Aranholme

Aranholme
Capital of the Kingdom of Aran’Lúnarium

Town Overview
Aranholme is the cultural and administrative heart of the Kingdom of Aran'Lúnarium. It is the new beginnings of a city that once stood as the Gem of an entire World. Aranholme is built in the traditional Arnadi style, Stone, and plenty of bright colours to exhort the Glory of Itíl-Lúneth, with only the finest of craftsmanship and masonry to bring honour to Clacháir. Architecture is an extension of one's soul and values to the Arnadi, and they intend to show it through their buildings. Aranholme is located on Kogongu, directly south of the Lethonian town of Akkabrim, and due North-East of the Duchy of Petersburg. It is situated upon a river, and plains, surrounded by forests and tundra. Some important buildings in Aranholme, at the time of this writing, are the Public Granary, and the Royal Stockpile and Public Library. These buildings are perhaps two of the most important in the entire town, as Arnadi society depends upon them. It is from here that The Crown provides food and equipment to its subjects, free of charge.

Governance
The Arnadi are ruled by a Feudal Monarchy. The House Aran'Lúnarya have held an unbroken dynasty since the beginning of the First Age, when Itíl-Lúneth chose Aranius the Great to be the first High-King of Aran'Lúnarium, and his first act was founding the original city of Aranholme. Below the High-King are the Dukes of Oakshire, Ashvale, Thorneshire, Sapphireforge, Silvervale, Bladeshire, and the Aspenwick Isles; they adminsiter these regions for The Crown, and provide specific materials for the Kingdom. The Crown provides everything any Arnadi could ask for; protection, food, healthcare, education, equipment, housing, and entertainment. Subjects of the Crown also do not pay any taxes, other than business taxes should they seek to open a private enterprise. Rather than taxes, Arnadi society functions on a form of tithing system whereby 10% of all gathered materials by workers are given to the Royal Stockpile or Granary, that all other Arnadi may enjoy the social safety net that provides. The other 90% is entirely the property of the subject who gathered it. Should a subject wish to open a business, they will need to buy land from the Crown to run their enterprise, and pay 10% of their profits to the Royal Treasury for the privilege of owning a business.

Arnadi Culture:
Arnadi culture is steeped in religiousness and tradition. The Arnadi venerate all the Gods of the plane of Âr-Karnadi, but the cheif amongst their worship is Itíl-Lúneth, for she is the one whom gave them life, and gave them protection from the evils in the darkness that would seek their destruction. The rituals of their pantheon have seeped their way into every aspect of Arnadi life, though it its important to note that one of the cheif religious tenets of the Arandi pantheon is that faith is a personal journey among equals, and no one should influence that journey; it is for the individual to accept their own spirituality of their own free will and accord. From the many rituals and feats that are prepared in the name of the Gods, the Arnadi have grown accustom to a various many forms of entertainment and comforts that are indicative of their very culture. The Arnadi are great lovers of feasts, festivals, tournaments, and other forms of get-togethers. They also have a great love of comforts such as tobacco, malt whiskies, meads, stouts, and wines. The Arnadi tradition is also one of rhetoric and art; for the arts are the greatest way to pay tribute to exhort the glory of the Gods, and rhetoric is that great discipline by which one can articulate one's ideas, by which they can live true to the tenets of the Arnadi pantheon. It should be noted, the most supreme form of art to the Arnadi is architecture; for great feats of architecture stand the test of time, to evoke legendary lessons and ideas through the eons.

