# Ylvani Yelin The frozen lands of the Tára Orofarnë, a realm of snow and ice, are home to the frost elves known as the Ylvani Yelin. The Yelin are at an impasse in their culture; the grand majority are firmly set in their ways, held fast and unmovable like the mountains underneath their feet. They cling to the myriad rituals and customs of their society and the rigid, cutthroat political nature of their nobility. They refuse to subjugate themselves to the Aldarwa, and cannot accept the Erumë as equals. The Aldarwa concept of Nossë Neldë—as the Yelin see it, is a partnership where the Aldarwa have a two thirds stake. A small number, however, see the larger picture in progress. They understand the importance of the Ylvani uniting under one banner, and that merely scoffing at their less civilized kin does not in fact rob them of their existence. ## Government The Yelin are ruled by King Ral-dathlid the Stalwart. He has ruled the Yelin for over two centuries, and many feel he is stubborn enough to rule for two more. He, like his father Ral-dathlid the Elder, and like the kings before him, was chosen by acclamation of the leaders of the three great estates: the high lords of the nobility, the cardinals of the ecclesiasty, and the wizards of the arcanastry. The decision was made in the vain hope that the various political alliances would be able to persuade the inexperienced king into acting on behalf of their agendas, but before long it became clear that they had miscalculated and the new king would dance on no one’s strings. Ral-dathlid’s court includes a variety of ministers and advisors who are chosen from among the most knowledgeable and respected members of the great houses. This council can be of any size, though it is required by law to have at least one member of each of the greater estates. Traditionally it has included seven members: the Lord Regent, Lord Justiciar, Lord Treasurer, Lord Inquisitor, Lord Commander, Vicar of Kemi and Archmage. In addition to this council, the court maintains a handful of especially skilled poets, singers, artists and performers to enrich the court. The most revered of this group is given the title of the Laureate.  ### The Five Estates Outside the court of the King, Yelin society is divided into the five estates: The nobility, ecclesiasty, arcanastry, artistry and commonality. The three great estates are the landholders of the kingdom, while the lesser estates make up the majority of the population.  ### Nobility The nobility consists of 13 great houses, whose title and lands were, at some point, granted directly by the king. The heads of these great houses hold the title of Lord Paramount. Below these high lords are the Lords Major, who have been granted lands by the great houses. These vassal houses have broad regional authority, and can raise Lords Noble, who are to oversee the lands and people at a local level. The nobility is responsible for collecting taxes, training and maintaining military forces, adjudicating legal disputes and keeping the peace among the lesser people of the Ylvani. In addition to the banner houses, vassal houses and great houses, who gained their land and title in recognition of their wealth, influence and political acumen, there are those who have gained nobility through heroism and deeds of valor. Such heroes, when granted title and land by the king himself, is referred to as a knight. Knights serve the king directly, and often find themselves as personal protectors and high ranking officers of the king’s army. The land granted to a knight is often smaller than those granted to banner houses, though in the noble hierarchy, knights outrank lords noble. Unlike most other titles, the title and lands of a knight are not passed down by heredity. Sons and daughters of a knight hold the courtesy title of esquire, but must demonstrate their worth to the king (or when permitted to a lesser member of the greater estates) and earn their ownership of their family’s holdings. A similar honor is can be conferred by the nobility, ecclesiasty or aracanastry. Those who earn such an honor are conferred the rank of Champion. ### Ecclesiasty The ecclesiasty has taken to referring to their champions as “Templar Champions” and the aracanastry refers to theirs as “Eldritch Champions.” Champions who have caught the eye of higher ranking nobles are often given the chance to enter the service of greater houses. Such a promotion confers the rank of “Grand Champion,” or when promoted by the king himself, the rank of “Knight Champion.” The ecclesiasty is the leadership of the church of Kemi. Prospective lords who show divine talent, or who are inconvenient to their noble elders, are sent to seminary. Induction into the church requires that one forsake any lands and titles gained by blood in favor of a life of service to the church. Like the nobility, the church has been granted lands to build their temples and shrines. These lands are ceded from the noble families. Each house is required to surrender 1/13 of their land. The administration of this land is delegated through the authority of the Vicar, who appoints Cardinals to administer church business at a provincial level. The Cardinals in turn assign Abbots to administer regionally and they find priests to administer locally. Each of these is positions is considered equivalent to their noble counterparts, but