In one Age, called the Fourth Age by some, an Age yet to come, an Age long past, a wind rose in the Land of the Crystal Throne. It sped across the great Aryth Ocean to the Tai’Seanchan coast. It continued over the Mountains of Mist, picking up the scent of Two Rivers fine tabac and singing along to a tune made by a Tinker’s tea kettle. It swirled around the vast prairie known as the Caralain Grass, with it’s Black Tower fortress, and the island city of Tar Valon, home of the fabled Ogier-made White Tower...The wind swept through the valleys, skimming along the lake that once was Shadar Logoth, lifting the raven in flight. It howled through the Blight past the snorts and bellows of Trollocs, carrying on it the stench of their cookpots and rot as it whipped by a Myrddraal without creating so much as a ripple in its dark cloak. If you listen closely to the wind you can hear the sound of “friends” whispering in the dark as it whistles by you. The shadows beckon you to their warm embrace; where will the wind take you? For you must know, the wind was not the beginning. There are neither beginnings nor endings to the turning of the Wheel of Time. But it was A beginning.
Arafel
Arafellin are known for their dual braids adorned with bells and their expertise in dual wielding swords. They are typically pale, with dark hair and unusually large eyes.
They will go to extremes to meet what they considered a debt of honor and shame is more a part of their culture than any of the other Borderlands besides Shienar.
In general, Arafellin are extremely touchy. In duels, the choice of weapon goes to the challenged. The choices can sometimes be odd, such as two men on horseback with bows, or two men fighting in a darkened room. Women have been known to fight duels in Arafel, but this is considered improper by the women themselves. Even women who have fought duels will deny that it had been done. Although women's duels rarely if ever involve swords, they do involve daggers, bows, lances, and even whips.
That said, many Arafellins are as joyous as they are proud, and stoic arrogance is often offset by wry, self-aware gallows' humour. "The dancing is sweeter on the edge of a sword." is a popular Arafellin saying.
They will go to extremes to meet what they considered a debt of honor and shame is more a part of their culture than any of the other Borderlands besides Shienar.
In general, Arafellin are extremely touchy. In duels, the choice of weapon goes to the challenged. The choices can sometimes be odd, such as two men on horseback with bows, or two men fighting in a darkened room. Women have been known to fight duels in Arafel, but this is considered improper by the women themselves. Even women who have fought duels will deny that it had been done. Although women's duels rarely if ever involve swords, they do involve daggers, bows, lances, and even whips.
That said, many Arafellins are as joyous as they are proud, and stoic arrogance is often offset by wry, self-aware gallows' humour. "The dancing is sweeter on the edge of a sword." is a popular Arafellin saying.
Geography
Arafel is one of the five Borderland nations which lie on the threshold of the Great Blight, stretching from Kandor to the River Mora, which marks its border with Shienar. The Arafellin military maintains signal towers at half-mile intervals along the Blightborder,and watchtower forts at wider intervals, usually situated around vulnerable passes or valleys from which Shadowspawn may attack, or atop livable, defensible promontories.
It is a rugged land, with rolling grasslands giving way to several mountain ranges that branch out of the Mountains of Dhoom. Winters are long, and on the highest mountains the snow never thaws, even in the heat of summer. However, the valleys and grassy foothills are fertile and well-suited for farming.
It has a fair number of gemstone mines producing gemstones other than diamonds, most notably firedrops, as well as mines of rubies, emeralds, and sapphires, and a moderate number of gold and silver mines. Timber and furs are also exports.
Shol Arbela
Shol Arbela is the capital city of Arafel, in the Borderlands. It is the largest city in the kingdom and serves as the seat of the monarchy. Roads link the city to Chachin in Kandor, Fal Moran in Shienar, and Tar Valon.
Shol Arbela is known as the City of Ten Thousand Bells as it is an Arafellin custom for men and women to wear bells in their hair.
It is one of the large cities in the Westlands that was neither built by Ogier nor founded on an Ogier-built city.
Tifan's Well
Tifan's Well is a farming town located in the grasslands of Arafel.
Jakanda
Jakanda is a mining city in Northern Arafel that contains skilled craftsmen and a bell-foundry.
It is a rugged land, with rolling grasslands giving way to several mountain ranges that branch out of the Mountains of Dhoom. Winters are long, and on the highest mountains the snow never thaws, even in the heat of summer. However, the valleys and grassy foothills are fertile and well-suited for farming.
