Mhirdrun | The Thradhel | Linothor | Sundering Isles | Sea of Calingwai |Gwathia | Sulgate | The Blasted Wastes
Of the Elieú Empire
The Elieú Empire spans from the easternmost border of the Diruzbad empire in Gwathia to the easternmost coast of that same continent. Though few see it, and those who do gain entry only by the tunnel passages of the Diruzbad Empire or the waters of the Thamun sea and northern Rhunaear, by these two paths it is most visited of all the empires in Gwathia, and so rumors of it abound among sailors and merchants alike.
The empire itself is said to rival any dynasty in Linothor, and is longest lived, accounting for all of its history no great ruin as was seen befalling the Elves of Aer Arnad. A sophisticated hierarchy is formed between the emperor, a distinct noble class, and assorted lesser classes, much alike to arrangements in the west, though by some fashion of selection even the lowest among them may rise to become nobles. This appears largely opaque to outsiders, as the people of Elieú, called Elirén, speak little of government to westerners, being concerned in the most with matters of wealth.
Only the hearsay of scattered rumors is offered from which to construct a history, and thus is it loose and incomplete, but it is known well that the Elieú Empire has at times expanded and shrunk, and split to rivalries only to subsume the rebels, and back and forth do these events pass, but the Empire has itself never been abolished nor seriously chastened. Continuous as it has been for many an age, it has borne produce and industry with few obstacles, and thus these have become the object of all western ambitions which seek entry to the land.
Though least reclusive in Gwathia, the Elieú Empire is wary still, being as it undergoes now another unification, and not without struggles of its own making. And so as a country in Gwathia it remains apart, and those from the west are welcome to sow among the land their own gold, but they are not welcome to take root themselves, and are ere long returned from Elieú to Sulgate by or against their wills.
On Emperor Sian XXXVI and Duke Mendzaw
Though by all official accounts the Emperor of Elieú is called Sian, 36th of his line, just as all 35 emperors before him were named in the same fashion though they be of different blood, it is well known among those who return from his lands that his is not the ultimate power in Elieú. Openly do the native peoples of Elieú call the emperor weak and feckless, as he has asserted himself but little while under the protection of the Elirén Duke Mendzaw, who is declared his highest commander and guardian, having recovered for Sian the Cup of the Matron, a vessel of green stone which is passed from emperor to emperor to assure and preserve their legitimacy, and which Sian himself lost while fleeing from battle. Many considered this forfeiture to revoke from Sian the 36th his authority, but as Mendzaw returned it, Sian the 36th elevated him to Duke and commander of all the armies of Elieú, though he was only a general of low birth.
Sian the 36th is himself said to appear boyish and ever young, though he is yet in his 30th year, and he is pale, and his skin is soft, and he wears no hairs on his face, those others being worn above him in the fashion of Elirén nobles, and he wears robes of diffuse ornament and unparalleled quality. He keeps about him also many women, not as consorts but as mothers, who dote upon him. He has little care for governing, and spends most of his time in his palace, with his wife, who it is said he loves overmuch.
Duke Mendzaw is as unlike to the emperor as any man, being dark of skin, and thickly bearded, and rugged and course in demeanor. He is rigid in the observation of laws, and punishes crimes ruthlessly, and is said to be among the greatest of minds on strategic matters both official and martial. Where Sian the 36th is spoken of freely in contempt, Mendzaw's name oft is spoken only with grave respect, and when invoked brings always a silence, as though borne of unease. Away from the ears of all others do some free-tongued of the Elirén confess their true suspicions of the Duke, calling him Devil.
Mendzaw has acted to all eyes as though himself emperor, and has in this manner wrought from divided and disparate peoples of the land a unity to a scale which they have not seen in many ages, and thus does he cement power and loyalty to his own name, while securing for the Empire its glory.
