Aglarond

Aglarond is an magocratic state in the southwestern-most part of the Unapproachable East with its capital at Veltalar. Most of its land is covered by the Yuirwood. Filled with magic and mystery, it was ruled by one of the most potent spellcasters of the Realms: the Simbul, until 1425 DR, the Year of Seven Sisters, and as of 1475 DR is ruled by fifteen simbarchs — arcanists trained in the Simbul's arts.

Geography
Aglarond's isolation and its long history of sieges by Thay have made the once-trusting Aglarondan people suspicious of outlanders - anyone could be an agent of their hated enemy. Aglarond is separated from the rest of Faerûn by the plateau of Thay to the east, and the Sea of Fallen Stars on the three other sides. The lands beyond the fortress at Undumor to the Thayan borders are past the direct protection of the armies of Aglarond and are thinly populated for this reason.

The Pirate Isles lie only a hundred miles or so off Aglarond's own western islands, but since piracy is punishable by immediate execution in Aglarond, most buccaneers give the land a wide berth. The length of water that separates Aglarond from Thesk is known as the Sea of Dlurg. This is more of a bay than a proper sea: At its narrowest point, about midway down its length, only fifteen miles separate the city of Furthinghome from Theskian shore.

There are no major ports in Aglarond; there are only coastline villages and towns suitable for fishing boats and other smaller ships.

While the fey-dominated Yuirwood covers much of Aglarond, the land between the trees and the shore consists of fertile, rolling hills that make excellent farmland. Farms are rarely more than ten miles from the shore. The half-elves who make their home under the Yuirwood's leafy canopy discourage large-scaled settlements of the forest with a mixture of compromise, diplomacy, and the occasional veiled threat. Despite such efforts, though, the woods continue to recede every year. Grasses, shrubs, and vies quickly reclaim abandoned farmsteads, but trees are slow to return to territory stripped from the Yuirwood long ago.

As of 1479 DR, the Yuirwood is now filled with plaguelands formed in the wake of the Spellplague, filled with ruins of an ancient, long-gone eladrin civilization.

Climate
Although Aglarond is at roughly the same latitude as Cormyr, its weather is much more moderate. The waters moderate the weather, so the seasons are rarely as harsh as they are elsewhere.

Altumbel
The people of Altumbel do not consider themselves as part of Aglarond. When Aglarond was formed many centuries ago, after long years of war, humans and half-elves agreed to share power in the form of a council of locally appointed leaders led by a king. A number of humans were too bitter from the wars to lay aside their animosity. Rather than become part of this new nation, they set out for the far western end of the peninsula, claiming it as their own.

The Fang
The Fang is the part of the north coast that juts out the farthest into the sea. Although close to Aglarond's capital, its people consider themselves part of another land.

Towns & cities
The larger cities in Aglarond are the coastal ones. Most cities are supported by agriculture or fishing. Wealthier inhabitants live in stone buildings, the poor live in thatched huts, and those in-between live in buildings of two or three stories, made of weathered wood with steep, shake or tile roofs. Construction is usually dense, with narrow streets.

Veltalar
The capital of Aglarond Veltalar is a medium-sized city numbering around 70,000 in population. Formerly known as Velprintalar, Veltalar is the seat of the Simbarch Council and Aglarond's principle harbor. Since the Spellplague the city has expanded westwards to meet the receding coastline of the Sea of Fallen Stars, leaving the older parts of the city, now called Old Velprintalar as little more than slums. Here thieves and pirates gather, turning the very heart of Aglarond into a wretched hive of scum and villainy.

Delthuntle
A young community, Delthuntle emerged recently (as of 1479 DR) as one of Aglarond's commercial centers and major ports. The city primarily makes a profit through trade with the new genasi nation of Akanûl, which helps to give it one of the highest non-native genasi populations throughout the world. Delthuntle is plagued, however, by a growing problem of piracy that threatens to cut its prosperity short.

Dragonjaw Mountains
The Dragonjaws separate Aglarond from Thesk to the north, and serves well as a natural defense against the forces of Thay, preventing armies from entering River Umber and the Sea of Dlurg. Most of the mountains are considered part of Thesk, only the Tannath Mountains and the Tannath Gap are truly part of Aglarond.

