The kingdom of Arthandur is the home of the elves, a land of vast boreal forests and jagged mountains. The border follows the treeline of the Arnwood, and with good reason. The Erdani do not have sufficent military might to press their borders upon the elves in their own element. Rym's elves are highly organized and quite wary of outsiders, having come from a world dominated entirely by their kind. Over the past centuries, they have taken full control of the northern wilderness, and forged a powerful empire governed by the old royal family. More than once, they have proven themselves capable of defending their homeland from the Tamarans, the Erdani, and even the Spiral. However, in spite of the elven nation's strong outward front, it is plagued from within by political turmoil, revolution, and mistrust.

        At the heart of this chaos lies the Astral Ark, an artificial kingdom being constructed deep in the astral plane. Only the highest ranking officials under the royal family know of its existance. The ark is an escape vessel - a floating island meant to ferry the entire elven nation away from Rym, to yet another, safer plane still out of its reach. Whether they know it or not, the vast majority of Arthandur's population is helping to construct the ark, thought the gathering of resources, the fabrications of needed goods, and so forth. Unfortunately, keeping such a massive secret over the course of centuries has been difficult to say the least, and in recent years the elven people have grown resentful and mistrustful of their increasingly secretive leaders. Now, as the ark nears completion, a full blown revoltution is at hand.

        Arthandur is ruled by two groups. The official rulers are the members of the royal family: King Daveron, Queen Kirial, and Princess Mikari. They inhabit a secluded and well-guarded island off the northeast cost of Arthandur, visiting the mainland for extended visits once every decade or so. The real rulers, however, are the council of mages, scholars, and artisans working to complete the ark. This council is lead jointly by the archmage Soglev, and the master architect, Taizal. They have manipulated the royal family for decades now, increasing the resources and jurisdiction allocated to their colossal project and causing much of the unrest in the process. The elven people blame the royal family for the widening gap between government and citizenry, and in truth it is the ark council's plan to cause just such an uprising, and possibly a bloody revolt. As it stands, the ark has room for barely half the elven population. Space must be made.

BOREAL PEAKS
While most of Rym's mountain ranges are relatively old and worn down, these lofty peaks were sheared from the ancient bedrock beneath Penduk not long ago. Rising from the northern woodlands of Arthandur, these peaks are almost constantly covered in snow and form a nearly impassable obstacle to travelers. The few mountain passes are littered with elven snipers positions, and few intrusions are tolerated.

ANCIENT PINES
Much older than many of the southern forests, the region known as the Wild Highland is a sacred reserve guarded heavily by the elven nation. These great redwoods have stood for thousands of years, and hide many wonderous creatures such as unicorns and dragons. There are also powerful and ageless spirits here, living within the trees and the animals, often giving them an eerie appearance or behavior.

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