Chamlek
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History
Chamlek is an ancient land on what was once the frontier of the Alfar Empire. It bears the distinction of being one of the few places that never fell to the Empire's Legions, something commonly attributed to the land's terrain and the Dryad's stubborn resistance.
The country is made up of a massive valley ringed by tall, forbidding mountains. There is only one mountain pass that is large enough to march an army of any real size through, making it a very defensible position. When the Legions came the Dryads of Chamlek were able to hold those passes and prevent the empire's soldiers from entering the kingdom until the emperor choose to negotiate with them. The empire attempted to use skyships but the mountains limited were they could travel, and made them easy prey for ambushes and choke points.
The Dryads are traditionally an isolationist and insular race and for the most part have remained aloof from past affairs, at least on an international level. However it is not uncommon to see Dryad mercenaries and adventurers from Chamlek abroad in the other realms, and it is widely suspected that they report back to the High Council in Arbor. In recent decades however the Dryads have slowly become much more involved in international affairs, though no one is quite sure why. And the Dryads certainly are not talking.
Government
The Dryads of Chamlek are apparently ruled by a democratic fashion. Every ten years the Festival of the Trees of Life is held, where the Dryads return to their birth tree and give thanks/commune with them. At the same time they cast their votes for the members of the High Council, the rulers of the Dryad race. While officially any Dryad can run for election; they only have a chance if they have already proven themselves as great warriors, merchants, mages, artists, etc etc. The rules are fairly simple - if you are Dryad and are not a criminal then you may vote. Non Dryads are not permitted to vote, and indeed much of the Festival is a secret forbidden to non Dryads.
The city of Arbor and the two towns of the nation have a similar establishment. Every Festival of the Trees of Life the inhabitants cast their votes for the town/city councils, who are subservient to the High Council.
Race
The Dryads are an all female race of Half-Human/Half-Plant tree spirits. They are much stronger and tougher then humans and other races, and can live for centuries.
Dryads technically reproduce by a semi-parthenogenesis system, but it is not something that is discussed with outsiders. Every once in a while a Dryad will become pregnant and her tree will bud. After about twelve months the infant dryad is born and the seed is ceremonially planted in a religious rite. As the Dryad grows the seed, the child's tree - of which she is technically a spirit, will sprout and grow alongside the dryad. As such Dryads have long childhoods and take a great deal of time to grow to maturity. This process can happen to any mature dryad, but having sex (with a male or a female) greatly increases the chance of it occurring.
It is one of the highest honors a Dryad can grant to invite a person to attend the planting ceremony of their child's birth tree, which is considered to be extremely private. Crashing etc one of these is very rude and is widely considered grounds for a blood feud.