The Summer Court

The Summer Court is a cultural faction of the Elves, although not a nation in its own right it exerts incredible power and influence over Yavanna's "Suitor-Princes". It is presided over by the immortal matriarch Mab, a former companion of Nuada Argetlam.

Rise of the Young Court
Mab was the first elvish child born on Tara and her people treasured her like a queen. As she matured many elves, mostly youths, gathered around her, seeing in her both a leader and an icon. These elves had all been born in Tara and had no memory of Neverwhere-beyond-the-Rift. Young and restless they left Vaalbara and eventually came to Yavanna, a sweltering continent that was also the cradle of human civilization.

At the time Yavanna was ruled by the Iskandrians who had conquered the other Princes and united the whole continent into a single empire. Mab and her young court ingratiated themselves among the many Princes; they were the first to realize just how easy it was to enthrall men with seduction and glamor. Although she effortlessly seduced the Prince of Iskander, Mathas, his son Xandar remained unmoved by her charms. This infuriated Mab, who had never known rejection before, to no end. Xandar saw the elves' manipulations clearly; he deposed his own father and took control of the empire, determined to throw Mab's court out.

The Princely Wars
Most of the Princes remained loyal to Xandar and Mab could only summon a handful to her defense. Among them was Ataman the Worthy, her first Suitor and the first of only two men she would ever truly love. As her general and lover Ataman's devotion was unshakable. He had once been a close friend and lover of Xandar, who regretfully slew him in battle. Ironically it was Ataman's death that won the war for the elves; one by one the Princes abandoned Xandar, pushing to court the grieving Mab, until Iskander stood alone. At age thirty Xandar surrendered bitterly; Mab allowed him to leave Yavanna, believing that living with his sins would be worse than any death she could give him. Exiled forever he took his people over the mountains, settling what became Amaranth. By her order Iskander was never repopulated, left to fall into ruin and neglect.

The Blood Castes
Over the next few millenia Mab and her court bred with the Princes of Yavanna, who now called themselves "Suitors". Over 100 million people are descended from these bloodlines today; to Mab they are all her children, and she is fiercely protective of them. These people are ruled by a strict caste system defined by blood purity. This hierarchy, the "Blood Castes", was a purely human invention and served to solidify the Suitors power. Those who were "Casteless" (i.e. fully human) occupied the lowest rung of the hierarchy while the almost full-blooded nobility saw no distinction between themselves and elves. For millennia the Suitors bred among themselves or with other elves to keep their bloodlines pure, making inbreeding unavoidable. Eventually Mab stopped entertaining them, leaving the dynasty in the hands of her eldest daughters (the "Parizades").

Around this time she became the favorite companion of Nuada Argetlam, Elder-King of the elves. She bore him only sons and became the mother of the Argetlam dynasty. Although she held Nuada in girlish admiration they were at best affectionate of each other, lacking any real passion between them.

Caste Strife
The last of her lovers was Prince Dyanesh, who did not set out to court her. It was considered an unusual, even shocking, relationship, as he was a Prince of "Low Caste", having hardly any elvish blood in him. He'd given up all of his possessions to the poorest (and most numerous) of her children. Whereas other Princes carved her likeness into mountains or heaped treasures at her feet only Dyanesh truly won her affections, and all without ever meaning to. She sought him out, now a beggar in his own lands, and forbade the other Princes from taking up arms against him (though he'd also given up his titles). Mab invited him to her court and he became her beloved friend and counselor, though he spent many of his years serving the poor. His life sparked a humanist movement within Yavanna; naturally this movement was opposed by the Princes, who brutally suppressed Dyanesh's followers (although the man himself was considered untouchable). Many fled to his ancestral lands, where they received asylum. Orders of warrior monks emerged to protect the faithful and often clashed with the Princes, though they fought out of self-defense. Although he pleaded with Mab to end the killing there was little she could do to control the Princes. When he died, an old man and without heirs, his lands became forfeit by law. His followers were driven high into the mountains where they built fortress-monasteries. Mab personally delivered his body to the monasteries, allowing them to exist but giving over the land to the Suitors. To this day there remains an uneasy truce between these monasteries and the Blood Castes but remarkably it has lasted.

