Valinor

Overview

"We did not flee to Valinor to hide—we came to outlast the world that cast us aside."
— Chancellor Elyndor Laaksonen, inaugural address

The State of Valinor, often referred to simply as Valinor, stands as a lone beacon of warmth in the frozen northern wastelands of Antares. A city-state built upon perseverance, it shelters elves who once called the verdant forests and great halls of Myrkheim home—refugees, exiles, and those who sought to escape the oppression of their past.

The lifeblood of Valinor is the Irminsul, a colossal engine that generates the heat and energy needed to sustain the city. Without it, the unrelenting cold of the wastelands would claim every soul within its walls. More than a mere machine, the Irminsul is a monument to the elves’ ingenuity, proof that survival lies not in harmony with nature, but in dominion over it.

Beyond survival, Valinor has carved out an identity as the scholarly heart of Antares. Once secretive, the elves have now thrown open their archives, turning their city into a sanctuary of knowledge. Scholars from distant lands brave the treacherous journey north, drawn to the promise of learning and the wisdom of a civilisation that refuses to fade.

History

Political Turmoil and Exile

"The forests we once called home became our cages. To leave was treason—to stay was a slow death."
— Excerpt from The Silent Exodus

The foundation of Valinor is steeped in the downfall of Tähdenvalta. The once-revered courts of the elves grew rigid, their rule descending into authoritarianism. Dissent was silenced, culture twisted into propaganda, and those who opposed the regime were exiled or executed.

What began as a slow erosion of freedom became outright persecution. Art, academia, and personal belief were all shaped by the will of the rulers. Those who resisted were branded as enemies of the state. When war with Albion erupted, the voices of opposition were silenced further—many of those who spoke against the conflict were sent to die on the frontlines.

War and Resistance

"We stole the very blade meant to cut us down."
— Captain Aethor Keskitalo, Valinor Resistance

As the war against Albion raged, a splinter faction within elven society refused to take part. Branded as traitors, they sought to escape rather than die in a conflict they did not believe in. Their opportunity came with the discovery of an abandoned Dreadnought, left behind by retreating Albion forces. Though foreign and incomprehensible, the rebels seized it, learning its secrets through captured Albion engineers.

With the landship under their control, they turned their eyes northward—away from their persecutors, away from war.

The Escape

The journey was perilous. Pursued by their own kin and burdened by the sheer weight of survival, the exiles endured internal conflict, betrayal, and hardship. The HMD Valinore, as the dreadnought came to be known, carried them through frozen tundras and desolate wastes until, at last, they reached a place where none would follow.

The north.

It was here, amidst the ice and howling winds, that they built their new home.

Lady Grey

"It came with no warning. The cold stole breath from our lungs, turned flesh to ice, and nearly brought Valinor to ruin before it had even begun."
— Scholar Thaelorin Nevalainen

Shortly after Valinor’s founding, a disaster struck—Lady Grey, a cataclysmic snowstorm that engulfed the region for 96 hours. Temperatures plummeted from -10°C to an unimaginable -200°C. Fire froze. Magic failed. And as the frost claimed lives by the hundreds, only one thing stood between Valinor and oblivion—the Irminsul Generator.

Though pushed to its absolute limit, the machine endured. When the storm finally passed, the elves emerged to find their city buried, their numbers thinned. The lesson was clear: nature would not nurture them. Only mastery over it would ensure their survival.

Society

"We do not wait for salvation. We carve it from the ice with our own hands."
— Valinor Proclamation of Founding

Valinor is a city built not on grandeur, but on necessity. Here, survival is not taken for granted—it is earned. The elves of Valinor have shed the passive traditions of their ancestors, replacing them with a doctrine of self-reliance, pragmatism, and control.

The Counter

In the lush forests of their past, the elves measured time in centuries. In Valinor, time is measured in lives lost.

The Counter is an ever-present tally, increasing with every death. More than a mere record, it is a reminder that life in the north is fragile and unforgiving. While standard calendars are still used, the Counter remains the true measure of time in Valinor. As of today, it stands at 2,682.

Land of Academics

"We hoarded our knowledge for centuries, and for what? To watch it burn?"
— Grand Archivist Sylwen Hannula

In their exile, the elves carried with them something beyond mere survival—knowledge. Tomes, scrolls, and records salvaged from the ruins of their past became the foundation upon which Valinor would thrive. Where other nations wield authority and magic, Valinor wields information.

It was not out of charity that they opened their archives, but necessity. Trapped in an inhospitable land with little to trade, Valinor offered its wisdom as its most valuable resource. And the world came. Scholars, mages, and thinkers from all corners of Antares braved the frozen roads, drawn to the promise of enlightenment. Grand halls of study rose from the snow, their towering spires now the most defining feature of Valinor’s skyline.

Today, Valinor is the centre of academia in Antares, a city where knowledge is the greatest currency. But even here, secrets remain—some books are locked away, some knowledge deemed too dangerous to share. And in the deepest vaults of Valinor’s libraries, beneath ice and stone, lie records of a world long lost… waiting to be uncovered.

Government Structure

"Knowledge is power. Power must be guided, not hoarded."
— Scholar’s Council Doctrine

Valinor rejects the rigid hierarchies of its past. Instead, governance is shared among councils—each representing scholars, engineers, artisans, and military leaders. Decisions are reached through deliberation and vote, ensuring that no single group holds unchecked authority.

While merit and knowledge guide leadership, Valinor is no utopia. Power struggles exist, and the balancing act between governance and academic freedom remains delicate. Yet despite its challenges, Valinor endures—its people bound not by blood or conquest, but by the unyielding pursuit of survival and knowledge.