Baelstrad

Baelstrad (beɪlstræd) is the eastern most nation in Baleteia being one of the oldest known inhabited places on the continent.

History

In times long before human inhabitance of the island nations, Baelstrad was a nameless haven for the fey folk beyond the reach of the mainland-dwelling Baleteians. Split into courts, each one had its own high fey ruler and their own unique cultures; the surviving courts that are documented in the record scrolls include the Wildling Court, the Lunar Court, the Deep Court, and the Radiant Court. Each of these court names are semi-accurate translations from sylvan, however they seem to have their own meanings in their original language. The island nation was left untouched for centuries.

War with the Baleteians

Once the mainlanders began to spread out towards the oceans, they came across Baelstrad in all its beauty and began a war with the fey. Outnumbered and overwhelmed, the Baleteians fled the main island of Baelstrad, managing to capture the western island, dubbing it Badeguard. As a result of the sylvan blood shed, the remaining fey retreated further inland on Baelstrad, leaving the coastline sparse with fey.

The mining industry

With a settlement established on Badeguard, the first dwarven king Ulsted the Baleful ordered the beginning of a booming industry. With the rich earth of Baelstrad, it took only months for Badeguard to become buzzing with common folk earning coin by mining the shores of mainland. The first few years saw the most bloodshed Badeguard would experience after the war, but with brutal tactics against the fey, they pushed them further back, sending their mining expeditions further inland.

Government

Badeguard has been ruled over the centuries by a line of dwarven kings, most lately Thirbac the Wise. His council of advisors all hold equal importance and responsibility in the running of the nation, but all major decisions are done by the King. There has been some unrest as to who would take the throne after King Thirbac’s demise considering his ancient age and the fact that his sole heir, Princess Cora, is supposedly blind. Otherwise, Thirbac has had the most peaceful rule of Badeguard the nation has ever seen.

Geography

The island nation of Baelstrad is surrounded by the ocean and set far away from the Baleteian mainland. It is the nation closest to the eastern edge of the stormwall, and it's warm oceans host diverse aquatic life. On the north east of the main island, there is a dormant volcano that can be seen over the canopy of greenery, the sand on this side of the island volcanic black. Other features of the island are mostly a mystery since non-fey have never ventured that far inland, and they may experience hallucinations at the hands of the fey, never truly knowing what they experienced when going too far inland.

People

Badeguardians are a proud people, but naturally suspicious and even hateful towards Sylvan folk and even those knowledgeable of the languages or cultures. With a deep, entrenched history of bloodshed, they strive for peace amongst non-fey folk, however are not opposed to hosting tourneys in the fighting pits, which were said to be built by a particularly bloodthirsty high fey queen.

The Courts

The Wildling Court

This is the court that shed the most Badeguardian blood both during the wars and against the miners travelling to the mainland. They specialise in blending in with the flora around them and strive to live harmonically with nature. Any fey from the Wildling Court is particularly vicious and uncouth.

The Lunar Court

This is a mysterious group of fey who worship the moon and have kindred relationships with nocturnal creatures. Their physical court is constantly in darkness with only starlight to guide the way through. Legends say that it is the high fey of this court who guides the moon across the sky with his wisdom; only one person ever escaped from this court, a halfling bard who exchanged a song of sky for her life.

The Deep Court

These are the fey who live in the oceans around the island. Despite their established environment technically being off of the island, they do not actively seek to cause harm to Badeguardian ships. They can also be found in deep lagoons on the island, causing scholars to theorise that there may be subterranean tunnels leading from inland water sources all the way out to sea.

The Radiant Court

Seemingly the opposite of the Lunar Court, these fey find comfort in the sun. They are a passionate group of fey, their queen supposedly being the one who built the fighting pits on Badeguard. Their warmth is inviting, however travellers are warned to never trust the fey of this court as their warmth turns deadly, killing you when you least expect it.

Religion

The people of Badeguard look most often to the god Hjoldir whose edicts cover the cultural bases of the mining industry alongside the purging of their enemies, the fey. Most other gods would be minorities in terms of people worshipping them on Badeguard.

The religious views held by the fey are mostly unknown, however scholars have theorised that the Wildling Court most likely worship Katera, goddess of the wild and life since her symbol has appeared carved or burnt into rocks.