Oleandrois

The Oleandrois are the elven diaspora of the ancient Oleandron Empire of Telgren. Most elves on Telgren are Oleandrois, and their population is scattered across their former domain and even beyond. Despite the loss of their Empire, the Oleandrois have managed to maintain a high level of cohesion due to the long lifespans of Elves. Their namesake Empire, Oleandron, was the largest Empire in the history of Telgren. Growing from a single city state to encompass the bottom half of southern Telgren, Oleandron dominated the continent for around 1000 years. Shortly before the fall of the empire, its elven dominant-culture was overthrown and its elites were exiled. This led to a plethora of exile communities settling around the continent, some of which have remained to this day. There were also several regions in which elves made up the majority of the population and these regions have for the most part remained elven throughout the ages, though generally shrinking over time. Unsurprisingly, Oleandrois culture has been in decline ever since the fall of the empire, although the last few centuries have seen a stabilization of their nations for the most part. There are several subcultures within this group, as even with the long lifespan of elves differences have begun to arise in the long years since the collapse of the empire.
The most conentrated and prominent cultures of Oleandrois are the West Oleandrois. They had settled along the Faílion and Evenseau rivers, in a region that remains relatively free of humans to this day, which has allowed them to retain their identity. The West Oleandrois have a more collectivist and isolationist culture which stems from their lack of hereditary nobility, as the region was primarily settled by middle class elves (elves in poverty being very rare during Oleandron's purview). Since the region was able to organize itself after the fall of the western empire, they have developed republican government. They remain greatly interested in fine arts and crafts, and have a thriving industry in such finished goods. The West Oleandrois, while being mostly High Elven, do have a larger amount of Dark Elf blood than most of the Oleandrois due to most refugees from Yyradayn settling in the western half of the empire. Besides the elves in this area, there are some elves remaining in Isileum and Bhur Drizl who can be considered West Oleandrois, but there they are a distinct minority (Isileum being majority eldritch by now).
In contrast to the commoner-based West Oleandrois are the Exílarchi, made up of the expelled nobles and their households. These elves mainly live on the island of Illumindell, a wealthy province which hosted the exiles during the dark years of the collapse of the Empire. The Exílarchi culture is reminiscent of fallen nobility, which of course they are. A veneration for their ancestors, burning hope for glory, and a reverance for ancient weapons are main pillars of their culture. Despite this, they have had little to no success expanding their territory, trapped on their island and existing on the peripherals of Telgren. However, with recent unrest all around them, some have expressed a desire to go forth and reclaim the mainland, or perhaps forge a new realm in the newly independent colonies of Ifyrial.
More integrated into human society are the East Oleandrois. Though long since lacking in independent nation they have managed to carve out a place for themselves in both Fraspika and Blazennia. In Fraspika, many of them have interbred with the human nobility, which led to their numbers being very low but establishing eldritch as a prominent part of Fraspikan culture. In Blazennia, they have retained the autonomous regional government status of Fremgraviate of Alianem, as well as being a Recognized Imperial Minority. This has granted all East Oleandrois within Blazennia special privileges. The Fremgraviate and other small communities are remanants of the elves who managed to survive the Westsfall, and preserved themselves in the forests until the formation of the Blazennian Empire, where they were granted their Fremgraviate and the status of Recognized Imperial Minority in exchange for recognizing Blazennian authority. Also considered to be East Oleandrois are the citizens of Aulienall, who maintain a once fairly powerful realm which is independent from Blazennia, though that state has been dealt a rough hand by recent Erleting invasions.
In direct contrast to the East Oleandrois are the Cianians. While orginally their story was similar to the rest of the East Oleandrois, they chose to cut themselves off from the world instead of working with other races. Sequestered in the Cianwood, the Cianians have spurned contact with outsiders and run an ethnically pure state in which contact with the outside is forbidden. The Cianians are discussed at more length on the Enclave of Cianheart page.
The final Oleandrois are the Valar. The Valar are those who, after being exiled from the empire, chose to explore north instead of flee to Illumindell. There are small communities of Valar throughout the upper half of South Telgren and even into Northern Telgren. Despite not making up a majority anywhere except the marshes of Grenholl, the Valar have been a major player in the northern region, with prominent figures such as Pomponius the Man having been Valar.