Arnellia

Arnelia is the south-most country on the continent. It is the homeland of the Humans, as well as the location of the Grand Temple. It's Capital city is Lightsnest, home of the Grand Temple. Arnelia is a monarchy ruled by the Arnel family. The current ruler is Queen Morgana Arnel. Despite being the homeland of Humans, Arnelia is the most diverse nation in the world.

History
Main Article: Founding of Arnellia

Founding
The founding of Arnelia marked the beginning of the Second Age. Before Arnellia was founded, the humans of the land were scattered into small tribes. The tribes were largely peaceful, and trading between each other. The humans didn't travel far however, sticking mostly to the southern coast. One day, a man named Arnel travelled north. He found a beautiful bay among the hills, with a huge cliff overlooking the ocean. Here he meditated, staring into the beauty of the world. As he meditated on the world before him, he began to appreciate the goodness of the world, and in doing so became the first to ever channel the light. Arnel returned home with his new found powers using them to heal the sick and wounded, and soon his tribe flourished, as others came seeking his help. Eventually Arnel relented, and lead his people to the north, to where he meditated. There the people settled, founding the first human city of Lightsnest, and declaring Arnel to be the king of man.

Creation of the Grand Temple
It was not long after the founding of Lightsnest that the Temple was built. Arnel took a group of young people up to the cliff where he had meditated, and there they meditated together. While not all of them could channel the power of the light, many did become attuned to the light. Those who succeeded became known as priests, and realizing not all could gain this power, Arnel founded the Priesthood. He named a young couple, Brion and Nessa to be the Prophet and Prophetess. Under their leadership, the Grand Temple was constructed atop the cliff, looking out over both the ocean, and the city of Lightsnest. Study of the light continued, and soon people who could channel it were divided into two orders, Priests and Paladins.

Splinter in the Temple
Arnellia grew peacefully for a few hundred years, with contact with the Frostborn opening opportunities for trade, and the land settled by humans slowly grew.The peace was first threatened when the power of Shadow magic was discovered. The Prophetess Melina was known for her powerful ability to soothe minds, and heal them of illness. She was the first to ever develop such powers, and many celebrated her. However she started to push her powers, seeing what else she could do, and soon she discovered the ability to change people's minds, to make them think differently, or even behave differently. The Prophet Rene condemned these actions, and issued an order that such practices be stopped.

Melina refused these orders, and many agreed with her that this was a matter to be investigated. Many others agreed with Rene, and the temple was divided on the matter. Almost universally the Paladins fell on side with Rene, however in doing so the temple guards, those who wished to assist the temple, but could not channel the light, were pushed towards Melina's side, their change of heart fueled by resentment for the paladins. The issue came to a head when Melina took her supporters, and fled Lightsnest, travelling instead to Hillshadows. The priests who travelled with her became known as the Shadow Priests, and thus the magic they practiced became known as shadow magic.

For five years the standoff continued, with the Shadow Priests growing ever more resentful of their counterparts. Finally, they broke the standoff, and their armies marched to Lightsnest, to bring down their opposition. The Temple marched out to meet, and the two armies met in the field of battle. The battle was long, and bloody, but with few casualties, as the powerful healing on both sides kept their warriors recovering from injuries that would fell normal men. The battle only ended when at last Rene and Melina met on the fields. There, they saw each other for the first time in five years, and together they saw what their disagreement had wrought. They saw the suffering of their people, and together they wept. Without a word, they called their armies back, and the fighting was over.

Following the fight, the Shadow Priests quietly re-entered Lightsnest, and for a short time they worked, picking up the slack of so many priests having left service. Once they were ready, they obtained the services of a fleet of ships, and supplies to settle, before sailing for distant lands.

Politics
As a monarchy, the politics of Arnellia is largely static, with the ruling class being nobles that trace their lineage back to the earliest days of Arnellia. The exception to this rule lies in the Towerships, a concept which originated in Arnellia, and has since spread across the world.