Cities
Archadia “The Shining Jewel”- The towering capital of the Quinarian kingdom, Archadia sits on the eastern coast of the massive Bay of Lune, and houses the current royal family. While not the first known settlement of the elves, it is widely recognized as the first major city. While every Quinarian city contains stunning architecture, none can quite match the beauty and complexity of the capital. With its towering spires and elegant arcing walkways, it is clear to residents and visitors alike that the elves’ mastery of the arcane arts is responsible. The city itself surrounds the castle on all sides, dotted with various districts, military garrisons and living quarters. The royal family and close retainers live in the raised central district, the castle itself. The noble class rules from this higher station oppressively, those seen as less valuable subjects working to provide a life of excessive luxury for those above. Archadia also produces the largest quantities of weave crystals, a potent arcane-saturated substance that aids those who are wealthy or connected enough to acquire it in finding temporary relief from their physical need for arcane energy. These small, powder-like crystals can be infused into food or drink to give the imbiber a jolt of arcane power.
Glynith’Tyr “The City of Scholars”- Just south of the Emberwood, spanning the distance between it and the Bay of Lune, sits another important city of the Quinarian empire. Inhabited primarily by scholars, researchers, and their families, Glynith’Tyr houses some of the most renowned halls of learning in the known world. Libraries upon libraries of knowledge sit protected by its walls. Because of the sheer volume of recorded knowledge stored in the city, it sits above a massive catacomb-like structure, full of older, more delicate books and scrolls.
Ire’Heavens “Bastion of the Weave”- This city, one of the most central locations of the Quinarian society, sits at the center of the Bay of Lune’s coastline. This affords it nearly as much natural protection as the walls of the great castle in Archadia, for this city is the focal point of arcane power in their territory. Great sorcerers and other masters of the arcane arts call this city home, living amongst apprentices, students, and others eager to learn to master the Weave. The most striking feature of this city, by far, is the Grand Academy, the largest arcane college in Quinarian. Carved out of seamless, exotic red marble, this school is nearly as large as the castle in Archadia.
Alathadaria- Situated on the western side of the Bay, this city, or what remains of it, sits against the Amberwood. Ravaged during the Demon Wars, much of Alathadaria was razed, though some still call it home. Primarily a military installation, young Quinarians with aspirations of command would be sent here to learn from commanders and even generals of the various arms of the Quinarian fighting force, being taught everything from troop movements to supply lines, as well as hand to hand fighting. As a pinnacle of military strength for the elves, it comes as no surprise that this was one of the first cities attacked by the demons, portals suddenly opening and flooding the streets. Though the defenders of the city staged a valiant defense, ultimately the decision was made to abandon the city, allowing the Sentinel Tower of the West Cape to raze parts of the city, destroying the demons within. Since the war, those that were able to evacuate have attempted to return and rebuild their city. With the aid of the Quinarian armies, progress at restoring Alathadaria has begun, albeit slowly.
Fae’Loreliegh- This city was founded by the survivors of the Maiden Heights disaster. When an arcane experiment went terribly wrong and destroyed the settlement, those lucky enough to be on the outskirts decided to move east through the Nerilum Forest, and soon their new village attracted more and more before turning into a neighboring city of the capital. Because of its proximity, Fae’Loreliegh keeps itself running primarily as a refinement location, accepting most of the raw Weave Crystal shipped out of Archadia. Once arriving here, various merchants and craftsmen take the unrefined substance and work it into all kinds of goods, ranging from food and drink meant to invigorate the imbiber, to powerful sorcery components, all the way to an extremely potent drug heavily sought by the nobility and upper-class citizens.
Fae'Glylhindal- After being refined and processed at Fae’Loreliegh, much of the Weave Crystal produced ends up here, at the luxurious city of Fae’Glylhindal. Many Quinarians see this as a vacation spot, dominated by more entertainment than any elf could see in their lifetime. For those with connections and money, however, this city turns into a den of debauchery. The Quinarians’ form of indentured servitude is no more apparent than here, workers keeping the entire city running in almost all aspects, from manual labor to several forms of entertainment. Even visiting foreigners are treated as nobility here, such is the low station of those employed by the city.
