[hider=Heavenly Empire of Yllendthyr]
[center][h1][b][color=662d91]Heavenly Empire of Yllendthyr[/color][/b][/h1][img]https://i.imgur.com/OOTKYLe.png[/img][h2][b][color=662d91]Menel Ndor en'Yllendthyr[/color][/b][/h2][/center]

[h2][b][color=662d91][u]General Overview[/u][/color][/b][/h2][b][color=662d91]Official Name:[/color][/b] Menel Ndor en'Yllendthyr (Heavenly Empire of Yllendthyr)
[b][color=662d91]Common Name:[/color][/b] Yllendthyr (internally also often referred just as Ymherodraeth or the Empire)
[b][color=662d91]Preferred Demonym:[/color][/b] Yllendlen (plural: Ylendlin)
[b][color=662d91]Government:[/color][/b] Feudalist Imperial Parliamentary Theocracy
[b][color=662d91]Leader:[/color][/b] Ymherastareth - Iallril Iorthoniith Isyranshara en'Yllendthyr
[b][color=662d91]Dominant Species:[/color][/b] Elf (nationality-wise they call themselves Yelinor or "high elves")
[b][color=662d91]Population:[/color][/b] 24,882,941 (according to the last census)
[b][color=662d91]Area:[/color][/b] 1,407,492 square kilometers of land, 8,623,892 square kilometers of territorial waters
Yllendthyr used to be a faraway collection of islands ruled by the equally eccentric Yelinor (high elves). They've spent millennia in relative isolation, only making the bare minimum of outside contact. Eventually their growing population forced them to expand and in about 250 years ago they began taking over other nations at the shores. After centuries of conquest Yllendthyr is now an empire controlling most of the Median Sea. They rule over many different cultures and species, ironically making them a minority within their own empire.

[hider=Claim - Purple at the left][img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/449157117056909312/449690811446329345/NW_Yllendthyr.jpg[/img]
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[h2][b][color=662d91][u]Demographics Overview[/u][/color][/b][/h2]
Out of the nearly 25 million subjects the empire only a bit more than two million are elves. More than half of the population are humans, mostly in the continental regions. Other races within the empire include fairies, dwarves, orcs, trolls and even centaurs. Elves of course enjoy special status and reputation within the empire with all other species viewed as secondary. Fairies are closely aligned with Yllendlen elves and often become their personal attendants. Another large group remained on their islands under the rule of their Queen, they are rarely seen by outsiders. Dwarves enjoy relative autonomy under Yllendthyr's rule and retained most of their old laws. Those who had left their mountain holds often work as traders or mercenaries but there are an increasingly common sight of dwarven craftsmen in major cities. Trolls have their own tribal communities who swear fealty to Yllendthyr. Their life is mostly unchanged albeit trolls in mercenary groups or working in cities are slowly becoming a trend. Humans and and to a lesser extend orcs form the chief portion of Yllendthyr. Unlike most other species that chiefly remained in their isolated autonomous communities they are ruled by elvish lords and government structure. Most centaurs live in the wilderness under semi-nomadic tribal communities that generally only support Yllendthyr in military matters.

Yllendthyr's official religion is the Arvandor which believes in the creator and supreme god Ao whose myriad of Aiurons sang together to shape the world. In practice Arvandor is loose with the definition of what Aiurons are and is willing to accept any other deity as part of their ever growing pantheon of entities. This effectively made way for religious freedom so long clergy of these faiths submit to the Arvandor priesthood and pay lip service to them. Of course the long term goal is assimilation of foreign faiths, another step for Yllendthyr to keep these regions under control.
[hider= The Archpriestess - Iallril Iorthoniith Isyranshara en'Yllendthyr][img]https://i.pinimg.com/564x/33/a0/a8/33a0a8fbf78acd9cceca9b2d38781aa0.jpg[/img]
Ymherastareth (Hierophantissa-Empress) of Yllendthyr she's the ruler of land and religion within the Empire. Her beautiful appearance radiates purity and charisma not marred with even the passage of centuries. Thanks to this she's revered as a saint in Yllendthyr and even the highest nobles serve her with blind loyalty. She's a powerful sorceress if not the most powerful magic user within the Empire. As the archpriestess her duty is also that of prophecy and interpreting the Arvandor's will. As such Iallril commands frightening power in Yllendthyr even without a single soldier or peasant directly serving her. Without ever raising her voice the nobility jumps at the opportunity to fulfill her commands. It goes without saying that Iallril is quite politically active and is considered a charming yet shrewd negotiator. Under her rule Yllendthyr had become surprisingly proactive by Yelinor standards, turning from an isolated archipelago into one of the major powers in the continent. Of course not even Iallril is safe from critique and with her growing fame so sprung up rumors of her cruelty and two faced behavior. Of course no loyal Yllendlen would believe any of these lies and they keep her image on a high pedestal.
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[h2][b][color=662d91][u]Magic Overview[/u][/color][/b][/h2]
Yelinor, especially those who had born on Yllendost, consider magic as "life" or part of their nature. Yelinor children are always taught about magical arts and the empire has a well-oiled institutionized system for magic learning. Enchantments are somewhat pricey yet widespread in the realm with alchemy, spellsmithing and other arts experiencing their golden age. That being said this doesn't make every high elf into a magic prodigy nor they have millions of skilled mages. The average Yelinor only knows a few convenient cantrips or spells required for their profession. Mages are still quite valued and are relatively uncommon in Yllendlen employ. While it can be seen almost anywhere Yllendthyr has a fairly tight gasp on magic knowledge, tied to their faith, government or even the military. Being connected to their government is usually the best way to learn magic and this gives them an additional leverage. It also propagates the idea of magic and the state being almost synonymous to each other. Magic power in Yllendthyr is equivalent to the government's authority and magic users of the state always command respect.

