Skorfrond

North of the mountain peaks of Viridian, lay the harsh and fertile lands of Skorfrond. The river bottoms and northern mountain line are laced with gold. The gulf is rich with fish and Mother of Pearl. There isn't a land you can travel and find better furriers than that of Skorfrond. But the land is as treacherous as it is giving. The hunter is equally hunted. Quicksands and unforgiving thorn-brush hinder travel. Although the vegetation is refined into compounds of an alchemist's dream, it's often poisonous in many fashions and deceptive with the changing seasons.

History
With the age of Dwarven Stone, a faction of Elves exiled themselves from the world of nations. The Elves turned away from progress and tamed the harsh northern lands. With time, the Elves discovered the riches of the lands, and also realized those riches would attract the attention of the nations they rejected. The Elves could no longer run freely in wild tribes.

Soon the Elves began the construction of a nation state. The lands became recognized as Skorfrond. The first city the Elves built remains the capital today. The Capital Mitridal sits at the mouth of the wide river. As the tribes began trickling into the alliance of the nation state, they discovered something else had been fertile in Skorfrond. The Elven population was ten fold of what it had been during the exile.

The Elves were able to forge the majestic armies of Skorfrond. With their knowledge of alchemy, Elves were able to equip the soldiers with finest steel, that came from an endless supply of mountain ore. With alchemy, Elves were able to harvest the fertility of Skorfrond. Now all Elven children have a twin at birth, if not more.

In the far west of Skorfrond, there remain a few tribes of Elves that remain true to the pact of self-exile. Although the tribes are not loyal to the monarchy, they remain under the protection of the realm.

In Skorfrond the Elves rule the land and the population.

Population
Elves 38% Trolls 17% Humans 16% Hob Goblin 9% Dragons 8% Dwarves 7% Other 5%

Government
The Elves and therefore all of Skorfrond are ruled by the monarchy. In some respects the monarchy of Skorfrond might look like a contradiction. The justice system might seem cruel to outsiders. That's because the laws the Elves adopted at the time of their exile mostly remain intact. And punishments that the Elves that tamed Skorfrond can withstand could kill or severely maim other races. Travel to Skorfrond at your own risk, break a law in Skorfrond at your own peril!

Next to the justice system, Skorfrond society is majestic. Artists are paid from the king's coffer. Citizens sit idly in theaters. The finest scholars are lured from all the nations, with riches and love-making elves. Education is open to the public and all the races. Buildings are crafted from the most famous of contemporary architects.

That doesn't mean all things are well. The Elven king has become more of a figure head. True power rests in the hands of the consulate. Loyalties are bought at a price, and corruptions runs rampant through out the kingdom.

Capital
The Capital of Skorfrond is Mitridal.

Economics
Skorfrond is a nation of great wealth. The rivers and northern mountain range are brimming with gold and copper. The military is a well-equipped, well-trained machine with a teeming number of soldiers. Military might is for sale. Silks, leathers and furs are fashioned by imaginative and skilled tailors. The shipping yards are awash in the construction of sea-fairing craft. Hunters, fisher-men & sailors are the finest in all the lands. Skorfrond is a nation of exports.

Foreign kings & nations often find themselves indebted to Skorfrond. If the monarchy tightens its purse strings, they strangle the economies of great nations. Elves are also known as merchants of labor. Capturing giants & trolls and selling these races into physical labor is a flourishing industry in the North Eastern lands. In Skorfrond the practice is an open one, with laws protecting the merchants. It's a viable export for Skorfrond, even against the laws of non-compliance of other nations.

Beliefs and Culture
The great wealth and magnificent architecture has fooled many as to the actual custom of the Elves. They appear in fine pageantry and speak with civil words, but the Elves of Skorfrond are anything but. The Elves are hard, cold and merciless. They live without compassion toward others. Their political beliefs are complicated and great senate halls hear laws dictated daily. They are inclusive of other races and outsiders as a method of control. Better to let inferior races in and subjugate them, than to encourage rebellion and hostility.

The Elves retain the laws that controlled the tribes, as the lands of Skorfrond were settled. Hard laws, for a hard race, in hard lands.