Aslan and some Wood Elves
Ormus is a large nation of forested hills, dense woodlands, and open coastal plains and marshes. The small population of wood elves, barely ten thousand in number, primarily inhabit the wooded areas. The Aslans have build many small towns and some great cities. They pride themselves on their discipline and beauty, and it shows through their works. This appreciation for artistry is shared by the elves, and as a result the two races have built a harmonious and peaceful culture.
The migratory Aslan civilization is centered around a series of permanent fortifications, the largest being the Talon Citadel. Tent cities form around these fortresses, and tribes move from city to city during the course of the year. Thus the makeup of each city changes from month to month as groups arrive and depart. The fortresses are owned by the resident Aslan noble, who charges "rent" for the right to place each tent under his protection.
The capitol city of Norcroft is distinguished only by having the most prominent fortifications; the largest number of tents under rent; and the richest economy. This is the year-round home of the Aslan King, Erguin Crath, and his harem and advisors.
Visitors to a tent city are guided about by Aslan youths who can find the appropriate tent on the basis of its odor. Tents are also organized according to the type of business, so the larger cities have herd towns, weaving towns, craft towns, smithy towns, etc. Guild members can be distinguished by the dying of their hair on the nape.
Located deep within the central forests of Ormus is an immense spike of glassy rock rising out of the woodlands nearly a mile into the sky. At the very top is a small plateau that glows with an eerie green light at night.
This magical spire, known as the Godspike, was created when the gods infused the lands with life. As a result it is heavily enchanted with wild magic, and this property infuses the land of Ormus with enchantment. Creatures wandering onto the dangerous ground nearby can can spontaneously mutate. Indeed, the forest near the spike is filled with all manner of strange growths, may of them highly dangerous.
Winds blowing dust over the spike constantly charge the glassy peak, shrouding the rock in lightning during stormy weather. The air near the top is also very turbulent, making an attempt at an airborne landing extremely hazardous. As a result, the only realistic means to reach the summit is to scale the glassy sides, a nearly impossible task for an unskilled climber.
In the southern third of the nation stands a large, enchanted forest called the Dancing Woods. While seemingly a normal, albeit dense, woodlands, the trees of Dancing Woods are capable of uprooting and shifting their place - at least when mortals are not watching the trees. This makes it very easy to become lost within these woods, and even the native elven guides have problems finding their way out.
Deep within the woods is a lake that is home to a colony of nymphs. They thrive in this lake that changes shape every dawn - known as the Mercurial Lake. The unusually numerous group of nymphs only adds to the magical nature of the area. The waters of the lake are reputed to provide healing, beauty, and youth to those who bathe therein. However, even those who attempt to fly in to the lake usually only manage to get lost above the shifting wood lands.
At the beginning of time, Ormus was the site where the gods chose to infuse the land with life. Since that time, however, Ormus has remained a somewhat dull and backwater place of little historical interest until recently.
In the ancient past a split occured between the wood elves of Ormus and the high elves of Llowar'ah Sadall, and there are still bitter feelings between the two. The wood elves and high elves refuse sit at a table together, and many of their curses refer to a person being of the other group. However, there is no open fighting between the two races.
Recently, the Ormus militia have had to drive off incursions by the Nagon Delta and Mirak. The later are considered a more dangerous threat, as they are eyeing the woodlands of Ormus as a permanent source of wood.
Ormus is ruled by a male Aslan king that is advised by a nine member council of females. However, the government of Ormus is very decentralized and much of the power is carried by the tribal elders. This group of elders meet once a year, and during emergencies, to discuss with the council what will be best for the nation as a whole.
There is a dominant faction amongst the leaders who want the kingdom to remain pure and in isolation from the rest of the world. However, other generally younger members want to have increased contact with outsiders. This has created a deep divide amongst the generations of people.
The Aslan tribes are led by the strongest dominant male in the pride. He keeps a harem of females around him who do his bidding. All other Aslan carry out the daily routines. Though the leader is usualy waited on hand and foot, his position is held only as long as he can remain in control. He is challenged quite often by the other males in the pride and thus devotes much of his time and energy meeting those challenges.
The Ormus society has a ranking system that rates status as follows from high to low: noble males, craftsmen, merchants, warrior, farmers/herders, and laborers.
The Elves are ruled by a Council of Elders which are chosen from the various provinces that the people live in. They serve on the Council for life and make all economic and military decisions. They have good relations with the Aslan for the most since they are few in numbers, a common appreciation of their land and beauty, and the Aslan are usually too busy feuding among themselves.