One thing is for sure, magic knowledge is institutionalized by the Empire and it has a firm gasp over it. While there are always other, less noble ways to learn the ways of arcane the government and religion supported forms are so dominant the message is very clear: "Serve us and you can use magic. The power of spells is synonymous with the power of Arvandor and the Empire". This also has a quite interesting attitude to magecraft and sorcery, it commands respect. The use of magic often implies imperial authority and it's both respected and feared by the general populace. To reinforce this Yllendthyr have constructed a large network of Sorcery Towers, finely decorated lone watchtowers looking over a town or important piece of land supposedly with a powerful magic user at the top who can see all their misdeeds and punish them. Of course this is just overblown rumors and while magic users can indeed station these towers they are for defensive purposes rather than serving as an all seeing omnipotent eye. Yet thanks to the reputation of magic within the Empire the very presence of these towers manage to keep people in line.
[hider=Wonder - Yllumírë]
The Shining Star of Yllendthyr, the empire's crown jewel, religious icon and symbol of their authority. A holy tower carved out of a tall mountain and decorated by shiny Yaksa mirrors. Yllumírë is the capital and religious central of Yllendthyr. On its top rests a holy device casting a twinkling light anywhere within the reaches of the empire. Given the distance of the horizon such feat should be impossible and as such it can be suspected to be magical. The function of the holy device is a mystery and aside from the inner circle of the Rmpire knows if Yllumírë has any practical purpose aside from serving as an icon to their might. As a holy city any aggression or wield of arms is forbidden within its confines. Astirith, the holy guardians are the only exception whose duties include safeguarding the relic, protect the Arvandor faith and upholding order within the city.
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[h2][b][color=662d91][u]Technological Overview[/u][/color][/b][/h2]
By medieval standards Yllendthyr is a relatively rich and well-developed nation, especially in its core islands and major cities. The previously fragmented countries came under a singular government and its expansive trade network which gave a tremendous boost to the region's economy. Industry-wise guilds are thriving thanks to the unified government oversight and increasing number of procedures include spellcraft for better results. In a world dominated by monocultural and often even monoracial countries Yllendthyr has the advantage in learning procedures and arts previously exclusive to only a certain species. While special agreements are made to forbid the deepest secrets of orc, dwarvish and other racial magic knowledge the fruits of previously isolated research fields had a noticeable effect. Gunpowder, previously only common in dwarvish nations, is particularly rising in popularity. Yllendthyr even developed their own variant called Súmál which is more pure and can have varying noises depending on the "gun instrument" you use. Spellsmiths who use magic to better forge metals allow the refinement of a variety of metals. While this art is common in elvish communities it became truly widespread in Yllendthyr. The Empire also have a strange interest towards flight and gryffnn/griffin riders are common as both for travel and messaging. They even developed special carriages drawn by griffins for better transport. At the pinnacle of air transport is the skyship using the combination of unique materials, enchantments and direct usage of spells. They are quite expensive and difficult to steer, as such only aristocrats and the military can afford them. Yet that only makes them appear all the more magnificent.


[h2][b][color=662d91][u]Military Overview[/u][/color][/b][/h2]
All state soldiers in Yllendthyr are elves, preferably Yelinor. This of course limits the size of their army but also concentrates more power in the hands of the dominant race who would be otherwise outnumbered. Their most common soldiers are the rangers (Ceidwad) who are living a semi-nomadic lifestyle of patrolling the realm and ambushing all who trespass or otherwise go against the Empire. Yelinor culture dissuades meaningless sacrifices and don't consider standing around in stiff battle lines a viable tactic. Instead they avoid direct confrontations as much as possible, preferring to wear down their enemies through attrition and constant skirmishes. When they must fight head-on, like most elves, Yllendthyr relies on constructs. They are called the Onqára (stone monks) and they are available in relatively large quantities. When offense is considered the Yllendlen military is all about speed and mobility, preferring to launch lightning fast raids with their elite Gryffn riding air cavalry. As gifted in magic, Yllendthyr has an unusually large ratio of spellcasters. Enchanters are the most numerous who boosts armaments, tinker on the field and perform duties similar to combat engineers. Priests are also common who cast supportive spells and most importantly can use magic to cure various wounds and aliments. Battle mages are relatively rare but they can be sorts of comparable to artillery. Speaking of which Yllendthyr is one of the first elvish nations to adopt gunpowder, making cannons and even rocketry a common sight in their battles. Personal firearms in comparison are a bit lacking and gunners usually form troupes who consider their art equal fight and musical performance. Yllendthyr in general is enamored with the idea of a good battle also pleasing to the ears and they often use sounds to their own benefit.


[h2][b][color=662d91][u]Naval Overview[/u][/color][/b][/h2]Yllendthyr is well-renowned for their naval might and known to operate over a thousand warships. Their most iconic naval vessels are the Swanships (Alphcayr). These small and swift vessels equal sailing cutters and they can be found almost anywhere within the Empire's reach. Faster than any other sailship and surprisingly agile, Swanships achieve this in part at the sacrifice of power. On paper both Swanships and even larger Yllendlen warships appear weak, lacking the throw weight of human vessels. Yet it fits Yllendthyr's doctrine just fine and many admirals found their demise at chasing elvish ships only to be worn down and annihilated as the result. Larger warships are called Eardil ("loved by the sea") and can be considered Yllendthyr's ships of the line. Although per human terminology they are closer to early modern era frigates and cruisers in firepower than dedicated battle vessels. Yet their sheer numbers and unique Yllendlen tactics make them a formidable threat.
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