Joint-Kingdom of Belmorn
Current Leader/Government: King Marhorn Dryadson I (Elven) and Queen Alistine III (Human)
Settlements Owned: 2
Provinces Owned: 2
Population: 79,000 humans/45,000 Elves/10,000 Half-Elves
Standing Army: - <Glade Watchers>/<600 Elves>/<????????><Morale 100%>
- <Fengarde Militia>/<1,000 Humans>/<Fengarde>/<Morale 70%>
- <The Host of Dryadson>/<3,000 Elven Militia>/<Shireguard (Erimir)>/<Morale 85%>/
- <Rangers of Fengarde>/<600 Rangers>/<Split between the east and southern borders>/<Morale 100%>/
Population Happiness: 65%
Imports: Cattle (Erimir)
Exports: Wheat (Jouria), Lumber (Erimir)
Wealth: Average
Alliances:Trade Pacts:Erimir
Cease Fires: Jouria
Elven Greetings The march had been tough, even by the standard of Belmornian Elves, who are renowned for their love of long trails. The sun was shining, and the bridleways had thankfully remained dry and hard beneath their sandaled feet. Provisions existed in the form of passing trees and undergrowth bearing fruit; much needed arrow reserves were gathered in similar fashion.
Three thousand. Three thousand Elves of Dryadson; a force not seen beyond the bounds of the great King’s realm for many years. Their leaf-green cloaks swamped their thin bodies, but none showed signs of submitting to the heat of the sun. Golden hair flowed wistfully from heavy hoods of bracken, and delicate fingers toiled playfully with spearhead and grindstone.
Many of these Elves had not been this far from Hadelmere in over two hundred years, when they were mere Elflings, and when the world seemed so much brighter and full of promise. Now they were marching to war, neglecting the soft songs of Elven maidens in the beautiful and quiet gardens of their home for the horror of a blood-soaked battlefield. Many had killed before, for five-hundred years was a long life for any mortal, and the Belmorian Elves lived it to fulfilment. In the service of the Emperor, they had been some of his finest skirmishers. The lack of Elven iron covering their fragile bodies, and the crudeness of their longbows and spears spoke volumes when compared to the gear they carried as soldiers of the Empire.
As they neared the edge of Hadelmere Forest, some miles from the last barely-beaten track, they entered the realm of their newly established friends; the Republic of Erimir was a lush land. Less forested, and not quite as green as Belmorn, but full of natural life nonetheless. The landscape unmapped itself before them, and leading down from the dense tree line was a grassy slope that spun its way towards a lonely fortification.
Shireguard was small, even by Elven standards, but it was strong. Fine stonework and wooden palisades made it quite the feat of Halfling military engineering, or so it seemed, but it was far from a formidable fortress. Still, it would serve for a fitting muster point.
King Dryadson rode no horse, for they were unreliable when trekking cross-country. Instead, he marched at the head of his men in a cloak of dark grey that was trimmed with silver. He was tall for an Elf, nearing six-foot, and broad at the shoulders – another unusual feature of an otherwise delicate race. Silver hair flowed from his elaborately embroidered scarlet hood, in sharp contrast to the ever-present golden colours of his kinsmen. His features were chiselled, giving him a somewhat handsome statuesque appearance, and his eyes were icy blue but with an odd accompaniment of warming charm behind them. His skin, though dirtied from the journey, seemed to almost glisten with perfection.
Halfling horns sounded as Dryadson approached Shireguard. He stopped just out of what he presumed to be short bow and sling range, in case the Halflings inside had yet to be informed of his arrival. Behind him, his host stood to rigid attention in two perfect squares. Bows unstrung and spears lowered. Militia may have been the wrong word to describe a hastily militarised Elf.
“I am Marhorn Dryadson, son of Melia, King of Belmorn,” he called. His voice, though soft, glided magnificently across the gap between himself and Shireguard’s parapets. “Myself and my kinsmen come in peace, and we await the arrival of your kin.”
1000+ Exiled For Race CrimeIt has barely been two weeks since the Queen’s coronation, and the announcement of her first Royal Decree, and yet over 1000 humans living within Fengarde have been found guilty of race related crime. From harassing Half-Elves, to murdering an Elven shopkeeper, such crimes have been punished universally with permanent exile from Belmorn under pain of death.
Some people, especially the bereaved of dead victims, have found this justice far too soft. Crowds are gathering in the streets, demanding the death penalty where reasonable, rather than a uniform treatment of exile.
Marched to the Surgo border by the newly formed Rangers, these criminals were forced over the border into the war-ridden failed state. They will likely not return, having fallen victims to the terrible violence there.
It is an odd justice, but the Queen seems reluctant to punish anyone with the death penalty. Furthermore, she seems even more reluctant to rely on courts to decide judgement. Instead the town watch are given on-the-spot discretion, which some believe is a dangerously delicate system vulnerable to corruption. This is an odd policy indeed, and it has not been wasted on the moods of both the people and the gentry, who regard it with bemusement.
For the time being however, the situation within the city is stable, and despite a few crowds gathering outside of official buildings to demand ‘penalties that fit the crime’, law and order remain.
Fengarde Elves Start to ReturnThanks to Queen Alistine III’s compensation upon her coronation, and her obvious no-nonsense attitude when it comes to dealing with racial-unrest, the Elves who fled Fengarde barely three weeks ago have started to return to the city to reclaim their properties.
The Fengarde militia has been deployed to oversee this process, as some officials fear the Elven community may become the target of violence as they attempt to re-enter human society. It is a small step on the road to national reconciliation, but it is at least in the right direction.
