Aërlarow

Aërlarow, officially the Blessed Realm of the Wingéd Aërlarow, is a Roacian kingdom in the Occident known for its powerful monarchs, tactful military, and involvement in worldly affairs despite relative geographic isolation. It was founded in 312 AFV by Alestair of House Benetar, who became the first king of the unified lands he called Aërlarow.

The kingdom's coastlines trail along the Rivering Sea. It borders the Roacian kingdom of Morua to its north, where the Boral Bogs meet the Swaywood. To its south, the Billowy Bay separates it from Norduī. The kingdom's easternmost region, Algabar, shares a very loose border with the most distant of Norduī's claimed lands.

History
Main article: History of Aërlarow

Bola Heron Civilization
The lands known as Aërlarow have been home to many different societies and institutions of Bola Heron heritage for thousands of years.

Geography
Aërlarow has a diverse array of geography. A considerable percentage of the land is arable flatland, but the kingdom is home to mountain ranges, lakes, expansive forests, and swamps.

The kingdom is split in half by Dagger Bay, a long, narrow bay with high coasts fed by rivers and waterfalls. It opens westward into the Iron Sound, which holds the island archipelago of Corotha, and grants access to the Rivering Sea, upon which all Occidental kingdoms sit. The opening of Dagger Bay is narrow and jarred with small rocky islands. The twin cities of North Thorn and South Thorn sit on opposite peninsulas that are separated by mere miles.

Immediately north of Dagger Bay are the extensive Heathlands - grasslands elevated on a flat plateau. Pockets of lands are arable, particularly around the cities of Plainscrest and North Thorn.

North and west of the Heathlands are the Rotian Mountains, a range that arcs across northern Aërlarow, from the Iron Sound to the hills of Ma'lousk, which are a subset of the mountain range referred to as the Rotian Hills. In the northwest, they are tall, craggy, and scenic, home to dragons and beautiful lakes. Lake Thessa, the second largest lake in the kingdom, sits nestled in the northwestern Rotian Mountains. High on its banks sits the city of Lakehold.

The Rotian Mountains form two southern watersheds, one that drains into Dagger Bay through the Heathlands and another that feeds into the River Mal as it winds toward Billowy Bay. Other waters drain into the Rivering Sea through Morua and the western coast.

Between the Rotian Mountains, the Rotian Hills, and the Swaywood sits the Boral Bogs, an amalgamation of lake beds and waterways heavily congested by vegetation. It is home to few people, mostly those who know how to navigate the bogs, and remains relatively undisturbed by outside forces. Cranberry farms have become popular in recent centuries, as well as the production of some alcohols.

The Rotian Hills run down into leveled lands through which flows the River Mal. The River Mal is fed largely by Lake Eoqora, the largest of Aerlarotian lakes, but has its headwaters in Teralun Valley. The River is slow and broad, cutting through land that is relatively low in elevation, but flat. It follows a twisting, long path to the Billowy Bay. Snowmelt from the Rotian Hills causes flooding along its middle segments during the spring and early summer. The shallowness of the river, due to large amounts of sediment being transported, requires that travel along it be done on flatboats. It is broad enough for wind to carry sailboats. Before it enters the southern forests, the land steepens, the river braids extensively, and then deepens as it pours into Billowy Bay.

The southern forests of Aërlarow consist of a broad region of continuous deciduous forests that stretch from Algabar Batholith to the fertile lands owned by House Verpolen. They are dense, rolling, and deep, cut by the River Mal. The city of Croston sits at the largest curve in the river, where it curves in a great horseshoe. It spans the land between the band and has a clever system of transporting cargo between the bend rather than around, for the water there is unpredictable and variable. The lands in the bend are arable, fertile, and home to the largest expanse of farms in the forests.

To the west of the forests are the open, rolling fields of the most fertile land in Aërlarow, so arable and massive that it produces three quarters of the food consumed throughout the kingdom, particularly of that by the urban populations and the cities. It produces a vast array of foods, and is known for its patterned landscapes, its gorgeous manors and architecture, and its pleasurable weather. Its small fisheries along the Iron Sound and the Billowy Bay are picturesque and significant to the unique cuisine of the Ferax region.

