Elven Kingdoms

Greenwood: The Sylvan Dominion

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If Gallandor is the mountain and Silvermoon is the sky, then Greenwood is the earth itself. The third of Eldoria’s great kingdoms, Greenwood is not a land built of stone or crowned with towers. It is a realm grown — a living dominion of colossal trees, river-spirits, and druids bound to the heartbeat of the world.

To enter Greenwood is to pass beneath boughs that have stood since the Age of Ashes, where roots coil like serpents, where wolves of ember flame watch from the shadows, and where the very forest may rise in judgment. It is not merely a kingdom — it is a covenant with the land.

The Verdant Wilds

The Greenwood stretches across the heart of the Verdant Wilds, an endless forest where sunlight filters through golden canopies and rivers carve silver veins across the earth. But beneath its beauty lies power.

  • The Whispering Woods – Sentient groves said to carry voices of the dead. Travelers often hear names spoken on the wind.
  • The Golden Forest – Heart of Greenwood, its trees shine as if aflame at sunset, but their glow never fades.
  • Cursed Glades – Battlefields of the First Sundering, where shadows seeped into the soil. No flower grows there, and those who linger too long hear whispers urging them to despair.

The Greenwood is not a passive land. It remembers. It judges. And it does not forgive.

Thal’Emoras: The Living City

Hidden deep within the Golden Forest lies Thal’Emoras, Greenwood’s capital — a city not built, but sung into being.

Its halls are woven into the trunks of colossal golden-wood trees, spiraling upward in layers of vine-bridges and terraces lit by sap-lanterns. Roots form stairways, branches bend into arches, and flame-druids tend torches that burn with green fire, symbols of life and balance.

Notable Landmarks

  • The Rootspire – A monolith entwined with roots, believed to be where the first druids bound their lives to the land. Lady Myrialis guards it with unyielding zeal.
  • The Glade of Ancients – A circle of trees so vast their branches weave together like a temple roof. Here, oaths are sworn before the spirits.
  • Temple of the Verdant Eye – A sanctuary grown from a single tree, its heartwood glowing with emerald flame. Within, seers glimpse visions in fire and leaf.
  • The Golden Canopy – The highest level of Thal’Emoras, where the Queen’s council meets beneath branches that shimmer like captured sunlight, even in the blackest night.

Thal’Emoras is not merely a city — it is the forest dreaming in stone and song.

House Thalorien – Wardens of the Forest

The rulers of Greenwood are not kings in the manner of Gallandor or Silvermoon. They are wardens, chosen by both blood and the will of the land itself.

  • Warden-Queen Aerwyn Thalorien – Regal, fierce, and bonded to the Verdant Eye, she carries the Green Sight, hearing whispers of both past and future in the rustling of leaves. Her word is law, not because of crowns, but because the forest itself bows to her.
  • Prince Faelor Thalorien – Her only son, gifted with spirit-sight but brash and proud. He distrusts men, seeing them as destroyers of balance, and often rivals Iogro Merrybelly with open disdain.
  • Lady Myrialis – Aerwyn’s sister, Keeper of the Rootspire. A figure of dread and respect, more priestess than noble, who communes with spirits few dare approach.

House Thalorien traces its line back to Eldros the Verdant, the first druid to bind his soul to the Whispering Woods. They are less a dynasty than a covenant — the embodiment of Greenwood’s vow to protect balance at all costs.

The Culture of Greenwood

The Greenwood elves are distinct from their kin of Silvermoon:

  • Silvermoon → starlight, high magic, crystalline towers, scholars of fate.
  • Greenwood → roots, druids, torchlight, spirits, guardianship of balance.

Greenwood Traditions

  • Tree-Song Magic – Elves sing to shape living wood, raising bridges, halls, and even weapons from the forest itself.
  • Spirit-Binding – Some druids form lifelong pacts with river or beast, drawing strength from their bond.
  • The Ember Flame – Green fire that symbolizes balance; it is never allowed to extinguish within Thal’Emoras.
  • Shadowblending – Warriors slip into the forest’s essence, becoming one with shadow and green — perfect scouts and ambushers.