The Watchwall
The Watchwall is a massive, magically engineered length of stone wall, stretching from the fortress city of Glarondar to the slopes of Umbergoth, and thus extends the defensive barrier of the Dragonjaw Mountains another fifteen miles, up to a rock-like fortification containing one-third of Aglarond's armed forces. The wall is 30 feet high and 10 feet thick, with no gates nor windows, and wide stairs are carved into the Aglarondan side every quarter-mile or so The wall is patrolled at all times, and guard barracks where the patrols can rest are found at each mile marker.

Undumor
The fortress of Undumor, formerly known as Emmech, was lost in the Hundred Years of Chaos to the new Thayan regime under Szass Tam. Located at the mouth of the River Umbar the fortress now serves as an outpost of Thay in Aglarond and is garrisoned by numerous undead in the former's service. It is constantly in a state of warfare with the nearby fortress Dantalien, where brave but hopelessly inexperienced youths gather to try and clear out the Thayan presence on Aglarond's soil. These attempts have so far always failed and it is rumored that Thay has begun to work towards putting an end to the nuisance caused by Dantalien once and for all.

History
Aglarond was formed after the Battle of Ingdal's Arm in 1065 DR, when the half-elves, who were victorious in the battle, negotiated for the creation of a new nation, with Brindor Olósynne, who had led the half-elf army, as its first king. The Olósynne Dynasty remained in power until the apparent death of “the Simbul” in 1425 DR. Following this, the Simbarch Council took control of the country and have ruled it since.

Government
Aglarond was ruled for several centuries (since 1065 DR) by the Olósynne Dynasty, beginning with the half-elf King Brindor and ending with the apparent death of Alassra Shentrara, "the Simbul," in 1425 DR. Under this system of government, the monarch was advised by a council of thirty, made up of eleven councilors from major cities and a further nineteen from smaller settlements. Every community in Aglarond was entitled to elect a member to the council, although the Fanger cities of Dahst and Findar did not acknowledge that they are part of Aglarond and never sent a councilor.

Since the Simbul's disappearance and the end of the monarchy, Aglarond has been ruled over by the Simbarch Council, an assembly of fifteen mages learned in the ways of the Simbul. Following her end the Simbul's followers banded together and took control of the Palace of the Simbul, from which they govern today, and took it upon themselves to lead her former kingdom. Their rule was not unchallenged, however, and the Council eventually resorted to military might to bring rebelling regions to heel. Since coming to power the Simbarch Council have consolidated their rule and extended Aglarond's power over the disputed Wizard's Reach, defeating the armies of Thay's exiled zulkirs for control of the region.

Military
Aglarond's army was formed by Brindor Olósynne early in the nation's history. The army was small and skilled as of 1368 DR, famed for its “Foresters” — elite units of rangers loyal to the crown — operating in the Yuirwood. The rest of the army comprised archers, pikemen, and a few cavalry. These are garrisoned at the fortress Emmech (later renamed Undumor) and the citadel Glarondar. Glarondar also featured a small number of griffon-riders used for scouting. During this period, the militia numbered around six thousand.

Aglarond also has a strong tradition of local militias. When the size of the army is insufficient to deal with a threat, everyday people in Aglarond will come to arms, using spears and pikes. The six thousand trained troops could easily be joined by four times that number of citizens.

Aglarond does not formally have a navy. The Foresters use boats called coastboats for transportation and raids, especially against invading forces.

Most recently, the military of Aglarond was used to cement the control of the Simbarch Council, first through the suppression of resistance to the new government in outlying regions of the country and later as a defense against the encroaching threat of Thay.

Demographics
As of 1372 DR, Aglarond's population, numbering somewhere around 1,300,000, was mostly made up of humans, though one third were half-elves and a fair number elves. Over the course of the century since, the local tiefling population has swelled, due to the large number of refugees fleeing from Thay, particularly in the cities of Escalant, Glarondar, and Citadel Dantalien. Many dragonborn have also come to Aglarond from neighboring lands and both genasi and halflings are found in large numbers in Delthuntle, Veltalar, and Furthinghome.

