Haffanland

Few ever go so far north as to reach Haffanland, but it is unlike any other place in Galledall. A kingdom of those who were once enslaved by the giants, this land is home to many humans, goliath's and firbolgs. A warrior culture reigns over the area, with honor and glory through fighting and death in battle sought after. The inhabitants have adapted to the frigid climate that is full of mountainous valleys with numerous rivers and lakes. The people are infamous for taking to the seas to raid other ships or attack foreign nations. The land is wild, and many would say its people are too, who follow old rituals and strange traditions. However, they are more than barbarians and sea raiders. They also pride themselves as excellent craftsmen, wise sages, and expert navigators. The magical art of rune carving has been passed down in this land by some individuals, who stole it from the giants.

History

Age of Mortals

The continent of Galledall was once known as Azuren, and ruled by ancient elves, whose empire stretched from the bottom of what is now Secaré to the cold and rocky land of Lansdrinnin. Even to the elves, Lansdrinnin seemed inhospitable and hostile. By the time the empire of the elves fell apart, it was one of the final holdouts, the land overseen by a caring and cautious lord of the elves, who sought to remain there with his people until they reestablished connection with the other elves of the east. While he may have eventually succeeded, it was never meant to be. Some time around 150 A.o.M., the giants made their landing in Lansdrinnin. They quickly destroyed the elven holdouts, erasing their thousand year legacy in days. For the next 1,400 years, Lansdrinnin would be the headquarters of the Grand Ordning in Galledall, the empire of giants that at its height conquered around 70% of the material plane, and around two thirds of Galledall. But while the land would be shaped by the giant's empire, it was the creatures they brought with them that would alter the fate of Galledall forever: humans, dwarves, halfings, ogres, firbolgs and goliaths were brought as slaves from other parts of the world to help them conquer the lands. By the tens of thousands they were brought and used as forced labor and fighters, acting as fodder for the giant's worst enemies, dragons. Though the giant's empire was doomed to fall, they would continue ruling the region of Lansdrinnin until just after the First Cataclysm. While many races left, those who formed a bond with the giants remained behind, those being goliaths, firbolgs, ogres, and humans. Though most giants had wandered off to other parts of the material plane or across the continent, many ice, stone, and hill giants remained in Lansdrinnin.

Post-Cataclysm

After the First Cataclysm, many of the giants either died or began to fight among themselves, splitting Lansdrinnin into small kingdoms and realms of warlords. The giants would use the other mortal races as slaves to fight their enemies once more. Goliaths, ogres and humans fought to kill each other, having been commanded by their giant overlords. Only the firbolgs, wise and not wishing to spill the blood of their own kind, refused, and retreated into the thick forests and mountains of the land. Though the giants continued to rule, each of their kingdoms would eventually fall. The age of the giants was over.

Without their giant rulers, the humanoid creatures began to fight among themselves, waging wars based on race. For a time, the ogres were the dominant race in Lansdrinnin, and had destroyed most of the humans and goliaths, but were unable to catch the firbolgs, though they began to cut down the forests to search for them. Nearly slain to a man, the three races made a truce between each other, and fought to slay all the ogres. Though it took many centuries, nearly all ogres were destroyed, the last few remain in the hills to this day, or have fled east to the Uncharted Territories. The truce made by the three races allowed for civilization to arise once more in the area, though few from further south would call it civilization. The rulers of the kingdoms were little more then despots who killed any prospecting rivals or challengers to their rule. Though disunited, the land had finally been civilized in its own brutal way.

The Second Cataclysm came and went, with few records remaining of what transpired during this time. Some legends say that some of the giants returned and tried to reestablish their kingdom, but they were no longer venerated by those that were once their slaves. The people of Lansdrinnin now saw the giants as their new worthy foes, and set out to slay them. Around 1950 A.o.R., the realm of Konungurald was founded, and was the first great kingdom of Lansdrinnin. It united its people, and turned their attention to the rest of the continent. The sailors of Lansdrinnin had been raiding the shores of western Vadovass ever since the First Cataclysm, but this was the first of several coordinated invasions between thousands of warriors. This started the legendary tales of the sea raiders of Lansdrinnin, which went as far south as the United Clans of Midiiz. As the centuries went by, the sea raiders of Konungurald would continually raid the shores until the rise of a new kingdom, late into the Post-Cataclysm era known as Haffanland.

