The Forbund Af Nisse
Geography
The lands of the Nisse are collectively called the Forbund Af Nisse, which to the humans is often called the Elven Confederacy. It is located on the western half of Calydon, with the Forged Kingdom meeting its northeastern borders and the Human Republics to the north. To the direct east of the Forbund Af Nisse is a large island chain called the Sapphire Islands, which politically fall under the purview of the Nisse government, but largely are uninhabited save for pirates and other criminal fugitives. The Forbund Af Nisse is comprised mostly of lush, heavily-forested environments to the far east, with more open grasslands to the west.
Settlements
Vand Nisse Territory
The coastline of the Forbund Af Nisse is controlled by the Vand Nisse, with the Sapphire Islands under their direct control. The Vand Nisse have five major port cities encircling the borders of the Forbund Af Nisse, and their authority also extends to the deep seas surrounding the southern and eastern parts of Calydon. Though the area the Vand control on land is smallest of the Nisse, their unparalleled mastery of the seas arguably makes theirs the largest in the world.
The Vand Nisse have five major port cities through which most business is conducted: Menneskehjem, Hvalfangstby, Mellemhavet, Svardfisk, and Sydlige Haven.
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Vand Nisse Settlements Map
Slagte Nisse Territory
The dense forests to the west are controlled by the Slagte Nisse, though the locations of their cities are unknown and hidden to all save for the Slagte Nisse themselves; the one exception is Enclave, a public capitol through which the Slagte conduct all business with outsiders
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Slagte Nisse Settlements Map
NOTE: The cities of Hviske and Skygge are listed on this map for illustrative purposes of general location, but do not appear on any public maps and would not be known except to Slagte Nisse.
Afsla Nisse Territory
The Afsla Nisse control the eastern half of the Forbund Af Nisse, with their population concentrated in several cities, the most prominent being Morkjem, Tusmorkehjem, and Klarhjem, each dedicated to the pursuit of some high art. Additionally, the preeminent institution of magical and occult study, the Collegia Hermetica, is located in the northwest of Afsla territory.
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Afsla Nisse Settlements Map
The City-State of Forbund Af Nisse
Finally, within the center of Nisse territory is a large city-state—also called Forbund Af Nisse—which serves as a capitol for all Nisse-kind. Forbund Af Nisse is a sovereign entity in its own right, and no single Nisse culture lays claim to it; however, the centralized government of the Nisse is based out of the city-state, and it is through here all Nisse business with the outside world is conducted.
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Forbund Af Nisse City-State Map
System of Government
The Forbund Af Nisse is presided over by a council of three elected officials from each of the major Nisse factions. Each consul is responsible for representing the interest of their people within the council, as well as to collectively govern over matters that affect the Nisse as a whole. A consul’s term is 12 years long and staggered so that a different consul is up for re-election every four years. Though in theory this would mean a new consul every four years, due to Nisse being long lived and favoring stability, consuls tend to serve several consecutive terms.
In addition, each of the Nisse cultures has their own methods and rules regarding the nomination and election of a consul to represent them:
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The Afsla Nisse hold elections every 12 years first to nominate several candidates from the Erudite elite, and from that group they elect a consul. During that consul’s 12 year term, the nominee who received the second highest votes may, at any time, challenge the consul’s fitness to govern by a series of contests both magical and academic.
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The Slagte Nisse hold the great hunt every 12 years, in which those who feel they are worthy enough to represent the Slagte Nisse must hunt down and slay 12 specific beasts on their own with no other weapon save a knife and whatever they can rig or scavenge from the wilderness. Within the first few months the field usually narrows down to a small handful of candidates, as less worthy candidates are felled by their quarry or meet unfortunate accidents.
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The Vand Nisse hold a moot every 12 years on an island known only to them. Though they aren’t very forthcoming on the details of how they select a leader, the impression that is given by most Vand Nisse is that the Great Moot is a combination of political discourse and rum laden bacchanal. How much of this is misdirection or fact is not readily evident, but most of the consuls elected by the Vand Nisse tend to be ship captains or admirals. Though no one can point towards a specific rule, all consuls for past 300 years have been female. Speculation is that this is a holdover from when the Nisse were a matriarchal society.