The West Cape and Whitepeak Sentinel Towers - Standing at the entrance to the Bay of Lune, the Sentinel Towers comprise the Quinarian’s primary defense against naval attacks. Massive structures, each tower is capped by a massive focusing crystal, channeling enough energy to sink ships from miles away. The power of these structures is so great, however, that only specially chosen and trained sorcerers may direct their fury. Those who know of the tower’s purpose see it as a great honor to be chosen as a Sentinel. Once magically linked to the focusing crystal, the sorcerer’s life is tied to it permanently; they will spend the rest of their existence as a living weapon of the Quinarians, protecting their people and land until their last breath. For the first time in recorded history, both Sentinels had to be replaced at the same time. During the Demon Wars, the threat to the Quinarians was so great that both willingly poured their essence into the crystals, vaporizing scores of demons before succumbing to the incredible drain on their bodies.
Culture
The Quinarian society runs on a class system, where one’s worth is determined primarily by blood and family, but to a lesser extent personal accomplishment can change this. Ruled by the Cyeos royal family from their castle in Archadia, the next step down from them is made up of their functional nobility, those that oversee individual cities and important organizations within their kingdom. Under the advisors and retainers to the royal family, the master artisans and sorcerers live comfortable but busy lives, furthering their research or craft. At the bottom of this system sits the laborers and all other citizens. Most of these elves will spend their lives working to barely support themselves and their families, although many will enter into a contract with a higher family to work as servants. These individuals are looked down upon and treated poorly, almost all of them never able to work their debt to their employing family off. As a people, Quinarians all possess a connection to the arcane, requiring magic in their bodies almost as a physical need. Normally the Weave, as it exists normally, is enough to keep the elves satisfied, however some elves increase the need for energy by improperly using it, and thus the Weave Crystal trade was born. Because of a Quinarian’s physiology, they are more connected to the Weave than most other creatures, allowing them to see and harvest Weave Crystals. These crystals themselves are physical growths of arcane energy, and can be used in various ways to supplement the natural arcane energy in the world, allowing those afflicted by a higher need the ability to feed their growing addiction.
Holidays
Keryth’rina (Memoriam)- On February 20th of each year, both Sylvan and High Elves reverently reflect upon the Old Age, and the fall of the Elven Kingdom at the hands of Uelrog and his armies. It is said over half of the large population of Elves were massacred that day, and candles are lit in windows as well as floated out into the Bay of Lune in remembrance of not only those deaths, but all civilian deaths that have occurred due to war and conflict. While the 20th of the Month is the pinnacle of the festival, the elves celebrate all month long in honor of the strife they endured both leading up to and after the massacre.
Firel’menoth (Rejuvenation)- Beginning the first week of June, Quinarians celebrate the Weave and all that it has given them. While High Elves all over the world will take part in hosting or attending celebrations of magic, nowhere is this more prevalent than at the arcane college within Ire’Heavens. Sorcerers work to amplify the magic surrounding the city to a nearly palpable level, residents and visitors enjoying luxuries of arcane nature not seen outside of this celebration. Feasts imbued with Weave Crystals, grandiose displays of arcane talent, and performances in honor of the Weave are all common occurrences during this week of celebration.
Religious Beliefs
Quinarians are generally not known to be a highly religious race, about half of their population being too busy with their studies to turn their eyes on the divine. However those who do hold faith are split by their class.
In their general search for knowledge and mastery of arcane energy, some of the highest class Quinarians turn quietly to Malyc, focusing less on the darker aspects of the religion and more on the fact that Malyc was a Quinarian Sorcerer turned God; a process that many of the highest sorcerers of Quinaria would secretly hope to one day replicate themselves. Most had pursued this religion with a guarded cult like secrecy, however as time passess and the world changes, others have begun to show no inhibition of judgement and will praise openly.
The vast masses of middle class Quinarians are split between worshiping either no god or Chronicler. Devotion to Chronicler is seen as a way to advance their already innate skill at study and logical thinking.
Those of the lowest classes, especially those elves indentured to nobility, sometimes turn to Galladel in seek of hope that their spirit in the afterlife will be more fulfilling than their life on Arawyn.
