by About a decade ago, Eisleyn had been as prosperous as its neighboring kingdom, Saoirse. It's tall mountains and deep caves made it great for mining minerals and its beautiful snow and evergreen trees attracted tourists far and wide. It would have perhaps continued thriving, but upon the assassination of the king and queen in 140 L.C., things made a turn for the worst.
King Kaleb and Queen Rosa had only one heir, a daughter of only fourteen. Crown Princess Eala was left in charge of the kingdom with the guidance of her council until she could be wedded. Though not yet Queen, Eala's word became still and by the age of sixteen, she came into full control of running her kingdom. Taxes were raised ridiculously high and to make matters worse, the kingdom became subject to a series of impossible blizzards. The storms left most of the few fields they were in the country barren and the people began to starve. It did not help that the princess didn't seem interested in helping her people or providing them the means to recover from the storms. Rather, she seemed to be enjoying it.
From there the kingdom began to decline and Eala took up a new favorite pastime.
The age of sixteen marked the princess' eligibility for marriage and everyone knows whosoever marries her would become king upon being wed. This could, of course, mean the salvation of the citizens of Eisleyn, but Princess Eala decided to make such a thing close to impossible.
A month after her birthday, Eala decreed that whosoever were to ask her hand in marriage, be he beggar or noble or traveler, must answer three riddles she makes up on the spot. If they are to get even just one wrong, they are to be beheaded on the spot. People would think this would stop men from trying to court the wicked princess, but the possibility of becoming a monarch added to the princess' beauty and intellect have proven this wrong. Men from far and wide have made their way to the princess' court only to meet with their death and the heads of these unfortunate men are displayed in the princess' garden for her amusement.
The princess' neglect for her country has also led to lesser defense against outside threats, even those practiced in hexed magic. In fact, there are rumors that this is part of the princess' plans and that she is secretly practicing the tabooed craft herself.
With no guidance from their ruler and little who would stand up to her, there's no saying what tragedy awaits Eisleyn now.
Geography:
Eisleyn is the northmost nation in all of Esterelf and also resides at the highest altitude. The terrain is rocky and mountainous. Roads are hard to travel due to jagged paths, broken bridges, as well blizzards. It is practically impossible to get around by horse or carriage alone, and one will have to subject themselves to traveling on foot through the evergreen forests that just so happen to be infested with Corrupted Beasts.
Villages and towns are more or less isolated from one another and are usually embedded on the rocky slopes or at the base of mountains, even if there are high risks of avalanches.
Geysers and hot springs can oddly be found every now and then if one travels off paths and there are plenty of caves to find shelter in if towns are hard to come by and these caves are usually ridden with corrupted beasts as they are minerals.
Economy:
Eisleyn is extremely poor due to high taxes and little to no production rates. It's almost impossible for other nations to get imports and exports from the country and the few that can usually suffer many casualties due to the travel. The only way the palace is surviving is due to shipments made personally to the palace and nobles desperate enough to come into the princess' presence in order to trade minerals for goods. People are also required to give a hefty portion of whatever crops they can scrounge up to the palace.
People only farm and mine to survive and a few people from Eisleyn will try to travel long distances to Saoirse just to get supplies to keep them alive back at home.
Political System:
The Kingdom of Eisleyn is under absolute monarchy with the few nobles that existed either stripped of their titles or killed trying to court the princess. The princess only needs to say the word and it is law and those who cross her are executed without trial. Her court consists of not nobles, but rather those she considers her guardians, and these are her advisor, her knight, her jester, and a handful of others.
The Expiate used to act as the law enforcement of the country, but it was currently disbanded by the princess. People are therefore left to fend for themselves and crime is only low because no one wants to accidentally draw the princess' attention to them.
People are expected to do what the princess bids instantly, whether it be to go outside and watch her parade through towns, or to pay taxes as due, or if the princess is bored and wants to kill someone for no reason whatsoever. They, therefore, make themselves as scarce as possible and hide in their houses.
The only other existing order would be the unofficial guilds that try to defend the people out of goodwill.
People:
The people of Eisleyn used to be known for their merrymaking and jolly natures, however all of that is almost but lost. The Eisens, as they are called, have gone into despair and live in deep fear. They make sure to try not to do anything out of the ordinary and beg newcomers to flee if they want to keep their heads on. They'll force smiles if the princess is around and swear loyalty to her, but one can easily tell they only do so out of survival. Eisens used to be known for their music and drinking and dancing, but barely any of that is done now unless you're in a town far enough from the princess' all-seeing eyes.
A few people are strong enough to rebel, but most refuse after seeing the slightest signs of revolt lead to people's deaths.
Notable Places
Notable Factions
King Kaleb and Queen Rosa had only one heir, a daughter of only fourteen. Crown Princess Eala was left in charge of the kingdom with the guidance of her council until she could be wedded. Though not yet Queen, Eala's word became still and by the age of sixteen, she came into full control of running her kingdom. Taxes were raised ridiculously high and to make matters worse, the kingdom became subject to a series of impossible blizzards. The storms left most of the few fields they were in the country barren and the people began to starve. It did not help that the princess didn't seem interested in helping her people or providing them the means to recover from the storms. Rather, she seemed to be enjoying it.
