THE ENCLAVE
Visit the wonders of the Enclave, the great nomad city of Esgeth with its thousands of tents, the hanging gardens of Meresme and the academies of Turlon, play in the taverns of Argyl and admire the great gate and the tunnel though the mountain, discover the libraries and banks of Dolvir, taste the sturgeon eggs of Thalvir and wash them down with a cool wine of Abilar, go to pray in the great cathedral of Gortina and behold the rock city of Kuzdalitar...
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The Enclave is a basin surrounded by mountains. It is 900 km wide from North to South and 1200 km from East to West.
The climate is temperate, akin to Brittany or Normandy with an average temperature of 22° in Summer and an average of 0° with snow in Winter. The four seasons are clearly marked, with a cool and green spring and a rainy autumn.
Vegetation is like Northern Europe. Mountains are covered with pines. The main forests (Folesdron, Nestadron, Urbedron) are composed of Oaks, Chestnut trees, Birches, Cedars, Ashes, with thick bushes and fern thickets. They are very rich in mushrooms.
The highest peak inside the enclave is the Arad Lunon, in the chain of mountains called Emin Lunon, at the border of Moranon and Gorvanon. The Arad Lunon is 3550 m high. The only other mountainous range inside the enclave is the Arad Beltir, on the south east of Norlamon, between the forest of Geldron and the Ermin Tepil hills. The Arad Beltir is an ancient volcano, now considered as dead although it might be just sleeping. It towers at 2870 m over the waters of the river Usson.
There are two main bodies of water in the Enclave. The lake Elibor, in Gorvanon, that gives this duchy a great part of its wealth, at the extreme west of the enclave and the Asyr lake where all the main rivers of the enclave join. The Elibor is cold and extremely deep, with small tides. The great mountains of Emin Tarab reflect in its silver waters. The lake is filled with fishes but also some more dangerous creatures that are believed to lurk in the deep waters. Thankfully though, they don't come often to the surface of near the shore. The Asyr is the key point of the enclave. A great part of the trade is conducted across it since it's shores are shared by the four duchies. Its waters are considered neutral territory but small conflicts often arise from fishermen who intrude on the fishing zones attributed to each duchy. The Asyr r is not as deep as the Elibor, and much warmer. Its waters can be quite treacherous though, since the many rivers flowing into it create numerous currents that build into small whirlpools and underwater streams that can be quick to drag a boat or a swimmer away.
Thanks to its mild climate and rich soil, the enclave can be completely autonomous. The mountains and hills provide several kinds of ore : iron, gold, copper, silver, coal, some gems. Various kinds of cattle are raised: cows for the milk and the meat, sheep for the wool and the meat, pigs, goats, chicken... The land allows to grow wheat, corn, potatoes, sunflowers, oat, beetroot and sugar beet, grapes that are transformed into the famous enclave wines, all kinds of vegetables, temperate climate fruits like apples, strawberries, cherries, pears, plums.
There is only one way out of the Enclave, a tunnel through the Emin Duath, on the south of the country, where the river Lyros crosses the mountains.
There is no central government in the Enclave. Originally, it was composed of many small zones of control under the influence of nobles or clans or major families. Slowly though, these many divisions were united under four Duchies: MORANON, GORVANON, NORLAMON and BALLAR. The four dukes rule over their land and maintain an easy peace and communication with their neighbors. They are sometimes controlled by the High Warden of ARGYL, a delegate of ARDUN whose responsibility is to prevent any outbreak or revolution in the Enclave, while avoiding to let the people feel jailed and watched over all the time. There is one area in the Enclave that has a complete autonomy from the duchies: it is the holy city of Gortina which depends directly from the Rulers of Etoras, a powerful religious country in the west of Dorimghen. The kingdoms of Kuzdalitar and Urbelindel are also autonomous and are not even under the authority of the High Warden since they are not considered part of the Enclave.Finally, the city of Orgonze is also a more or less autonomous city, cut from the rest of the Enclave.
The main language of the Enclave is Dûnic (also called Ghenic). Many people also speak the holy language of Etoras, the Tamir. It is the official language for the religious ceremonies in the Jesuanist churches of the Enclave.
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