Located at the southwestern tip of Rhindeval, the Emerald Isles are set apart from the mainland and are, of their own accord, a separate entity of their own. A beautiful scattering of landmasses make up what are the Emerald Isles, with ornately designed ships chartering its inhabitants to and fro like ferries. Mild in temperament, a suitable match to its inhabitants, the Isles are comfortable year-round, experiencing little snowfall come the winter times, with temperatures dropping to only as low as perhaps thirty degrees Fahrenheit, and soothing summers that did not bother the dwellers with stifling heat. The scenery is known to be breathtaking, as the Emeraldians pride themselves on their connection with nature and have a tendency to go above and beyond when it comes to upholding their land's beauty. From beautiful floral pastures to gentle babbling brooks alongside impressively massive trees; from sparkling ocean water to dazzling sand-ridden beaches; the Emerald Isles are well-known for their connection with nature, be it greenery or animals alike. Due to it being such an old kingdom, the land has been well-preserved and maintained, updated and tweaked until it has reached its dazzling state that it is today.
Because of their near-obsession with the beauty of their land, the Emeraldians rather quickly evolved into the art of Horticulture, which is the art or practice of garden cultivation and management. This led to them becoming rather well-versed in different medicinal herbs and becoming a forefront leader in providing said herbs to healers throughout Rhindeval, leading to much more travel from other kingdom's inhabitants visiting their own.
Due to their tastes in Horticulture and Herbology, the Emeraldians made swift work of educating themselves, throwing themselves into learning what there was to know about said subjects, as well as whatever subjects may have interested any individual Emeraldian. Over the course of the centuries, they managed to gather a rather impressive
library, and while not the largest library in Rhindeval, it is home to many exclusive one-of-a-kind copies of educational books, specifically ones entailing medicinal qualities and historical aspects.
The royal family of the Emerald Isle' lineage dates back to not too long before Queen Eowyn originally began to entrust the land to different protectors. When Queen Eowyn was deciding who would rule over what land, she came down to the Emerald Isles and was uncertain of who best to rule over such nature-esque land that was the Isles. In order to ensure the continuity of the beauty that was the Isles, she entrusted the lands to one of her close servants, a noble gentlewoman named
Gaialla, gifted with the ability of nature. Not only was she able to control nature itself, but she had the ability to communicate with animals and influence their wills to her own, making her the most well-suited candidate for such an area.
As a gift to the kingdom for it just starting out, Queen Eowyn gave Gailla a special seed and instructed her to plant it at the highest point in the kingdom. Gailla, completely trusting in Eowyn, did as she was told and from the seed sprang a beautiful, luminous
tree, from which sprouted flower- and leaf-filled limbs that would fade between colors throughout the seasons, from vibrant blues to vibrant pinks and anywhere in between. From this tree came a secretion of liquid, almost like a syrup but not quite so. After studying the liquid and experimenting with it over several years, it came to be found that the liquid produced by the tree had the strongest healing properties from any plant that the inhabitants had ever seen. Therefore, they named the liquid Ambrosia, and the tree The Eternal Ambrosia Tree, after its seemingly god-like healing properties, and have fiercely protected, tended to, and harvested from the tree ever since, distributing the Ambrosia throughout the kingdoms equally and fairly.
For various years, the royal family remained purely of fairy blood and fairy blood alone, but that did not stop the rulres from welcoming non-fairies into their land. The kingdom grew quickly, with ports and docks being built along the most opportune shorelines, as well as strips of trading posts and merchant stands popping up as near to said ports as possible. Foot traffic became frequent, and with that many would expect a rise in crime as well, but that was never the case with the Isles. Instead of condemning those that would resort to such tactics as stealing, robbery, or the like, the Emerald Isles sought for a rehabilitation mindset instead. As for those of more serious tendencies, either banishment or execution, if deemed absolutely necessary, should it be of murder or similar actions.
This did lead to a vastness in the population that makes up the Isles, as no longer was it solely fairies or humans; no, now it was also mermaids and mages, elves and orcs, shapeshifters and trolls, and so many more, all living in harmony. The kingdom has come to be known as a neutral and safe territory for anyone to traverse to - so long as one did not commit an unforgivable aforementioned crime - with fairy and gentle rulers who had a tendency to see only the good in those around them.
Which leads us to the more recent of times, when the royal families' lineage began to become a bit less
pure, one would say. Around two-hundred years prior to the current time, there existed a beautiful fairy by the name of
Meliades. Meliades was a descendent of aforementioned Gaialla and, as the only child of the king and queen of the Emerald Isles, was soon set to inherit the throne and rule over the land. However, the thought of such responsibility frightened her so much, that Meliades ran away from the Emerald Isles, stealing a boat late one evening. Unfortunately for Meliades, while attempting to flee her kingdom via the sea, a large storm rolled in, taking out her boat and nearly her as well. Luckily, a passing tradesman by the name of
Aetheron, had set up camp on a nearby shore and had seen her leave and, being well-versed in the language of the sea and the sky, he knew the coming storm would not fair well for the young woman and went out after her. In the process of saving her, the boat was destroyed and they were stranded on a small island, not too far from the Isles but just enough so that swimming was not an option. Meriades' wings had been hurt in the storm, leaving them without her ability of flight as a way out as well. Thankfully, it was only a few days before rescue scouts had been sent out to look for her and spotted the duo from above, but by then, Meriades had fallen deeply in love with her savior.
Once Meliades had been saved and safely returned to her family, an agreement was worked out between Meliades and her parents, that since the young man had saved her life, she could feel free to marry him should she see fit. Only, however, if she became ruler of the Emerald Isles and mothered an heir to the throne within three years of their marriage. This would lead to the birth of
Erinyes, who is the grandfather of the former king and queen of the Emerald Isles, and the great-grandfather of our current living members of the royal family, Apollyon and Artemisia.
Now, in current times, following the take over by Queen Ivelda, the kingdom has fallen into an unending night. Eternal darkness cascades into every nook, cranny, and crevasse, and nowhere is a shred of light to be seen. With this darkness comes and unending chill - not a cold to the point of death, but a chill that is felt so deeply within the bones, it is difficult to warm oneself again. Most of the nature covering the island has died due to starvation of the sun's rays, and what little survives tends to be weeds and vines, overgrown and unkempt. Gone are the beautiful roads and buildings that once stood, and in their place are dark, ominous structures completely overtaken by angry stems and ivy, crawling plants with seemingly no end in sight. Cracks line many of the stone pathways and walls, with more plants bursting through them, and crumbling parts of building leave some structures warily unsafe at a glance.
Thankfully, the Eternal Ambrosia Tree has thrived due to a combination of both its magical qualities as well as the location in which Gailla planted it. There it rests on the highest peak within the Isles, located within the castle walls, as a glimmering beacon of hope for the people of the Isles who dwell below it, cast within a deep, ceaseless slumber, awaiting their awakening by their long lost princes and princesses.
