Hinthial (pronounced HEN-thee-all) is an elven nation west of the Sangora Desolation. After the elves were driven out of the Cradle and the era of the aeroliths came to an end, Hinthial became the most populous elven region in the world. The elves have intentionally attempted to develop the landscape of dense forests as little as possible in order to avoid what they see as a repeat of their prior mistakes.
Geography, flora, and fauna
Separated from drylands to the north by the tall peaks and ridges of the Sianasa Mountains, Hinthial is a land covered in dense woodlands. Old growth deciduous forests blanket most of the region, though they fade to open grasslands in some parts of the north and the hilly south. Hinthial has a temperate to subtropical climate. Summers are warm but not excessively so, and winters are cool and bring significant precipitation.
Numerous rivers run through Hinthial, eventually flowing into either the Invelaust Ocean or the placid Gulf of Aserdus. Most communities in Hinthial have grown up along or near the rivers.
The elves that inhabit Hinthial have purposefully attempted to avoid significant alteration of their surrounding landscape. Many believe the failures of the old Kingdom of Eita to have been connected to their past attempts at remaking the world to fit their ideals, and now hold back from felling the forests and mining the hills in order to avoid following such a path again.
In the past, a land bridge once connected mainland Hinthial to the Cradle at the point where the two landmasses are closest, near Alumnathe and Vesuna. In the elves' retreat to Hinthial this narrow connection was sunk into the sea in an attempt to discourage the kaiju of the Cradle from seeking new lands to the north. So far this has worked, and the gigantic creatures have remained isolated to their island.
Crashed aeroliths lie across Hinthial. The majority have been left to be slowly reclaimed by nature, today inhabited by animals and magical creatures alike.
History
Beginnings: the Cradle
Rise of the Aeroliths
Decline of Eita
Fall of the Aeroliths
Exile to Hinthial
Demographics
The vast majority of Hinthial's inhabitants are elves. Non-elves are usually only found in some of the coastal settlements - Taisnica and Caisra both have small but notable populations descended from immigrants from Brightmarch. Many aquatic elves reside within or near Hinthial as well.
Culture
Religion
Society
Traditions
Languages
Architecture and urbanization
Food and cuisine
Art
Travel
Fashion
Magic
Government
After leaving the Cradle, the elves of Hinthial never reestablished the centralized governance under which they had previously lived. Instead, modern Hinthial is a nation led by many local rulers known as consuls, elected from amongst the inhabitants of each community. Though elected in a democratic process, consuls tend to hail from particularly notable families, and it is not unusual for the position to become almost inherited. These figures are almost entirely skilled mages, especially those of the arcane variety. Magical aptitude is a trait valued in their leaders by Hinthial elves, as they believe it provides greater insight into the world. Despite the lack of cohesion provided by their government, most elves prefer it over the court intrigue and factionalism of Eita and the insularity of the aeroliths.
Economy
By and large, the elves of Hinthial have little interest in integrating their nation into global trade networks. Despite the vast amounts of natural resources in Hinthial, especially darkwood from the forests and ansharite salvageable from crashed aeroliths, the elves do not wish for the environmental degradation an extractive economy would entail.