Political Relations
The kingdom of Quinarian maintains peaceful relationships with most other races, although they have become more secluded and scrutinizing of potential allies since the passing of the Demon Wars. Negotiations with Gaaldron are always tense, and they outright refuse to deal with their underground-dwelling cousins, the Ilythiiri. Selendrians are seen as traditional allies, though many Quinarians look down on them as misguided for their lack of arcane talent. Quinarian is likely to trade in luxury or arcane goods, showing off their elegant craftsmanship wherever possible in an effort to impress trading partners.
Notable Figures
Merelian Cyeos- The current monarch of Quinarian. Chosen as successor by her mother before the previous ruler’s death at the hands of Xualla, Merelian is her spitting image. Many of the lower class Quinarians were hopeful that the sudden change of leadership would prove beneficial to the land, they were disheartened to see that Merelian not only embraced her mother’s coldness but rather embodied it, transitioning almost seamlessly into her new position, advisors and other nobility barely noticing the change except in name.
Aubron Elandor- Seen as a hero by some, a criminal by others. Aubron holds the current title of First Blade, an honorific given to the commander of Quinarian’s military force. During the Demon War, it was ultimately his command to raze Alathadaria, sacrificing the Quinarians remaining in the city to deprive the demons of a potential stronghold during the earliest stages of the invasion. While this decision was widely respected, preventing the demons from capturing the city intact, others believe more effort should have been given to reclaim or evacuate the city, seeing the sacrifice of fellow elves unacceptable and cruel.
Zaelir Firanelis- Seen as a traitor by the higher classes, Zaelir nearly succeeded in leading a revolt against the nobility of Fae’Loreliegh, temporarily crippling the flow of Weave Crystals to the entire nation by inciting unrest and even riots in the production facilities. Though spoken of with disgust by many Quinarians of note, Zaelir gained the reputation of a hero amongst the workers and kinder-hearted, especially within his own city. The revolt nearly succeeded, in fact many of his supporters say it would have sparked a complete overturn of the ruling classes, had support from Archadia not arrived so quickly to pacify the riots.
Folklore
Arcane Deprivation- Spoken of mostly in whispers, the common elves of Quinaria rumor that Queen Cyeos has a special form of interrogation that she saves for uncovered traitors. Lesser nobility will suddenly vanish on occasion, unseen for weeks at a time, before returning like nothing ever happened, save for a slight tremor and a pained look from time to time. The rumors tell that those taken by the Queen’s guards are imprisoned, their need for energy amplified by strange rituals, and then denied any relief from their arcane addiction for various lengths of time. The effect this has on Quinarians is easy to see, as their body almost begins to look starved, and they are beset by nervous tics and severe headaches within a few days. As days turn into weeks, the subjects are said to do nearly anything to ease the pain and toll this takes on their bodies.
Maiden Heights- Now ruins sitting at the northern coast of Quinaria, the city of Maiden Heights was the site of a major disaster for the Quinarian people some time in the Third Age. Because of the instability of the Weave and sorcery, there was a terrible accident that destroyed the entirety of the city, the blast reaching even damaging nearby settlements with the force. While some survivors moved away from the site and founded Fae’Loreliegh, the majority of elves calling the city home were killed in the explosion or the resulting collapse. As the legend goes, a sorcerer greedy for power attempted to follow in Malyc’s footsteps, commanding the energy of the Weave to turn himself into a god. While it seemed for a moment that he had succeeded, the sorcerer’s body overloaded with arcane power, instead causing a collapse of the Weave around him, turning much of the city to rubble in an instant.
Kir’oth- Used as a scary story for Quinarian children far from the major cities, the creatures known as “kir’oth” stalk the dark, quiet forests and mountains. These incredibly rare beasts are said to hunt alone, favoring lone travelers or small camps. Though the exact descriptions differ from story to story, they are always said to be huge, easily fifteen feet long, cat-like hunters, with long, eyeless faces. Survivors of kir’oth attacks say that they do not eat their kills immediately, though none stay around long enough to observe what happens after the attack. On rare occasion, travelers have said to come across a previous kill of a kir’oth, saying that the dried, husk-like body remains after they drain every last bit of magic from their prey.