The lands become a bit more rugged toward the Iron Sound, where steely waters lap the shores of Aërlarow. In the Iron Sound sits the archipelago of Corotha - mountainous, stark islands known for their iron deposits. There are four significant islands. They act not just as economic resources but buffers against enemy naval invasion.

In the northeast of Aërlarow is Lake Eoqora, which draws its name from the name used by the local Bola Heron in reference to the great waters. It is a massive lake, nearly as large as the Heathlands, and is sourced by waters from the Swaywood and from the hills and mountains of Algabar. It is a large inland fishery and feeds the people of Algabar, Eoria, and the Swaywood. In its history, it has been an important economic hotspot for Bola cultures.

The region of Algabar is separated from the rest of Aërarlow by Algabar Batholith, a solid rock formation that forms a smooth, impenetrable wall between the lands. It runs from Billowy Bay to Lake Eoqora, a distance of hundreds of miles, and is only broken by Algabar Pass, where the batholith sports two spires rising hundreds of feet high in the air. It holds religious significance to ancient Bola practices.

Algabar itself is forested heavily around the batholith, where the rolling hills turn into the low mountains that inhabit the bowl-shaped Teralun Valley. The east and south of Teralun Valley, the land slowly becomes the empty grassland of the Whistmere, inhospitable and non-arable. To the north, it fades into the rich coastlines of Lake Eoqora.

Climate
The climate is relatively variable across the kingdom. The Heathlands are known for stale summers, cool spring and autumns, and windy, cold winters.

The Boral Bogs are typically cool and chilly, but in the summer can become stagnant and unbearable for a brief period. Typically, the residents retreat to the outskirts, along the mountains or the forest to alleviate the intensity.

Southern Aërlarow is relatively stable, with mild winters and warm summers. It is suitable for plant growth and high populations. Along the upper reaches of the Rotian Hills, near Ma'lousk and Aërlarow, the winters can be harsh.

Demographics
Aërlarow has a population of roughly 9,000,000 individuals. The two largest ethnic populations are Bola Heron and Roacian.

Due to the heavy admixture follow Roacian Settlement, most citizens have mixed heritage, but only those of pure or near-pure Bola blood consider themselves Bola. It is only the pure Bola Heron individuals who face occasional discrimination.

Because of the admixture, many Roacians have white skin that tans well, brown hair, and blue, brown, or hazel eyes. Green eyes and blonde hair are far rarer qualities among the Roacians, despite those having been common traits among the initial migrants.

Cities
Aërlarow has a number of important cities across its regions.
 * Ma'lousk
 * Ma'lousk is the capital city of Aërlarow and holds significant place in the history of the kingdom, even far before its creation. It was the location of Thesson's Massacre, in which Thesson Danebar effectively destroyed the strongest Bola Heron civilization in the West in the year 27 AFV. Roacians settled the land there and it has had various purposes in history ever since.
 * When Alestair Benetar formed the Kingdom of Aërlarow, he built the Wingéd Seat at his manor in Ma'lousk and marked it the capital city of Aërlarow. Since then, it has grown considerably, from a small, fortified town, to a great city that connects the greatest river in Aërlarow to Dagger Bay. It has a population of 75,000 people and is the most globalized city in Aërlarow, often hosting traders from Nordui, Eriar, Heritar, Morua, Bola Mona, Bearn, and occasionally Iargulta. It boasts the Castle of the Crown, the royal palace and the seat of the Ennobled Court, the Library of Ma'lousk, which is a well-respected library, various universities, castles, manors, and institutions that make it one of the homes of Occidental culture and scholarship.
 * The city is split by a short river that winds down from the Rotian Hills and into Dagger Bay, where there is a considerable port. Osagar's Canal, a great feat of engineering, links Dagger Bay to the River Mal, and therefore linking Ma'lousk with Billowy Bay through a navigable water system.
 * Ferax
 * North Thorn
 * South Thorn
 * Croston
 * Lanor
 * Plainscrest
 * Eoria

Towns
Many towns in Aërlarow, while perhaps not the size of the aforementioned cities, hold strategic economic and political importance, such as being the homes of powerful families or along important trade routes.
 * Lakehold
 * Summul
 * Nordun
 * Cor
 * Ralla

Royalty
Since its founding in 312 AFV, Aërlarow has been a monarchy

The kingdom was officially founded in 312 AFV, when Alestair Benetar proclaimed himself king with the backing of many duods and began to unite the lords of cities in Aërlarow. Since then, there have been three dynasties sitting upon the Wingéd Seat that King Alestair I himself built.