From there the kingdom began to decline and Eala took up a new favorite pastime.
The age of sixteen marked the princess' eligibility for marriage and everyone knows whosoever marries her would become king upon being wed. This could, of course, mean the salvation of the citizens of Eisleyn, but Princess Eala decided to make such a thing close to impossible.
A month after her birthday, Eala decreed that whosoever were to ask her hand in marriage, be he beggar or noble or traveler, must answer three riddles she makes up on the spot. If they are to get even just one wrong, they are to be beheaded on the spot. People would think this would stop men from trying to court the wicked princess, but the possibility of becoming a monarch added to the princess' beauty and intellect have proven this wrong. Men from far and wide have made their way to the princess' court only to meet with their death and the heads of these unfortunate men are displayed in the princess' garden for her amusement.
The princess' neglect for her country has also led to lesser defense against outside threats, even those practiced in hexed magic. In fact, there are rumors that this is part of the princess' plans and that she is secretly practicing the tabooed craft herself.
With no guidance from their ruler and little who would stand up to her, there's no saying what tragedy awaits Eisleyn now.
Geography:
Eisleyn is the northmost nation in all of Esterelf and also resides at the highest altitude. The terrain is rocky and mountainous. Roads are hard to travel due to jagged paths, broken bridges, as well blizzards. It is practically impossible to get around by horse or carriage alone, and one will have to subject themselves to traveling on foot through the evergreen forests that just so happen to be infested with Corrupted Beasts.
Villages and towns are more or less isolated from one another and are usually embedded on the rocky slopes or at the base of mountains, even if there are high risks of avalanches.
Geysers and hot springs can oddly be found every now and then if one travels off paths and there are plenty of caves to find shelter in if towns are hard to come by and these caves are usually ridden with corrupted beasts as they are minerals.
Economy:
Eisleyn is extremely poor due to high taxes and little to no production rates. It's almost impossible for other nations to get imports and exports from the country and the few that can usually suffer many casualties due to the travel. The only way the palace is surviving is due to shipments made personally to the palace and nobles desperate enough to come into the princess' presence in order to trade minerals for goods. People are also required to give a hefty portion of whatever crops they can scrounge up to the palace.
People only farm and mine to survive and a few people from Eisleyn will try to travel long distances to Saoirse just to get supplies to keep them alive back at home.
Political System:
The Kingdom of Eisleyn is under absolute monarchy with the few nobles that existed either stripped of their titles or killed trying to court the princess. The princess only needs to say the word and it is law and those who cross her are executed without trial. Her court consists of not nobles, but rather those she considers her guardians, and these are her advisor, her knight, her jester, and a handful of others.
The Expiate used to act as the law enforcement of the country, but it was currently disbanded by the princess. People are therefore left to fend for themselves and crime is only low because no one wants to accidentally draw the princess' attention to them.
People are expected to do what the princess bids instantly, whether it be to go outside and watch her parade through towns, or to pay taxes as due, or if the princess is bored and wants to kill someone for no reason whatsoever. They, therefore, make themselves as scarce as possible and hide in their houses.
The only other existing order would be the unofficial guilds that try to defend the people out of goodwill.
People:
The people of Eisleyn used to be known for their merrymaking and jolly natures, however all of that is almost but lost. The Eisens, as they are called, have gone into despair and live in deep fear. They make sure to try not to do anything out of the ordinary and beg newcomers to flee if they want to keep their heads on. They'll force smiles if the princess is around and swear loyalty to her, but one can easily tell they only do so out of survival. Eisens used to be known for their music and drinking and dancing, but barely any of that is done now unless you're in a town far enough from the princess' all-seeing eyes.
A few people are strong enough to rebel, but most refuse after seeing the slightest signs of revolt lead to people's deaths.
Notable Places
- Diamant- The capital city where the princess' castle, Skonhed, lies. Despite having a larger population than the rest of the cities, the place is almost akin to a ghost town. People rarely come out save for the public market and are required to go to the Palace Court when the princess requires it. That or when the Princess passes through during one of her weekly parades.
- Shoffhen- One of the more distant cities in Eisleyn and is closest to Saoirse. There are a couple of hunting guilds that can be found there as it is at the border of the kingdom.
- Lamiden- A mountain range with a small village and a beautiful ice lake. Perfect for those wanting some peace and quiet and one of the few "happy" towns left in Eisleyn. It is known for its geysers and hot springs.
Notable Factions
The Expiate- disbanded by order of the PrincessIceveil Carta School- disbanded by order of the PrincessCollege of Bards- disbanded by order of the Princess- Hilsen Brotherhood- a small group of skilled mages and fighters secretly meeting in order to overthrow the princess.
