Mervidel

  For a long time Mervidel was the most powerful of the successor nations of the Avaronian Empire. This position was in large part thanks to it being to oldest territory of what was left of this ancient empire after the Avaronian Doom. It was, however, only after the final split of the remnants in 404 AE that Mervidel became a country. Before this date it was seen as the core province of Avaronia, the confedaration of the remaining Avar Elves in Farlis.   Eventually it was overtaken by Aelerium as the most infuential of the Avar Elf nations. Nonetheless it remains a magical powerhouse even to this day. The capital, Farmar, is filled with magical devices and vehicles such as the Blaze Carts and the inside of the Archtower is considered to be a true marvel of magical prowess.   In recent history the nation had become more miliaristic under the leadership of the dictator Verakon Elervir. He wanted to restore as much of the ancient Avaronian Empire's borders but was defeated by the Eastern Alliance in the end. Under the new leadership a peaceful approach is once more taken. However the underlying sentiment that the industrialising nations to the east form a threat to the magical society are still lingering.  

 

Government

  In Mervidel the Archmage holds the highest position making the country mostly a magocracy. Getting to this position requires an extensive election process by the Council of Colleges, made out of previous archmages, other important members of the colleges and members of the most influential families.   Candidates are chosen from the various arcane colleges of the country and first go through an election round in all major cities. The results of this first round can in theory be ignored but this would be a rare occurence. The final round is done by the Council itself and if a consensus is reached a new Archmage can take office.   Many decisions are taken by the Archmage but most day to day governing is still done by the Council. They vote on laws and policies and can, in case of a large majority, even veto the actions of the Archmage. The cities themselves are also governed by members of the council.   Although improvements have been made over the years, the members of the council still mainly belong to the ancient magical families of Mervidel.

Demographics

  As central Farlis is considered the main remnant of the Avaronian Empire it is only logical that the majority of the population of Mervidel consists of Avar Elves. The most influential arcane families in Mervidel can even trace their origins all the way back to the ancient ruling class of the Empire. There are several smaller families but many Archmages over the course of history have been limited to a few such as the Elervir, Ingoldo, Rovaras, Luvyrea, Farmir and Ensysea families.   Another common demographic in Mervidel are the Half-Elves. Historically this has been the result of a long history of Human and Half-Elf slavery during the Avaronian Empire. Although no large amount of Humans have intermingled with Avar Elves after the fall of the Empire the Half-Elf community has grown from the already existing Half-Elf community ever since the founding of Mervidel. In current times Half-Elves have the same rights as others but they are not often seen in positions of power.   In rural areas there is a small but still significant amount of Halfling and Gnome communities. This was also the result of them often working the fields in ancient times. Even today this is still the case as Avar Elves in general don't like to get their hands dirty, so many either rent or had sold their farming estates to Halflings and Gnomes. Given the magitech advances of several other Gnome communities in Niorath and ever increasing amount of Gnomes is moving towards the larger Elven cities as well.

Near the south border there lives a significant number of Draconids who originally migrated from Aldhir and Kevarim to the south. As they are quite capable of magic they are not a rare sight in the colleges and some even made it to the Council.  

 

   

 

Technology

  Mervidel has adopted some of the technologies from the Progressive Era such as the printing press but it has not ventured into industrialisation as the Human countries to the east. Its magical power and stability over the years has made Mervidel confident that they can outpace non magical ways of progress. This does, however, not mean that Mervidel did not progress further but rather that magic remained at the core of all innovations.   Recent creations in Mervidel such as the Blaze Cart or weather control systems make it clear that their are innovations. Many uses of Fire Magic were discovered in Mervidel as well. Walking through Farmar quickly makes it clear why the Mervidel takes this approach given the magical marvels shown in every day life.   The concern, however, is rising that the efficiency brought forth by the industrial revolution will eventually catch up. Using magic depends largely on capable casters and magical resources which often takes longer than an industrial approach. Mervidel is therefore looking more towards the Gnomish model of combining magic and technology through magitech. For this purpose the nation started funding several branches of the Tinker Enclave.  

Education

  The most prestigious schools in Mervidel are those that teach students about magic. All of the larger cities in the country have their own Arcane College for this very reason. The most renowned of them is the college of Marelia with the college of Farmar in a close second place. Marelia also has the second largest library on the continent, making it a true haven of knowledge. Beside the arcane institutions there are two other universities, one in the capital and one in Elyeriadin. The university of Elyeriadin is known for it's courses in biology and Nature Magic  

Origin

  The origin of Mervidel can be traced back all the way to the Avaronian Era. The region was conquered early in Avaronian history and has remained of great importance ever since. As it was seen as one of its core provinces several the giant Sanderlith and Handerlith walls were constructed at its southern border to protect it from the Selefer.   After the Avaronian Doom it was the last remaining core region of the Empire and thus quickly grew in importance. The remainding regions of the Empire were renamed Avaronia and Farmar was chosen as the capital.   Peace was singed with the Archon Alliance but banning Mackevism was one of the requirements. This resulted in a return of the old Eregr relgion after many centuries of suppression.

 

Founding

  Over time the various Avaronia had evolved into 3 power blocks who increasingly had more problems governing together. This lack of cohesion, diverging cultures and a well defined overarching power structure eventually led to the split into Mervidel, Kavonia and Aelerium. Despite the split the new countries still maintained good relations and decided to ally themselves through the Magi Covenant.   Within this conferacy each nation had their own political system and laws but they also agreed on certain laws to faciliate trade between them. However, as Mervidel's surpassed the others it started exerting control over the others eventually.  

 

Covenant War

  In 891 AE the members of the Magi Covenant were on the verge of conflict. The main reason for this was that Mervidel was still acting as the leader of the confederation even though Aelerium had overtaken the country in both magical prowess and economy. Mervidel introduced a new law that would ensure that the main export of Aelerium, Falls , would be available to the Magi Covenant at a reduced price. Aelerium in turn decided to leave the conferation which led to the Covenant War between the various members.   The end result was a victory of Aelerium who not only gained full independence but also managed to conquer new territories even though they were at a numerical disadvantage. Kavonia and Mervidel, however, still remain good allies to this day.  

 

Alliance-Covenant War

  Most recently Mervidel was involved in the large Alliance-Covenant war during which mainly the Avar Elves and Humans were on opposing sides. Eventually this would become the largest war in recent Farlian history. Before the start of the war tensions between both species had already been building up, especially after the dictator Verakon Elervir took over Mervidel.   His ideas for Elven superiority gave rise to nefarious organisations such as the Avaronian Spectres who wanted to restore the ancient glory. But after more than 50 years of his reign he was killed in battle. Mervidel was eventually forced to sign a peace treaty and to disband factions such as the Avaronian Spectres. Currently the country has taken up a peaceful stance once more and hopes to reopen trade with Human nations.