Ascension
Following the death of Thesson Danebar in 73 AFV, the lands between the Swaywood and Billowy Bay became home to a growing number of Roacians. Lordships, city states, and petty kingdoms formed. "Empires," as some titled themselves, came and went, as fickle as the winds. As the population grew, the people grew less fearful of the beyond and less likely to look only to their local lords for leadership. Stronger bonds between the different regions and the different lords evolved.

At the start of the fourth century, war raged to the south in Norduī as an ambitious leader named Naskas Mellum shook off the fetters of Eriar and began to conquer lands. He deposed the Lords of Vasta, who had long been staunch allies of the cities of Ferax, Croston, and Ma'lousk within Aërlarow, and thus threatened to expand northward. A man hailing from Ma'lousk, Alestair Benetar, united the lords of those cities and repelled the invasion, before extending across the Billowy Bay and engaging in warfare with Naskas Mellum to free Vasta. After a long and bloody campaign, Alestair killed Naskas, liberated Vasta, and gifted them the lands taken. He then returned to Ma'lousk, where religious officials from Lakehold to Croston recognized his kingship in the name of the Duror, and thus he became the first King of Aërlarow.

Monarchs

 * Alestair Benetar : 312 AFV, also known as ”the Eagle,” constructed the Wingéd Seat


 * Markem Benetar : 343 AFV, also known as “Markem the Wise,” for his creation of the Ennobled Court
 * Alestair II Benetar : 355 AFV
 * Keneder Benetar : 375 AFV, also known as “Keneder the Bold,” for his campaign into Algabar, which failed at his death and inspired the building of the pass’ gates
 * Markem II Benetar : 381 AFV,
 * Alestair III Benetar : 392 AFV, also known as “the Whore,” for his attempt at reinstitute polygamy that resulted in his trial and execution by the Twelve Magistrates of Aërlarow (polygamy was culturally acceptable due to low population until the formation of the Occidental Church in the third century, when it decreed it against the will of the Duror).
 * Malkem Benetar: 395 AFV, also known as “the Secondson,” for being the son of Alestair III’s second wife, only legitamized by the Twelve Magistrates after intense deliberation.


 * Alesam Benetar: 408 AFV, also known was “the Hungry,” for being the first king undone by House Verpolen’s ruthless starvation, beginning in 415.

Ascension
The Royal House of Anadar became so after famine gripped much of Aërlarow once House Verpolen of Ferax began its chokehold on its food trade due to gross injustices during King Alesam Benetar's, which include imprisonment of noble families without reason, intense paranoia, and attempts to subvert the already limited authority of the Ennobled Court. His bloodline was going weak, with few viable heirs and relatives that were incompetent uninspiring.

At a convening of the Ennobled Court, Lord Caian of House Anadar, whose holdings were along the River Mal, stood before the court. He was brother-in-law to King Alesam, but took it upon himself to change the circumstances of House Verpolen's chokehold. He dragged a whiny, unsympathetic, and disinterested King Alesam from the throne, slit his throat before the nobles of Aërlarow in early 418 AFV, and proclaimed himself king.

Much civil strife followed this moment. The Verpolens seemed relatively unconcerned, but the traditional bannermen of House Benetar, alongside House Weatheret of the Heathlands and House Danebar of Lakehold, denied his claim to the throne. The Anadars, backed by House Coppice, House Hayadar, and somewhat by House Verpolen, launched into war. It was quick and brutal, with the war being mostly fought around Ma'lousk and the Heathlands. House Verpolen's only direct involvement was aiding the Anadar forces in crossing the Dagger Bay and storming North Thorn, where House Weatheret held its seat.

