Seridane Allegiance

SERIDANE ALLEGIANCE

  • Words: From the Wild, back to the Wild 
  • Colors: All natural shades of brown, green,  grey
  • Symbol: The Seridane Rose, in gold/yellow
  • Patron: Elvenar Pantheon (Seridane deity) 
  • Cultural Majority: Gael’Dar
  • Leader: The Council of Nine Leaves
  • Seat: Erethril

Seridane was a mighty nation brought low by religious strife. 

Thousands of years ago, shortly after the elves were exiled from the realm of Faerie, 4 of the elves who would eventually be known as Gael’Dar attempted a massive ritual to break the Veil between worlds and ascend to godhood. They failed. 

Their ritual remained incomplete, and instead those 4 became the beings known as the Ancestors, protectors of the Gael’Dar people. 

In 111 AR, the 4 Ancestors who had watched over the Gael’Dar people for millennia were destroyed when 7 of the Heroes of the Golden Phoenix attempted to complete the aeons-old ritual and turn the Ancestors into gods. They too failed, and the Ancestors died as a result. However, the ritual was successful, after a fashion. 

A new deity was made, and a new realm in the Otherworld was crafted, but the fallout from this act has changed the Gael’Dar and the political entity of Seridane forever.  Like a caterpillar entering a cocoon, Seridane shrunk into itself, and what has emerged in the last decade is wholly new, and beautiful in its own way– and as dangerous as it is lovely. 

  • Seridane are cunning, self-sustaining, and prepared. They always have a plan, and always have a backup plan. 
  • They believe the Elvenar will lead their people into prosperity, but cannot do so without mortal intervention. “The gods help those who help themselves.”  
  • They value the wisdom of their ancestors, but understand this is a new era of wide-open possibilities. 
  • They build groups of tightly-bound, loyal compatriots; Seridane is, at its core, a gathering of many small groups moving together. 
  • They fight for the future of their people, and the ability to make history on a scale hitherto unknown. 

In 146 AR, Seridane capital (both political and religious) is the former coastal city of Erethril; they also control 3 trading camps on the borders of their land, named Osmelume (oss-MELL-loo-may), Syvenaes (SIV-enn-ays), and Ysgaroth (EES-guh-ROTH).  Many other nearby settlements and resources are unclaimed by any Allegiance.  

