The Realm of Alea'Thesai

While Alea'Thesai is currently a vassal of the overall Kingdom of Torvahl, it'd perhaps be more accurate to call it an alliance rather than vassalization. Technically, Alea'Thesai predates the unification of territory that became the kingdom of Torvahl, and the Great Tree is considerably older than the capital of Torvahlis. The Tree is so old, in fact, that even the longest lived Elves cannot remember when it was a sapling, even meditating through their previous lives. Because of this, it is a common belief among the more zealous of Wood Elves (who compose the vast majority of Alea'Thesai's population) that the Great Tree was never actually planted, but sprung forth when Thaemenar first entered the Emergent Plane, though the more cynical dismiss this belief as conflating two entirely separate events.   Regardless, the Tree is unquestionably tied to the Wood Elves, with most Treespeakers, the ruling Oligarchy of Alea'Thesai, espousing that Wood Elves get their life force from the Tree itself, and should it ever be destroyed their people would lose their ability to reincarnate or reproduce, effectively guaranteeing the extinction of their species.   It is because of this belief that Alea'Thesai is notoriously wary of any outsiders, as their lack of reverence for the Tree is perceived as, even if unintentionally, a potential threat to its protection. It is fiercely guarded at all times, as are the borders of the forest which surrounds it. While the Tree itself can be see well outside the borders of their realm, the Wood Elves are resolute in their refusal to allow none but those who have been appointed as Treespeakers to approach it directly, and being permitted access to it's boughs is considered the highest honor among their people.   The Treespeakers get their name from their ability to commune with the Tree directly. While any sufficiently powerful Druid may have access to spells like Speak with Plants, even if you were to gain access to the Tree attempting to communicate with it prior to being appointed as a Treespeaker would be a foolhardy venture, as it is believed among the upper echelons of Alea'Thesai that the Great Tree houses the memories of all lifetimes of all Wood Elves. Communing with the Great Tree requires a significant amount of preparation, including maintaining the Elven Trance for weeks on end prior to interaction to fortify one's mind against the effects of absorbing the sheer volume of information stored within.   While the Treespeakers are a significantly important position of power Alea'Thesai, it is through neither political influence or force, rather the Treespeakers are viewed as being the wisest and most knowledgeable of their people, being able to access the experiences of the combined memories of their kind. Not all Elves are considered as potential Treespeakers, as it is generally believed one must have accumulated enough experiences throughout many lives to possess the mental fortitude necessary to fulfill the role. While lineages are not a factor in the same way that "royal blood" might be in any given monarchy, it is still often a consideration, as some families of Wood Elves predate others and as such are more likely to produce prospective Treespeakers. However, one's potential for the role is not deemed by ancestry, and reincarnations are not restricted to being within the same familial ties, and thus when it is time to appoint a new Treespeaker, in a ceremony called "Athenlas" ("The Awakening" in Common), the Treespeakers will subject an aspiring Treespeaker to a number of challenges and commune with the Tree to examine the past lives of the aspirant to determine whether the individual is prepared for The Awakening. While this may sound elitist to an outsider, or "Faraellyn", it is worth remembering that Elves accumulate experiences across several Human lifetimes in a single Elven life, and unlike other species, experience multiple lifetimes which they can recall through their Trance state. Therefore, while an especially motivated human might accomplish much in their life, in the scope of a Wood Elf's multiple lifetimes, it might be worth considering such an eventful human life might be seen as little more than a particularly productive "month". This means that as a general rule, the perceived elitism is more akin to not appointing a position of leadership to an unprepared teenager from an Elven perspective.   Alea'Thesai does have a standing military, and it is worth remembering that culturally they believe themselves to be the guardians of the natural world itself, a role they believe to be bestowed upon them by the god Thaemenar directly. The military of Alea'Thesai is under direct control of a single individual, referred to as "Tyraethel Elvir", or "Protector of the Elves". They operate jointly with the Treespeakers to maintain the borders of the forest, and protect the realm from threats both internal and external.   It is because of this split in "secular" and "theological" power that the Tyraethel Elvir is often viewed as the "ruler" of Alea'Thesai, with Treespeakers acting as as something of an administrative group of direct advisors. Most of the day-to-day of Alea'Thesai falls under the jurisdiction of the Tyraethel Elvir, and as such a Faraellyn (and indeed, some of the populace of Alea'Thesai) might view the role as being the true seat of power within the realm. However, unlike the Treespeakers, who are appointed to their role, the Tyraethel Elvir is a somewhat elected position, with the opinions of the general populace being taken into account. Additionally, the Treespeakers hold the significant say over whether a potential Tyraethel Elvir is ready for the role, and traditionally only those who could also be appointed as a Treespeaker are considered as potential candidates. Once elected, they hold their position for life, and as a rule an Elf may only serve as Tyraethel Elvir once across their numerous lives as a safeguard against corruption. It should come as no surprise then that often, Treespeakers include a number of former Tyraethel Elvir that occupied the position in a past life, bringing their experience in the role as an asset when advising the current occupant of the role. There are no restrictions on age or gender for the role either, with the youngest in Alea'Thesai's history being a mere 73 years old (which, considering Elves don't reach adulthood until 100 or so is incredibly young). This exceedingly rare however, and only occurs when a Wood Elf display a prodigal mastery of the Trance and access to the memories of their previous lives.     Daily life in Alea'Thesai is surprisingly varied considering it's near-monocultural nature. Some Elves choose to spend their lives accumulating new experiences whenever possible, while others choose to live simply in the comfort of their forest home. It is not until later in life that most Elves start achieving cognitive understanding or a degree of control over their Trance, so in the early stages of life many Elves express a fervent desire to leave the borders of Alea'Thesai and building their own distinct lives. This desire tends to fade as their Trances become more lucid, as the accumulation of "Deja Vu"-like experiences occurring due to them, literally, having "done X before", tempers their interest. This is also why many of the Elves in Alea'Thesai after a certain age simply just have no interest in the events of the world outside of the realm tailored specifically to their needs, because in their mind, they've "seen it all" already, despite the Treespeakers discouraging this way of thinking. Furthermore, for the Wood Elves in Alea'Thesai (though it can be said for all Elvenkind), this is the cause for their seemingly "aloof" demeanor. Issues that seem urgent or life-defining for many other species are often viewed as being trifling events to Elves, and this is especially true for those in Alea'Thesai, where a common phrase is   "It matters not where you may go, for Alea'Thesai is where you will return"