Menderlyne

"Fey spirits, come take me out of this dull world,
For I would ride with you upon the wind,
Run on the top of the dishevelled tide,
And dance upon the mountains like a flame."
 — A common prayer of the Old Faith.

Map of Menderlyne

Ruler: First Speaker Eldoroth, "Mouth of the Green Lords"
Who Really Rules: The Green Lords, the secretive ruling council of the Green Brotherhood.
Cities (population): Meldruil (capital; 28,000).
Resources & Exports: Silver, Gemstones, Livestock, Produce, Leather.
Races: Human 81% (Emerish 94%, Lyrrean 4%, others 2%), Halflings 9%, Elves 5%, Half-elves 4%, others 1%.

Menderlyne, with its primeval forests and hauntingly beautiful moorlands, is the least populated of the Emerald Isle nations. Long a center of fey influence, Menderlyne is widely considered a cursed and spirit-haunted land, and its people backward and uncouth.

The folk of Menderlyn may be more rustic and less urbane than the people of the other Emerald Isle kingdoms, but they are by no means primitive savages. Because of the influence of the Fey and the Green Brotherhood, the Menderlynes have been shielded from foreigners for centuries. Thus, many folk of Menderlyne still adhere to the Old Faith—more so than any other Emerald Isle kingdom. In general, the folk of Menderlyne are a quiet and secretive lot, slow to embrace strangers and very conservative and tradition-bound. They are, however, fiercely protective of their lands and families, and are merciless when dealing out justice to those who threaten them or their way of life.

In AR 315, a significant event occurred that forever changed how neighboring realms would perceive the folk of Menderlyne. Several years after the armies of the Aziiryan Empire sacked and conquered the realm, the entire island nation suddenly vanished from the face of Erythea. Then, exactly 200 years later, the storms and fog that had surrounded the region subsided, and Menderlyne inexplicably returned. The folk of Menderlyne had not aged a day, nor were they aware that anything had happened. Interestingly, not a single Aziiri returned with the island nation. For the past four centuries, the name Menderlyne has been synonymous with the Fey, ghosts, and supernatural occurrences.

Menderlyne is the only Emerald Island nation not ruled by some form of monarchy. In AR 745, the last Menderlyne monarch, Queen Morrigal, was assassinated in her bed by agents of the enigmatic Green Brotherhood. The Green Brotherhood, a cabal of nature-worshippers led by fanatical druids, warlocks, and wizards, staged a bloody coup and took immediate control of the capital, Meldruil. The members of the royal family and many ranking nobles were also killed—though some folk whisper that many of them were sold into slavery to denizens of the Feywild. The stunned folk of Menderlyne, eager to continue their pastoral existence, readily embraced the Green Brotherhood as their new leaders and protectors.

Through the machinations of the ruling council, called the Green Lords, the Green Brotherhood has ruled Menderlyne for the past 155 years. Though they trade openly with other realms and send and receive ambassadors from many nations, the Brotherhood is still somewhat restrictive when it comes to allowing foreigners to enter their realm.

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