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The Kingdom of Velendaal

Government

Velendaal is an absolute monarchy, ruled by King Iestyn III of the House of Arahael. The house has been the reigning dynasty for over three hundred years, itself a cadet branch of the House of Yllewicks, whose kings were key in the political unification of Velendaal. The House of Arahael is related to the Vyalviur Dynasty by marriage. Empress Madessi herself is an Aurendar, a member of the Arahael line and Iestyn III’s aunt.

When the Kingdom of Velendaal joined the Yllendyr Empire, it was able to secure a special status, Reservatracht. It was allowed to maintain its diplomatic body and its own army, which would be delegated to Yllendyr command in wartime. In matters of foreign policy, Velendaal defers to the Imperium, although it manages its own internal affairs. 

Economy

Velendaal’s adoption of a free trade economy, with open markets and minimal tariffs, has allowed it to thrive as one of the Old World’s foremost economic powers. Contemporary accounting and management practices streamline the operation of large companies. Output, yields and costs are calculated accurately and efficiently with modern systems.

Its efficiently-manufactured, competitively priced goods can compete with and undersell the locally-manufactured goods of foreign markets. Trading contracts, agricultural investments and a sizable merchant fleet enable it to move high volumes of commodities and complete transactions for distant goods with foreign clients in its own cities. Foodstuffs, raw materials and finished goods are imported and re-exported elsewhere throughout the Old World and Yllendyr heartland.

Coal for factory steam engines are moved along a developed system canals and roads. The railway system is a key element in Velendaal’s economy, providing fast, timely and inexpensive transportation of freight and people to cities and most of the country's rural districts. Tens of thousands of personnel are employed by the rail system, and its model has been applied to other industries and small businesses.

A liquid magic alignment bolsters the Velendaal economy by enabling efficient steam and water power and agricultural practices. Mages are high in demand as prospective employees and their specialized role in many job and civil service sectors has carved them a niche in the country’s upper-middle class.

This century has seen a bit of pushback from the working class regarding the desire for better working conditions. Growing political awareness has led to a rise of trade unions and collectives aimed at representing workers and campaigning for their issues. Companies and syndicates are largely under the control of private investors and entrepreneurs, while government is the realm of the aristocracy.  

Demographics

Aurendar elves make up nearly 78% of Velendaal’s population. Elves of other ethnicities, predominantly Yllendyr, are the second-largest demographic at 17%. The remaining 5% is split between indigenous ogroid peoples, humans and other races. Altogether, Velendaal has a population of roughly 44 million. Only the elven population is considered full citizenry.

The Aurendar peoples are the most populous elves in Velendaal. Elves first appeared on its shores around 4,000 years ago. Modern-day Aurendar can trace their origins to these first migrants, as well as the influx of other elven peoples that settled the archipelago throughout its early history. The archetypal Aurendar has a swarthy complexion, stands roughly 5.8 feet tall and has fair or ruddy hair. 

Culture & Religion

Aurendar is the official language of Velendaal, and is spoken by virtually every native-born elf. It shares some linguistic similarities to Yllendyr, but is not considered mutually-intelligible, save for a few loanwords and common nouns. Aurendar is characterized by long, drawn out syllables and hard consonants. Regional dialects are spoken in some provinces, most of which are recognized by Velendaal as minority languages. Yllendyr is the second most widely spoken language and is taught in schools as the lingua franca of the Imperium.

Dionism is the most widespread religion in Velendaal, introduced by sun elf immigrants thousands of years ago. The Disciples of Eluna are the second most populous religion in the country, but have a minimal presence compared to solar religion.

Aurendar generally exhibit a strong national identity of “Velendaal first, Imperium second.” This is due in part to religious differences between Dionist Velendaal and the generally-atheist Yllendyr Heartland. When Velendaal joined the Imperium, Aurendar nationalists wanted Velendaal to remain Dionist. Although this was a source of some tension during the country’s initial merger with Yllendyr, most Aurendar nowadays accept Velendaal as part of the Imperium.

Location

In maroon, south of the Shogunate and west of the Fibor Dynasty.

Climate

Like the Tiagrav Archipelago, Velendaal is a temperate, forested country with distinct warm and cool seasons. The average annual temperature is moderate - about 37℉ to 60℉. Summers are warm and rainy, while the winter season is dry. Broadleaf, conifer and mixed tree ecoregions are present in Velendaal’s biome.  

Military

The Royal Velendaal Army was integrated into the Imperial Army after its annexation. Rather than divvy the army into separate auxilia, its structure was kept largely intact and was organized as a separate wing of the Imperial Army. This was done, in part, to maintain a high esprit de corps among the Aurendar units, but mostly as concession to the Velendaal throne. The army is well-equipped and trained, although is deficient in cavalry, which is used for reconnaissance moreso than combat. 