The Wailing War
When the Tiberians invaded Yavanna the Summer Court took little notice, confident that the Princes could deal with the situation. But, in their eagerness for glory they only got in each other's way. The Tiberians' defended their beachhead at Porte for twenty years but were unwilling to fully commit themselves to the invasion, daunted by the sheer scale of such an endeavor. This changed when Ferax Princeps, First Consul of the Ecumene, became politically ostracized and exiled to Porte. Under ordinary circumstances such a post would be considered an honor but the Quorum wanted Princeps gone. For his part Princeps accepted this new post but soon realized the situation in Porte was proof of the wider stagnation that had taken root in the Ecumene. Porte was well supplied, held a strong beachhead, and had ten whole Legions to guard it. But for all intents and purposes the Quorum treated it like a garrison rather than a staging area for an invasion.

Princeps could best be described as more of a restless man than an ambitious one. In his mind the invasion of Yavanna had simply been delayed too long, an opportunity that had been practically squandered by spineless politicans. The Tiberians had grown too familiar with Yavanna's Princes, insinuating themselves into their courts and were more interested in commerce than conquest. But there were no real friends to be found in Yavanna. Porte was only tolerated for the profit it brought into the country and high-ranking Tiberians were treated no better than any other casteless men. When he attacked it was sudden and decisive, catching the Princes offguard and striking near the heart of the Summer Court.

This time the Court took direct control of the war effort. At first they struggled with the Tiberians refusal to fight according to the laws of "Formal War" (although the elves neither took prisoners nor showed quarter).

Mab met Princeps only once, after he'd been forced to retreat and taken refuge in the ruins of Iskander. Knowing his recent defeat would only be a temporary setback she offered him a place beside her as Suitor and ruler of Yavanna. To her surprise he refused, saying it was not his place to sit a throne but to serve the Ecumene. Begrudgingly she respected him, seeing in him all of Ataman's nobility and Xandar's stubborn defiance.

Unknown to her Nuada Argetlam had called his banners and attacked the Tiberian capitol, Numitor. This drew Princeps away from Yavanna, though he left Porte well defended. Argetlam nearly slew the Tiberians to a man in their first battle, the Battle of Red Tides, and Princeps arrived just in time to find his beloved city under siege, the elves content to wait. He rallied what was left of the Ecumene's scattered Legions and distant allies, this time winning a Pyyrhic victory at the Battle of Red Ground (thanks to the timely betrayal of the Winter Court). Nuada was crippled in the battle, losing an arm and all of his sons and heirs. For this Mab never forgave him, her affection for the immortal king souring into contempt.

Kin Strife
While the Tiberians reckoned the Wailing War ended with Argetlam's surrender at Red Ground for the elves this was but the first chapter in the vicious fighting to come. Determined to never again see such bloodshed visited on her people Mab manipulated Nuada into retreating from court life while she established herself as the elves' unspoken Queen, believing she alone could steer a course that would save them.

However, the Winter Court stood in her way. At first their war was small; matters between the two Courts were settled by duels beween Warlocks, but eventually Winter dispensed with the rituals of "Formal War", making conventional attacks (the equivalent of a war crime among elves). Whole generations perished as the fighting slowly escalated for nearly 1000 years. It was only when Winter had been ground down by sheer attrition that the war was considered over, but the damage had long since been done. Vaalbara was utterly depopulated, with only the Winter Court lingering in its polar reaches. Mab returned to Yavanna, sick with blood guilt.

Traits
Blood Caste elves often share both human and elf parentage. Human traits are more strongly expressed in lower-castes, whereas individuals who are nearly "full-blooded" are hard to distinguish from pure elves. There are a few striking differences. For instance they have much darker skin, ranging from nut-brown to bronze or even teak, or simply tanned from centuries spent under the southern Sun. Because of this they are sometimes known as "copperskins". Also they do not look nearly as androgynous as other elves and are generally more "mannish" with heavier builds, more rounded ears, and more body hair. Their black hair is thick and lustrous.

There are a few traits that are unique to them as well. Their almond eyes are a striking amber color and queerly reflective (like tiger eyes), unlike the disturbing "black-in-black" common to their race. Blood Caste also possess a youthful "glow" throughout maturity not otherwise seen in other elves. They also secrete powerful pheromones, their body odor being described as a subtle musk (Princeps described them as "reeking of sex"). Their accents are described as sweet and languid, almost drawling.