A Brief History
The Kingdom of Aran'Lúnarium was founded eons ago; and it's formation would hearken the begining of the First Age of Âr-Karnadi. It was during a moot of the Chieftains of the Arnadi tribes of Western Khal'Aran, at the base of Mount Itíl, on the banks of the River Lúneth. The Chieftains were bickering about how best to deal with the constant threat of the evil of the Dark God Haukron and his wicked wife Fauxbenia. At the height of their meeting, Itíl-Lúneth herself came down from atop Mount Itíl, and announced that they would need to form a Kingdom. Being their creator, they bowed to her will and had her chose from among them. The Goddess crowned Aranius, chieftain of the clan Aran'Lúnarya as the first High-King of Aran'Lúnarium; and for his first act Aranius declared their capital, Aranholme, would be built at the base of Mount Itíl, that they may always be close to their creator when in the capital. From here, Arnadi history is defined by conflict with Haukron, Fauxbenia, and their legions of the Undead, Orcs, Trolls, Goblins, Demons, and other foul, wicked, and perverse creatures. The Arnadi would form various Orders of Paladins to their Gods; they would build great temples, and around these temples cities would grow. It is from temple building that they would turn their attention to fortress building, and near-constant war with the forces of evil. The whole of Arnadi history is a long, and sordid history that would be better described via a series of books; and thus will be done in such form; so it is from this point until we get to King Aglarian, that our tale will be in short form. The Arnadi, and other forces of Good from Âr-Karnadi would battle these great evils, and would win many victories, yet too they would suffer great defeats. Eventually, the nefarious Goddess, Fauxbenia would be killed by an Arnadi paladin, and the company of heroes travelling alongside him. Many times would Haukron be banished, only to return and wreak havoc. This would all change with the coming of King Aglarian. King Aglarian would come to rule in the year 2583 the Fifth Age of Âr-Karnadi; at the tender age of 45, upon the death of his father, Boranian II. Boranian II was killed infront of Aglarian, by Haukron himself. It is at this point that the Gods, who only meddled in the affairs of the Realm when necessary, decided that enough was enough. They attempted to show Mercy to Haukron, but it was clear that he was far too powerful to be banished or imprisoned. So, all 6 gods: Itíl-Lúneth, Solanarius, Apaniiwa, Icthyüs, Clacháir, and Amanarya; imbued King Aglarian with their powers. With this newfound power from the Gods, Aglarian waged a year long campaign until he came upon the door of Haukron's fortress and fought him in single combat. The battle was intense. Great craters were mawed into the earth, mountains were leveled, seas were boiled. The Eastern face of Khal'Aran was more than marred; it was damaged to the point that the realm would not remain stable for long. Haukron was a mighty foe indeed, the most powerful of all the eight Gods who ever existed, but he was no match for the combined powers of the Gods, imbued into their Holy Champion. With a mighty ferocity of his unholy fury, Haukron lashed out at Aglarian, catching him on the right side of his face with his blade. This was almost the end of the young High-King, but in the Dark God's fatigue, he was only able to leave a shallow cut with the tip of his wretched longsword. Aglarian, with the Moon Hammer in his left hand, smashed Haukron's vile blade. He then took his Bastard sword Lionrend, the Moonbringer, and stabbed it into Haukron's neck. The divine míthril blade shattered as it killed the vile deity; the bright silver flames turning Haukron and the weapon shards to ash, leaving only its enchanted handle behind. Haukron was dead. Aglarian, victorious, did not enjoy any respite. In a plea for the Gods to bring safety to the Good peoples of Âr-Karnadi, that they may live another day rather than remain on this dying plane, he immediately surrended all the powers given to him to be their mortal Champion. This prayer was granted, and mighty planar rifts were opened that the Arnadi, and all good peoples of Âr-Karnadi fled into. And so began the Sixth Age of the Arnadi people, as Aglarian awoke.

The Physical Characteristics of an Arnadi
The Arnadi are not as most elves appear. Yes, they are tall, measuring around 6'8" to 8'0". They live long lives, but they are not immortal; living only on rare occasion to the age 500. The Arnadi have pointed ears,and they are like that of a halfling, or a human; they are close to the head and the point extends only an inch or two from what would be a normal ear for a human. The Arnadi have natural hair colours, though some of them are born with white or silver hair that they retain their whole life. They possess skin that ranges from fair to ebony. The male Arnadi are capable of growing magnificent beards, which are seen culturally as the sign of masculinity, and warrior prowess. The males are also generally of a brawny and stocky build. The women are fair and beautiful; but do not mistake them as delicate, it may be the last thing you do. They are not able to be raised as undead, nor are they able to fall to vampirism or necromancy; by the protection of the Moon Goddess, Itíl-Lúneth; rather the Arnadi will die, and turn to ash; rather than be raised as profane creatures.

The Pantheon of Âr-Karnadi
The Arnadi follow a pantheon of 6 Gods, each of whom possess various holy orders and associated societies, they are as follows.↵

Itíl-Lúneth:
Chief Deity of the Pantheon, Goddess of the Moon, Mercy, Justice, Righteousness, and Dreams. Her tenets are to protect the innocent and bring justice to the wicked. She created the Arnadi and all elves. Her symbol is her animal companion, Felix Aurum Lunarium, a Crowned Golden Lion with a Mithril crescent moon emblazoned upon his chest. Her favoured weapons are the Warhammer and Bastard Sword.

Order of the Holy Moon:

The Order of the Holy Moon are the most elite and senior body of Paladins in the Kingdom of Aran'Lúnarium. The Order of the Holy Moon is the oldest order of Paladins in all of Âr-Karnadi, founded by High-King Aranius I himself. They uphold the laws of Itíl-Lúneth, they protect the innocent, and they embody true paragons of virtue.

Lúnar Inquisition

The Lúnar Inquisition seeks out subversive cults, demon worshippers, and necromancers. They are sworn to uphold the peace of the realm, and do so with zealous fervour. Inquisitors function much like a detective would; they generally report their findings to the Order of the Holy Moon.