The standard infantry rifle is the Yllendyr-made Theilmu 96, a magazine-fed bolt-action repeating rifle. The rifle features an internal box magazine, loaded manually or with five-round chargers. The rifle is chambered for the 7.62x54 Theilmu cartridge. A carbine variant exists for cavalry, about twelve inches shorter than the standard rifle. In addition to the carbine, cavalrymen carry sabers of roughly 33 inches, giving them the reach to attack infantry below. 

The Royal Velendaal Navy was likewise folded into the Imperial Navy. The backbone of the fleet is made up of armored cruisers. More light cruisers, corvettes and torpedo boats make up the remainder of the fleet. Velendaal also has a vast merchant cruiser fleet it can call on as auxiliary vessels. Velendaal has a long-standing maritime culture. The early Aurendar were prolific shipbuilders who built and policed networks of oceanic trade lanes. While Velendaal’s navy has traditionally been a defensive force, the Yllendyr’s offensive naval doctrine is studied by Velendaalan officers.

Magic Prevalence/Usage and Elemental Alignment

Velendaal’s magical alignment is liquid, like their Yllendyr cousins. Magic plays an important role in society and is used for a variety of day-to-day tasks. It was the Aurendar who developed the refrigerator by freezing water in closet spaces. The combination of fertile soil and liquid magic has had a profound effect on Velendaal’s agricultural development. Liquid magic is used to counter droughts, irrigate crops, power mills, work steam engines, fight fires and navigate the ocean, among other things. As a result, mages have no trouble finding work as private employees, civil servants or in the armed forces - chiefly the navy. The Velendaal Bureau of Magic oversees the distribution of mages and magical resources at the kingdom’s disposal. It operates institutions for magical education and helps mages find employment. 

History

Velendaal was inhabited by proto-ogroid peoples over a million years ago, estimated by fossils and tools found across the country. They were supplanted by Ogro Sapiens around 40,000 years ago, who developed hunter-gatherer societies and the island’s first civilizations. Elven peoples migrated to Velendaal from the east some 4,000 years ago. As their population spread, they confined the indigenous population to the far reaches of the islands. Many left for Tiagrav and its satellite islands in the east. The elven peoples form the vast majority of Velendaal’s population today. Small kingdoms and villages thrived, thanks to favorable agricultural conditions. Wheat and barley were, and remain, dietary staples. Velendaal fostered inter-island and international trade, especially with dynasties on the Tiagrav Archipelago and Yamato peoples in the north.

Velendaal was not a unified kingdom until the 38th century. It was split into about a dozen kingdoms, open to attack from the sea by raiders and ogroid tribes. Foreign elven peoples also appeared on its shores, consolidating into tribes and petty kingdoms. Several centuries of political maneuvering and internecine warfare saw the Kingdom of Cerewich gain preeminence. It expanded at the expense of the other petty elven and ogroid kingdoms, culminating in the political union of Velendaal. Over the course of the next few centuries, Velendaal suffered minor wars over succession and territorial disputes, but the Yllewicks Dynasty held its grasp on Velendaal’s throne.

Contact between Velendaal and the petty kingdoms of Yllendyr increased during the early 4000s. It fostered a close relationship with the Vyalviur Dynasty, the preeminent ruling family on the peninsula. Elven culture and language formed a bridge between the peoples of both kingdoms, while the idea of a ‘long lost grandeur’ of elven civilization sparked a renaissance throughout the Old World’s elven populations. In the late 47th century, tensions between Velendaal and Lieria over maritime trade and influence escalated into open war. Trade with the Yllendyr Sovereignty, which had recently been united at the end of the Moonrise War, was threatened. Yllendyr entered the war as an ally of Velendaal and their combined fleet achieved a decisive victory at the Battle of Bavogo. Lieria sued for peace following a string of defeats on land and was forced to pay costly reparations for the war’s disruption of trade. At the end of the Yllendyr-Lierian War, the Imperium consolidated its power and Velendaal joined the Yllendyr kingdoms in the interest of a strong, elven nation-state.     

In 4771, the thrones of Velendaal and Yllendyr entered a union with the marriage of King Cynwald’s daughter, Princess Madessi, and Prince Naerzo. This cemented Velendaal’s place within the Imperium and brought the Aurendar and Yllendyr peoples closer together than they’d ever been before. The line of the House of Arahael continued to inhabit the Velendaal throne through Madessi’s brother, Prince Koenwyck IV, and then to King Iestyn III in 4866. When Iestyn took the throne, the Yllendyr Imperium had all but conquered the Old World.
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