Silandria

The Kingdom of Silandria is an independent kingdom in Asaland. Following the Darkest Knight, Silandria became one of the constituent regions of the Eight Kingdoms. The Kingdom declared independence when it failed to acknowledge Melchior Morgenstern as the rightful King of the Eight Kingdoms; it's declaration was accepted by Melchior after Silandria aided the rest of the world in the fight against the Old God, Okysus.

Before the Incursion, the Kingdom of Silandria was known for being the wealthiest regions in the Eight Kingdoms, and their noble families were among the most influential economically. Even when it was a region, the kingdom was under heavy critisism because it could provide for itself and provided most of the continent's crops, putting other regions at its mercy. The nation was greatly crisized again when it failed to support the Eight Kingdoms during the Farrox Invasion, and became the last to join the world in the effort to fight Okysus.

Silandria has been ruled by the Naharis for thousands of years from the castle known as Gold Water. Since the kingdom's independence, House Naharis has been split into two factions: those that support Terian Naharis' claim to the throne, and those that support Alex Naharis' claim. Notable bannermen of the region include: Bastards of noble origin raised in Silandria are given the surname Water.

History
Unbeknownst to the rest of the world, the first inhabitants of Asaland were the Daughters of the Second Harpy. Officially the continent was discovered 6,000 years ago during the Hundred Year Freeze when elven nomads crossed the frozen ocean and traveled to the Forbidden Forest. Hundreds of years prior, Elana Deplune of the Daughters of the Second Harpy sent mermaid scouts throughout the world to search for land. All but one returned, with news of a land not yet inhabited by man or any other creature. The Daughters of the Second Harpy set sail for Asaland, landing in present day Rayleen, Silandria with 25 mermaids, 14 sirens, and 35 men under the enchantment of the Daughters.

During the Great Expansion, Arestoni invaders moved south to claim the lands for House Naharis of Red Wood. They conquered most of Silandria's mainland with there being very little to stop them. It wasn't until they met the southern coast that they were resisted by the Daughters of the Harpy. Though the Daughters were able to push the Arestoni invaders back, the First Siren sought to expand the Daughter's network by allowing the invaders to take the colonies and settle.

House Naharis moved most of its forces to present day Silandria where they conquered the lands from other Arestoni houses that had settled. Unbeknownst, the Naharis family was under the enchantment of the First Harpy. Once other houses were conquered, sirens were married off to their sons, again under the enchantment of the First Harpy. It became the mission of the Daughters to spread their control to all noble houses in the region and control it from the shadows.

During the Darkest Night, Silandria was viciously attacked by rebellious factions of the Daughters of the Second Harpy. Those sirens that were married to other lords began forming their own covens in secret, and rather than continue to work for their parent coven, they chose to attack Rayleen and other port cities throughout Silandria. Though the complication had nothing to do with the Elven Invasion, the rest of the world saw the string of attacks from mermaids and sirens as the race's alliance with Govear Ienvas, as so many other races had already joined him.

Though late, Silandria did join the alliance to stop Govear, prompting other houses of other kingdoms to bring aid and end the other covens. With Silandria hurt from the loss of many port cities, the Daughters of the Second Harpy had no choice but to join their kingdom with the others to form the political body of the Eight Kingdoms.

Afterwards, the Daughters only operated in the city of Rayleen, having learned their lesson from letting their sisters branch out. Not before lone, Silandria rose once again as an economic powerhouse that controlled most of the trade in the Eight Kingdoms.

When Bolantia and the Red Acre went to war, Silandria supported the Red Acre to protect its investments. 7,000 fighting men were summoned at once and 10,000 more once winter had ended. The war would forever put Silandria at a strain with Bolantia, but made them an ally of the Red Acre.

When Warden of Silandria and Lord of Rayleen, ________ Naharis passed away due to sickness, his wife Lady Terian Naharis was named his rightful heir. This caused a strain in House Naharis, for the bulk of the house did not want a foreigner at the head of their household. Furthermore, with their late lord not having an heir, the next Warden of Silandria and Lord of Rayleen would go to whomever Terian married. Most of the lords within House Naharis were already married, and those that were not belonged to lower branches of the household, causing many Naharis and their bannermen to call for the removal of Terian from the throne.

During the Farroxian Invasion, Terian withheld support to the rest of the Eight Kingdoms and focused her region's energy into preparing for a siege. Withdrawing support called for a declaration of independence from the Eight Kingdoms, but it called many households in Silandria to turn to Terian's cause once she successfully defended the kingdom from the Farrox and defeated the last of their army outside of Rayleen.

Silandria supplied the Eight Kingdoms with ships when the political body sailed east to fight Okysus. They offered 10,000 fighting men. After the war against Okysus, Melchior Morgenstern granted the kingdom their independence.

