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An-Yneaith is the primary human nation within D'hennex, from which most other human territories split and formed. Currently ruled by King Irai Maoilirian, An-Yneaith is beset by enemies all around, and struggles to regain its lost lands.

History

The southern land started out as a barbaric place, with warring tribes, similar to what it is today except more nomadic than feudal. Amongst the humans were also powerful undead knights and wizards, many of whom began to take their own small kingdoms with their power.

One tribe, the tribe of the Emerald Dragon, rose to power under the leadership of Chieftain Anrai Brugh, who was a charismatic and powerful man. Brugh united several other tribes under his banner and gathered a host of powered warriors, securing for himself a large domain, expanding it through diplomacy when possible and through violence when diplomacy failed. Eventually, Brugh drove the undead lords into the southern marshes and united the continent under his rule, declaring himself King of An-Yneaith, an old southern word that translates into Emerald Dragon, to reflect his tribal heritage.

The southern continent used to be known simply as An-Yneaith, after the kingdom that united the entire land. The elves had their own name for the land, but they stayed in their forests and generally let the humans have their fun. The southern part of the continent has always been marshlands though, and difficult to establish cities and castles as are common throughout northern An-Yneaith, and as such was generally left unoccupied by human and elven forces, instead being left to the undead lords that had fled after Brugh's rise to power.

Many, many generations passed, with the Emerald Dragon continuing to fly over most of the continent, although several tribes that lived near the borders of the original An-Yneaith territory spoke of secession or rebellion. These quarrels disappeared, though, when the undead lords of the southern marshes suddenly marched upon the human lands, a host of skeletons and zombies trampling over the unprepared border tribes. The current king, Saoidhe Brugh Ain, raised a host of warriors and managed to drive the undead back into the marshes, but this time he sought to destroy them once and for all, rather than allowing them to simply escape as they had generations ago.

The Army of An-Yneaith marched through the marshes, finding nothing for miles, until a black tower became visible in the distance. Assuming this to be the stronghold of the undead (in reality, it was merely one of five such strongholds; this one was controlled by a powerful undead knight that called itself Kalar Baen), King Ain sent his army against the tower, determined to crush it into nothingness.

Instead, a swarm of undead rose from the surrounding lands, annihilating the Emerald Dragon soldiers. King Ain himself managed to escape, sending pleas for help by magic to faraway lands, as he feared Kalar Baen's forces would move again northward -- which they soon did, crushing the nearly defenseless humans.

Alaris answered by unloading a transport of automatons, led by three Mechanikkars -- a class similar to the prison Overseers of today, with massive control of the automaton forces of the Alaran military. With the help of these Mechanikkars, King Ain was able to fend off Kalar Baen's forces, but when another of the undead lords -- Kalar Rythor, an ancient lich-king -- joined Kalar Baen's forces, the war ground to a stalemate, and eventually both human and undead forces simply withdrew into their respective kingdoms.

Although the Mechanikkars and their forces had been decimated -- the southern marshes were, and are now currently, littered with machinery and automaton junk -- they had orders from Alaris to attempt to subjugate An-Yneaith, that Alaris might take the vast natural resources available to the land. The Mechanikkars had not counted on the magical prowess of King Ain's advisors, however, and combined with help from several elven detachments -- as the automatons had marched into the forests as well as through the plains and hills of the human lands -- King Ain was able to destroy the automaton force and send the Mechanikkars fleeing back across the sea. However, King Ain was mortally wounded in a battle with the Mechanikkars themselves -- powerful psions all -- and he passed away within the month, despite the administrations provided by both wizard advisors and tribal shaman.

Left in disarray, as King Ain had no clear successor -- he had never married -- the kingdom was plunged into turmoil, as several tribes immediately broke free, disappointed in the failure of An-Yneaith forces to protect them from the undead and determined to create their own defenses, eventually forming into feudal territories that warred with one another. The remnants of An-Yneaith itself retained several still-functional automatons, and eventually the advisors cracked the locks and protections around them and found themselves able to command the machines, which is likely the only reason An-Yneaith itself still stands today.

Geography and Climate

An-Yneaith is a temperate, mostly flat region, with low hills and sparse forests dotting the plains. The southern boundary of the region is the no-man's land buffering An-Yneaith and Drovinia. The northern boundary is the Opil Strait, across which Kallinstrate lies.

