Lyr'Lowain

The ancient elven home of Lyr'Lowain has been through many changes over the millenia. It began as a dangerous and primal place of elder creation magics, and then was tamed by elvenkind after the Constellation War with the help and guidance of the Elder Dragon Glainwing. Once the forest was brought to heel, the nation of the elves fell into infighting during the events of the Bartering. The Dwain Blade, two elven warriors of great renown brought the disparate clans together to unite them under the nation of Lyr'Lowain, and that peace endured for centuries. The death of Glainwing, however, brought about Meinos's Discord, and the division between Northern and Southern Lyr'Lowain -- a division which stands to this day.

These periods of infighting, rebellion, tragedy, and resolution have molded the two nations of Lyr'Lowain into a hodgepodge of various traditions and philosophies. The united elven culture of the time before the Constellation War is lost to history, along with the rest of recorded events from that period, and what remains is a nation who can no longer agree on the role of their peoples in the world, much less agree on what it means to be an elf.

As such, elvenkind has migrated from their ancestral forested domain into various parts of Vault. While Lyr'Lowain endures as the recognized elven nation, it's just as common to see elves in any other part of Vault as Lyr'Lowain, though the reverse is untrue. Other peoples can be found throughout the forests of the elves, but many elves fear to lose the last remnants of their culture to dilution. As such, there are many pockets of citizens, especially in the North, that cling to xenophobic practices in order to preserve what little they have left of their ancestors.

All borders remain open, however, and the elves of Lyr'Lowain, even in the North, see part of their role in the world as leaders and guides, in the same way Glainwing guided them. This view leads many elves to work tirelessly to better understand Vault in order to ensure the safety and future of all other peoples.

However, the division of North and South undermines what would otherwise be an altruistic, albeit perhaps misguided, attempt to lead the people of Vault. The Northern capital of Imperium views the world through the lens of strength of arms, due in large part to the brutal death of Glainwing. This causes the North to be innately distrustful of outsiders, and downright hostile toward elements they perceive as evil. The people of Imperium believe they can recover the glory of their ancestors and live up to the legacy the Elder Dragons had created for them. The sorrow in falling short has colored their view of the world for centuries. Nowhere can be found a people more ridden with guilt, and who work harder to make amends for their past.

The South has given up on reclaiming any remnant of their ancestry and instead look to the future of their people. The capital of Millenaria invests in ensuring elfkind is taken care of in the present, putting their focus in effort in peace and solitude. That solitude, however, is often through the means of ignoring the outside world, much like Glainwing did during her slumbering years in Lyr'Lowain. It is the South's belief that no strength gained through violence is worth pursuing, and strength is, itself, a false idol. Instead, elves should look to living out their lives without grand pursuits, easing into the twilight of the eons by gently accepting the hand they've been dealt.

It should be said, Lyr'Lowain is more than just its people. The forest itself has existed far before any elf stepped foot beneath its boughs, and while it is not the mystical mystery that is Mythrasil Forest, it is a persona all its own with myriad secrets, histories, and creatures that exist nowhere else on Vault.