Eldwood Deeps

Mysterious and fey, the Eldwood Deeps are a forest region in northeastern Archaea. Peopled by the extremely reclusive elves, very little is known about this region to outsiders, and that which is known is usually outdated before long--for the Wood moves at the elves' calling, and is constantly reshaped.

Geography
The Eldwood Deeps are just as the name implies--deep, ancient forest which stretches from the border of the Steppe on the west to the Needlestack Mountains in the east. It spans from the frigid northern waters of the Adwenian on the north end to the enchanted Salva River at it's southern end. The shape of the forest between is known only to the Elves of Archaea, who jealously guard their borders against outside interlopers.

It is generally understood even among outsiders that the Eldwood is a remnant of one of the primordial forests which blanketed all of Munda, a vestige of the mortal plane's divestment from the First World, the Faewyrd. As such, it is imbued with the wild magics of creation which grant it properties unseen in the mundane forests elsewhere on Archaea. The elves have lived in harmony with this magic since before humans ever set foot upon the continent, and learned to manipulate and shape it to their needs. As such the Eldwood has almost no permanent geography, its shape and composition in a continuous state of mediated change.

Settlements
It is unknown exactly how many elven "cities" exist within the borders of the forest. Elven society is organized into Fey Courts, which are like cities in many ways--a confluence of geographical, political, and ecological structures designed to house and sustain a group of people. The Courts are, however, modular to such a degree that a settlement under the authority of one Court may have changed its location and all of its component buildings over the course of its existence, retaining none of its original facets except the name.

Civilizations
The Eldwood Elves - All Elves originate from the Faewyrd, the realms within the Dream which were cultivated by the World Tree before the creation of Munda--realms which remain as a sort of satellite plane to the Mortal Plane. Elven history predates that of all other mortals--there are actually still elf cities in the Fae which were founded before Munda was created. And, very rarely, elves which have been around nearly as long. This immortality is not something the mortal Eldwood Elves share. In tying themselves to the mortal world, they are no longer sustained by the ambient magic of the Fae. Without that connection, all elves of the mortal realm will eventually age and die, a process which still takes significantly longer than in humans. Despite this sacrifice, a large portion of the Faewyrd's elven population migrated to the new, mortal world when it was created, and others did so occasionally later on down the line (though it is considered a shameful thing to want to leave the Elven Homewoods).The fey elves call them "The Lost" and consider them a debasement of the true (or High) elves who remained.

The Eldwood was not the first place colonized by the elves emerging from the fae. A group of mortal-born elves instead migrated there from lands further east several generations after crossing over. The courts of Eldwood are considered "younger" and referred to as such, despite still predating the arrival of other sentient races. These cities vary in size and number, for elven cities are modular in a way that humans can barely make sense of. Homes, businesses, entire city blocks, they are free to move as they will throughout the Wood, finding new arrangements amongst themselves as they become desirable or advantageous, and dissociating when that ceases to be the case. The main structure of organization comes in the form of Fey Courts, modeled after organizations of the same name which exist in the Faewyrd itself. The Courts are led by an intricate hierarchy of elven nobles and their adherents, hangers-on, and sworn knights. They compete against one another for power and prestiege in centuries-long political battles more subtle than mortal minds can follow.

Some few elves, more fae than most, cannot abide life within the Courts. There are many such "ronin" elves out there, who become traders or bards or rangers, and it is these who venture out among the mortal realms. This fraternization with outsiders is discouraged by the Fey Courts. While leaving the forest isn't grounds for immediate exile, if an elf of the Court is found to be interfering in mortal affairs too deeply, they will be disowned and excommunicated so that the Court is not perceived to be meddling in mortal politics. The Exiled have not formed any permanent communities outside the authority of the Courts, instead maintaining a loose network of association while living amongst the other races of Archaea.