Solanarius:
Husband of Itíl-Lúneth, God of the Suns, War, Courage, Valour, Cunning, and Hunting. His tenets are to be brave and cunning in War, burning a path through one’s enemies like the light of the Suns. He created the race of Men. His symbol is his animal companion, a Silver Stallion wearing a crown adorned with three Stars, a Blue one, a Red one, and a White one; emblazoned upon his chest is a golden Sun. His favoured weapons are the Longbow, Crossbow, and Longsword.

Order of the Stallion

The Paladins of Solanarius are warriors in the truest sense of the word. They live and breath warfare, and honing their martial prowess is their key goal in life. These elite warriors are the bravest of the brave, and fight with the cunning and valour of the greatest of heroes.

Warrior-Monks of the Suns

An order of Aescetic Monks who train and master various forms of combat throughout their life. They are non-aggressive, but deadly in defensive situations.

Apaniiwa:
Sister of Itíl-Lúneth. Goddess of Beauty, Love, Nature, and Plenty. Her tenets are to respect all that is beautiful, and all that is a part of nature; to love those things and allow them to flourish into plenty. Her symbol is an Apple tree with a nest of finches upon its crown and a Blue Morpho butterfly carved into the centre of the trunk.

Order of the Orchard

The Order of the Orchard are a group of peaceful and diplomatic Paladins. They seek to keep the peace and protect nature.

The Rangers of the Ivory Paw

The Rangers of the Ivory Paw are the keepers of the sacred places of Apaniiwa, and guardians of nature. They ensure that the delicate balance of Peace is always kept, and are rewarded by Apaniiwa with the blessing of being able to take on the form of animals, most especially that of a Snow Leopard with Butterfly shaped spots.

Icthyüs:
Husband of Apaniiwa. God of the Seas, Skies, Storms, Weather, Navigation, and Fishing. His tenets are to respect the Seas and be shrewd in one’s navigation and usage of them. All weather and the skies bow to his whim. His symbol is a lightning bolt striking a Mithril Trident that is being issued forth from a tidal wave. His favoured weapons are the Trident, Harpoon, and all forms of javelin.

Order of the Trident

The Order of the Trident is an order of Maritime Paladins. Avid seamen, and bold adventurers, these Paladins are always game to boldly go where no Arnadi has gone before.

The Royal Exploration Society

The Royal Exploration Society are a guild of merchant sailors and naval officers bent on exploring the far reaches of the world, and finding what treasures they may hide. They seek to found colonies for the Kingdom.

Clacháir:
Brother of Icthyüs. God of Commerce, Craftsmanship, Masonry, Smithing, and Revelry. Father of the Dwarves, known to them as Khazanian. His tenets are to take pride in one’s crafts. He protects all craftsmen, smiths, and that most ancient and fraternal craft of Masonry. He seeks that his followers strive to better themselves through their work and diligence, and thereby enjoy the refreshment their labours provide, through feasting, and other such revelries. His symbol is a Golden Anvil emblazoned with a set of compasses atop a square; atop the anvil is trading scales and a bottle of Scotch whiskey. His favoured weapons are the rapier, light Warhammer, Earth breaker, Dwarven Weapons, and Polearms.

Knights of Clacháir

The Knights of Clacháir are an order of Craftsmen Paladins who protect skilled tradesmen, and trade caravans. They see that the markets remain protected, and that trade remains honest and abundant.

Guild of Stoneworkers

The Guild of Stoneworkers is an ancient and accepted craft. Shrouded in allegory and myth, these craftsmen guard the secrets of erecting great works of architecture, from those cowans and eavesdroppers that would seek to steal them. They instill a system of morality veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols; taught via a series of Three Degrees; from the humble Apprentice, to the Fellow of the Craft, to the Master. A most noble guild of Free and Accepted Stoneworkers.

Amanarya:
Wife of Clacháir. Goddess of the Dead, Healing, Medicine, Wisdom, and Magic. Her tenets are to honour the dead and heal the sick. She, in here infinite wisdom, impartially judges the souls of the dead and protects them from being tormented for nefarious purposes. She abhors necromancy, and those that would spread pestilence and disease She made the usage of magic possible for mortals and is seen as the patron deity of Magic. Also known as Shí’Quōng. Her symbol is a Magic Staff with an hourglass affixed to the top.

The Order of the Mystic Hourglass

The Order of the Mystic Hourglass is an order of Magister Paladins, akin to Battle Magi. They focus on the more magical nature of divine power, and are scholars and students of the arcane arts.

The Wizards of Kar'Aman

The Wizards of Kar'Aman are the governing body of the College of Kar'Aman in the Duchy of Silvervale. These wise Wizards are keepers of knowledge and lore, and the teachers of impressive arcane arts.