It has a fair number of gemstone mines producing gemstones other than diamonds, most notably firedrops, as well as mines of rubies, emeralds, and sapphires, and a moderate number of gold and silver mines. Timber and furs are also exports.
Shol Arbela
Shol Arbela is the capital city of Arafel, in the Borderlands. It is the largest city in the kingdom and serves as the seat of the monarchy. Roads link the city to Chachin in Kandor, Fal Moran in Shienar, and Tar Valon.
Shol Arbela is known as the City of Ten Thousand Bells as it is an Arafellin custom for men and women to wear bells in their hair.
It is one of the large cities in the Westlands that was neither built by Ogier nor founded on an Ogier-built city.
Tifan's Well
Tifan's Well is a farming town located in the grasslands of Arafel.
Jakanda
Jakanda is a mining city in Northern Arafel that contains skilled craftsmen and a bell-foundry.
Governance
Arafel is an independent nation, ruled by a dual monarchy of a King and Queen, who govern the nation jointly. It is traditional in Arafel that certain matters are left in the hands and under the authority of the Queen at all times, even when the King is not campaigning. For the most part, the King handles foreign affairs and the military side of things, occasionally economic issues as they relate to defense, and the Queen oversees domestic affairs and the daily running of the nation.
They have an egalitarian succession, where the heir is chosen from the royal family without discrimination based on gender and/or birth order.
They have an egalitarian succession, where the heir is chosen from the royal family without discrimination based on gender and/or birth order.
Domestic Affairs
They have become a somewhat wealthier nation in the Fourth Age, but their values and culture have remained the same as in the previous Age.
Adult men wear their hair in two braids with a cluster of bells at each end, except when baldness beckons; adult women find frequently imaginative ways to weave bells into their own hair according to local tradition or current fashion. Poorer folk wear bronze bells, whilst those with the means wear silver; 'didn't know/never seen silver for bells' is an epithet to describe the poor or rural.
The exact symbolism and meaning of the bells worn in an Arafellin's hair varies by region. In the cities, they are often treasured collections gifted by relatives, perhaps on namedays or other significant holidays, or are simply bought based on the wearer's taste. In more rural areas, bells are earned during puberty by learning trade-skills and maturity, and the gifting a full set of bells by a parent, village council, or superior is an indication of passing a rite of adulthood. Sometimes they are awarded to a younger teen for a great act of maturity or courage. Across the country, the gift of one's own bells to another is a serious matter and indicative of great fondness, or, in some cases, even betrothal.
Their customs and laws are similar to the other Borderland nations, except that unlike Shienar or Saldaea, the laws concerning not hiding the face to deal with Fades allow women to wear veils, though the veils must be of lace or other transparent material.
Like the rest of the Borderlands, Arafel has a largely martial culture centered around the war against the Shadow. Many boys are given at least some sword training, even if they never intend to become soldiers. Most men that bear weapons, soldiers or craftsmen alike, 'earn' their swords by proving their skill and courage to their fathers or mentors as teenagers. Arafellin men have a unique fighting style - they wear two curved short-swords on their back, with a hilt above each shoulder, and often fight with both swords at once.
As in the rest of the Borderlands, women pledge their sons and husbands to the battle against the Blight, and pledge themselves to the home watch from the widow's walk. And like the rest of the Borderlands, Arafellin women are held to a high standard, from the top of society to the bottom. Though either a man or a woman may hold the throne in Shol Arbela, it is said a wise king will value his Queen's opinion above all other councilors, even far above that of his Aes Sedai advisor. Noblewomen run every aspect of their estates in their husbands' frequent absences (and usually in his presence as well) and in the cities, guilds, business, and tradecraft are as often run by women as by men.
Though sometimes considered old-fashioned, some Arafellin families maintain matrilocality, especially in the countryside and along the Blightborder where it is expected for daughters to inherit their mothers' trades, herds, or lands. Although girls are not commonly taught the sword and are not expected to be warriors and female warriors are still rare, they are expected to be able to defend their homes and, more importantly, children against the Shadowspawn, and failing that, are expected to make good their own escapes to safety. Most learn to ride as well as men, and many learn the basics of the long-knife or lance (or hatchet and pitchfork). In the pastoral lands, girls are as often lauded for their skill with mounted archery with a shortbow as their brothers - though this has as much to do with their duties as shepherds as with the threat of Trollocs. As such, many young girls spend time as messengers in the army before apprenticing to their trade as teenagers, and it is not uncommon for unmarried adult women to give their free time to the home guard or lastriders, positions more to do with defense than active combat.
