Snelblum

''Snelblum, the origin of the Fey! This enormous stretch of savannah is a welcoming home to all people, regardless of race or status. Governed by the Ministry of Progress, the country focuses on philanthropic causes and is always busy trying to increase the quality of life of not only its citizens, but those of other countries as well.''

Snelblum
As Described by Neiff Treenan

''The savannah that dominates Snelblum is a rustic view, though the hours of travel across it can really dull the mind. Luckily, Snelblum’s capital, Madeo, has teleportation circles set up across the land to make travelling much more enjoyable. The nation of progress does truly live up to its name, and minister Neiff Treenan adheres to that.''

“Tell me about Snelblum’s origins”
Woowee, going for the big questions right away are we? You’re a bold one, mister Dustfeather, I admire that. Snelblum is one of the big originals, back when the Korogard was still a thing. The Gnomes came from the Feywild through our famed portal, and went to work right away. We built a nice city, a few more, then began expanding.

Not long after we met the preordained Korogard, became drinking buds, and went on our merry way to build our empires a bit more. See, we Gnomes are blessed with the gift of serene peace; we’ve always had the Ministry of Progress and rarely did would anyone make a fuss about our governing system.

This led to some difficult decisions, however, especially during the many, many wars Snelblum has witnessed. The Hefthall skirmishes, the battle for power between the Korogard and the Humans, you name it. In every one, we tried to be as neutral as possible, but sometimes staying out of the conflict can only worsen things. As a result, we have one or two choices that we regret to this day.

But enough of that, you probably want to hear about how Snelblum handled the Goblinoid invasion. Well, Snelblum itself kept pretty save. At the borders, we set up powerful magi to cast illusions on those who wished to conquer us, making them think that our land was either already taken over by their allies, or wasn’t there altogether.

This wasn’t a permanent solution, of course, and we wanted to help our allies as well. So we began weaponising our magic, a feat none of us did with pride, mind you. We managed to reclaim some of Lighthaven, but were cut short once the Fiends arrived.

Snelblum is an arcane nation, we don’t tend to pull from Spirits much when it comes to the supernatural. Unfortunately, Fiends are particularly resilient versus non-Holy magic, so we were essentially powerless. We decided to retreat into the Feywild after writing an apology letter to the rest of the world and inviting them for a cup of tea if they ever found the time, and life, to get to the Snelblum portal in time.

Once we were safe in the clutches of our homeplane, we began working on combatting our weakness by enrolling countless priests and preachers. If we couldn’t fight with our own magic, we’d use that of our Spirits. Once we had a sizeable army of emissaries of Fey Spirits, we returned to the Prime to fight. When we arrived, we ran into Sylvan of Lighthaven and his crusaders, who we promptly followed in their cause.

When the threats were neutralised, we signed the Feywild that it was safe to return once more, and that is where we are today.

“What’s Snelblum’s culture like, with so many influences?”
You’re talking about the teleportation circles, am I correct? Yes, our increased connectivity has led to a flood of different peoples working and living in Snelblum. This is especially true in the cities. If you get up one of the spires and look down to the streets, you’ll see a spectrum of colours washing about, busy with their daily lives.

One thing you won’t find, however, are Lighthavians. At least, not in public. They may be our allies, but their hatred for scalykind and Goblinoids is misplaced. Until they can find a way to forgive them, we will make sure the innocent descendents of war criminals are not punished for their ancestors’ crimes. So, any officials of that nation are tightly secured and kept away from windows.

“What do you believe other nations think of Snelblum?”
Oh, I wouldn’t dare assume what their opinion of us is. I just hope that with our charity efforts, we’re in good standing with everyone, even Dragonhearth. Oh? Yes, that thing. I admit, Snelblum in its vigor has put itself in a risky position. If the other kingdoms ever find out that we are supplying both sides of Lighthaven’s and Dragonhearth’s war effort, we’re in for a world of pain. We kindly ask our citizens and visitors to keep it a secret, so the global trading market doesn’t collapse and the like. Call me self-absorbed, but I’m quite certain that without Snelblum, the rest of the continent isn’t gonna last too long.

“Any places that would spark an adventurer’s interests?”
Oh yes, definitely! Snelblum has wonderful places to visit, though it can take a little trip to get there. Just east of of here is Glimmercave, at the coast of a large, natural bay. It is an extensive chasm that runs under the sea, where wonderful, magical crystals can be found. They’ve been amazing catalysts for arcane endeavours, and are currently powering our major cities.

In Snelblum’s right tendril, the northern nook that runs between Endrall and the coast, you can find the Echo Valley in the far north. It is this wonderfully acoustic area, if you stand in it on your own, you can hear the flapping of a butterfly from a mile off.

In the westerns reaches of the country meanwhile are the long dunes that line our beaches. They eventually extend into these tall mountains, two of which are especially tall, called the Singing Mountains.

Lastly, there’s of course Madeo, our capital, and our many other cities across the savannah. You can find anything here, from fighters to churches to taverns to magic shops. Truly, an adventurer’s dream come true.