Daiman'Yar was a vassal Blood elf state
of the Dark Legion of Demons, member of the Confederation of Free Peoples, located in the continent of Aels, in the region of Polforia.
The Seven cities of the Blood elves, located on the shores of the Hieyokscream Sea, were some of the most important ports of the demon-held Polforia, being an important trade hub.
The highly stylized, tall and seemingly light buildings of the Daiman'Yar blood elven architecture will become a well known characteristic of the seven cities.
History[]
Early[]
During the High Elf imperialism of the Late Elfic Age, while the High elves did not officially found kingdoms or realms in Polforia, they set in the northern coastal shores of it trading posts, as a vanguard for maybe further expansion: However, the catastrophes of the Age of Calamities related to the arrival of humanity cut these projects short, and the polforian high elves' ventures were abandoned. Local Rossnes elves, who had traded with the High Elves however did continue the settlements.
During the Age of Invasions, as Polforia was largely overrun by Orcs first, then Kanovs and Humans, many Rossnes light elves migrated northwards, settling along the Hieyokscream shores, often around these small trading outposts that began to rise into small cities and petty kingdoms:
However they too will be menaced by Kanovs and Humans, and many were conquered.
Dark Legion[]
When the Dark Legion of Demons arrived to Polforia, the elves of the northern provinces, last remnants of the Polforian Rossnes elves, often greeted them as liberators, joining the Confederation of Free Peoples.
Under the unified demonic Polforia, under the Pax Daemoni, the now blood elven cities will prosper under demonic rule, as Seven city states arose.
However, while successful due to trade and with a more and more refined culture, there began the feeling amongst some Blood elven elites that they were being held back by the Dark Legion and their heavy taxes.
That's why at first during the First War of the Power, they received the High Elves as liberators... but soon the High Elves proved themselves to be only new tyrants.
High Elf Period[]
From 2228 - 2254 a.a.H.
The seven cities were united into a single colony called Daimar'Yar, so named to retain the continuity of the name but to remove the obvious demonic connotation. The High elves used the ports of Daimar'Yar as an important trading hub; they had a plan of colonizing the region and expanding eastward along the Polf River from the river delta. Eventually land under their control reaching and joining with elven colonies of the Polforian states such as the all elf colony of Tahela, and the largely elf colonies of Avaynti, Reivelin. If these four colonies had grown and linked up, this would have been a means of establishing a new elf homeland in northern Aels, and preventing a reunification of the tribal peoples who served the dark Legion.
However, the Empire of Whide Axis was now without an emperor and has lost much of its brief fervor of late colonialism. Human states of the Five Kingdoms of the Northwest were suspicious of the High elf intentions for this far eastern Polforian colony, and gave no direct support. Nor were Grey elf populations very eager to settle amongst the 'demon server elves' known as Blood elfs, so not many immigrants came from that quarter either. The land itself was not so easily settled, as the Polf River was slow moving and often swelled, overflowing its banks, hence the river lands, or much of the interior of Polforia, really, was marshy.
So, Daimar'Yar enjoyed some investment, growing as a port country, with the high elves bringing some new building techniques and magic so as to construct tall, thin towers for example, but not in the amount that was intended and enthusiasm soon faded away. Further, the High elves directly ruled the Polforian elves by decree, their efforts making clear that the seven cities were meant to become a high elf colony with the native elves as secondary inhabitants. Indeed, Half Elfs and Doroz elves were exiled from the land, suggesting that even the human allies of the High elves may have been right to be suspicious of the High elf motives. The High elf rulers tended to treat the Blood elf natives with disdain, for having served the demons and that they could only be redeemed by their High elf betters.
Between lack of support and a tyrannical, patronizing rule, the population would rebel, and barbarians such as Orcs and Kanovs or remnant Demons would raid from the interior, leading to the project becoming untenable. So, the High elves would ultimately give up ruling the blood elves of the Polf River delta and Hieyokscream coast, and depart in 2254.
DAIMAN'YAR[]
After defeating the High Elves, the Seven Cities decided, rather than to continue their petty squabbles from their city-states, and to counter the barbarous raids from the continental interior which hurt them as well as contributing to leading the High elves to depart; to keep the unity achieved under foreign High Elven rule, and will become the stronger elven state of Polforia.
Benefit from High Elven architecture and studies, aside of being a trade hub that controlled the entrance and exit to the Polf River, it became a cultural centre, and while the rest of Polforia seemed to descend into barbarism during the Middle Human Age, the universities and academies of Daiman'Yar will prosper.
However, these successes will make the Blood elves proud, and they will attempt to expand to the interior -falling to the same wars and squabbling disputes the other remnants of the dark legion faced-: and while the culture and trade of Daiman'Yar thrived, their military suffered defeats and setbacks, and they would be pushed back to the coastal strips close to the walls of their cities.
To avoid destruction, they will bend the knee to the Witch King of Dol-Nur, and became their vassals: but a pact surrender rather than a military conquest, meant that this time the elves of Daiman'Yar could set ground rules for their relations with the demons -that guaranteed their freedoms-.
Speculations: The blood elves of Daiman'Yar were known for their war chariots, suggesting that they continued to use ancient means of fighting that were essentially obsolete? This is a problem which often worked against elves in general. Albeit, it might well be that light chariots carrying low weight warrior elves on often soft surfaces, generally fighting tribesmen might be very effective? Especially if some of those warriors were war mages with range attacks? This effectiveness might not carry over towards fighting more advanced and disciplined soldiers? Particularly if those enemies had war mages of their own.
Later[]
With its seven cities, stability, wealth, and learning, the elves of Daiman'Yar would be a source of architects, engineers and magic users for the Dark Legion. There were some war-mages of some power and quality of techniques, and Daiman'Yar would be seen as a more reliable source of war-wizards for Dol-Nur than the much feared but cantankerous Witches of the forests of Ded who guarded their secrecy and were obtuse in their training. Much of the power of the Witch King of Dol-Nur would revolve around his monopoly of trained elven magic users.
Later, after the return of the formerly disincarnated and imprisoned Demon Princes and Lords, Daiman'Yar would be called upon in the Second War of the Power to provide war-mages and some elven legions for the Dark Legion. Daiman'Yar would have a dark reputation rise as a source of deadly elven fighters and more deadly war-mages, but these were drafts which would also sorely tax its ability to supply.
Later, the rise of the Dark Elf city of Zaghäl would supplant both Daiman'Yar and Ded as the source for elven magic users, and also Daiman'Yar's place as the principal elven center of learning. This would also be the situation of the drow city-state of Ched'l Sulho, in losing its own place as a premier center of the training of mages. However, Daiman'Yar would be instrumental as a port in helping to build and supply the new dark elf city, and would form an alliance with Zaghäl, and share its knowledge, which would help the study of magic in Aels to surge forward.
The Seven Cities[]
Among the Seven Cities of Daiman'Yar, one of the most important ones would be Dahl'Tuine, located in the river mouth of the Polf River, it controlled the influx of fluvial trade, being one of the main ports of access of Polforia.
While each city had their own political tradition -being originally city states-, they were oligarchic republics, who often elected as officials: kings, princes or dukes to be their head of states. In some of the cases, it was for life and in others for set time periods -dual kings, for fifty years in some cases, and in others the officials were elected yearly-.
At occasions, the Blood elven cities elected as Head of States demon lords.