"All Roads Lead to Zenithstrand"
ZENITHSTRAND; THE RECLAMATION ZONE
OVERVIEW
Racial Breakdown: Wild Elves 80%, Wood Fae 8%, Faun 8%, Other 4%
Major Industries: None
Population: Unknown
Settlements: There are three non-elven settlements on the island.
Unity Point. This is the main Coalition sponsored settlement.
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New Hope. This location is rebuilt from the old Helgaurd Vanguard outpost.
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Louis' Rest. This settlement was established by settlers from the Berphauntian Empire.
GOVERNMENT
Government: In theory, no one rules Zenithstrand. It is inhabited by tribes of Wild Elves, Wood Fae, and Faun. Each tribe has its own social structure and governance. The thre settlements are overseen by Arbiters who report to the Coalition council.
Current Ruler: Nicu Istrati, an Ajaunti of Acasă, holds the Coalition Council seat. Since Nicu is currently missing, his duties have fallen to his brother, Ivan Istrati.
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Military: Zenithstrand has no military or navy. The only cause that might unite the tribes to protect the island or extend an attack outward would be a threat to the Overgrowth, the extension of Coa’s grove. Because the tribes hide their own numbers and power from each other, what their collective force might look like is unknown.
GEOGRAPHY
Fertile soil dominates the habitable space outside of the forest on the southern shore, though the forestÂÂor Reclamation Zone, as it is officially recognized by the CoalitionÂÂextends to the edge of the island to the north, west, and east. The forest is strewn with ruins of Shadow Elf fortresses and High Elf spires, though the forest has grown around and, in some cases, through these sites. Former Shadow Elf sites are more prolific in the northwest, and High Elf ones are dominant in the southeast. An empty outpost sits on the southeast shore. Created by the Einher, no one has dared to inhabit it since their mysterious disappearance. Temporary Acasăn trade camps are established near the rope bridge that links the two islands at the southern tip of Zenithstrand, though these are rarely established for more than a few weeks. Dwarves have an outpost on the southwest of the island, from which they launch expeditions to Umbraecor, the ruins of a Grey Elf civilization that run beneath Zenithstrand. The Coalition of the Shadow Isles has marked off the southern section of the island, from the west shore inward to the edge of the forest, for neutral settlement and a Skein gate.
HISTORY
Local legends insist that the Wild Elf druid, Coa, prevented Zenithstrand from being torn apart in the Fracture. She planted an oak seed that grew to be a massive tree and became the centre of her grove, a place of power and safety. During the Fracture she worked some potent magic in her grove, and all the trees connected to it remained on the island now known as Zenithstrand; the price, however, was her life. Some say the grove died with her; others insist that the Overgrowth consumed it and it lives on somewhere within the forest’s depths. The Overgrowth has since claimed hundreds of ruins from the former High Elf and Shadow Elf inhabitants, who now live on Dominion and Nitrem respectively. Most tribes defend these woods and the ruins they have claimed at all costs, but the Coyote and Raccoon live in the ruins and trade with outsiders. Two incidents have reminded the rest of the Shadow Isles to respect the Overgrowth: the shipwrights’ massacre and the logger slaughter. The shipwrights’ massacre happened roughly two hundred years ago when several Bileostravan crews landed with the intention of building up a fleet. At the time, such a landing had been unprecedented by the tribes, so a day’s work was completed uninterrupted. That night, Wild Elves, Wood Fae, and Faun flooded onto the shore and flocked to the wood’s edge. The tribes suffered heavy losses outside of the woods, and a few crewmen escaped to the sea… though by all accounts Kraken dealt with these. Bileostravan heads were skewered and left outside the woods until well after the flesh rotted away. The logger slaughter is a more recent reminder to respect the Overgrowth. Within the past decade, a group of loggers from Sordestead landed. The tribes were ready to descend within minutes of loggers’ axes biting into trees. This time, the tribes never left the forest and the slaughter was a oneÂway affair. Though the bodies were never recovered and the incident was downplayed in Sordestead, bloody warnings were written on the trees. It is a land of abundance for any who can carve out a living alongside or from the existing tribes. Most colonization attempts fail, the outpost populations missing or dead, the most recent victims being an outpost of Einher. However, a dwarven outpost has managed to survive; this outpost is a staging area for archeological digs in Umbraecor, the city ruins running beneath the Overgrowth.
POLITICS
Zenithstrand’s political landscape is still being developed. The wild elf tribes largely refuse to deal with outsiders, so it is up to the few colonists to determine what sort of society the Coalition shall know. Though Zenithstrand has a seat on the council of the Coalition of Shadow Isles, it is held by an Acasăn; Acasă is too small to earn a seat, but the wild elves’ disinterest in politics has allowed an Acasăn to take the seat. He uses his power on the council to promote trade with Acasă and launch colonization efforts on Zenithstrand itself but is sure to meet each season with representatives from each Wild Elf tribe, lest Acasă earn their ire.
RELIGION
Dunarthos is widely worshipped for his ties to the land and forest. The island’s tribes do not have organized religion, though churches of some kind will likely develop when colonization on the southern shores proceeds further.
SOCIETAL VIEWS
The wild elf tribes have their own societal views, but they singularly value Coa and the legend of her grove, though each tribe has their own interpretation of the details. Most denizens of the Overgrowth consider themselves kudzu and offer a united front, when required, to defend the Overgrowth and see themselves as fierce protectors of the wild. A couple of tribes, however, are instead considered scavengers; these live off the ruins dotted across Zenithstrand and rely on trade from Acasă. The Coalition has recently sanctioned the building of a neutral settlement on Zenithstrand. Colonists are expected to include people from the mainland as well as representatives from each of the island, and this settlement will host an imported Skein gate. The goal is to foster a united Coalition settlement, free from the divisive relations between the various islands; however, colonists will certainly have different goals. Of the few people currently preparing this settlement, none like the wild elves, who admittedly don’t even always like each other, and many fear as well as resent them. Though colonists may have their own differences, they typically unite when their collective life is threatened or when a tribe tries to push them around.
ECONOMY
Exports:
Most tribes are insular, though Hemlock trades alchemical ingredients and recipes with Nitrem, and Coyote and Raccoon trade scavenged items with Acasă and even some timber with Sordestead. Kraken is as likely to raid a ship as it is to trade with one
RANKS WITHIN ZENITHSTRAND
Each tribe has its own hierarchy and its own perception of which tribes are the most respected. Acasăns, however, have ranked the tribes based on their hostility: Hemlock > Kraken > Nightshade > Vespen > Crow > Thorn > Vulture > Colonists > Ursa > Coyote > Raccoon
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For colonists settlements, the ranking system seems to be inconstant flux.