Mystery is Eld’s greatest export, there is no deficit of legends and myths that stem from the hermit nation. At one time long ago, Eld was a haven within the mottled valley, but that time has since passed. The Eld of today is sequestered away, with only a few people from the country ever leaving.
The capital of Eld, Nadezhda, houses the central government of Eld known as the Handmaidens order. While this ruling body has been in power for thousands of years, it is a temporary government as they await the reawakening of the headless queen. The members of this order; the female exclusive scissor knights, are the only people ever seen outside Eld’s walls. Typically, they conduct covert activities or, as legends often claim, skulk the night to collect heads.
What is known of Eld is often through the mediums of the scissor knights, and the few nameless black books that have been scattered across Magna Grah. Scholars of the Antiquarian collective covet the texts from Eld above all others, and for this reason any writing, mundane or exceptional, are exceedingly valueable
The Black Books
The masons, architects and other such labourers of Eld often wrote down the history of the buildings within the country. These records are all manifest as the Black Books of Eld. No single book has a named author, of publisher, despite their ornate and careful designs. The number of books is also unknown, with many in Eld unsure.
Those that have been found regularly rest with collectors until they are eventually bought and retired into the Antiquarian Library.
The Black Books are easily spotted for the contrast of golden lettering on black covers, but copies are easily made to trick buyers into paying for fakes. Without widespread methods of identifying true copies (the method with which is taught only to antiquarians), the circulation of fakes is difficult to curb.
Old Kings of Eld
Before the founding of the handmaiden’s order, Eld had many kings, though their existence has been scrubbed from many annals after the beheading of Queen Bathory. One notable king: Benjamin, was responsible for the emergence of handmaidens in the royal halls. Having many daughters, his wife and himself were incapable of taking care of every one equally, thus a special group were founded and trained under his rule, to act as surrogate mothers for the children born into the family.
The handmaidens allowed kings and queens to grow their families, and so the Elden royal courts tended to be sprawling family trees, all owing to the assistance of the handmaidens.
The King's Cup 
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