This article is about the island. For its namesake in Sular mythology, see Nesilene (Cult of the Runes).
"Of all the disparate, desperate powers on this island, somehow I'm staring at the only two things they all hate."
The island of Nesilene is a large island to the south of the Mara continent. Approximately 450,000 square miles in size, the island is home to a diverse population of species and cultures. From roughly 250 SE to 1750 SE, the island was under the sole, unified control of the Sular Empire. Since then, it has become a politically divided and violent place, with the rise of the Hegemon of Nesilene narrowly holding back complete chaos.
As of now, the island is in the middle of a power struggle between the Hegemon of Nesilene, the foreign Vellen colonizers, and a recalcitrant Sular Empire.
It is home to the Nesilene Rune Spring, from which the Nesilene Rune spawns.
History
Pre-Sular Era
Main article: Lithin
Although the political history of Nesilene largely begins with the rise of the Sular Empire, there is evidence of societies active across the island at least a millennium prior. They seem to have been comprised of several different species now extinct, but unfortunately none left any written records beyond minor inscriptions. Only one inscription has ever been deciphered.
Posthumously named the Lithin, these species remain a mystery to the current inhabitants of the island.
Sular Era
Main article: Sular Empire
The rise of the Sular Empire transformed the island forever. After obtaining the secret of the Rune Spring, the Sulars set their eyes on conquering the entire island. In two-and-a-half centuries, they had accomplished their goal, with all of their rivals integrated into their empire. This period of total Sular control has since been known as the Sular Supremacy, and it would last for 1500 years.
During this time, the island became known for the qualities and traits of the empire that controlled it. Many civilizations had harnessed the powers of Runes, but the Sulars' devotion to it attracted international attention to Nesilene. The Algollen Vine, native to the Renii Plateau, spread throughout the island as the Sulars brought it with them.
The Sular Cult of the Runes became the main religion of the island, a position it occupies to this day.
As the Sular Empire began to break down in the late Supremacy, the island was rocked by civil war. International attention was again drawn to the island, as foreign empires eagerly anticipated a future for the island without a strong Sular Empire to resist their influence. In spite of old alliances, they refused to help the crumbling Sular Empire, leading many within it to feel betrayed.
Nesilene Era
With the collapse of the Sular Empire, each of the different species on the island took up a corner for their own. As they did, they began to clash over territory, as many sought to fill the power vacuum left by the Sulars. This battle for control included the Sulars themselves, now smaller but still a potent force in their own right. Some countries were swallowed whole, such as the Marine Hills and the Kingdom of Jarine.
The question of the power vacuum was ultimately answered by the king of the Agnen Empire, whose diplomatic and military exploits gave them unrivaled power on the island. Even a last-ditch coalition led by the Sulars themselves failed to deter their conquests. But unlike the Sulars before them, the Agnens did not annex the lands they conquered. Instead, the king made every nation their vassal, appointing themselves to the new position of Hegemon of Nesilene. Although still independent, every nation on Nesilene was now forced to swear allegiance to the new overlord of the island.
Unfortunately, even with this power, the Hegemon failed to stop the overseas Vellen Empire from seizing parts of the east for themselves. Having sensed weakness in the wake of the Sular collapse, the Vellens established the colony of Crystal Cape and moved to occupy the mines directly north. The Hegemon was careful to pick their battles, for the Mara-based Vellen Empire was much more powerful than any nation on the island. On the other hand, the Sulars, who still felt betrayed by the Vellens, could not have been more infuriated.
And that is where things lie currently, with the Vellens encroaching upon the island with their massive force, the Sulars, still the heads of the island's religion, slowly regaining power, and the Hegemon, trying to keep everything from falling apart.
Etymology
The name Nesilene is taken from Sular mythology. The demigod Neso, who later took upon the name Nesilene, formed the basis of the island's name. The proto-Sulars believed they owed their escape and survival to his sacrifice, and so named their new home after him.
Geography
The island is located roughly 1,000 miles south of the Mara continent. A variety of terrains and biomes exist on the island, from the western wetlands to the Renii Plateau. In the middle of the island, the Jarine and Urane mountain ranges bisect the island. The valleys between them tend to be the least populated areas on the entire island. Although the island has undergone significant deforestation, a process which started before the Supremacy and continues to this day, much of the island remains covered in forests. On the Renii Plateau, at the source of the Renii River, the Nesilene Rune Spring sits.
A large portion of the island remains unclaimed and undeveloped, due to a lack of suitable farmland or natural resources. These neutral zones, outside the jurisdiction of any nation, are the most lawless parts of the island. Only the Hegemon's Protection remains in effect there.
Demographics
The island is incredibly diverse, featuring groups of almost every sentient species on the planet. From Sulars, to Jari, to Agnen, to Munal, to Leebs, etc., the island's population remains difficult to properly survey.
Sources
"An Atlas of Medieval Nesilene" - Unknown Author
"The Fall of the Supremacy, Year by Year" - H. Drion
"The Years of Sulars and Salt" - K. Lee
"Undone by Unchecked Ambition: The Final Years of the Kingdom of Jarine" - L. Vilno
"The Toba Account | Lithin Inscription" - Unknown Author
"When a Mine Awoke an Island: the Vellens and the Mammoth Mountains" - C. Loyd