# Eraden > [!info] Quick Facts > | | | > |---|---| > | **Type** | Nation | > | **Continent** | [[Continent - Auken\|Auken]] | > | **Location** | Northern Auken, land bridge to Norn | > | **Climate** | Transitional, brutal winters | > | **Government** | Fragmented local councils | > | **Influenced By** | [[Region - The Thornmark\|The Thornmark]] | > | **Known For** | Continental land bridge, ancient history | > [!map] View on Map > [Open Interactive Map →](https://hawksrepos.github.io/elvensong-map/?location=Eraden) ## Overview Eraden is a quiet nation that serves a vital geographic purpose as the **primary continental land bridge** between the northern reaches of Auken and the frozen expanse of Norn. It is, in fact, the only continental land bridge on Gryth. While it lacks the grand, recorded sagas of the southern kingdoms, Eraden is far from a new creation; it has existed in various forms for millennia. ## History The land has passed through many hands: 1. **Troll tribal ground** (ancient era) 2. **Snow Elf colony** (following troll era) 3. **Gnome and Dwarf clan rule** (various periods) 4. **Human nation** (~800 years ago, after first Edarian migration) Throughout these changes, Nornian humans lived alongside these ancient kingdoms as cave-gathered communities of hunters and wild warriors. ## Landscape & Climate The landscape is defined by its transitional nature—caught between the windswept moorlands of the south and the encroaching permafrost of the north. This results in terrain that is as still and silent as its ancient reputation. Winters are a brutal affair here, and the already hardy landscape becomes desolate in the deep winter months. ## Government The governance of Eraden remains a fragmented affair, lacking a central monarch or unified throne. Instead, the country is managed by a patchwork of **local councils** that oversee day-to-day affairs in the small, scattered settlements. > [!warning] Foreign Influence > The true authority in the region often lies with foreign powers, most notably from [[Region - The Thornmark|The Thornmark]]. These southern interests exert significant influence over Eraden's councils, effectively using the ancient territory as a political and physical shield against the influence and potential aggression of **Icynthraal**, the closest Nornian country. ## Strategic Importance To the "Gold-men" of Greater Terrisia (capital of The Thornmark), Eraden is a strategic necessity—a buffer zone that keeps the supernatural chill of the Nornian wastes at arm's length. Because of its status as a buffer state, Eraden remains a place of transit rather than a destination, its ancient roads well-trodden by merchants and soldiers moving between continents. ## Hidden History The nation's history is not found in grand monuments, but in the layers of ruins that lie beneath its quiet villages—remnants of the many cultures that have used the bridge over the aeons. ## Connections - [[Continent - Auken]] - Parent continent - [[Region - The Thornmark]] - Southern influence - Greater Terrisia - Capital city of The Thornmark, exerts control - Icynthraal - Nornian nation to the north - Norn - Northern continent accessed via Eraden --- ## Gallery ![[Pasted image 20260201090259.png]] ![[Pasted image 20260201090306.png]] ![[Pasted image 20260201090312.png]] ![[Pasted image 20260201090319.png]] --- *See also: [[Regions]]*