The city was sacked and House Weatheret all but destroyed in a brutal act of war. House Danebar and the Benetar vassals backed off, fearing the same, and swore fealty to Caian. A coronation ceremony followed, in which the Twelve Magistrates recognized him as the Ninth King of Aërlarow. He named House Braydale, a house that stayed neutral during the war, as the new Lords of North Thorn and the Heathlands.

Monarchs

 * Caian Anadar: 421 AFV, also known as “the Savior,” in that he killed Alesam Benetar and ended the Verpolen withholding of food. He signed an accord with the lords of the Ennobled Court, giving them an unprecedented amount of power and influence.
 * Maian Anadar: 456 AFV, also known as “the Shipwright,” as he created a great fleet to conquer the islands of Corotha (albeit mostly when he was still prince)
 * Maian II Anadar: 463 AFV, also known as “the Drunk,” for his inclination to prefer partying to ruling, almost ruining the final stages of securing Corotha
 * Lainun Anadar: 468 AFV, an uncle to Maian II, he poisoned the heirless king, crushed Corotha into submisson, and then died heirless in a shipwreck. His brief reign was so terrible (save for the defeat of Corotha), that the Ennobled Court arrested his heirs, exiled them to the Rift, and searched for a new noble family, with the blessing of the Twelve Magistrates.

Ascension
During the reigns of the House of Anadar, the House of Carathan dwelled in a castle called Ridgetor, which sits in the hills north of Ma'lousk, about a two days' ride from the capital. It was the first house to bow to King Alestair. They were wealthy and strong, but humble and true.

When King Lainun Anadar died in a shipwreck in the midst of a destructive and brutal reign, his viable heirs were exiled to the Rift by the greater houses such as Verpolen, Coppice, and Braydale, who feared the legacy of Anadar failure to follow. Lack of a clear new heir left the realm tense, and such tension nearly snapped into civil war when Lord Arnald Coppice died. House Coppice accused House Verpolen of using poison, but little evidence led to none rallying around House Coppice's call for war.

The Ennobled Court assembled with the Twelve Duroric Magistrates of Aërlarow. The Magistrates, particularly those of Rochar, Rathashar, and Prothamus, put forth House Carathan as the successor to the Wingéd Seat. After much deliberation, Lord Osagar Carathan became King Osagar, the first of his name, and ruled the kingdom until his death in 500 AFV.

Monarchs

 * Osagar Carathan : 472 AFV, built the canal that links Dagger Bay and the River Mal, invited House Slater of Corotha to the Ennobled Court, began construction of the Castle of the Crown and calmed rebels in his reign.
 * Alestair IV Carathan (grandson of Osagar) : 492 AFV, liberated the Whistmere city of Stonegate from a kingdom in the Roruadan called Darthmûr, also known as “The Faithful,” for his campaign to destroy the Solitant Priesthood and defend the sanctity of the Duror
 * Osagar II Carathan^ : 519 AFV, also known as “the Dragonrider”
 * Elgard Carathan : 571 AFV, ended a territory war between Morua and Heritar by wedding both his daughters to their kings, for the war was threatening to upset Aerlarotian iron trade


 * Dargan Carathan : 582 AFV, also known as “the Vile,” provoking a civil war after raping Enela Danebar. Killed and succeeded by his nephew
 * Elgard II Carathan~ : 592 AFV, “the Watchful,” helped build Deadwatch Tower in 593 AFV, then an watchpost for raiders from the Whistmere, repelled the Darthmur invasion by the Dark Emperor in 622 AFV


 * Markem III Carathan (grandson of Elgard II) : 631 AFV, killed by Corothan assassin
 * Osagar III Carathan : 634 AFV, also known as “Osagar the Young,” for he was twelve when coronated. Married Elsa Braydale after North Thorn’s aid in war.
 * Martan Carathan : 659 AFV
 * Alestair V Carathan : 673 AFV, also known as “the Just,” for his reformation of Aerlarotian law, his ceasing of trade with Mhukhmal for their slavery, etc.
 * Elgaron Carathan : 688 AFV, intervened in the war between House Coppice and House Verpolen, executing both patriarchs, both of whom were his friends. Both houses are still bitter, but compliant.
 * Argnol Carathan : 696 AFV, also known as “the False King,” for his elder brother, Elgard, was in line for succession before he abdicated. Argnol has struggled to maintain the respect of his people and court since, and holds resentment for his brother.

