Pronunciation: VEER-ee-lund
Founding Date: 827 DA
Dissolution Date: -
Demonym: Virider/Viriders
Capital: Neballe
Racial Distribution: human (48%), goblin (30%), orc (14%), other (8%)
Official Language: Vidertong
A king or queen rules Virielund, but they do so from the secret heart of the nation, rarely seen by their own people, much less the rest of the world. It is the prince or princess that serves as the public face of the nation, seeing personally to the needs of their people and meeting with other nations to negotiate. Though the prince or princess is traditionally a child of the current monarch, such isn't always the case - in absence of a child old enough, or a child in general, other close relatives may serve the role, or the monarch may select a promising young candidate to train instead.
Virielund is divided into two sections, one nestled inside the other: the outer Shell, where visitors may come and go freely and where much of the population and industry reside, and the mysterious inner Heart, where no outsiders are permitted to go. Somewhere within the Heart lies the hidden capital city of Neballe, where the monarchs reside and rule from.
Virielund exports surprisingly little lumber for a wooded area, as the effects of the basin forest render most of its trees too massive to fell. The most exported goods are instead meat and pelts from hunting, fruits and vegetables grown in terraced gardens or gathered from the perilous forest floor, and an array of honey varieties harvested from hives of cat-sized bees.
Virielund is situated entirely within the Virie Basin Forest, a massive valley with a source of magic pools somewhere at the bottom of it. This magic has supercharged the growth of the trees, more so towards the center of the basin, such that the gargantuan pine trees at the nation's heart are large enough to host entire cities. From above, the forest appears to be of even height on flat ground, a visual that belies the true depth and darkness of the basin forest.
In addition to the darkness created by the dense pine canopies, Virielund is also commonly shrouded in mist. The unprepared traveler will quickly find themselves lost as the mist erases what few landmarks can be found to navigate by.
Neballe: Virielund's capital is hidden somewhere deep in Virielund's Heart. Outsiders are banned from even coming near it, so rumors abound about what strange and dangerous things are hidden there.
Virielund and the civilizations that proceeded it have long survived by the virtues of secrecy. A hunter unaware poses no threat, thus they conceal their dwellings and roads inside trees and under the cover of vegetation. If discovered, the hunter that believes them more powerful will flee, regardless if they actually, so guardsmen wear brightly colored cloaks and wield noisemakers in case they are found. This attitude extends to their relationship with other nations. They are tight lipped about their military capabilities, only revealing their power when need is dire. The nation's citizens also tend to keep power under wraps if the possess it. Nobility, high-ranking soldiers, spellcasters, and other people of importance tend to dress no differently then the rest of the populace, only announcing their identities and abilities when necessary.
The forest floor is the realm of predators both strange and gargantuan, so much of Virielund's population and infrastructure is arboreal. Towns and cities ring tree trunks or are dug into the tree itself, and roads are marked across massive branches with rope bridges spanning the gaps, only descending to the ground once the trees are too small to support such structures.
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