Unfortunately the nature of Yavanna's caste system being what it is elvish traits are simply valued more than human ones. Status in this society comes down to good breeding and arranged marriages are the norm (it's not unusual for desirable Courtiers to have multiple partners at a time). These efforts have had mixed results; many Princely families suffer from inbreeding and all too often will resort to surgical means to maintain a full-blooded appearance.

Lifespan
Often Blood Caste do not live nearly as long as purebred elves, who are immortal. Half-castes generally live 200-300 years whereas someone who is fullblooded might live 500. For most of their lives they remain physically unchanged, though even humans can instinctively grasp their true age just by looking them in the eye (older elves have sunken eyes and careworn features). In the moments or years before they die age appears to rapidly catch up with them and they become very frail. Usually these sudden declines result of natural causes but sometimes emotional shock (typically grief) can bring it on. There are also instances of very old elves simply choosing to die.

Fashion
Among the Courtiers their code of conduct also includes strict hygiene and grooming standards. Men are expected to be clean-shaven at all times. They also have a deserved reputation for careful grooming, often being attended by multiple retainers and handmaidens without a hair out of place. Frequent bathing is also an important part of social life; all rivers are kept clean for this very reason, and polluting these waters at certain hours is a punishable offense.

Their clothes are light and airy, often woven from silk or linen and intricately embroidered. Women prefer thin sun dresses in the dank heat and humidity of Yavanna's tropics. Like all elves they prefer to go barefoot and take very good care of their feet. Lots of jewelry (gold armbands, diamond studs, etc.). Cosmetics, particularly eye-liner, are worn by men and women.

Warfare
Warriors dress in ornate armor; bronze scales with gold trim, exotic plumage, silksteel cloaks, and animal skins. A very distinctive part of their battledress are the tall banners they wore on their backs (similar to Japanese sashimono), which provide a sense of uniformity to Yavanna's troops and make identification in battle much easier.

Often Princes will spend their whole lives mastering a single exotic weapon or art of war; double bladed swordstaffs, javelin darts, sabers, "mirror shields" (buckler polished to an intense sheen, meant to be angled to blind or distract an opponent), recurve bows, "tiger claws". There is little room for mounted warfare, given the rugged terrain (impenetrable jungles, glacial mountains).

Warriors live by a heavily ritualized code of honor and conduct, called "Formal War" - a philosophy intended to minimize waste of life and quickly resolve conflicts among elves. It also prescribes fair treatment of all castes regardless of purity, but are capable of tremendous cruelty against casteless humans who enjoy no such privileges.

Technology
Yavanna has been stuck in a bronze age ever since it was enthralled by the elves, in spite of its abundant iron reserves. This is because iron naturally disrupts the magical energies, meaning elves are especially vulnerable to iron weapons. Knowledge of metallurgy is restricted to the Jinn alchemists.

Diplomacy
The Summer Court maintains close ties with Hue, a coastal nation south of Yavanna. The two have been trade partners for thousands of years, however, Hue is quite insular and has rarely aided its neighbor in war. They also have a long-standing with the immortal Jinn alchemists. The Jinn are masters of both science and mysticism and have a monopoly on both technology (i.e. metallurgy) and magic in Yavanna. During the Humanist Schism the Jinn sided with the casteless rebels, giving them sanctuary in their monasteries and teaching them the mysteries of steel so that they might defend themselves. Relations between the two repaired after the truce was made with the casteless. Remarkably this truce has held for thousands of years, despite enormous tensions and persecution elsewhere in the country.

Amaranth and Porte are also on level terms with Yavanna, which is surprising given their history. Both sides saw that profit washed out any bad blood between them, but they are not close, thinking of one another as business partners. The fledgling Orc nations have also received emissaries from the Court.

No Courtier would dare venture into the Oldgrowth, as the Kindred do not tolerate their presence at all. The Fronde also remains vigilant for any sign of Winter Court conspiracy. Recently the Siorai, or "Rift Elves", have repopulated Vaalbara. All attempts to contact them have met with disaster and the Siorai consider the Blood Castes to be a mongrel race.

Design Notes
They have an insectoid aesthetic and qualities (queen colonies, noble drones, articulated sameness, pheremone subservience). Sigil is three palm fronds.