Aelfheim is a vast forest dominating very close to a quarter of the Autumn Land, based in the northwest part of that continent. It is considered the homeland of all non-drow elves, and of the fae, both good and evil. Most elven populations live a seminomadic existence, and so there are very few actual cities in Aelfheim, but many temporary settlements, intended for repeated use as places of safety and retreat, as sites of recreation and learning, as places of trade, and as places to protect those treasures of the elves that are too large for easy transportation, or too important or dangerous to be left outside of such secure places. Sylvan elves are the most common elf to be encountered outside of these settled areas, while high elves are those most likely to be encountered inside of them. Because most of Aelfheim is made of forest rather than settled areas, though the elves are the largest significant population group, there are also a large number of less-savory races that also take on a seminomadic life similar to that of the elves. The gnolls of Aelfheim are the most famous and cunning of these elven enemies, though there are also tribes of orcs that have a surprising degree of cunning, and several stalking bands of thri-keen who are on the hunt for the rare and highly-prized delicacy of elven flesh. Besides these sentient races, there are also a large number of wild animals and magical beasts that roam Aelfheim's vast forest, and so unwary travelers are almost always in constant peril without assistance or training from the elves or the fae who live there.
Major Races: Elves and subraces (good drow an extreme minority); Fae races and relations (i.e. centaurs and gnomes); beastfolk; elven enemies (gnolls, orcs, thri-keen, needlefolk, etcetera).
Government: democratic monarchy (all elves); democratic tribal (sylvan elves); anarchic monarchy (fae); tribal (others).
Nation Alignment: Chaotic Good (elves), Chaotic Neutral (fae and thri-keen), or Chaotic Evil (gnolls, orcs, and others).
Major Cities
Calomaer: "Crown City," the capital of the elven monarchy, their major point of contact with the outside world, and center of trade and diplomacy. This is a port city, and thus is also a major place where aquatic elves mingle with their land cousins. The entire city is built in an organic fashion, with all houses fashioned out of living wood grown into desired shapes through the use of magic and countless ages of patience and craft, or of crystalline living coral, specially bred to survive on land, and to have a variety of colors and textures. Caer Caloth is located here, slightly to the north of the city proper.
Glaeslan: "Glass City," a vast repository of much of the learning of the elves. Made from carefully-sculpted rock crystal, the entire structure, which looks ephemeral and fragile, like a fortress made of crystal, has been magically reinforced to be as stronger than adamantine. This city is part library, part museum, part academy, and part military fortress. It is a place devoted to instruction - and there are many students from all races all over the world who have been and are accepted to the Academy of Glaeslan - to the accumulation of knowledge, and to the protection of dangerous and treasured artifacts. If a given artifact is not stored in Caer Caloth, then it is almost certainly stored in the vaults Glaeslan under truly epic magical security.
Shadowtop: The largest of the legendary tree cities of the elves, Shadowtop is the only one that has a truly permanent status. In most cases, sylvan elves will work on houses made from the trees in several locations over a period of centuries, until a small, temporary dwelling is made, and then connected to other, similar dwellings in the vicinity until the band of elves moves on, when the connecting lines are cut, and the tree houses are concealed, so that they seem to melt into the forest from which they were made. Shadowtop, however, is the central rally-point of the sylvan elves, for when they are needed by the royalty at Caer Caloth, and so a good-sized community has set itself up there in case of need, and also to act as a trading post and place of refuge for all elves and elf friends.
Winnowen: Near the southern edge of Aelfheim is the great city of Winnowen. A single massive tree. embodying aspects of almost every type of tree that has ever been, miles tall, and visible for miles in all directions, Winnowen is a place that embodies the realm of the fae. Winnowen is the centermost point of the Realm of Faery, and the seat of the Faery Court, where Oberron and Titania dwell when they make an appearance in the world of mortals, and are not estranged from each other. When they are present, or at least one of them (in the common occasion when Oberron and Titania are not getting along), primarily good and the more pleasant neutral fae live in Winnowen, and the massive tree is filled with thousands of fairy lights that shine like stars. When the King and Queen of Faery are not present, then primarily evil, wicked fae take up residence in Winnowen, driving out their benevolent kin, though seldom with any bloodshed: this is simply the understood order of things. When predominantly good fae are there, then the forest and lands around Winnowen are beautiful, enchanted places, largely safe for mortals, or at least not actively malicious so long as some basic rules of etiquette are obeyed. However, when predominantly evil fae hold Winnowen, then it is a strange, twisted place, and the lands around it suffer similarly, with twisted creatures and dark things that lurk and catch.
