Geography

Aleron is the largest human nation, located south of the Forest of Kéthiel, west of Melanos, and north of Samara, bordered to the west by the Sea of Glass.
Aleron is made up mostly of fertile, rolling hills, forested to the north and flattening out a bit toward the south, where the climate grows warmer. At the very southern border, the fertile plains give way to the hot, dry savanna of northern Samara; at the southwesternmost corner of the country, the heat of the savanna joins with the moist winds coming off the Sea of Glass to form a small triangle of vibrant jungle.
Flowing through north central Aleron is the Low Tor River, which joins with the Leviathan as it cuts through the northeastern corner of the country on its way from Torrigan into Melanos and the Sea of Hope.

Aleron is a fairly peaceful country, ruled over by the High King from his castle at Ardath, Aleron's crown city, overlooking the joining of the High Tor and the Leviathan River. The High King's colors are white, gold, and black, and his crest is an eagle.
Under the High King, five Lords oversee their appointed lands. Each of these Lords comes from one of the five noble Houses of Aleron--House Lyones, whose colors are red and gold and whose crest is the lion; House Talenis, whose colors are silver and white and whose crest is the Unicorn; House Delphia, whose colors are blue and grey and whose crest is the dolphin; House Felina, whose colors are white and red-brown and whose crest is the deer; and House Pandion, whose colors are black and silver and whose crest is the falcon.
Under each Lord are four Barons, under whom in turn are four to six Sires, who oversee small areas of land. This method of organization is supposed to save the High King from have to deal with small every-day matters, but is subject to frequent abuse and tends to require the High King's constant attention.
The current High King, Gawain, recently took the throne when his father Gabriel died of a weak heart. Gawain, in his late twenties, is somewhat young and rather idealistic, but has a good heart and tries very hard to do what is best for his country.
Aleron has never taken sides in the conflict between Torrigan and Melanos, and alternates between attempting to act as a mediator and remaining altogether neutral.

Aleron's economy centers mostly around farming--it supplies a great deal of the continent's grains and cloths. By far most of Aleron's people are farmers, and many pay their taxes to the kingdom in produce or livestock.
The Guilds hold a great deal of influence in Aleron, answering directly only to the Lords and the High King. There are quite a few Guilds in Aleron:
The Weavers' Guild dominates the making and selling of cloths and clothing.
The Tanners' Guild deals mostly with the trade of leatherwork, though it spills over a bit into herding. The Tanners' Guild and Weavers' Guild work more closely together than any of the other Guilds except the Metalsmiths' and Jewelers' Guilds.
The Potters' Guild deals with claywork and some stonework, mostly pottery but also decorative work, clay tiles and tablets, and similar.
The Carpenters' Guild deals with woodwork, mostly the construction of buildings, furniture, carts and wagons, and the like. The Carpenters' Guild spills over into stonemasonry and into woodcraft a bit.
The Metalsmiths' Guild holds sway over metalwork--mostly the practical sort, the making of tools and arms and armor. It works closely with the Jewelers' Guild.
The Jewelers' Guild deals with ornamental metalwork--gold, silver, and copper--and the making of jewelry and appraisal of precious stones.
The Scriveners' Guild supplies many of the Barons and Sires with scribes and seneschals, and deals mostly with teaching people to read and write and figure with an eye towards a profession of doing such.
The Healers' Guild deals with nonmagical healing and herbalism, though a fair number of its members are followers of the magical school of Healing.
The Bardic Guild trains bards and minstrels and is one of the primary information networks of Aleron.
The Mercenaries' Guild, though based in Aleron, is not run by the Aleron government the way the other Guilds are but is, rather, an apolitical organization that has branches in all of the major nations of the continent. Most mercenary Companies and many freelance mercs are members of the Guild.

Magic is a fairly common occurrence in Aleron; many people can cast at least a few small spells to help them in their work, and magic in general is not looked upon with quite as much unease as it is viewed with in Torrigan.

Copyright © 1999 Abigail Laughlin and the members of the Circle of Stone.