113 lines
5.0 KiB
Plaintext
Executable File
113 lines
5.0 KiB
Plaintext
Executable File
1. Overview
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Wellhollow is the city of the Elves deep within the Civil
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Wood in the Elven Protectorate. It is nestled in a hollow at the
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feet of the Dragonspine mountains, where it is the most safe from
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all intruders.
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The city is built in the most ancient portion of one of
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the oldest forests in the world, the Civil Wood. The forest is
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just as full of Treants and Fey creatures as it is of elves and
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normal plants, making it the perfect place for the Elves to
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rebuild their line.
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The city is built as a series of platforms and treehouses
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built in and amongst the trees. Whenever possible, natural
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formation are used to create the desired effect, as the elves
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are loathe to cut down the trees. So far this has worked out well.
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2. People
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The people of the city are comprised of mostly high elves,
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but some of the higher ranking members of the tribal elves make
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homes here as well, in order to represent their people on the council.
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The total population of the city, however, represents the shocking
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devastation that the elvish race endured during the time of the
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Alliance; the total population of the city is only 500, more than half
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of which are newborn or otherwise too young to fight, and of which
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fifty are in their extreme elderly stages and are too old to fight.
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In the city of Wellhollow, there are only 150 people of age and
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physical condition to fight - both men and women.
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When the city was settled just 275 years ago, there were
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only two of the ancient High Elven houses left intact enough
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(e.g. enough of them left alive) to create any sort of government.
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Now, there are three, and a fourth is on the rise once more. However
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the application of the terms "great house" and "noble line" are
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fairly superfluous; most of the houses are barely 50 or 100
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strong at the absolute most. The distinction of "Tribe" has become
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far more important in these times.
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3. Notable Persons
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4. Notable Locations
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4.1 The Well of the World
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The Well of the World is here in Wellhollow (one of
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the reasons it got its name.) The Well is actually a pool
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of water inside of a pool of stones, which holds various
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magical properties - among them the ability to prolong
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natural life, cure many diseases, and even act as a
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sort of gate between time and worlds. It is the duty
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of the Elves to protect it and keep it safe; they consider
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it a gift from their gods, to assist in their rebirth after
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their exit from slavery.
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4.2 The Grandfather Tree
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The Grandfather tree is the single oldest tree in
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the Western Kingdom. Standing at the center of Wellhollow,
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the Grandfather Tree measures a full 700 feet in circumf-
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erence, measuring 30 feet across at its base. The tree is
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of an unknown species, but is estimated to be a variety of
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Redwood. All educated estimates place the tree at over
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five thousand years old, since before the time of the
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alliance. The Grandfather tree, it is said, speaks to those
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of pure heart, purpose, and blood; that it is a living
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historical record that can be asked questions. That its roots
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run deep and wide, touching every corner of the earth.
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5. Government and Politics
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The Council at Wellhollow is both the government of the city
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and of the Elven Protectorate as a whole. The council consists of
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one member from each of the Noble Houses and one from each of the
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Wild Tribes; it was this model from which the Gnomes took their system
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of government in Breech.
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The government is, at its core, both communist and socialist.
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The community of elves in the Elven Protectorate is so small that it
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cannot afford the beurocracies enjoyed by the massive Human kingdom,
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or the quickly reproducing Gnomish nation. So the government -
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consisting of the head of each small family and tribe in the
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protectorate - decides the best course of action for the species to
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take as a whole. Goods are produced on a communal basis and distributed
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according to the need of the individual tribes and families. The
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very concept of property ownership as most human and gnomish cultures
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know it is simply foreign, if not downright taboo, in elven society.
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6. Economy
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Being a communist and socialist society, there is no
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real economy to speak of inside of the Elven Protectorate. When dealing
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with the outside world, however, the elves generally prefer to operate
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in a barter system, trading in fine wood products, medicines, art,
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literature, histories, and other such rare items. The elves also
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pan gold from the rivers that flow through the Civil Wood and the
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Dragonspine, and use this to trade for various raw materials,
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but they do not use it as a currency inside of the country.
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The basic idea in the Elven Protectorate is that money and
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vanity are the root of all evils; while the elves are still
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struggling with their vanity, they are doing very well about
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the money, having refused to adopt - or honor - any system inside
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the Protectorate based on the idea of money.
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7. Notable Non-Government Bodies
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