Soelin Kingdom

Soelin Kingdom
A kingdom with a bloody history and much yet to learn, Soelin has more or less been doing alright for itself. Since their separation from Ova Kingdom, Soelin has kept it’s peace-front advocacy and has slowly began turning away from the days of slavery and mockery, exchanging those two things for trade and “paid” work. Albeit an unfair country, Soelin is far from the greatest evil within the Wesandran continent and even all of Quasen.
Soelin is ruled by King and Queen, equally sharing power and making decisions with the Council of the Sun. Banking on their more “accepting” demeanor, Soelin has recently changed most of its banners to golden-sun and have switched patrons, using Lathander’s name as their main image. The current Queen and King of Soelin are careful - they have learned from the past that if they take one careless step in Soelin and Wesandran, a war could break out and their kingdom could be over. Soelin may be ruled by rulers, but it’s true decision makers are its elite, who control just how much of an “open” worldview Soelin can really possess.
Soelin is also still, an open magic country, filled with exotic items and many citizens, yearning for power. But there are those within its streets who would wish nothing more but to corrupt this power - and turn it evil, inside out. A mysterious sect of Zenith, has appeared on its shores, attacking and killing innocent villagers, leaving their bodies brutalized and nearly destroyed. No one seems to be able to find the cause of this sect or where it came from, and people are beginning to suspect that this poison is not coming from within, but instead form outside. Namely, the neighboring country of Yasaka.
Soelin is prepared for a war. It’s military is consistent with a garrison of at least thirty thousand soldiers, ten thousand knights and four thousand archers.

Spire
Spire is one of the main cities of Soelin. It’s biggest population is elven and most of its inhabitants are fairly rich traders. Spire is right at the shore, basking in the full light of closeness to other continents to trade with. The seas down by the Spire are also fairly safe, away from Port Royalis - or the local pirates.
Spire is a large city of about sixty thousand inhabitants. It’s colorful and prideful, but history here is looked over with shame and remorse. Some other races that may be found in Spire are aarakocra, who enjoy the tall, winding buildings and the space that Spire provides; dragonborn, who even though make up a small population within Spire, come here often to trade; and of course, humans, who blend in with the lower castes of Spire.
Spire is primarily a trade city. Here everyone has a job and something to do, and you’ll rarely see someone slacking off. This city works and never sleeps, lights are always on. Entertainment is plenty, and crime is in comparison, low.

Towers of Ivelis
It is still a mystery to many as to why the floating Towers of Ivelis, advocates for freedom of all indingenous people, have joined with a kingdom that used to promote slavery. To many, they were forced. To some, they seemed like believers in second chances. The truth was simple - they just happened to fall in the territory.
The Towers is a coalition of three floating islands, all relatively small, housing a population of about ten thousand in total. The islands float far away from most cities, just atop the river that descends from the Lakes of Afar. The Towers is a fairly civilized society, of mostly mages, who still choose to worship the old Gods, especially Onica and Pryan. These mages are largely silent and non-threatening, but they are well protected by the sky.
The Towers trade with the neighboring cities, but not with anyone else, not even other indingenous nations. The Towers are solely composed of air genasi, who are indingenous to the continent of Wesandran. The outsiders are accepted in the towers, but they make up less than 2% of the population.

City of Tenderwar
Tenderwar is the capital city of Soelin. Here, you will find streets bustling with colorful people and the land will come alive before you with magic, tricks and inventions. Tenderwar has a history of violence and a troubled slaver’s past, but it has managed to slowly start moving away from it and hopefully, towards something greater.
Sixty thousand inhabitants walk the roads of Tenderwar daily, and the trade here is more than busy. Most of the population is made up of elves and half-elves, but you will find plenty of humans, tabaxi, aarakocra and dragonborn in addition. Tenderwar is known for being colorful and welcoming for visitors - so long as they have money.
The city is in a unique position - it’s water source flows directly to it in the form of the river, coming from Lakes of Afar, and from all sides it is surrounded by swamp-like forests, difficult to move through. No one has risen against the capitol in years, mostly because of the dangerous swamps. Only a few good roads exist from the capitol to the other cities - the rest is accessed by a sea port nearby.
Tenderwar is also equipped and protected - it’s tall walls guard the citizens and secrets within. While to many outsiders, the town might seem like a good place to start a new life, it’s actually rather difficult to assimilate with Tenderwarians. Most of them have been here for generations and are either extremely rich, or live in the slums, well hidden beneath the city’s surface.

Shadow’s Den
Shadow’s Den used to belong to indingenous tribes of fire genasi, but during the Ova Kingdom division, the tribe became involved in the conflict and died out in the process, abused by the local powers. Since then, the floating rock formations have stood largely empty, mostly as a monument for Soelin’s dark past.
However, someone has recently made Shadow’s Den their home. While local Soelinians are careful of the place and tend to pass through it quickly, the new homeowners aren’t exactly friendly to anyone who goes through the road. Whispers of spirits, and dark mages have started to emerge within the locals from Tenderwar and Brandish city, but the government has done nothing so far.

Brandish City
Brandish neighbors the Shadow’s Den closest, and constantly lives in the darkness of Yasaka - surrounded from all sides by the past. People at Brandish aren’t the same as they are in Tenderwar or Spire. Here they are far from remorseful of their sins.
The elves who walk in Brandish scorn half-elves and hold other races as lessers. People here are quick to get in debt and stay in debt, eventually becoming “workers” who are more or less the same as slaves. The trades among spices, silks and gems are high here - and so is theft. Arguably, Brandish is the least protected large city in Soelin - especially from the inside. While it’s walls could repel any army, seeking to attack it, the same cannot be said from the thieves who make deals inside.
Local rival gangs have pretty much overrun the market and control most of the local trade. Those are usually composed of humans and half-elves, who have been shunned and scorned by their richer counterparts. The town is composed out of eighty thousand people - and at least half of them have themselves involved in some sort of illegal trade.
Something dark recently emerged in Brandish - whispers of war, attack on the King and Queen, and the destruction of the system of countries that surround it. The elves here aren’t exactly friendly and don’t aim to be, and while Soelin has managed to keep them at bay, it’s only a matter of time, before the country falls prey to evil schemes.

Lakes of Afar
Crystal clear lakes of Afar feed the cities of Soelin, and the neighboring villagers. The lakes are surrounded by forests and mountains, positioned in a peaceful retreat in comparison to the rest of Soelin. The people who live by the lakes are much more forgiving and peaceful, their hearts are within nature and ancient legends.
Two main villages are around the lakes: Rasatka and Ven, both composed of mostly human and half-elf farmers and elves who became tired of high society. By the lakes you will also find tortles and lizardfolk, while sometimes at opposing sides, working together here.
About five thousand people work by the lakes. Distributing water, fishing, growing crops, hunting - living a much simpler, less involved life.

Khashak Mountains
Khashak neighbors two countries - Zerch and The Fallenwehem Empire. Not many folks choose mountain life, so villagers here are scarce, and mountains are fairly dangerous, filled with creatures and thieves, who wait to ambush a more expensive carriage passing through.
But the mountains provide necessary protection for Spire, Tenderwar and to some extent even Brandish from the Fallenwehem Empire, which made most of the mountain ranges their home.