'The Great Histories and Houses of Eraesel: courtesy of the Elders of Torinth'

Introduction to Eraesel and a History of The Coves, by Elder Pomith

Here is the most recent map of Eraesel available through the Elder Collection at the Crystal Athenaeum at Torinth. The kingdom consists of six provinces, each with their own Lord and Liege Lords.

The Coves

Geography:
Any man passing through The Coves is first struck by it's rather plain appearance. There are no great mountains or climates, but instead consists of fairly moderate weather conditions and grassy hillsides. However, one thing that makes The Coves so unique is the amount of hidden beauty that lies in it's caves and arches throughout the countryside. Many Elders, most famously Elder Wolden, have often named the rivers that run to the Golden Bay as the prime spots for discovering the country that lives below the gentle hills, often cited as the prime routes for finding caves. Explorers find that most of the hidden corners of these waterways are often lined with treasures of some sort: people often say this is due to the amount of times merchant ships have crashed in it's waters before, but the reality is much darker. For generations, The Coves had suffered a long history of pirate activity due to the amount of private space available for stashing loot.

Some have argued that The Coves is the province of Eraesel closest to how the lands, in the days before Old Eldrill and the arrival of The Four, appeared. However, many Elders have opposed this view. Elder Renard led the counter argument, citing the difference between the deciduous Forest of Dawn by Dorric's Pass and the coniferous Tuskwood in the western areas as one heads towards Windsfaen.

Two main rivers have traditionally ran through The Coves, meeting at the Golden Bay: the River Lovegard, running from the south past Aelburn, and the Old Man's Arm, running northeastwards towards Dinasmena. However, around 300 years ago a third, manmade river was commissioned by King Tommitt V by connecting the chosen route to the Winter River which runs to Skyrel. The river was created to give a better trading route to merchants trying to access the Golden Bay than the other wild alternatives that existed at the time. Elder Sarwyne tells us how much Torinth reaped the economic benefits of such a route: trade imports and exports tripled within three years of it's creation in 506 A.C.

My own research has shown just why The Coves make up such a large portion of the farming and agricultural industries: the pastureland and grasslands in the area are by far the highest quality in all of Eraesel, and have continued to be so for a long time. This has lead to mass migration and overproduction before, but the farming numbers have settled quite comfortably over the past 100 years.

(Above) A view from the Winter River.

Torinth:

Torinth is not only the capital city of The Coves, but capital of the whole of Eraesel and the seat of the ancestral Kings of Eraesel since the Age of Old Eldrill. None are quite sure why Torinth was picked as the location from which the country would be governed, probably due to the mineable rock face available to the Kings of Eldrill at the Golden Bay.