Their lives are not about dominion, but harmony. To Greenwood elves, to cut without blessing or to take without offering is blasphemy.

Greenwood in the Age of Ashes

During the First Sundering, Greenwood stood as the last barrier against Malakaroth’s eastern advance.

When the Dread King’s armies marched, Aerwyn’s ancestors called the forest to war:

  • Oaks tore their roots from the earth, crushing siege engines.
  • Wolves cloaked in emerald flame hunted cultists through the night.
  • Rivers rose in living torrents, drowning entire battalions.

The land itself fought beside Greenwood. But such power came with scars. There are glades that still bleed shadow, and rivers that whisper with voices of drowned soldiers. Greenwood carries those wounds like a crown — a reminder that balance must always be guarded, or it will shatter.

Prophecy in Greenwood

The druids believe the scars of the Brothers Three are not random. They say the Whispering Woods spoke of them long before their birth — three wounds upon the land, born as sons, who would either restore balance or break it forever.

Some claim the markings on their flesh mirror carvings found in the Rootspire itself. Others whisper that one of the Brothers is destined to fall, his death the price of balance.

Whatever the truth, Greenwood watches them with both hope and fear.

Songs of Greenwood

“Beneath the golden boughs we sing,
Of fire’s gift and shadow’s sting.
The forest wakes, the spirits cry,
Balance holds, or all will die.”

Behind the Writing

Greenwood has always been, for me, the “soul” of Eldoria. Where Gallandor is weight and vigilance, and Silvermoon is mysticism and prophecy, Greenwood is life itself. It’s the reminder that the world is not just kingdoms and crowns, but roots and rivers and spirits older than men or elves.

I wanted Greenwood to feel as dangerous as it feels beautiful. A kingdom you would long to see, yet fear to offend. A place where nature does not serve you — it tests you.

It also reflects my love for being outdoors, for forests that feel alive. Greenwood isn’t just a fantasy forest — it’s what forests feel like when you’re standing in them, listening to the wind and realizing you are very small.

Until Next Time…

Greenwood is the third of the Seven Kingdoms, and one of the most primal. In the weeks to come, we’ll sail the storm-lashed cliffs of Stormwatch, delve into the fiery forges of Ironclad, and walk the frozen halls of Durhaven.

But for now, we leave Greenwood — a realm of druids and spirits, where the forest itself remembers the Age of Ashes, and where balance is both gift and burden.

Silvermoon: The Starlight Realm

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If Gallandor is the heart of Eldoria, then Silvermoon is its memory. Hidden high among the mist-shrouded peaks of the Celestian Vale, this elven kingdom has stood since the Age of Ashes, a sanctuary of starlight, wisdom, and secrets.

To step into Silvermoon is to step into a dream — where moonlight glimmers upon white stone terraces, where ancient runes hum with power, and where the air itself feels charged with a quiet, ageless magic.

The Celestian Vale

Silvermoon is carved into the high mountain valleys, shrouded by mists and crowned by starlight. Forested slopes climb toward crystalline peaks, waterfalls plunge into moonlit pools, and the night sky seems closer here than anywhere else in Eldoria.

The elves of Silvermoon say their land is not merely of the world, but between it — a place where stars whisper and where time flows differently beneath the moon. Travelers who enter the Vale often lose track of hours, sometimes even days, as if Silvermoon itself bends the threads of fate.

The City of Lunareth

At the heart of Silvermoon lies Lunareth, the capital city of the elves. Built upon a tiered plateau that gleams like silver under the stars, Lunareth is both fortress and sanctuary.

Notable Landmarks

  • The Observatory of Liraeth – A great tower crowned with lenses of crystal, where seers chart the heavens and read the will of the stars.
  • The Starwell Pools – Sacred springs said to reflect not only the sky, but visions of what may come. Pilgrims whisper prayers here by torchlight.
  • The Arcane Circle – A vast ring of standing stones, glowing faintly with runes of silver. Here, the elven magisters gather to weave starlight-magic.
  • The Moonspire Palace – Seat of House Valcaryn, its spires carved to echo the constellations. Its throne room opens directly to the night sky, for the rulers of Silvermoon claim their crown not from blood alone, but from the stars above.

