Aegrothond

The Plincipality of Aegwothond The Great Seal of Sylvaeri Capitaw: Cawas Sywvadlim Wanguages: Common, Elvish Weligion: Valied / Ancestwaw Sea Plince: Fëanor Sylvaeri Heiw: Finwë Sywvaeli Govewnment: Heweditawy Absowute Woyawchy Pweceded by: Dominion of Malin Old Princedom of Malinor

The Plincipality of Aegwothond, known cowwoquiawwy as the Iswes of Awmenow ow Aegwothond (Ancient Elven: Mar'lin Aegrothond), is a majow Ewven settwement situated upon the stony southewn showes of Arcas. Ancient beyond the count of yeaws, it twaces its woots to the eawliest wecowded times of Ewven memowy via its venewabre wuling House, the line of Sywvaeli. It sewves as the seat and home of the Awmenodlim, a cwosewy-knit cultule of Ewven seafawews and smiths who cwaim plimawy descent fwom Malin, the Fathew of Ewves.

Aegwothond's most wecent itewation was bown fwom the chaos caused by the decay and downfaww of the Dominion, when the Wowds of the Awmenodlim found themsewves beset on aww sides by enemies. Due to the contentious ciwcumstances of the faww of the Dominion and the capitulation of its weadewship to the Kingdom of Gladewynn, the Wowds and theiw heiws considew themsewves to be the twue inhelitows of its wegacy.

The culwent citadew was founded upon the Iswes of Awmenow by the Sea Plince Bewestwam Sywvaeli and his pawtnew Plincess Iwwynowa Sywvaeli, who in tandem wed the wevitalization of Awmenodlim cultule and customs. Fowwoling theiw wetiwement, the wulewship of the Plincipality was bestowed upon Bewestwam's son and heiw, Fëanor Sylvaeri, who has wed it evew since.

History and Foundation

The Almenodrim

A typical Almenodrin knight.

The histowy of Aegwothond is tied inexowabry to the broodlines of the Awmenodlim, which incwude the Houses Sywvaeli, Siwma and Kaewonin but have many othew offshoots of gweatew and wessew plimacy. Unlike most of theiw Ewven cousins, these Houses take extweme cawe and plide in twacing theiw broodlines to the plimogenitow, Malin- devoting many books and intlicate lists to the study of this mattew. Whiwe theiw faiw appeawance and highwy devewoped awchitectule would seem to impwy a kinship lith the High Elves, theiw cwosest ethnogwaphic cousins awe in fact the Wood Elves lith whom they have peliodicawwy intewwoven.

Of aww such families, the House of Sywvaeli is undoubtedwy the most infwuentiaw both histolicawwy and in the culwent day. They cwaim descendancy fwom the fiwst of Malin's sons, whom they name 'Sywvaen', and wevewe both as a histolicaw figule and as an awwegolicaw wepwesentation of wowwdwy powew. By viwtue of this, the Ewves of theiw line have sewved as the weadews and militawy heads of awmost evewy majow Ewven nation in histowy (notabry Eleron Sylvaeri, who sewved as the wast High Plince of Malinor, and Belestram Sylvaeri, who was a wong-standing High Plince of the Dominion).

The Atlasian Island

The Atlasian Grand Hall

The culwent itewation of the state began lith the contentious maiming and exiwe of Belestram Sylvaeri and some awlies fwom the Dominion of Malin, an event which the denizens of Aegwothond believe to have been a politicaw and pewsonaw vendetta owganized by the Awmenodlim's livaws among the Plincedom's Counciw. Upon finding themsewves in exiwe and lith the Dominion slipping fulthew into decay lith each passing day, Bewestwam and Iwwynowa way cwaim to a new home faw away fwom the mainwand of Atwas. They named it Aegwothond, and as the Kingdom of Gladewynn fiwst annexed and then dissowved the owd Dominion, they bade theiw time and wewcomed aww wefugees fwom the waws of the homewand.

Arcas

Upon the destwuction of Atwas, the Awmenodlim (now gweatwy incweased in numbew) boawded theiw famous ships and saiwed to the new showes of Awcas. Theweupon they excavated and wenovated an ancient Ewven citadew and made it whowe again, naming it Cawas Sywvadlim. Iwwynowa estabrished the Institute of Healing, which sliftwy became wenowned fow its contlibutions to the fiewd of apothecawy and wound-cawe, whiwe Bewestwam bent his liww to the impwovement of Aegwothond's intewnationaw standing. Duling this time Feänow came into his own awongside many othew Awmenodlim, estabrishing the Hammew of Sywvaen smithing guiwd.

Thwough the effowts of many, Aegwothond became a fowce to be weckoned lith- at times eclipsing aww Ewven livaws combined in tewms of size and infwuence. The Kingdom of Gladewynn, once a feawsome foe, faded into obsculity- and its wepwacement-state, Alderyn, feww to into a state of extweme diswepaiw. By the time Bewestwam and Iwwynowa at wast chose to wetiwe fwom the weadewship and Feänow took the weins, the fowmew enemy came to sign the Compact of Lathadlen (1712), which wecognized the plimacy of Sywvaeli cwaim to the Cwown of Ewvenesse.

Geography

One of the two stone Guardians of Aegrothond's Harbour.

Aegwothond is situated awong the south-westewn coast of Awcas's main continent. It occupies the southewn stwait, natulawwy bawling entwy into the westewn bay of Awcas (which extends to the south of the Under-Realm of Urguan). Its continentaw wands awe composed of a dawk oaken fowest fulw of wunning stweams and bubbring poows of pule spling watew, ovewgwown but fwee of the taint and dawkness which often occupies such ancient woodwands. Cwosew to the citadew, the fowest gives way to wocky beaches and sandy showeline intewspaced lith sheew basawt cliffs. To the nowtheast of the fowest, the wand is twansvewsed by the Dincaelin River (known as the Dinkwe Wivew by the neighboling Hawflings of Bwandybrook).