Humans
The humans of Aglarond are regarded as trustworthy and hardworking, living simple lives from agriculture, fishing and herding livestock. Traditionally humans have kept close to Aglarond's coastal cities, since these were the first founded by them in the 750s DR, when human colonists first arrived.

Originally, human colonists arriving in Aglarond were Untherites from Chessenta, but these were soon joined by settlers and adventurers from other parts of Faerûn. The average height of an Aglarondan female is 157cm (5'2") and a male 173cm (5'8"). They are hardy, tough people with blue or brown eyes.

Eastern Aglarondan humans dress in bright colored tunics and trousers embroidered with black thread. They wear bracelets, circlets, rings, necklaces and earrings made from bronze or silver. Those in the west owe much of their culture to the pirates who originally inhabited these areas. They dress in contrasting colors, donning headbands and bandanas, or wear plain brown or white tunics. Jewelery here is simple and inexpensive, including brooches, earrings, nose-rings and necklaces.

The average Aglarondan has no concern for magic as part of everyday life, instead regarding it as best wielded by those in power. A number of Aglarondan monarchs in the Olósynne Dynasty were powerful spellcasters, but regular people with these powers are viewed with disdain. Any young children who show a particular gift for magic are recruited as apprentices by the Simbul, becoming members of the Simbul's Children.

Half-elves
The Aglarondan half-elf population is mainly concentrated in and around the Yuirwood. They are a copper-skinned people, amongst whom about half have pointed ears. There is a large range of outlooks amongst the half-elves. Those who live on the outskirts of the Yuirwood, nearer to the human settlements, have a more tolerant approach and have adopted human traditions, such as living in houses. Those half-elves living deeper in the Yuirwood are in touch with their elven ancestry, preferring to live the elven way, in small communities, or as hunter-gatherers. Most half-elves either support or accept the human presence in Aglarond, but there is rumored to be a small group who are in favor of wiping them out.

Many of the half-elves, and the wild elves they share their homes with, distrust and question the authority of the Simbarch Council that has ruled Aglarond since 1425 DR, though it was only recently (as of 1479 DR) that their worries shifted from the ex-zulkirs of fallen Thay.

Magic among the half-elves is widely practiced; more so among the inhabitants of the Yuirwood. Some of the nomadic tribes still use totemic magic.

Half-elven dress is similar to humans in the areas near human settlements, and even so in parts of the Yuirwood. In the other parts, the half-elves dress more like wild elves, with fur, loincloths and tattoos.

Halflings
As of 1368 DR, the halfling population of Aglarond was limited to a few hundred, concentrated on farmland in the area surrounding Mesring in the east. They wee well-liked by both the humans and the half-elves. There is little to no evidence the halfling population has changed substantially since.

Economy
Aglarond's economy is largely self-sufficient. It produces everything it needs in order to survive. It does, however, produce a small surplus with which it may trade. Aglarond exports copper, gems, grain, lumber and Aglarondan blood wine and imports glass, iron and textiles. The half-elven community produce musical instruments and artwork from wood and silver. Aglarond does not actively seek trade with other nations; instead, it lets in a small number of traders from the outside.

Transportation
Sea trade plays an important part in Aglarondan economics. The names of vessels from Aglarond are based on the goods they carry like Spicesail or Timberhold.

Culture
Aglarondan society is dominated by two primary principles. First, Aglarond is a land of magic, steeped in the teachings of the Simbul, one of Mystra's Chosen. Additionally, Aglarond is the only known state in Faerûn to possess a demographically significant half-elven population, which has traditionally played a large part in local affairs. Aglarond also has a traditional rivalry with their neighbors in Thay, whom Aglarondans distrust deeply.

Religion
There are few temples and holy sites in Aglarond, none of which are large. Some people worship regularly and others are content to show signs of faith in their own manner. Aglarondans believe that the prosperity of their land is a sign that the gods favor them. Amongst the humans, the farmers tend to worship Chauntea and the seafarers Valkur and Selûne. Half-elves often venerate Mielikki, Silvanus, the Seldarine, or other human deities, depending on their profession or beliefs. The Yuir elves used to worship their own pantheon of gods who are assumed to have disappeared with the downfall of the Yuir.