Exalted Republic of Helendriel and the Sehenian People

Even their name reeks of decadence. It is only a matter of time before our armies and those of our friends are ready to march on Helendriel.

— Lucca Capahha, Union Speaker of Vivernia

The Exalted Republic of Helendriel and the Sehenian People, or just Helendriel as it is commonly called, is the decaying successor state to the Imperium of Valhértis, a powerful country that dominated the eastern shores of Lethea centuries ago. This alcheni state has been riddled with corruption, incompetence, and political scandals while its forces suffer regular defeats and humiliation at the hands of foreign armies and local rebels. Much of its populace has given up on greatness and the pursuit of glory for more readily available rewards for themselves to indulge in while the rest grow radical in their methods in what many view as a vain attempt to restore their people’s lost legacy.

Government

We've grown tired of fighting for change when history has clearly revealed to us that all our efforts will be for nought and the reforms of yesteryear will be overturned in due course. The age of new revivals is long gone. We are beaten.

— Galiá'hin Ce Anarái, former member of the Sehenian Isolationist Party

Ever since the creation of the republic during the latter years of the Invasion, Helendriel and its people have been governed by a council of elected representatives known as the Gadésia, or the Parliament of Equals. The method of how the various members of parliament are elected to power has changed considerably throughout the nation’s history. Originally, only those who were willing to risk their lives in pursuit of an independent Helendriel free from aberati influence were given the right to vote.
The government is headed by a Pel’itáyan who is usually the elected representative who received the most amount of votes during a parliamentary election although they can also pass the position onto someone else if they consider themselves ill-suited to rule the entire nation.

Corruption and Chaos

Overtime that right was extended to more and more people, but slowly, as the centuries passed, the system had corrupted to benefit the prosperous. Those blessed with wealth used their financial might to bribe members of parliament and to run for elections themselves, tossing gifts at voters to ensure their victories during the election campaigns.
Eventually the people rose against the wealthy few who had seized control of their homeland, bringing about a new era of revolutions and counter-revolutions in Helendriel that severely weakened the country. As the Sehenian people grew more nihilistic in their beliefs, their resistance against the plutocrats weakened and the rich wrangled their way into power, twisting the system to benefit them once again.

Current System

The current parliament is a collection of 124 elected representatives who are freely allowed to take an unlimited amount of donations, whether public or anonymous, both during election campaigns and afterwards. The vast majority of the members of parliament are wealthy men and women who use their positions to further their personal ambitions.
Elections occur every five years and representatives are allowed to serve for three terms, although there are regular exceptions to that rule. All members of parliament are members of various political parties that represent differing views on how to run the realm.

Society

Voting is a great way to earn a good sum of money every once in a while. I ain’t even a citizen of this land. I just come here every five years so that these exalted ones can offload some of their burdensome wealth on me.

— Iakopo of Upineira, random opportunist

Helendrian society is plagued with excessive income inequality and a disregard for long-term visions of the future. The exalted and the citizens, the two main social classes that make up the bulk of the population, are both obsessed with short-term pleasure and view their own people in a negative light because of historical injustices that they inflicted upon others a long time ago. The only social class that is free from that guilt and strives towards more distant goals are the qeli'ui.

Exalted

The wealthy leaders and shrewd merchants of the republic all belong to a class of people known as the exalted. There are some who view the exalted as aspiration figures that one ought to strive to become themselves.
Many others, however, despise them with every fiber of their being. Because of the public sentiment against them, many of the exalted are forced to employ guards to safeguard their lives.

Citizens

A citizen of Helendriel is just a normal everyday person who seeks to get by with the low wage they make, using a good portion of that money on cheap entertainment to bring a sense of pleasure and joy into their lives.
Most of them loathe the exalted who rule over them and flaunt their wealth, but when the time to vote comes, few would dare refuse to give their vote for a small sum of coins.

Qeli'ui

The qeli'ui are non-alcheni residents in Helendriel who have arrived in these lands to either earn some money or to make a name for themselves. Most of them are humans and they're valued as skillful and motivated workers.
While the exalted view them as useful assets for enriching their coffers, a fair few of the regular citizens find them a threat to the Sehenian people and fear the republic will fall to human powers.

