Arafel is by far the wealthiest nation in all of Edar. Its wealth is founded upon a piece of ancient Imperium knowledge which was discovered by an Arafellan historian nearly 2,000 years ago, a piece of wisdom that has come to shape almost every facet of Arafellan economic life: banking.
While other nations have individuals that lend money, Arafel has honed the business of banking down to a science. The banks of Arafel lend money to every level of society, from farmers asking for an advance on the profits of their harvest to governments seeking funding for large-scale war. In order to collect on these debts, the Arafellans have also made pioneering advances in magic, such as the advent of the Scrying spell and long-distance telepathy.
A subset of the Arafellan military called The Collectors exist solely to collect on outstanding debts and punish those who default. Almost every nation owes debts to Arafellan banks, something that they use to maintain their economic power over Edar.
• Government: Plutocratic Republic
- Arafel is governed by a council of its 20 wealthiest merchants, who annually elect a leader among them.
• Leader: High Lord Thayze Selemchant (Human)
• Capital: Talme
• Environment: Snow Capped Mountains, Temperate Plains, Humid Islands
• Population: 2,220,000
- Human: 61%
- Elven: 22%
- Dwarven: 7%
- Gnomish: 10%
• Notable Locations:
- The Grand Market: One of the most opulent districts in all of Edar, this district is the hub of Arafellan banking, where the wealthiest individuals in the world lend money and trade debt.
- The Rock of Arafel: A massive fortress located on both sides of Baybreach Strait near Godan, this fortress was designed by Gnomish engineers to be capable of collapsing into the Strait to prevent a naval invasion of the inner Arafellan islands.
- Skysear Vault: Located high atop the Skysear Mountains, this vault houses the treasury of Arafel and is said to be the most protected location in the entire world.