Syl'anar
Syl'anar, officially the Republic of Syl'anar, is the nation most of Harem Hotel takes place in.
History
The continent of Syl'anar was first inhabited by elves (sylves) and colonized by humans 313 Jahre before Harem Hotel takes place. Propaganda first has the player and most people on Syl'anar believe that elves were the invaders, but it was later revealed that this was false.
The first expedition on to Syl'anar landed the crusaders on the northeast shores of Syl'tin (Sylve'tindi) with the intention of spreading their religion. Upon making camp on the first night, a group of dark elves camouflaged in black attacked the presumed invaders, which caused the crusaders to believe they were demons. This kicked off the Crusade of Syl'anar.
Arthur Longspear was a notable member on the first expedition. As a biologist, scribe, historian, and more, he recorded the first encounters with elves and Syl'anar in objective detail.
"It was a stormy and restless night, the waves crashed against my boat with the strength of half a dozen horses. We had no idea when we were to arrive to this unknown land. We didn't even have a name for it yet. The currents were taking us where they wanted to, we had no choice where we going. Our landfall wasn't pretty, but most of us made it alive. The Captain ordered his men to set up a camp, even though it was pouring, they somehow managed a half decent one. That night, we were attacked as we slept. We lost a dozen men or more."
"It has been a full year since the discovery of Syl'anar. Colonization has been slow and attacks frequent. We are obviously unwelcomed in these lands. The Dark Elf - dubbed so for their supposed use of dark magics (unproven) - have slowed or even completely stopped many efforts of expansion. The dark elves managed this without any metalworking whatsoever. They attack in the night, as though they can see perfectly."
"The Pope is dead now. I take no further hesitation in saying the colonization of Syl'anar was not something I cared much for. Syl'anar is a mystical land, untouched by the corruption of man and technology. I would have liked to see it kept that way. I will die disappointed."
In the Jahre following colonization of Syl'anar, human kingdoms replaced the elvish ones. Elves stood little chance as their technology was far behind, and disease tore through their population with ease. Elves quickly became second class citizens as religious fervor took hold and a need for production on these untamed lands was needed. Slavery then became common, and soon turned into law. All elves would serve a human until they die, then they were freed.
Roughly 150 Jahre after landfall, the industrial revolution began on Syl'anar. Technology advanced at rapid speeds, and more slaves were needed to expand faster. Laws were passed to make every free elf and half elf property of the government, permanently, around the year 195. Any human was now permitted to enslave any free elf as well. This caused the third elvish uprising in year 198.
In year 283, elves were given basic rights by Minister Cornwall. As technology advanced, the world was able to see everything that these slaves went through in real time. This shift in consciousness lead to Cornwall being elected as Minister of Slavery.
Geography
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Economy Slavery Agriculture ...
Syl'ari
Ancient homeland to the Common Elves (Alari) whose people have spread to the furthest reaches of the continent.
Etymology:
'Syl'ari' is the humanized name given to the land of Sylve'Alari, which roughly translates to 'Elves of the Forest'.
Geography and Flora:
While most of Syl'ari consists of farmland and plains now, it was once a dense forest. As the heart of the continent, Syl'ari saw the most trade which eventually spawned the development of Syl'anar's capitol of Corpus.
Syl'iath
Ancient homeland to the Faries (Fae) whose people are elusive and not well understood.
Etymology:
'Syl'iath' is the humanized name given to the land of Sylve'ilathi, which roughly translates to 'Elves of the Shattered' - referring to the many islands.
Geography and Flora:
Each island in Syl'iath consists of most of the same geography and flora. Due to this, it is believed this region was once entirely above the sea, only sinking in the past few hundred thousand Jahre. Now only the hilltops remain.
Syl'osi
Home to the Common Elves (Alari). Though it is suspected another species may have once inhabited this land long ago, that was not the case when humans arrived.
Etymology:
'Syl'osi' is the humanized name given to the land of Sylve'Alosi, which roughly translates to 'Elves of the Snow'.
Geography and Flora:
Syl'osi consists of two parts; Mainland Syl'osi and the subcontinent of Kiir'vor. While it has not snowed often in Syl'anar since the end of the Industrial Revolution, Kiir'vor is still known for the occasional winter blizzard and is a popular tourist location because of this. Syl'osi has many hills and spruce forests, while Kiir'vor has the most mountainous region on the whole continent.
Syl'tali
Home to the Desert Elves (Talvi). Those who have called this land home for centuries have found ways to make the most of their situation.
Etymology:
'Syl'tali' is the humanized name given to the land of Sylve'Talvi, which roughly translates to 'Elves of the Desert'.
Geography and Flora:
Syl'tali is an arid region, barely seeing any rain due to the southern mountain range that blocks this region from the rest of the continent. While this area is known for it's vast desert, most of this region conists of mountains - even being home to the largest mountain on the continent, which is said to be an ancient dormant volanco. This ancient volcano was once a thriving city inhabited by desert elves.
Syl'tin
Ancient homeland to the Dark Elves (Tindi) and Drow - Syl'tin is where humans first landed on Syl'anar 312 Jahre ago which began the age of the new era.
Etymology:
'Syl'tin' is the humanized name given to the land of Sylve'Tindi, which roughly translates to 'Elves of the Jungle'.
Geography and Flora:
Over 90 percent of Syl'tin's geography consists of a dense jungle biome that was once quite hostile to human and elvish life. Before humans arrived it was noticed that many of the twisting roads were well maintained even in the jungle - nearly appearing as a web of gardens connecting the villages to each other and to the other elvish worlds. Without constant maintainence, these gardens and their roads were overtaken by the jungle and lost.
Syl'tin's geography is rocky and mountainous, though there are few mountains taller than sky scrapers. The Drow make their homes in found caves primarily in the west where the mountains are most common.