Age of Restoration

While the armies of Konungurald were attacking Shiminore, plundering its coastal villages and raiding deep into its land, the armies of Haffanland attacked from the north. Though the two kingdoms had formed a pact of non-aggression, the Haffanlanders had grown tired of their neighbors who had been hogging the plunder and been parading themselves as stronger, more honorable, and more cultured than them. Konungurald had also disrespected the druids by attacking the mainland against the warnings of the omens, a great taboo and sign of arrogance, though those of Konungurald called themselves brave. As Konungurald reeled from the attack behind them, their forces that were invading Zaviorth's Domain were destroyed by his armies. With many of their soldiers dead, Haffanland finished off the warriors of Konungurald, and has been the first to call Lansdrinnin in its entirety theirs. The rule of Haffanland was legitimized with the blessings of the druids, and since then, the area has been unusually quiet and passive.

Social

Lansdrinnin is so far away and the nation of Haffanland so new that little is known for sure of its social structure. What is known is that the land is comprised of mostly disconnected villages, towns and cities that all fend for themselves, dealing with the threats of monsters and invaders on their own unless an official war is ongoing. Because of this, as well as the fact that the land is home to many of the descendants of giants, there is a dominant viewpoint of, 'might makes right.' Justice and social discourse is often decided through fights and challenges between two parties, and charges of punishment tested through trials by ordeal. The strongest is the one who rules, the one who is innocent, and the one who is right.

Many of the towns and villages that make up Haffanland are governed by local leaders who are either considered the strongest among them, or are allowed to rule in place of the strongest among the settlement. However, wit, skill, and social tact are also valued in terms of the ruling class, and outsmarting a stronger person repeatedly to make them appear a fool is one way one can gain support for ruling instead. While this often results in the trickster getting an axe buried in their skull, the cleverest among them manages to evade these attempts on their lives, and are considered just as powerful and dangerous as the strongest warriors, being blessed by the gods in a special way.

The hostility of the area of Lansdrinnin encourages a warrior culture, and each young child who wishes to one day become a great warrior among the ranks of the jarl must prove their might while they are young, or be doomed to a life as a farmer or fisherman. Though many find no shame in not becoming a warrior, others seek to find their glory on the battlefield. To join the military and be respected, one must first kill creatures of ascending difficulty by a certain age by themselves. By 12, a child must have killed a buck. By 14, a moose. By 16, a wolf, and finally, a bear by 18. Those who wish to serve as a premier soldiers for the jarl's personal army must go an additional step - slay an ogre by the age of 20. While this kills many who wish to attain glory in the Haffanlander's society, it also culls the herd of extra mouths to feed, unskilled or rash soldiers, and means that soldiers are both capable and able to provide for themselves.

Political

Due to the culture of the strongest ruling, regional rule often exchanges hands on a yearly basis. This is all in the understanding that no matter who rules, the jarl is in charge of all affairs, and their word is law. While politicians in other nations are often dressed in nobleman's clothes and given the position through birth, the leader of a village may also double as the smith or the fisherman. The leader of a town may be a member of the military or a prominent warlord, while the leader of a city is typically among the jarl's own soldiers, often a well respected and older warrior who has many kills under their belt and has gone on several raids and campaigns. Finally, the jarl themself is often passed from one soldier to another as they age and grow old. Each jarl has in their possession a special item known as the runecrown, which serves as a symbol of their authority over the rest of Lansdrinnin. While any soldiers under the jarl's command may challenge him to a fight to the death for the crown, the jarl is often a veteran warrior and is not easy to defeat. Even if they are getting older and are not as strong as they once were, they are often unchallenged out of respect. Still, if a jarl acts arrogantly or dishonors his soldiers, or simply is taking his time in passing on the crown to a successor, the challenges begin to mount.