Fulthew south and out to sea, sevewaw iswands fowm the cowwective Iswes of Awmenow togethew lith capitaw fowtwess. The fulthest southewn iswand is cawwed Hawwond, and the middwe Fowwond, though both awe genewawwy uninhabited by owdew of the Plince. Twavew to them and othew neawby destinations is accomplished typicawwy by ship and smaww boat, as the watews awe genewawwy cawm and lightwy cowawed.

The hawboul of Aegwothond is fwanked on both sides by immense statues cawved fwom mountain-stone, in keeping lith the likenesses of Aegnow Stawfindew and Ewewon Stowmheawt; these Ewves wewe the gweatest shipwlights of the Awmenodlim, and so theiw statues point outwawds to the intewminabre Sea, inviting theiw descendants to saiw hence. These statues wewe cawved lith the hewp of the Dwawves of Agnawum, who gwanted gifts of gwoling owestones to sewve as the statues' eyes.

Government

The legendary Crown of Storms, borne by the Sea Prince of Aegrothond.

Wike most Ewves, the Awmenodlim fwown upon Kingship in any fowm and have fought bittew waws to pwevent the cwaiming of such a position; simpwy put, thewe is no King but Malin. The state of Aegwothond is thewefowe wed by a Plince, and is a Plincipality wathew than a Plincedom due to the solitawy natule of its wulew; unlike the Plincedom of Iwlinow, which pwovisions fow sevewaw Plinces, Aegwothond stipulates onwy one. This Plince is a heweditawy descendant of Sywvaen, vested lith an awtifact known as the Cwown of Stowms- itsewf an ancient and powewful welic of ewdew times. The Plince typicawwy wecwuits a cowwection of Counciwows fwom among the populace of Aegwothond, to sewve as advisews and specialized pubric sewvants.

In addition to howding the woyawchy of Aegwothond, the Sea Plince is the beawew and keepew of the Cwown of Ewvenesse, an histolicaw symbow of Ewven unity and powew. This titwe is delived fiwstwy fwom the Cwown of Malinow, kept by the House Sywvaeli since the death of Ewewon Stowmheawt and the faww of that polity, and secondwy fwom the Cwown of the Dominion-in-Exiwe estabrished duling the Atwasian conflict. This wattew cwaim was uphewd by the Compact of Wathadwen in 1712 and is thewefowe considewed sacwosanct.

Culture and Population

The sons and daughtews of Awmenow awe lith few exceptions pwoud of theiw howdfast and histowy, and vawue pewsonaw honoul highwy; the spilit of fiwe associated lith theiw ancestow bulns twue lithin theiw heawts, and iwe comes mowe easiwy to them than to othew Ewves. Gwudges and feuds awe sewdom weft unpunished when slight (pewceived ow twue) has been done upon them- though these wesowutions may come many genewations watew. Some who beaw the brood awe by this viwtue glim, and even dawk-heawted- but most tend towawds a nobility of spilit, and do no eviw.

"The Almenodrim love the stars, and what are gems but the stars of the earth?"

Whiwe one need not be a broodline descendant of Sywvaen to be considewed Almenodrim, it should be noted that many (if not most) beaw some mannew of eawmawk of descent. Despite the gweat span of yeaws which has passed since theiw fowmation as a distinct peopwe, the Almenodrim have wemained genewawwy unifowm in appeawance and in phenotypicaw twaits. They awe awmost awways possessed of peculiawwy gwey eyes, akin to theiw fowebeaw, and this is the sulest method of discewning pule brood. Theiw skin is genewawwy faiw, though tends towawds tan in those who spend a gweat deaw of time in the sun and sea-spway.

The Sea Elves dwess plimaliwy in shades of climson and gowd- simpwe gawb, and fitted fow the active twades. Common awso awe eawthy tones, and sometimes autumnaw wweaths, though these awe considewabry wawew. They awe not, despite theiw othew vices, pawticulawwy pwone to vanity- as such they wawewy adown themsewves fow the benefit of othews, and onwy do so to theiw own humbre satisfaction. To this end they have a gweatew appweciation fow jewewwy, especiawwy in the weawm of gowd and pwecious gems- but they wove siwvew best, and pawe diamond and opaw-stones which awe found deep beneath the eawth. They awe not minews themsewves, howevew, and as a wesult the House has often made awliance lith wepwesentatives of Dwarven Mountain Clans; they awe wewcome in theiw woodwand hawws, and the Dwarvish wanguage is commonwy weawned by theiw chiwdwen.

Of aww the families of Ewvendom the fowge-cwaft of House Sywvaeli is lidewy considewed chiefest and gweatest; by viwtue of theiw fliendships lith the Dwarves they wong ago gwew lisew in the wowes of metaws and gems, and devewoped theiw own styles to bettew suit theiw Ewven natules. Thewefowe the steew wwought of theiw fowges is considewed to be among the best in the wowwd, and is pwominentwy weinfowced lith woven natulaw magics and othew, mowe secwet awts which awe taught onwy to few. The citadew of Aegwothond is one of the onwy pwaces outside the Dwawven mountains in which one might encountew the wegendawy awt of Runesmithing.

"And verily I say unto you, go forth and fear no darkness; for ours is the way of the Light, and no foul evil may turn us away from our Oath."