Government

An-Yneaith is a monarchy divided into smaller fiefdoms, several of which have split off to form independent nations. The High King is the King of the fiefdom of An-Yneaith -- which lies through the center and west parts of the nation, and is the homeland of the Brugh tribe -- and rules the nation as a whole, taking support in the form of troops and crops from his vassals. He is supported by a large court of nobles and advisors. Only two major fiefdoms aside from An-Yneaith still remain under the banner of the Emerald Dragon -- An-Maoil and Ir-Annyr. Ir-Annyr is the northern fiefdom, and is the second largest of the three. It is the ancient home of the Annyr tribe, and is governed by Lord Kyrah Annyr. The smallest fiefdom is the southeastern land of An-Maoil, home of the Maoilirian tribe and the Cellan tribe, and is ruled by Lord Maygre Cellan. Each Lord swears fealty to the King of An-Yneaith (currently Irai Maoilirian) but the loyalty is hardly unswerving in many cases. Each Lord also holds his own court and is allowed to enact his own laws, although An-Yneaith may at any time overrule a lesser fiefdom's laws.

Religion

The An-Yneaith religion is not very prominent, as most of the nation's more religious populace have emigrated to Westphalia. The temples of the An-Yneaith goddess, Ylleanaghe, are still important sites despite the lack of a strong church, as communities often have their own pastors without the need for an overarching religious hierarchy.

Ylleanaghe herself is a nature goddess, believed to be mother of the world as well as the world itself. She has several aspects: Ylleanaghe is the mother figure, who grants fertility and health; Ayha is the gender-neutral aspect of intelligence and magical power; and Lweyaghe is the daughter figure, who embraces battle and high spirits.

Additionally, folklore and superstition are common amongst citizens of An-Yneaith. Belief in fairies and supernatural creatures is deeply rooted within the An-Yneaith consciousness, perhaps in part due to the fact that many folk tales are based on creatures known to actually exist in remote areas.

Population and Major Cities

Approximately 27 million people live in An-Yneaith. The racial makeup is heavily biased toward humans, with a significant demihuman minority; genders are more evenly balanced, with slightly more females than males.

At least half of the population of An-Yneaith possesses significant powers (up to 1,000 PL) in either Ki or Physical energy. About ten percent of the population, mainly male Annyri, practice magic to significant ends. A very small number of female Annyri have developed very minor psionic powers alongside magical abilities; these Annyri have so far been found only amongst members of the Seleighe Sidhe who deal with captured Alaran automata.

Civilization is feudal; castles and supporting towns and hamlets are the main manner of habitation.

Emyr

Emyr is the capital city of An-Yneaith, located in the center of the An-Yneaith fiefdom. Lesser rivers pass through the city, dividing it into three sections with a small harbor of sorts in the center. An island within this harbor houses the Emerald Citadel, where the High King holds court. It is rumored that, with the ascension of a Maoilirian to the throne, much of the old court has been replaced with agents of the Sluagh An-Sidhe. Regardless of replacements within the court, the city is still protected by the Fymori Altus, as it has been since its conception.

The city is home to about 4 million people, most of whom are human Brugh.

Annyra

Annyra is the throne city of Ir-Annyr. Located in the north of the kingdom, close to both the strait to Kallinstrate and the Alaran Outpost, Annyra holds the central academy of the Seleighe Sidhe, a group of wizard-warriors and philosopher-bards who wield massive powers over magical manipulation, especially dealing with illusions and presence. Annyra also contains the only "factory" in An-Yneaith, where most of the Alaran automata are held, to be studied by select members of the Seleighe Sidhe.

The city is home to about 3 million people, most of whom are human Annyri.

Maoil

Home of the Maoilirian tribe, this "city" is little more than a crumbling castle and a small hamlet these days. The focus of the Maoilirians shifted to Emyr once King Irai became High King, and the family's home city has suffered as a result. However, the central guilds of the Sluagh An-Sidhe still work within this city.

Maoil is home to about 1 million people, most of whom are human Maoilirians.

Cyrr

Cyrr is the home village of the Cellan tribe and the focal point of the Mori Cryllaghe, the sadistic berserker fanatics for which the Cellans are infamous. Cyrr has grown recently, since the Cellan tribe has managed to gain control of much of An-Maol thanks to the familial shift to Emyr; Drovinian attacks, however, and conflicts with Fel Nobel and the Demosthene Ascendancy continue to keep the city small thanks to a lack of immigration, despite the blossoming power of the Cellans.

