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Aerenal is an island continent located to the southeast of Khorvaire and largely occupied by elves. The elven race made an exodus to Aerenal when the giant civilization of Xen'drik collapsed. Aerenal is its own nation and is overseen by the Undying Court.
Location[]
Straddling the Thunder Sea and the Dragonreach, the islands of Aerenal lie between the continents of Khorvaire and Argonnessen and roughly at the equator of Eberron.
Society[]
Elves and apes of the Undying Court.
Aerenal is the ancient island kingdom of the Aereni elves, who take their name from Aeren, a mythical hero said to have freed the elves from the giants of Xen'drik. It is also home to the deathless in the Undying Court. In addition to the Aereni elves, a small group of Tairnadal elves inhabits the northern steppes of Aerenal, though many have since migrated to Valenar. Due to fear of the "walking dead" and the isolationist nature of the Aereni elves, few non-elves ever visit the small continent. While the Aereni despise the creation of undead, the deathless of Aerenal, unlike undead, draw power from positive, rather than negative energy, and are generally good in alignment. A manifest zone of Irian is thought to make the existence of the Undying Court possible. Aerenal is heavily forested, and many exotic plants grow there, such as the soarwood tree, whose wood is used to build airship hulls, and the necromantically charged Covadish plant.
Aerenal is made up of different elven lines. Each line is descended from one of the tribes that followed the prophet Aeren from Xen'drik. Lines are not a single family, but more like a city-state with lots of different families bound together by common history and led by one noble family. The nobles are allowed to be raised as deathless, but membership in a noble house is not hereditary. An elf becomes a noble by what the elf does. Aereni nobles do not even breed among their house; instead, they breed with other members of the line, keeping the noble blood spread throughout the community. Unlike humans, the Aerenal marry only for love. Anyone can become a member of the Undying Court if they become great in life.
The elves have perfected the art of embalming, and some practice this trade in the great cities of Khorvaire. When an elf is prepared for burial, two chronicles of the elf's life are written: one is put into the tomb and the other into the great library in Shae Mordai. The tombs are in catacombs that stretch deep beneath the cities of Aerenal.
Government and Politics[]
A elf of Aerenal in service to the Undying Court.
The government of Aerenal is split between two major branches. Secular power is held by the Sibling Kings, a position that must always be held by a brother and sister. These siblings are appointed from the Aereni populace by the Undying Court. If either sibling of the pair dies, the other steps down and allows the Undying Court to choose a new pair of Kings. Currently, the Sibling Kings are Balaereth (the brother) and Tezaera (the sister), of the Mendyrian family.
Both religious power and long-term national destiny are controlled by the Undying Court. This court is made up of the deathless, and therefore rule from Shae Mordai, the City of the Dead. The Undying Court is worshiped as a religion by the Aereni, and this belief is powerful enough that the Court's followers produce spellcasting clerics. The court also engages in national planning on a scale of millennia.
Organizations[]
History[]
Elven civilization began on the continent of Xen'drik. The elves were slaves to the giants of Xen'drik for thousands of years. Thirty-nine thousand years ago, the elves rose up against their giant masters and started a war for freedom, but both sides lost. The giants were destroyed and the elves had to leave or they would have been destroyed with the giants. A visionary named Aeren led the elves away and to the island of Aerenal, which was named in commemoration of their leader (who died shortly after arrival). With the giants dead, and no need to fight, the elven tribes started to separate, but unlike before they stayed in contact with each other. The elves shared a common reverence for their ancestors and with the war ended and arcane knowledge they gained from their former masters most elves set the sword aside and took up the path of the book. The elves dedicated themselves to the study of magic, mysticism, and a way to avoid losing their elders. The art of necromancy became very interesting to the elves. In time, two schools of thought came to dominate the field of necromancy: the techniques of House Vol, which many blame for the spread of vampirism into Khorvaire, and the traditions of the Priests of Transition, which focused on positive energy and the power of Irian. The way of the Priests of Transition won out and the tribes united in support of the cult of the Undying Court. The tribes became the noble lines of the elves. To this day, The Undying Court has ruled the land.
Geography[]
Notable Features[]
- Blackwood Jungle
- Dajar Orioth
- Jaelarthal Orioth
- Madwood
- Majarin
- Shae Deseir
- Thal Taluna
- Valen's Isle
- Zaenya's Well
Cities and Settlements[]
| Cities of Aerenal |
|---|
| Kathuran · Pylas Talaer · Pylas Zirinth · Shae Cairdal · Shae Mordai · Shae Thoridor· Taer Kalindal · Taer Senadal · Var-Shalas |
Appendix[]
References[]
- ↑ Keith Baker, Jeremy Crawford, & James Wyatt (2019). Eberron: Rising from the Last War. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 133. ISBN 0786966890.
- ↑ Keith Baker, Jeremy Crawford, & James Wyatt (2019). Eberron: Rising from the Last War. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 132. ISBN 0786966890.
Sources[]
- Keith Baker (2005/05/30). The Elves of Aerenal, Part One. Dragonshards. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2016/11/01. Retrieved on 2021/07/03.
- Keith Baker (2005/06/13). The Elves of Aerenal, Part Two. Dragonshards. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2016/11/01. Retrieved on 2021/07/03.
- Keith Baker, Bill Slavicsek, & James Wyatt (2004). Eberron Campaign Setting. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 216–219. ISBN 0-7869-3274-0.
- James Wyatt, Keith Baker, Luke Johnson, Steven Brown (2006). Player's Guide to Eberron. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 18–22. ISBN 0-7869-3912-5.
Connections[]
| Continents of Eberron |
|---|
| Aerenal | Argonnessen | Everice | Frostfell | Khorvaire | Sarlona | Xen'drik |