On the Peoples of the Elieú Empire
Men
The Elirén are said to be a beautiful people people of Men, though less so than those of Nuumalon, and they are most of them pale of skin with dark eyes and hair, and more delicate and slender than the peoples of the west, having greatly grown distant from the blood of Men in the isolation of their remote country, and apart from the hardships of the western life. Though in public they are said to appear always refined in demeanor, still some emerge who become renowned for their warlike nature, with Duke Mendzaw being one such display, and the number of warriors seen by western merchants patrolling roads and trade ports attests that these are not seldom. In other arts beyond warfare, the Elirén are said to excel, devoting the whole of their energies to them, and the craftsmanship of their jewelry is only ever compared to that of Dwarves, and their silks and other clothings to those of Elves, and in the making of items their ingenuity is compared to that of Gnomes. Dressed always in loose and colorful clothing are they, with hair suspended as though to construct towers upon their own heads, fenced and jeweled, among the women as well as men.
Though most from Linothor and Sulgate encounter Elirén only for trade, and otherwise gather among themselves in lodging for their own purpose, some find favor among the wider peoples of Elieú, and they say that within their homes they are treated well as kin, though they be from across the world, and the laws in place refuse westerners ever seeking citizenship.
Dragons
The dragons of Elieú are only known by the most fleeting of rumors, and they are said to have grown much apart also from their western brethren, and of them only this much is known for certain. They are many of them flightless, being without wings, and are long-bodied, preferring residence among great waters, as seas, lakes, and rivers. Their benevolence is much attested to, but of late some say they are grown weary of Men, and forsake them, except when grave events summon them to provide aid, as they are more inclined to compassion than malice.
On the Country of the Elieú Empire
Concerning Zujan, the Capital City
Both emperor Sian the 36th and Duke Mendzaw make residence in the city of Zujan, which was itself conquered by the duke and called his home ere he moved the emperor there, it is said, for wont of protecting him. The Duke rides out from the city on campaign, but stays within more oft as he advances in age. Few of the west have seen it, though it is talked of much, and described as a humble city, but for the palace of the emperor, and the still larger palace of the duke.
Concerning Anzhi, the Light at the End of the Tunnel
When an eastward journey through long tunnels begun at the gate of Zelegin in the Diruzbad Empire concludes, it is into the town of Anzhi that travelers are thrust, much in the manner that they were first ushered into those tunnels. The peoples of Elieú are themselves barred from entry on their extreme, and Anzhi thus corresponds to Daedina in Sulgate. More oft do the Dwarves of Diruzbad depart from the tunnels into the east, those lands being yet unmarred by darklings from below, and thus is Anzhi disposed more greatly toward foreigners than elsewhere in the land. It is described as a town of no great size, having few buildings aside from residences, except those barracks as which retain soldiers for the enforcement of laws upon travelers.
Concerning Yonill, the Port City
The port of Yonill is more alike to a glorious city one might imagine in such a distant land, according to those who have returned from it, and though it rises not so highly as the towers in the west, it is broad and low, with ornaments built upon the apex and the corner of many a roof, and each of these of brilliant gold or assorted material beside of great worth. To the Yonill is carried the most trade from the west, being a center also for Elieú by the water, and thus is it the destination of many merchants.
Concerning the Conduct of Travel Through the Empire of Elieú
Those of the west who travel through Elieú are required all of them to do so with armed guards, who supervise always, though with varying degrees of severity. Merchants may bear forth only their wares, and are permitted not to meet with those locals along the roads beyond the trade centers, nor to take to writing any observations of the land, nor drawings besides. Thus are foreigners hastened about, and permitted never to tarry, so as to ensure the completion of their trade and preserve the empire from any machinations that may be entertained in their hearts. Some merchants make a living of avoiding these soldiers, and thus become as smugglers overland, though their routes are kept well secret for these reasons. In brief, it is regarded as wise never to trust a map from Elieú, until such a date as the Empeire of Elieú becomes more lenient.