Adult men wear their hair in two braids with a cluster of bells at each end, except when baldness beckons; adult women find frequently imaginative ways to weave bells into their own hair according to local tradition or current fashion. Poorer folk wear bronze bells, whilst those with the means wear silver; 'didn't know/never seen silver for bells' is an epithet to describe the poor or rural.
The exact symbolism and meaning of the bells worn in an Arafellin's hair varies by region. In the cities, they are often treasured collections gifted by relatives, perhaps on namedays or other significant holidays, or are simply bought based on the wearer's taste. In more rural areas, bells are earned during puberty by learning trade-skills and maturity, and the gifting a full set of bells by a parent, village council, or superior is an indication of passing a rite of adulthood. Sometimes they are awarded to a younger teen for a great act of maturity or courage. Across the country, the gift of one's own bells to another is a serious matter and indicative of great fondness, or, in some cases, even betrothal.
Their customs and laws are similar to the other Borderland nations, except that unlike Shienar or Saldaea, the laws concerning not hiding the face to deal with Fades allow women to wear veils, though the veils must be of lace or other transparent material.
Like the rest of the Borderlands, Arafel has a largely martial culture centered around the war against the Shadow. Many boys are given at least some sword training, even if they never intend to become soldiers. Most men that bear weapons, soldiers or craftsmen alike, 'earn' their swords by proving their skill and courage to their fathers or mentors as teenagers. Arafellin men have a unique fighting style - they wear two curved short-swords on their back, with a hilt above each shoulder, and often fight with both swords at once.
As in the rest of the Borderlands, women pledge their sons and husbands to the battle against the Blight, and pledge themselves to the home watch from the widow's walk. And like the rest of the Borderlands, Arafellin women are held to a high standard, from the top of society to the bottom. Though either a man or a woman may hold the throne in Shol Arbela, it is said a wise king will value his Queen's opinion above all other councilors, even far above that of his Aes Sedai advisor. Noblewomen run every aspect of their estates in their husbands' frequent absences (and usually in his presence as well) and in the cities, guilds, business, and tradecraft are as often run by women as by men.
Though sometimes considered old-fashioned, some Arafellin families maintain matrilocality, especially in the countryside and along the Blightborder where it is expected for daughters to inherit their mothers' trades, herds, or lands. Although girls are not commonly taught the sword and are not expected to be warriors and female warriors are still rare, they are expected to be able to defend their homes and, more importantly, children against the Shadowspawn, and failing that, are expected to make good their own escapes to safety. Most learn to ride as well as men, and many learn the basics of the long-knife or lance (or hatchet and pitchfork). In the pastoral lands, girls are as often lauded for their skill with mounted archery with a shortbow as their brothers - though this has as much to do with their duties as shepherds as with the threat of Trollocs. As such, many young girls spend time as messengers in the army before apprenticing to their trade as teenagers, and it is not uncommon for unmarried adult women to give their free time to the home guard or lastriders, positions more to do with defense than active combat.
International Relations
Arafel maintains a close relationship with the other Borderland Nations by both traditional royal ties and their pact to protect against the Blight.
They have a neutral relationship to both Towers, on good terms with both of them, and a particularly close relationship with the Aiel who settled in the Field of Merrilor, as they share similar beliefs.
They are a straightforward people and have no interest in the Game of Houses.
They have a neutral relationship to both Towers, on good terms with both of them, and a particularly close relationship with the Aiel who settled in the Field of Merrilor, as they share similar beliefs.
They are a straightforward people and have no interest in the Game of Houses.
Flag
Map
Ranks
This is not an exhaustive list, feel free to apply for something not detailed to be considered by the Admins.
You may apply for any of the Adoptable or Restricted ranks, but only superior applications will be considered and must pass through Admins before being accepted.
King/Queen of Arafel
House High Seat
Lesser House Noble
Soldier
Thief-Taker
Commoner
You may apply for any of the Adoptable or Restricted ranks, but only superior applications will be considered and must pass through Admins before being accepted.
King/Queen of Arafel
House High Seat
Lesser House Noble
Soldier
Thief-Taker
Commoner