The Ennobled Court
The Ennobled Court is an institution that has existed since the reign of King Markem I. It is a representative body of the most powerful noble houses in Aërlarow who have permanent seats in the royal palace. Typically, uncles and cousins of the ruling lord will be stationed indefinitely in Ma'lousk, often with aides and assistants from vassal families, where they will be present for deliberation and discussion with other nobles and the ruling monarch. For the most important of meetings, the ruling lords will journey to Ma'lousk to meet with the King.

Its power was greatly expanded under King Caian, although was subjected to subversion and exclusion for the rest of the Anadar Dynasty. The Royal House of Carathan has, typically, respected the Ennobled Court as a valuable asset to their ruling.

Tasekwah
The most popular sport in Aërlarow is based on tradition from Bola culture and is called Tasekah. The game is played on a court, usually grass or dirt. Teams of twelve face off against one another. On either side of the court is fifteen-twenty foot tall arrangement of steps, ladders, ledges, and platforms. At the top is a bowl on a pedestal. Five players stand upon this, wielding leather padded clubs. In between the two platforms, five players from each team stand, three from each team holding wooden tong instruments. At the base of both platforms, two members of the team opposing whichever platform stand at the ready. Three balls are loosed, and the tong-wielders of each team try to clasp the ball (about the size of a grapefruit) in their tongs. When one succeeds, they break away from the opposing team’s platform. With their two teammates standing by, they try to forge a way up to the top, facing an onslaught from the five defenders. The two try to batter and beat their way through by pushing the defenders off the platform while the tong-wielder runs up and tries to drop the ball in the bowl. Often, one team manages to take control of two balls and thus two wielders and two vanguards are assaulting one platform at once. Rarely, however, do both score in the same assault. The game often results in broken bones, bruises, and concussions, but it is exciting, entertaining, and engaging, because the strategies used to score are varied and situational.

The wielders are typically agile and surefooted, with powerful legs, while the vanguards, defenders, and people on the floor are more focused on brawn and ability to take a beating. The games last until one team scores ten times. In the incredibly rare case all three wielders assault the platform and score, the game ends, but this strategy is foolish, because when all three wielders are on the platform, an entire team can come to defend, and thus outnumber the vanguards and wielders twelve to five.

The game has been played for perhaps a millennium, and has become very commercialized in Aërlarow. It is a game enjoyed by the nobility, who often sponsor teams to be created and entered into competition. It is not uncommon for lower ranking nobles to participate in the sports, and some high-profile nobles have been known to play over the years. Most cities sport a team, and these teams compete with one another. A few kings have been known to organize games and arrest or even execute players when they disappoint. Those kings, coincidentally, never went long without being overthrown by their families.

Tasekah is also played heavily in Bola Mona, Nordui, and Heritar.

Religion
The dominant faith in Aërlarow is the Occidental Duroric Faith, or Occidency.

Norduī
To Aërlarow's direct south is the Kingdom of Norduī. The two kingdoms are separated mostly by the Billowy Bay, but to the east there is some land that separate Norduī and the region of Algabar, which extends eastward from the rest of Aërlarow. The lands between are swampy, bleak, and uninhabitable. Few venture from Aërlarow to Norduī on foot, for travel through these briny estuaries are unwise and dangerous.

The relationship between Aërlarow and Norduī is a strong one. Of the Five Free Kingdoms, these two have the strongest economies, the strongest militaries, and the strongest monarchs. While in the past, the kingdoms and their predecessors have quarreled, now they, even among the western coalition, they are the greatest bulwark against the armies of Darthmûr.