The backbone of the Ormus military is formed by an elite group of warriors known as the Ti'Gar. This company of disciplined soldiers follow a strict religious code of conduct that similar to that of a paladin.
The King has an honor guard consisting of a warrior from each of the significant Aslan tribes. Most of these warriors are potential successors to the tribal rule, so the current leaders are more than happy to send their rivals elsewhere. This guard of nearly 400 Aslan is called the Red Claws, as distinguished by the prominent dyes applied to their paws.
This is generally a peaceful country who do not have a regular standing army. However, the native militia are capable of fierce defense using the woods and hit and run tactics, as Nagon Delta and Mirak invaders have discovered to their chagrin.
While generally peaceful, Ormus is very isolationist and so consequently they have few friends in the world. There are poor relations with Nagon Delta and Mirak, due to some recent attempted incursions by these two aggresive neighbors.
Uranorn has sided with Mirak in order to secure their southern flank (for the moment) so they have been publically supporting Mirak's aggresive stance toward Ormus. They also view this action as a distraction that will keep Mirak focused toward the west. In private, however, they do not agree with Mirak's continued aggressive expansionism, so they are pleased that Ormus has so far withstood the invasions.
Ormus is left alone by Ar-Abel because the goblinoids are too busy feuding with the dwarves of Narak-Zagul. Indeed, Ormus has almost no contact with Narak-Zagul or Carmun because they are on opposite sides of the continent. They do, however, engage in some trading with the Carmun sea merchants, if only to avoid contact with Llowar'ah Sadaal.
As a nation, Ormus is mostly self-sufficient, so they only trade for limited goods such as precious metals, some fruit, spices, scent bundles (for the Aslan), silk, etc. Their exports are primarily tanned hides, leatherwork, rope, and prize cattle.
While worship of the gods is practiced in Ormus, there is a strong following of nature worship as led by the Aslan and Elven Druids. The Godspike is the "mecca" for all the true nature worshippers, such as Druids and Rangers. They will fanatically protect the Godspike from becoming imbalanced, and seek to ward the site from possession by either good or evil.
The wardens of the godspire have come under increasing pressure of late from the dark forces who seek its control. These forces include groups of goblinoids who believe the rock at the top of the spire has unusual magical properties. The ruler of Necrosir also appears to have an interest in the site.
Due to the presence of the Godspike, Ormus is a region of wild magic where normal spells of Wizardry can easily go awry. The wood elves have capitalized on this chaotic mana their own unique system of powerful, but unreliable magic. This system is heavily based on emotional states, elements of musical improvisation, and creative dancing.
Practice of this craft favors creativity, dexterity, and emotional sensitivity. Such crafters would have frequent mood swings and be somewhat vulnerable to enchantments, but when they are on form there is little that can withstand their skills. This style works poorly, if at all, within mundane, rigid dwellings but is very powerful in a natural setting.
The Elves have used this wild mana to build an ever changing network of magical tunnels between nodes inside Ormus. Using this transport network requires a strong improvisational streak, and getting between two neighboring sites may sometimes require crossing the country.
The Godspike is the root of a web of magical nodes that run throughout the lands. These nodes serve as foci for magical energies, and they tend to form in places where life is especially rich. However, the forces of are attempting to pervert the Godspike to their own purposes, thus corrupting magic throughout the lands.
These dark forces have begun to tamper with the transportation network of Ormus, causing storms of chaos across the land. These storms have many strange effects, mutating beasts and plants, leaving some places bone dry while others are nearly flooded. Weather patterns frequently, leaving farms barren and the people hungry. The council of Ormus is most concerned about these events and is struggling to find the cause.
Magical ley lines and nodes run throughout the continent from the Godspire, and the abilities of Wizards rise and fall depending on their position with respect to these nodes. Major nodes can be found where Wizards have drawn together, such as the islands of Llowar'ah Sadaal, and the Cloudtip Tower in Mirak.
Since the source of all this magic is chaotic in nature, the nodes can vary in power over the centuries and aeons. The further in distance you are from the Godspike, however, the less variation you have - since the nodes act somewhat like magical batteries.
The aslan and wood elves live in small, intermixed, roving bands. Both groups are very nature oriented. Indeed there are many druids and rangers among each race. They will fiercly defend the forests against those who would seek to damage the land.
Each band has a leader that is much like a native american chiefs. Each year, or during infrequent emergencies, the bands come together to discuss the state of their territory. At this time they also have many contests of strength and speed and agility. It is a great honor to win these contests and people come from all over the continent to attend.
The native elves revere the magical nature of their land and they view their role as the protectors of this enchanted region.