Sevenarches
Before Earthfall, this region was part of the elven empire of Kyonin. Yet for thousands of years, since the elves’ return in the Age of Enthronement, Sevenarches has been ruled by the Oakstewards, a sect of human druids who steadfastly refuse to allow any elves to return there. Other races may settle in Sevenarches, but they must obey any order given to them by an Oaksteward or be banished. Though an Oaksteward could legally demand almost everything a person has, generally their instructions involve caring for animals, growing certain plants, or repelling intruders. In exchange, the citizens of Sevenarches enjoy abundant crops, fecund animals, and a healthy environment.
Sevenarches is mostly farmland and wilderness, and has but a single, ivy-covered city. Also called Sevenarches, the city’s mis-mash of elven ruins and rustic human structures strikes some visitors as unsettling and many others as solemn. In the settlement’s central square are seven stone archways said to be magical and believed to date back to the time of the elves before Earthfall.
Fey are a significant minority in Sevenarches, but they hold considerable sway among the affairs of humans and other Sevenarches dwellers. Many live alongside the civilized races, while others dwell in their own kingdoms within a kingdom. Gateways to the First World-the realm of the fey and the birthplace of the gnome race-supposedly dot the Wilewood and the region known as the Thinlands, though few have the means to secure or even locate such extradimensional portals. Citizens of Sevenarches claim natives who display a thirst for adventure have been touched by the fey of the Wilewood. Though the Oakstewards expel any elf caught within the borders of Sevenarches, half-elves sometimes pass through by concealing their lineage.
History
Just stepping into civilized Sevenarches eases the mind. The land is fairer, the grass softer, the weather milder, and the sky a brighter blue than only a few yards outside the territory. Sevenarches is possibly the largest River Kingdom in land area, although Gralton and Pitax have decent competing claims to this title. It also has a shocking stability compared to other River Kingdoms, thanks to its sizeable standing army and the hyper-vigilant oversight of the ruling druid sect known as the Oakstewards. Once an elven settlement, and continuously occupied for thousands of years, the territory is now primarily home to fey and the humans who have learned how to live with them
Life in Sevenarches is less civilized than in other River Kingdoms. Settlements are small, rough, and fortified. Rather than the loose spreading of a village every few miles that characterizes other civilized settlements in the Inner Sea region, small towns tend to clump together every dozen miles or so, with lightly patrolled farmland in between. Dirt roads with stone mile-markers are the most advanced thoroughfares in the kingdom. Very few roads exist, with those that do primarily running from the city of Sevenarches out to the towns and farms along the rivers. Wild animals, including dire animals, roam freely across most of the realm. Travelers are warned to stay in groups, and hire protection if going very far. The branches and tributaries of the Sellen are the main mode of transit, and most villages and farms are located within a few miles of a riverbank. Civilized Sevenarches strings along the north and east borders of the realm, leaving the interior wild—about 70% of the land is uncultivated, left to the fey and wild creatures.
Fey are a notable minority, even living openly among humans in the town of Sevenarches. Though generally helpful, some fey do tend to steal things, replacing them with junk (or sometimes magical items that seem like junk, such as a feather token). Because malicious or troublemaking fey often try to lure people off roads with false pleas and dancing lights, local humans have learned to ignore strangers calling or signaling to humans for help; “Stay in sight, all is right,” is a Sevenarches truism.
No one in Sevenarches goes hungry, and bandits are noticeably less common here compared to other kingdoms. But the price for stability is paid in liberty. By law, the ruling Oakstewards may demand up to 90% of a person’s holdings without question—whether or not that person is a citizen of Sevenarches. Rebellion brings banishment; armed rebellion is punishable by flaming execution.
Oaksteward demands are rarely so drastic—a typical command is to care for a sickened wild animal, to grow a certain kind of plant for a year, or to escort a trespasser to the border. However, in one instance, the Oakstewards demanded the abandonment of an entire village with no explanation, and no assistance in relocation. Over the years, the Oakstewards have become increasingly draconian and unsympathetic in their demands, but the boil is so slow that most residents don’t notice. That said, the Oakstewards are hardly micro- managers. Some Sevenarches residents go years without encountering one. Nevertheless, when one approaches, the druid’s commands must be obeyed.
Sevenarches is exceptionally difficult to conquer. The strong fey aspect of the place overwhelms most would-be invaders, as terrain seems to shift, invisible enemies swarm supply lines, weapons are replaced with tree branches, and officers are kidnapped from their campaign tents. A larger power with intent to seize the land could overcome these problems, but a typical River Kingdoms despot with a few hundred soldiers can barely travel a mile without getting lost or turned around. Those who do must then face the wrath of an unknown number of powerful druids on their own territory. Sevenarches remains on civil but distant terms with other kingdoms (although both the civil authorities and the Oakstewards maintain a mutual disdain for Tragshi, the poisoner from Daggermark, who keeps trying to collect rare herbs that grow in the enchanted gardens of Sevenarches). The overbearing mystery of the Oakstewards strains neighbourly relations. However, food policy in Sevenarches covers many sins. Druidic magic ensures that the kingdom of Sevenarches grows abundant crops. They then supply neighbouring kingdoms with surplus grain at reasonable prices, even in famine years, regardless of the buyer’s ideology or morality. This food source allows the southwestern end of the River Kingdoms to survive through harsh political shifts, and endears the Oakstewards to commoners who live near Sevenarches territory, no matter what their lords may think.
Sites
Sevenarches Seven Arches The Den Elderwoods Thinlands Wilewood