they are not positions that can be inherited. Male children are typically sent to seminary and officially disowned by their parents, or left to become a members of their mother’s house. Female children do not have the former option. Positions within the church are strictly male only. Women are seen by the Yelin as having the taint of Málrýtil, and women who show the ability the channel divine energy are punished severely, for such things are abominations. Such women are branded with the mark of Málrýtil, and either executed, mutilated or banished from the land, at the discretion of those who discover them. It should be noted that the faithful of the lower estates are not part of the ecclesiasty. Priests may come to a town or village and declare that a temple should be built, but the work of building, maintaining that temple would is fulfilled by the laity. A local preacher might perform readings or give sermons, and even earn a stipend for their work, but they have no authority or standing in the ecclesiasty. Zealots and pilgrims, lost souls and exiles will often travel to ecclesiast holdings to work for the church in exchange for sanctuary, benediction and maybe even redemption. The arcanastry are those yelin who have demonstrated arcane power. Unlike the other great estates, the arcanastry in one that anyone can earn their way into. The ecclesiasty is theoretically is an egalitarian estate, but it just so happens that the priests, abbots and cardinals happen to be those who would have been in position to be lords and high lords had they not given themselves to the church. By contrast, the arcanastry is quite strict in its power based hierarchy, specific feats of arcane power must be performed in order to complete initiation, to advance to enchanter, to rise to the level of mage, or ascend to wizardy.  ### Aracanistry The arcanastry is not tied to specific geographical jurisdictions. Each wizard, upon reaching that rank, is entitled to a small tract of land upon they can build their research facility. Wizards can choose whose lands they build their facility, and in exchange they serve the Lord Paramount or Cardinal. This service is rarely onerous, as a wizard is free to abandon his granted land and take up residence for new lord paramount or cardinal. Mages are sworn to the service of wizards. Upon completing their rituals of ascension, newly raised mages choose a wizard to serve. This wizard can reject the service of the mage, or discharge him at any time, but so long as the service is accepted, the mage is bound to serve his wizard so long as he remains a mage. Like the mage is sworn to a wizard, so to are enchanters sworn to the service of mages.  ### Artistry The artistry is the greater of the two lower estates. It is composed of the various guilds of makers and composers. The guilds are self governing, but by tradition have three tiers of membership: Craftsmen, who are any guildmembers in good standing, capable of taking on apprentices of their own; Artisans, who have a attained great acclaim for their work and serve as regional guild-leaders; and masters, the elite talents who can push the edges of what mundane artistry and craftsmanship are capable of. Artisans attain their rank by creating a piece that their guild recognized as a “work of art.” Artisans are often guild leaders, and many times they are employed by the church or noble houses to showcase their talents. Masters, like artisans, attain their title by creating a great work, known as their masterpiece. A master’s work is only available to the wealthiest and most influential nobles, and may have reputations that extend well beyond the Tára Orofarnë. Masters are the only members of the lower estates to be referred to with an honorific. Some masters are selected to work on behalf of the royal court. These select few masters are known as Laureates.  ### Commonality The least of the five estates are the commoners. Like the other estates, the commoners are divided into three segments: the feeders, laborers and merchants. Common stations are thought to be coequal by others, but the common people strongly believe that their station is the superior to the others.  >[!hidden] >### Foreign Relations >  The Yelin see those outside their borders as innately inferior, but some are useful allies. The Aldarwa have potential, but the Yelin don’t trust the their intentions regarding Nosse Nelde and their insistence on coddling the barbaric Erume makes them even more distasteful. The humans are much better allies, especially the Karrak and the Dayrin. Both typically have the appropriate deference and respect for the Yelin, and their dedication to eradicating evil is admirable. It is not unheard of for humans to squire for Yelin Lindelokte. The Yelin are the only Ylvani that have had more than passing contact with the Dwarves, a result of the two having extensive relations with the Dayrin and Karrak. Ylvani respect the Dwarves (even if you would never hear one admit it out loud). They appreciate their strong sense of duty, their reverence for knowledge, and their hatred of Giants. - **Government:** Monarchy - **Terrain:** [Text pending] - **Capital:** Ral-dathlid’s Fortress (??,???) - **Other major settlements:** - Name (??,???) - **Religion:** [Text pending] - **Imports:** [Text pending] - **Exports:** [Text pending] **Alternative Name(s)**