Current situation

Anfyn, often referred to as the Goblin Holy Land, is a sacred valley located in the south of Kildar, where the Unknown Mountain Range meets the sea. This valley holds profound spiritual significance for the goblin people and has become the center of Lady Elaine's Crusade, a movement dedicated to freedom, redemption, and the overthrow of evil oppressors.

The last war, however, brought truly unexpected consequences to Anfyn. Fighting alongside the Lords' Alliance and conquering Stormhaven brought them political and territorial success — now everything below the Stormhaven River (and actually part of Stormhaven itself) belongs to the goblins of Anfyn. However, a famous adventurer, Brukkar Palehide, brought division among the Crusaders of Lady Elaine by claiming that their crusade was a lie and not what Lady Elaine truly wanted. Eventually, this started a civil war in Anfyn that lasted about five years. The arrival of a large number of Shadowfell refugees did not help the situation.

Right now, the civil war is at least paused. This was achieved through an agreement between the chiefs, including Brukkar. They decided to go directly to Lady Elaine and ask her to judge them and decide who would lead the goblins of Anfyn. Before they left, they demanded that the goblins take an oath: "No Crusader can fight another in the Lands of Anfyn before any of the chiefs arrives." It was expected that this would take no more than a month, but after three years, nobody has returned.

In this way, the civil war brought devastation to Anfyn, and it will take a long time to recover, especially considering that there is currently no leader who can guide the goblins through this crisis.

General layout

The valley of Anfyn itself is a 'Fey Crossing'. The valley in the Material Realm and the one in the Feywild are so similar that the barrier between the two planes disappears, and they become one and the same. As a result, the valley's nature and inhabitants are a mix of Kildar and the Feywild.

The valley is a formidable fortress. It is protected by the Grand Wall on the west side, mountains to the north and south, and the sea to the east. The city itself is located around the natural harbor on the eastern side, with a shantytown built along it. This harbor was called Elaine's Harbor and was mostly used for constructing and maintaining pirate ships, but nowadays, this method of fair wealth distribution has come to a halt.

Among the other notable locations in the valley are the Holy Temple of Ascension and the Shadowfell district.

The Holy Temple of Ascension holds a direct gateway to the lands of Lady Elaine in the Feywild, a place where the souls of Elaine's followers supposedly go when they die. This is also the place where the chiefs were last seen three years ago, and the local population is still expecting their return.

The Shadowfell district is a place that was granted by Brukkar to the Shadowfellians so they could avoid the conflict between the Lords' Alliance and the Guilds. Unfortunately, this brought them right into the middle of another conflict. In general, however, the Shadowfellians remained untouched. Their presence has nevertheless made, and continues to make, everyone nervous, and has definitely cost some popularity for the person who invited them here.

Population

Anfyn has a very large goblin population and is home to many Fey species. Over the years, many individuals of other species who converted to Elaine's faith have settled here as well, many of whom would historically have been categorized as 'evil', such as bugbears, orcs, kobolds, and many others.

This was a fairly stable composition until the Shadowfellians arrived at Brukkar's invitation. They try to keep to themselves in this completely different environment, but with goblins, this is almost never possible. Their presence was not very welcome, but first the goblins were fighting each other, and then the oath came and the Shadowfellians took it as well, essentially making it impossible for the goblins to fight them.

The main faction of Anfyn still remains the Crusaders of Lady Elaine. The Crusaders of Lady Elaine are made up of two primary factions: the Converts and the Pilgrims.

• Converts, the Wielders of the Blade: Converts are individuals who were once seen as monstrous or evil, but found redemption through Lady Elaine. Among these, the goblins of Anfyn are the most numerous. Having been freed from the oppressive god Maglubiyet, they now serve as some of the most devoted followers of Lady Elaine. Converts typically become zealous warriors, channeling their righteous fury into battle. Many are barbarians or other martial classes who take up arms to liberate others and strike down those who perpetuate evil.

• Pilgrims, the Bearers of the Chalice: Pilgrims are those who willingly seek out Lady Elaine's guidance, often as clerics, paladins, or warlocks who have entered into a pact with her. Pilgrims wander the world, offering aid and spreading the teachings of Lady Elaine. They are typically tasked with spreading the message of Lady Elaine, converting others to the faith, and bringing the chalice of freedom to those who have yet to embrace the divine light. Pilgrims may also serve as spiritual leaders, offering wisdom and guidance to Converts.

However, in recent years, the Crusaders have not been very capable of fulfilling their functions and are (un)patiently waiting for their leaders to return or for the situation to change.

Economy

The economy of Anfyn rested on three pillars: piracy, Feywild-inspired enthusiasm, and debt. None of these can help the goblins anymore.

Piracy is no longer possible because the ships were destroyed during the civil war, and goblin ships would not be welcomed by either the Lords' Alliance or the Remnants of the Eldritch Inquisition.

Enthusiasm has greatly diminished during the civil war — it is hard to be happy, even for goblins, when you mostly see destroyed houses, cut-down trees, and signs of the recent conflict.

Debts were taken in two ways. The first were gifts from the Fey. Luckily for the goblins, thanks to the adventurers, they no longer have to repay these debts; they were nullified. However, the Fey do not give many new gifts anymore.

The second type of debt is more about resources. During the preparation for the war with the Guilds, the goblins cut down a lot of trees for siege machines and gathered many resources from the local land to make weapons and other instruments of war. The first war went quite well, but then all of this was burned during the civil war.

Considering that the general approach of the goblins was to share everything they had, it is very difficult to share when nobody has anything. They also cannot make demands of each other, considering that everyone is bound by the oath of non-violence. This leads the goblins down two different paths: emigration, especially to Stormhaven and Il-Heban, and genuinely putting in the work to rebuild.

There is some hope for Anfyn, however. First of all, the Fey did not leave and continue to live between Anfyn and the Feywild. They might not work and produce anything in the normal sense, but they are recovering the woods and land to make them comfortable for themselves again.

Secondly, the Shadowfellians never stopped working and are trying to build a place for themselves. Most goblins are suspicious of them, especially because they "do not share the interest in sharing everything," but some goblins come to them to work and learn from the Shadowfellians. Unfortunately, being near the Feywild is not very comfortable for the Shadowfellians, and it somewhat decreases their efficiency, but they do what they can.

Overall, it is up to the goblins — and perhaps their new leader, if one comes — to recover. Theoretically, their return might also recover the wallets of some of the goblins, as bets on who will return and rule are very popular. Nobody, however, keeps track of who bet on what. Supposedly, the new leader will figure it out.