The Confederation of Armach

The Silvanaes-Quarti, or the Lost Silvanesti of Ansalon, arrived on Taladas by accident and unlike their Ansalonian brothers, united with the races and built a confederacy. Let’s learn more about the Confederation of Armach. Buy Time of the Dragon: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/16960/Time-of-the-Dragon-2e?affiliate_id=50797

Transcript

Cold Open

It’s an imperfect example of how the races of Krynn can live in relative peace and work together.

Intro

Welcome to another DragonLance Saga episode. My name is Adam and today we are going to talk about The Confederation of Armach in Taladas. I would like to take a moment and thank the members of this channel, and invite you to consider becoming a member by visiting the link in the description below. You can even pick up Dragonlance gaming materials using my affiliate link. I am referencing the Time of the Dragon boxed set for this information. If I leave anything out or misspeak, please leave a comment below.

Discussion

The Confederation of Armach is not a government that sprang up out of peace and unity, but it was a hard fought collaboration that defined a region of Southern Hosk in Taladas unlike anything else. Its history is one of refugees squatting and claiming land that was already populated. This is the tradition of elves, but what came out of it was a form of government that if used on Ansalon, I believe, would have prevented the Dragonarmies from driving the elves from their homelands and the minotaur nation from claiming their forest. You see, the Elves of Armach were originally from Ansalon. The elven Great Armada was sailing around Ansalon looking for suitable locations to claim as home, and a great storm struck them. Many ships were blown off course and lost, and several ships were sunk after running into Taladas’ rocky cliffs. It wasn’t until an adrift fisherman happened to come across the remaining elven ships that they were rescued, being shown the secret ways through the treacherous shoals of the Outer Banks in order to reach the Bay of Hoor. Once safely on shore, the Silvanaes asked for the blessing of the land spirits and named the area Armach, which means Dry Land in Silvanesti.

Armach was previously occupied however, but the Silvanaes didn’t consider it so, as the native peoples were primitive human barbarian tribes. The better equipped elves easily drove out the tribes from their land, and though the skirmishes were easy initially, the ousted tribes united and created a more challenging front line for the elven borders. Reaching the extent of defensible land, the elves stopped their expanse, and the remaining tribes began fighting amongst themselves. Some turned to the Silvanaes for treaty and protection, laying the groundwork of the Confederation of Armach. The Confederation is formed between 16 tribes and though the races of elves and humans make up the bulk of the confederation, it is also populated with Gnomoi, Marak Kender and Centaurs. As one might expect, the culture of the tribal humans was heavily influenced by the Silvanaes and their cultures appropriated much from one another.

The elves easily claimed the status of the ruling class, and with the exception of their four edicts, or laws, they ruled relatively fairly over the confederation. The Silvanaes themselves are divided into two factions, the Nestiroml, the people workers, and the Neskijir, the robed people. Basically your blue and white collar cultures. The human tribes were very class based, with no real opportunities for advancing or changing your social class. However the elves see talent as outside any social class structure, and created a system to allow those of merit to rise through the class structures of the humans. Aside from this system, the confederation does not interfere with the internal affairs of any of the individual tribes. Because of this, uncouth traditions remain like various forms of slavery for example. The Confederations can’t raise an army independant from the tribes own armies as well, insuring the sovereignty and preservation of each tribes security and culture. There is a Magisterial Council that convenes to hear disputes however, and it is composed of members from the various tribes. Though the elves take care to ensure they have majority control either through direct or indirect political pressure and influence.

The Elves again, were not always so magnanimous to the tribes and their First Edicts represented that. These are their four laws that, much like the Solamnic’s Oath and The Measure, have historically confined the Silvanaes, but have been extrapolated on after their creation. The first is that the Armach-nesti, the land controlled by the Silvanaes, is theirs alone. Anyone entering this sacred land is punished by death. The second is that no Heerikil , or outsider, may have relations with a Silvanaes, punishable by exile for the Silvanae if they are a willing participant, and if not, the Heerikil is killed by the state. The third is that the Heerikil cannot bring suit against any Silvanae for their taking of property. Eminent domain is always on the side of the elves. And lastly the Heerikil may never be a captain of a vessel that leaves the Outer Shoals, or a leader of troops. The elves must always be in command of any and all Confederation forces. Ultimately the first edicts were crafted to maintain elven control and could easily be abused, but as time passed, the laws were interpreted so as to not be dictatorial over the other tribes.

Armach-nesti, the Dry Land of the People, lies between the New Mountains and the Bay of Hoor. The Silvanaes did try to recreate Silvanesti, referring to it as the Land not to be forgotten, and at its heart was New Silvanost, but they just couldn’t recapture the majesty of their homeland and abandoned the attempt, leaving sparsely populated ruins. Though the elves live in harmony with the land, creating minor preserves for their homesteads, there are still remnant blighted areas left over from its original inhabitants. These old villages still contain unavenged spirits that are known to roam in the dark of night in the absence of the moons. The Silvanaes will create thousands of lights and fires all around Armach-nesti to protect themselves from these quiet terrors. Their borders are fiercely guarded, and any caught are bound and delivered to the Knight Protector, the guardian of Armach-nesti who passes judgment.

There are a number of religions that exist in the Confederation. The elves, being very self-sufficient never relied on the gods as much as other races, so in their absence, not much changed. It’s much like modern Christians who go to church on Sunday, not because they necessarily believe in it, but because it’s a family tradition. There are a few new cults that have emerged and flourished among the elves however. The first is the Cult of the Sea Lord. Seeing as how they were saved by the sea, as they come to see it, they worship in the name of the Sea Lord and practice devoutly if they make their living on or near the sea. The second is the cult of Ildamar the Earthspirit. Again due to their saving grace of finding land after being lost at sea, they discovered Mislaxa who sought to ease their suffering and appeared in the guise of Ildamar, who granted them the power of healing and wisdom. They are not unlike vegans in their behaviors and dress restrictions. They are fervent in their beliefs and go to great lengths like the most radical environmentalists and sabotage hunters and industrialists who cut down trees or disrupt ecosystems. The last major cult is the forbidden cult of Usa the Mighty, which is

In truth Hiteh the Merchant in disguise. This is popular among the human tribes who attempt to unite the kingdoms of the Confederation with neighboring Thenol and the League under the Grand Holy Knight of the cult.

You can imagine the political thriller styled campaigns would work wonderfully in the Confederation of Armach, in addition to using the area as a rational buffer between Thenol and the League, who are in their own rights quite dictatorial and nationalist. The more I dive into the cultures and governments of Taladas, the more I find myself genuinely loving Dragonlance. It is the perfect continental offset to Ansalon, which is itself filled with a myriad of cultures and nations. But they are just different enough in themselves to feel truly original and fresh.

If you are looking to add elven locations that are not the overtly arrogant, nationalist and bigoted, like the elves of Ansalon to your campaign, look no further than the Silvanaes of the Confederation of Armach, wherein there is enough diversity of race and culture to cator to any creative dungeon master’s designs.

Outro

But that is all the time I have to talk about The Confederation of Armach. I hope you enjoyed the information. Do you use political intrigue or governmental strife in your campaigns? Were you aware of the Confederation of Armach? And finally, are the Silvanaes-Quarti the best of all the elves on Ansalon? Leave a comment below.

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I’ll pack my tears away for today. The gods know that they’ll be here tomorrow. As for the aching in my heart… It will be here always.