in. Given that the inhabitants of this region lived the closest geographically to Elvekia, the place name Valaui began to be used by Elvekians to refer to the peninsula rather than the hundreds of other native names. When Valaui was conquered, it became the Province of *Valaui*. At that point, the name stuck - and by 1527 SY, the majority of Valaui people use the name Valaui to refer to their homeland.

In the ancient language of the Sivvh region, *Vala u'wi* meant "land where vines grow".

## Geography and People

Valaui represents the border between Ivlon and the remote, uncivilized land that lies south of Ivlon. Its geography reflects that. Generally, Valaui's environment is similar to that of Iremia and Elvekia. Most of Valaui is either deciduous forests with varying levels of density along with savannah-esque grassland. A small mountain range lies in the middle of Valaui, although the mountains of Valaui are incredibly underwhelming compared to nearly any other mountain range. The Eskel River, the primary artery of the country, has its headwaters in these mountains.

The people of Valaui have a reputation as being friendly, industrious people. In ancient times, the tribes of Valaui were famously belligerent, but as time went on the people of Valaui began to live a harmonious existence. This trend began during the Exelon period, mainly. Several languages are spoken around the peninsula, all of which derive from an ancient tongue that was spoken in *Syto*. Despite its foreign base, the languages of Valaui are somewhat related to Iremian and Elvekian.

Most of the population of Valaui live in river communities located on the banks of the Eskel and its tributaries. The dense rainforests which surround these rivers make it difficult for settlements to grow past the banks of the rivers. The "cities" of Valaui are more like heavily urbanized *regions* rather than cities, as almost none of the them have walls or clear boundaries. The only exception is Hinulla, which was modeled and planned by Elvekian governors in the 900s SY.