Military

We've suffered defeat after defeat at the hands of most our neighbours and now the government seeks to solve the problem by filling our ranks with foreign men? I pray these mercenaries are as hungry for silver as our most exalted leaders.

— Uindilá Liri, servicewoman in the Sehenian Legion

The army of Helendriel is a far cry from the days of old when Sehenian forces subjugated their neighbours with ruthless efficiency and fought valiantly against the aberati invaders that would eventually bring their decaying imperium to ruin. Nowadays, most of the citizens who serve as the regular footmen are too ill-motivated to fight for their own country and the exalted who lead their armies are inefficient leaders hated by their own servicemen.

Mercenaries

Recent disastrous military defeats at the hands of the Vivernians and various separatist and rebel forces have forced the exalted to consider an alternative approach to their military. Seeing as their citizens were worthless on the field of battle, they have instead opted to recruit fighters from abroad.
The current Pel’itáyan Vilendilál Yalúin hopes that with the use of these mercenaries Helendriel will eventually be able to annex lost territories currently claimed by nations such as the Rehenian Commonwealth, the Reheno-Vivernian League, the State of Dirth'ela, and the Second Imperium of Valhértis.
Members of the Assembly of the Exalted have criticised their coalition partner’s decision to go ahead with the plan, fearing that maintaining a large mercenary army would force the government to impose new taxes which might strain their finances.

Counterinsurgency Forces

A good bulk of the Helendrian standing army is scattered throughout the country with the aim of eliminating groups of extremists that seek to undermine the government or to sow the seeds of revolution in the hearts of the populace.
These units do an adequate job against smaller cells of dissidents, but their track-record when it comes to dealing with large-scale revolts has been abysmal.

Undisciplined Army

When the counterinsurgency forces fail or when a foreign entity declares war on the republic, the nation brings forth the Sehenian Legion. Where this undisciplined and unmotivated force lacks in quality, they attempt to make up for it in their vast numbers. Despite their best efforts, however, their numbers matter little when their men are quick to flee and their leaders know little of war. Despite its failures, the sizable army has made wars costly for enemies of the republic and there are few who are willing to pay that cost.

Sehenian Warband by Midjourney

Diplomatic Relations

The wicked deeds of our forefathers have made us hated by nearly all our neighbours. Many of them probably don’t even know why they hate us, but the ancient grudge persists and, as a result, we are isolated and without friends. Something has to change. We were able to withstand the world once, but those days are long gone. Either we improve our diplomatic standing amongst our neighbouring states or a day will come when they all decide to partition this country as a final act of vengeance.

— Maltáhin Galínir, member of the Imperial Restoration Front

Helendriel is a country surrounded by enemies who've been slowly over centuries chipping away at the dying realm. Over to their west, the Baglamist Republic of Cherendel has torn away Dirth'ela, the ancient capital of the old imperium, and turned it into a puppet state of their own. Over in the east the Republic of Vivernia grows in power after their successful war against Helendriel which resulted in the loss of Máranelis, an ancient province inhabited mostly by the Rehenians. Now these Vivernians and their new Reheno-Vivernian puppet state stand as allies along with the young Kingdom of Enliten which could perhaps also threaten the realm's eastern frontier.

Separatist States

Not all of Helendriel’s foes have come from abroad. The Rehenians, an alcheni minority that inhabits the eastern reaches of the republic, have risen up in recent decades to fight for additional autonomy or full on independence. The most successful revolt happened on the Uildilín peninsula, where the locals there proclaimed the creation of the Rehenian Commonwealth.
Despite the republic’s best efforts to crush the rebels, the commonwealth emerged victorious and quickly reached out to Vivernia in order to secure a defensive alliance.
In addition to ethnic separatists, the nation has suffered at the hands of ideological extremists. A few years ago, members of the Imperial Restoration Front staged an uprising in southeastern Helendriel with the intention of restoring the Imperium of Valhértis.
The Sehenian Legion is currently actively fighting against the rebel forces, hoping to put an end to this separatist state.