While the real leaders are absent on raids, wars or are otherwise unable to lead the settlement they are in charge of, there is always designated a secondary leader that acts on their behalf. These administrators resemble nobleman as the rest of the world knows them, and are more diplomatic in their approach to governing compared to the despotic rulers. As well, each settlement has a druid or shaman who reports back to the druidry, overseeing births, burials, marriages, and disputes among the commoners.

Economic

Haffanland has little contact with the rest of Galledall, and the little they do maintain is often on poor terms. Though they produce everything they would need to have their nation survive just fine, they are notorious for plundering from their neighbors and attacking trade ships to steal food, gold, clothing and anything else they can get their hands on. While some make trade deals with them, few get a return on their goods after their ships are plundered by a raiding party that had no idea they just attacked a friendly ship. Few would care anyway. However, there are a few goods and services that are higher quality in Haffanland that is worth the risk to some people. After the Dwarves, the Haffanlanders have the best smiths in Galledall, their ancestors trained by the fire giants themselves. The region exports many furs that are highly sought after, and also has many herbal ingredients that only grow in the harsh tundras and seas. The druids are experts in these herbs and have the knowledge to turn them into potions, them being the best alchemists on the continent. Finally, the people of Lansdrinnin are the only ones who know the secrets of the giant's rune carving, a special type of enchantment that makes their weapons stronger. Those who seek to get their services have to travel up to Haffanland and seek audience with a rune carver.

Religious

The people of Haffanland used to worship the giants, but are now partial to the Galledallian pantheon. However, unlike the other nations who worship the Galledallian gods, they worship a different group that is often not typical for many of the other nations. While the Hadaran Empire is very reverent of the Children of Ravidia, Haffanland worship the Children of Thala, a sister of Ravidia. The priesthood of these gods are the druids, most of them firbolgs. Though one may think the barbarians of Haffanland are godless heathens, many are actually very religious and work closely with the druids to determine when a good time to raid, make war, hunt, and marry are. Ignoring the omens of the druids is sacrelige, and often results in the offender being killed. Sometimes, the druids will take children to make them one of their own, or advise parents that a child should take up a particular path in life. These decisions are typically respected and not questioned.

Military

The military of Haffanland is fierce and intimidating. Few have gone up against the forces of the Haffanlanders and have not come back at least emotionally shaken, if not mortally wounded. Forgoing most strategy and internal military organization, most attacks by the Haffanlanders rely on surprise and a quick, brutal skirmish before they retreat back into the waters of the sea. During times of, 'peace', the Haffanlanders raid their neighbors by land and sea in small raiding parties that range in size from 20 to as large as 250. Though other nations see this as an act of war, the Haffanlanders themselves don't see it as an offense, and will greet travellers from these very nations who are visiting Haffanland as if there were nothing wrong between them. To the Haffanlanders, it is a way of life. Though they are not officially at war with anyone right now, the The Anginn, Shiminore, and the New Elven Union have to constantly watch their coastal areas for signs of their raids. These raids by themselves are enough to destabilize the economy of the afformentioned nations, and many can only imagine what a full scale war would result in.

Foreign Relations

Due to constant raids, few have a high opinion of Haffanland. To many they are a nation of barbarians who only desire to fight and plunder. Indeed, Haffanland makes little attempt to make friends, and missions of diplomacy sent by other nations are typically met with little progress. Those who truly wish to find peace with Haffanland must get the attention the druidry, who is hard to reach as an outsider, or the jarl, who typically has little times for words and promises of peace.

Magic

Even before the cataclysms, magic was seldom used by the people of Haffanland in its pure form. However, the art of rune carving is an ancient and unique secret that some in the region know well and utilized both for war and domestic affairs. According to legend, a human snuck upon the stone giants who were carving runes into the earth and observed them. After doing this for years, carefully observing how they did it and the rituals they enacted to enchant the runes with power, the human was able to do it themselves, and used this power later to enchant the weapons of those that would later fight the giants. Since then, the rune carvers have been a valued part of the society of nations of Lansdrinnin. Each jarl will be given a special weapon enchanted with several runes, while each of the jarl's commanders will also have a weapon enchanted in such a way. Though sought after by many for their powerful magical effects, it is a secret process that takes a great deal of time, at no small expense.

Type

Geopolitical, Kingdom