Now independent and without the support of their former King, House Naharis secretly gathered support from other houses to overthrow Terian. After months of carefully moving forces, they showed up at the gates of Rayleen with a fighting force of 20,000 men. Terian summoned what bannermen still held faith to her to flank the rebellious army by sea and land. Rayleen had only a small force to defend the city, leaving Terian to call on the Daughters of the Harpy to hold the city for weeks. When Terian's army finally arrived, a battle broke out outside Rayleen, especially on the beach and at sea, forever giving the coast the name The Red Bank.

House Naharis has sense fled east where their vassals host them and their armies. Their allies extend far south-east, and some predict that others exist in the northern parts of Silandria but are too afraid to pledge their fealty since they are surrounded by Terian's supporters. Rayleen being in the south is constantly in harms way.

Since the battle at the Red Bank, mermaids and sirens were shown to still exist in Silandria and were hunted. The Daughters of the Harpy now live in Goldwater Castle as Terian's hand maidens, hiding their identity. Silandria is currently at civil war, with both sides trying to crown a proper ruler.

Cities

 * Rayleen is the capital of the Silandrian kingdom, and the largest city in Asaland. It is located on the south-east coast of Asaland in the deepest part of Silandria where it overlooks the Red Bank. It houses many prominent figures in Silandria, such as Lady Terian Naharis who abides to her home in the kingdom’s capital, Coltherstone Palace. With a population of 400,000, Rayleen has the largest force of any city, and is visited by many rich crowds and merchants since it is a port city.
 * Coltherstone Palace is the capital building of Rayleen, where Queen Terian Naharis resides. It was once the home of House Naharis, but they have since abandoned it upon revolting. The castle is nicknamed Goldwater Castle because it shimmers gold due to its white stone make up appearing gold in the sun's reflection off the water. The castle is located within the city, furthest from the sea, though a small river does run under the castle. The palace resides on a hill top.
 * The Red Bank was given its name after the revolt of House Naharis. When they marched an army of 20,000 men to the gates of Rayleen, Terian Naharis met them with a larger force at sea. So much blood was spilled during this battle that for a month, the bay of Rayleen often appeared red.
 * Illuminating Springs Are the caves within the city of Rayleen which possess an abundance of bioluminescent sea creatures that are washed into the caves. The creatures illuminate the waters, creating an enchanting blue light which showers through the cave’s pools and illuminates the rocky walls. The pools are said to have belonged to the goddess Silandria, herself.


 * Located in the middle of Silandria, Finn’s Bay is a large city holding 100,000 people. The city is known to draw in fish from the ocean and fresh waters from the rivers which help farming in the plains. Around Finn’s Bay are the leagues of farm land which provide imports to the rest of Asaland. The city is located west and is also known for its forest which have rare animals and meats.


 * Serpental is a large town located on the western coast of Silandria, north of Finn’s Bay. The town was once known to have a high population of mermaids and a siren coven which rivaled the Daughters of the Harpy, but since the Incursion, the town has drawn a crowd of bounty hunters looking to claim rewards for slaying Hollows. Before the Incursion, mankind was taken helpless in the town and lived in poverty, even with the support of their Queen. Now they flourish, having access to the sea without the threat of a large siren and mermaid force.


 * At the center of Silandria is Mystic Creek, a city named after the strange phenomenon brought on by the creek that runs parallel to the city. Because the town is located in the mountains, the mist created by the creek gets trapped between the peaks and plagues the city in thick mist. Often, there are disappearances both within and outside the city.


 * Gnars is located in the hills of Silandria in the north-east. The high altitudes trap humidity and cause a rain shadow effect which causes occasional landslides. The city was originally build between the hills, but construction has recently begun to move it to the top of the hills where the landslides wouldn’t hurt them, but offer protection from invaders.

Landmarks

 * Harpy’s Coast is a small land mass south of Silandria’s coast. It holds the largest population of sirens and mermaids which have exited there for thousands of years. Not wanting to lost his navy at sea, the King of Silandria during the Darkest Night made an agreement with the people of Harpy’s Coast, that if they did not invade Silandria, he would not exile them to the Forbidden Forest. The deal was accepted and the coven has lived there ever sense. Many off the coast of Silandria fear the day that the coven will come for them. Many bounty hunters have invaded the land, never to be heard from again. The same can be said for those sailors not smart enough to sail out of the land’s waters.
 * Catacomb Falls is one of Silandria’s many natural treasures. The waterfall is located where the kingdom physically splits in the south. Silandria is rumored to have taken her first steps in the world at Catacomb Falls. The legends say that she was attacked by a creature of darkness. She then split the land to trap it, and it sunk into the deep parts of the ocean where it is said to still reside, possibly as a kraken, waiting for her to return.
 * Mirror’s Edge is yet another natural treasure of Silandria. The lake is believed to have once been a minor declination in the wilderness which was filled with the tears of Silandria. The waters are so shallow and reflective that when stepped in, it gives the appearance of people walking on water.