House Valcaryn – Lords of Starlight

Silvermoon is ruled by House Valcaryn, an ancient line as unyielding as the mountains and as mysterious as the night.

Current Rulers

  • King Arandor Valcaryn – Proud, wise, and distrustful of men, he has guarded Silvermoon for centuries. His word is law, though even he claims to bow to the stars’ decree.
  • Princess Elara Valcaryn – Beloved daughter of Arandor, she defied her father’s will when she gave her heart to Prince Darian of Durhaven. From this forbidden union came Iogro Merrybelly and Searanore, half-elven children whose destinies entwine with the Brothers Three.

Bloodline Through Elara

  • Iogro Merrybelly – Half-elf, half-human son of Elara and Darian. Known for his humor and wisdom, though mocked by some as “Merrybelly.” He is destined to be a protector of the Brothers Three.
  • Searanore Valcaryn – Hidden twin sister of Iogro. Raised apart to protect her from political danger. Fierce warrior, cold and distant in youth, but destined to become one of the most important figures in uniting Eldoria.

Traits of House Valcaryn

  • Masters of starlight magic — weaving fate, prophecy, and light into spellcraft.
  • Lorekeepers who sing prophecy into song rather than writing it in text.
  • Fiercely protective of bloodlines, believing their royal line is chosen by the stars themselves.
  • Deep mistrust of men, which makes Elara’s choice a scar on their house’s pride.

The Culture of Silvermoon

Life in Silvermoon is guided by starlight. Its people are scholars, seers, and artisans who weave magic as naturally as others weave cloth.

  • Starlight Magic – Unique to Silvermoon, this discipline draws from constellations, moonlight, and the unseen threads of fate.
  • Lorekeepers – Elves record not only history, but prophecy. Their scrolls are written as songs, their archives more like libraries of music than words.
  • Rites of Night – Festivals of light are held when the moons align or stars flare. Lanterns float into the sky, carrying prayers for guidance.
  • Isolation – Though beautiful, Silvermoon is not always welcoming. Its people are cautious of outsiders, especially humans, believing most are too fleeting to be trusted with eternal secrets.

Silvermoon in Prophecy

The seers of Silvermoon believe the Brothers Three are not merely heirs of Gallandor, but threads woven by the stars themselves. Some say the three scars they bear are reflected in a constellation above Lunareth, seen only once a generation.

The union of Elara Valcaryn and Darian Varric — though forbidden — is also whispered in prophecy. Their children, Iogro and Searanore, represent something new: a bridge between men and elves, between mortality and eternity.

To the elves of Silvermoon, this is both hope and heresy. For prophecy is clear: the stars bless the world with saviors, but they also curse it with trials.

Songs of Silvermoon

Bards sing often of Silvermoon, their verses drifting like echoes of starlight:

“Silvermoon glimmers, veiled in mist,
Where fate is written, where stars insist.
In Lunareth’s halls, the night is a crown,
But stars may rise — and stars fall down.”

Behind the Writing

Silvermoon was one of the first kingdoms I imagined when building Eldoria. I wanted a realm that felt ethereal, almost otherworldly, yet rooted in deep traditions. It became the perfect counterbalance to Gallandor — where Gallandor is stone and burden, Silvermoon is starlight and secrecy.

It also became one of the most personal kingdoms for me to write, because Silvermoon ties directly into family and choice. Elara’s defiance, Iogro’s half-blood heritage, and Searanore’s hidden destiny all spring from this place. Their struggles mirror themes I’ve always loved in fantasy: identity, belonging, and the cost of defying tradition.

Until Next Time…

Silvermoon is the second of the Seven Kingdoms, and one of the most mysterious. In the weeks to come, we’ll descend into Greenwood, where druids and forest elves weave life into living cities of torchlight and oak. We’ll also chart the seas of Stormwatch, delve into the forges of Ironclad, and tread the frostbitten halls of Durhaven.

But for now, we leave the starlit halls of Silvermoon — a realm of beauty and burden, memory and prophecy, where the stars themselves weave the fate of Eldoria.

Silvermoon — where starlight crowns the night, and prophecy shines eternal.