Cyrr is home to about 500,000 people, most of whom are demihuman Cellans.

Political Climate

Domestic

The current line of Kings, the Maoilirians, came to power in the flurry of secession and warfare after King Ain's death. King Irai is seen as a weaker ruler than past kings, as he has not yet attempted to reclaim lost territories, but the fact that his advisors have not simply begun to call the shots speaks to some subtlety in King Irai's person. King Irai has not yet born a child, and as he is nearing middle age his family supporters grow worried while political enemies such as the Brugh and Cellan families, each of which laid claim to the throne during the upset after King Ain's death, plot to take over.

Prominent Families

Brugh (An-Yneaith): Begat the first High King of An-Yneaith; most of the Fymori Altus belong to the Brugh tribe.
Annyr (Ir-Annyr): Long line of mystics and seers; most of the Seleighe Sidhe belong to the Annyr tribe.
Maoilirian (An-Maoil): Diplomats and merchants; most of the Sluagh An-Sidhe belong to the Maoilirian tribe.
Cellan (An-Maoil): Berserker warriors held under Maoilirian rule until recently; most of the Mori Cryllaghe belong to the Cellan tribe.

Foreign

An-Yneaith conflicts with just about every other nation in D'hennex. The elves are hostile toward An-Yneaith emissaries and forces, though their isolationist tendencies have ground the conflict between elf and human to a halt. The Drovinian Reaches are a constant source of strife, as undead and necrotechnical creations skirmish with border forces. The demonic territory of Fel Nobel and seceeded territories such as the Demosthene Ascendancy and Kallinstrate are also concerns to An-Yneaith. Kallinstrate seems especially worrisome to the King of An-Yneaith, given its proximity and military strength, and political agendas are carried through history texts that differ greatly from those in Kallinstrate concerning the formation of that territory. Diplomatic relations between An-Yneaith and Westphalia have been much smoother than those between An-Yneaith and its other former territories, perhaps due to the religious ties between these two nations.

Guilds and Groups

Each major family has created a guild or group of sorts, although these groups cross family and fiefdom.

The Fymori Altus, or "Trolls" are they are colloquially known in Common (after the mystical, nearly-impervious Trolls of An-Yneaith folklore), are massive warriors who stand guard over the Emerald Citadel in Emyr and the many temples and holy sites scattered throughout An-Yneaith. The Trolls are devout defenders of both civil and religious places and persons, and hold true to chivalrous codes of honor set down by their founder, Anrai Brugh himself. Trolls tend to focus on Ki or Physical power, although a rare few are capable of minor cantrips, and their great mauls and tower shields are symbols known throughout An-Yneaith.

The Seleighe Sidhe, or "Sidhe" (pronounced shee), are wizard-warriors who value knowledge and tradition over all else. The Sidhe possess great magics, especially in illusions and the ability to enhance their own presence and aura. Most of the Sidhe are possessed of both Physical and Magical powers, and all are trained in the use of swords. The Sidhe are also the ones who study captured Alaran tech and Drovinian necrological constructs. Their unswerving loyalty to the Annyr tribe causes some to question their true goals, but given the open concord they have with the Trolls, most citizens of An-Yneaith see the Sidhe as valuable allies for the nation as a whole.

The Sluagh An-Sidhe, or "Sluagh" (sloo-ah), are spies and assassins, despised by those who know of them at all. Created by the Maoilirians to control the Cellans from the inside, the Sluagh have spread throughout An-Yneaith (and possibly into other D'hennexian lands) to learn secrets whispered by enemies of the Maoilirians and to eliminate potential threats before they are fully realized. The Sluagh and the Trolls are overall neutral toward one another -- spies are generally seen by Trolls as necessary, but assassins are viewed with contempt -- but the Sidhe have employed the Sluagh to many useful ends in gathering knowledge from places inaccessible to most.

The Mori Cryllaghe, or "Redcaps", got their name from their trademark bloodstained caps and fur. Made up mainly of demihuman Cellans, the Redcaps are ferocious warriors who bathe their heads in the blood of their enemies. Demihuman Redcaps dye their fur red with enemy blood; human Redcaps tend to bring cloth caps which they soak in the blood to mimic the dyed fur of their fellows. The Redcaps are disliked by most of the populace of An-Yneaith, but seen as valuable as long as their battlelust is directed toward southern enemies of the nation.