SERIDANE HISTORY

  • The new god  (also called Seridane, founder of the Elvenar pantheon) changed everything; the religion and its priests has changed the Gael’Dar people, changed the culture of the nation, and ultimately caused Avelorn War. 
  • 116 AR: After the truce with Avelorn (see that Allegiance history), with no royalty to lead them, an attempted coup by one of the remaining noble houses prompts the Seridane Gael’Dar to radically transform their government. While still acknowledging the Crystal Throne and the Queen of Seridane as the ultimate authority, since there is no Queen, rulership passes to a High Council of nine elected Councilors, each associated with a different kind of tree found within the Nightmare Wood. 
    • The Council of Nine Leaves are elected to a 5 year term, with a rotating group of  3 Councilors each election. 
    • No Councilor of Nine Leaves may serve 2 terms sequentially in the same position. 
  • 126 AR: With the spread of the Red Death, the Gael’dar begin fiercely guarding their territory from ferals and other hostiles. Border markings become more clear, as does the physical delineation of where the Gael’Dar’s magical botany begins. 
    • Banners hang from trees decorated with bones and clear warnings to stay out. Rumors of ritual hunting parties patrolling the border circulate widely.
    • Multiple trading settlements on the borders of Seridane are abandoned, leaving only 3. Gael’Dar are forbidden to settle in these locations. Instead, seasonal towns spring up every few months of tents and wagons and other impermanent structures where fierce trading is had for a few weeks, until the town disappears from the map until next season. 
  • 130 AR (winter): Massive earthquakes off the western coast caused widespread destruction all throughout Seridane and along the western seaboard. 
    • As the snows thawed, it became clear that the western coast of Seridane had been extended by a huge distance– the new coastline was more than 100 miles west of where it had previously been. 
    • Every mile of the land raised from the ocean was fertile and lush; the Nightmare Wood extended to cover it rapidly, growing by miles every year. 
    • The destruction of the Seridane city of Erethril had already begun during the Avelorn War, and the earthquakes finished it; nearly every building in the city was destroyed. The Gael’Dar, stubborn and clinging to their history, immediately began rebuilding. 
  • 132 AR: Erethril is still the capital, but much of the business of the kingdom now travels with the Throne itself as the Crystal Court moves periodically from place to place within the Nightmare Wood. The Crystal Court moves seemingly at random, but the Priests of Seridane appear to have some kind of divination method that allows them to know when the time is right to uproot the Court and move. 
  • 131 AR: A group of Mor’Leth several hundred strong settle on the edge of the Old Capital of Caliduin, working hard to cleanse the demon-infested ruins. 
    • With the growing ferocity and wildness of the Gael’dar, the Mor’Leth focus on reclaiming what has been lost in the ruins of the First Capitol, both in terms of culture and lost magics. 
    • Any outside of Seridane who wish to join the community must navigate the Nightmare Woods to get there, which becomes in itself a trial of membership; eventually it grows into a small but diverse group of hardy and courageous explorers, treasure hunters, and historians.  
  • 135 AR: After decades of slow change, political equilibrium comes to Seridane under the Nine Great Trees.  
    • Under each member of the Council of Nine Leaves, a sect developed consisting of the members of several biological families banding together for common good. As time progresses, these sects begin to contest one another and wield political power towards their goals. Each is named after a tree of the Nightmare Wood, and takes their spiritual cues from that type of tree. 
      • Ash: sacrifice, magical ability, and higher awareness. Many Wyrdcasters come from Ash Sect. 
      • Aspen: Ancestry and heritage, community and family. Many of the best Speakers come from Aspen sect. 
      • Beech: Tolerance, patience, and careful words. Many diplomats and priests of Seridane come from Beech Sect. 
      • Cedar: Healing, Cleansing, and Protection. Many Hearthmages and Scholars are of Cedar.
      • Dragonwood: Power, determination, and eternal life. Many Scholars and mighty Champions come from Dragonwood sect. 
      • Elder: New life, Renewal and the fairy realm. Elder is the home of many Faerie Pact warlocks, tied to the Seelie Fae. 
      • Hawthorn: Guardianship, strength, and defense. Many of the best Champions come from Hawthorn sect. 
      • Oak: Perseverance, stability, and planning. Many of the best Makers come from Oak sect. 
      • Yew: The cycle of Death and Rebirth, change, and eternity. Many Shamans come from Yew sect. 
    • Once the Nine Sects resolve themselves, much of the old Gael’Dar culture and custom finds its way into that structure– adoption and fostering most especially. 
  • 140 AR and Beyond
    • The Circle of Nine Leaves seeks to repair the wounds of the Avelorn War, and uncover many of the mysteries laying before their people.  
  • CURRENT CONCERNS: 
    • Discover the truth behind the disappearance of the Crystal Throne.
    • Uncover the secrets of the Old Capitol of Caliduin. What magics does it hide, and what dangers to Seridane? Is the Demon Door truly closed? 
    • Why has there been no new Queen chosen?
    • What caused the coastline to extend 100 miles into the ocean? What secrets have been uncovered by the sea floor rising into the sunlight? 
    • The next election will be held in 148 AR, when the Oak, Elder, and Dragonwood Councilors term is finished

MAP: 

  • Green is Seridane
  • Dark Green (north) is Cameliard (neutral)
  • Light Blue is Gwent (neutral) 
  • Dark Red is Khaz Agrulbar (neutral)
  • Red (southeast) is Benwyck (neutral)  
  • Tan is unclaimed settlements