Founding Date

12 BA

Type

Geopolitical, Country

Capital

Helendriel

Predecessor Organization

• Imperium of Valhértis

Demonym

Helendrian

Leader Title

Pel’itáyan

Head of Government

Vilendilál Yalúin

Government System

Plutocracy

Power Structure

Unitary state

Economic System

Market economy

Legislative Body

Gadésia

Official State Religion

Pantheon of the Dawn

Official Languages

• Sehenish

Neighboring Nations

• Kingdom of Enliten
• Rehenian Commonwealth
• Reheno-Vivernian League
• Republic of Vivernia
• Second Imperium of Valhértis
• State of Dirth'ela
• Vaeirloite Confederation

Related Ethnicities

• Rehenian
• Sehenian

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Land area

72,323mi²

Population

6,219,778

Density

86/mi²

Military

Manpower

13,684

Reserve

6,370

Active Personnel

6,095

Noncombatants

1,219

Conscription

0.22% of Pop.

Active Units

47

Sehenian Legion

General	Manpower	Units
Oládris Ibalídrui	4434	29

Name	Type	Tier
Archers	LA	Trained
Archers	LA	Trained
Archers	LA	Recruit
Archers	LA	Recruit
Archers	LA	Recruit
Archers	LA	Recruit
Heavy Infantry	HI	Veteran
Heavy Infantry	HI	Veteran
Light Infantry	LI	Recruit
Light Infantry	LI	Recruit
Light Infantry	LI	Recruit
Light Infantry	LI	Recruit
Light Infantry	LI	Recruit
Light Infantry	LI	Recruit
Light Infantry	LI	Recruit
Light Infantry	LI	Recruit
Light Cavalry	LC	Trained
Light Cavalry	LC	Trained
Pikemen	PM	Recruit
Pikemen	PM	Recruit
Pikemen	PM	Recruit
Pikemen	PM	Recruit
Medics	ME	Trained
Medics	ME	Trained
Logistics	SP	Trained
Logistics	SP	Trained
Engineers	EG	Veteran
Battlemages	BM	Elite
Battlemages	BM	Elite

Counterinsurgency Force

General	Manpower	Units
Nidíri Halyatiá	2880	18

Name	Type	Tier
Archers	LA	Trained
Archers	LA	Trained
Archers	LA	Recruit
Archers	LA	Recruit
Light Infantry	LI	Recruit
Light Infantry	LI	Recruit
Light Infantry	LI	Recruit
Light Infantry	LI	Recruit
Light Infantry	LI	Recruit
Light Infantry	LI	Recruit
Light Cavalry	LC	Trained
Light Cavalry	LC	Recruit
Light Cavalry	LC	Recruit
Light Cavalry	LC	Trained
Medics	ME	Trained
Medics	ME	Trained
Logistics	SP	Trained
Logistics	SP	Trained

Parliament of Equals
Gadésia

Gádesia by Parliament Diagrams

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Political Groups

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Coalition (99)

• ■ LoC (67)
• ■ AftE (32)

Opposition (25)

• ■ SIP (13)
• ■ IRF (5)
• ■ DoH (4)
• ■ AA (3)

Political Factions

	Name
■	League of Cooperation
■	Assembly of the Exalted
■	Sehenian Isolationist Party
■	Imperial Restoration Front
■	Disintegrationists of Helendriel
■	Aprēan Alliance

Legacy of the Imperium

Most of the problems that the exalted republic faces stem from events that occurred over two thousand years ago in the Imperium of Valhértis. The ancient imperium itself was a breakaway state from the great Imperium of Qerthéllnaval that once ruled over all the alcheni after they had arrived in Lethea from across the sea.
While the Qerthéllnavali advocated for peaceful co-existence with mankind, Valhértis sought to assert its might over what its leaders saw as lesser peoples. The new imperium brutally oppressed its minorities and committed several great atrocities, the greatest, or at least the most well-known of these, was the Patic Purge.
The atrocities they committed throughout the centuries were never forgotten by their neighbours, and even if the exact reasons were, the grudge still remained. The Sehenians acquired a reputation for underhandedness and deceit that has lasted to this day.
Originally the Sehenian people were proud of their imperium and shameless in their accomplishments, but following the collapse of the imperium during the long struggle against the aberati in the 1st century BA, attitudes changed. Deeds that had once seemed great were now viewed in horror and a overwhelming feeling of guilt and shame gripped the populace. This view they had of themselves turned into self-loathing and the Sehenian people lost sight of the future.
Even though over two millennia have passed since most of the attrocities, there are still many in Helendriel who believe that their people and their state deserve the defeats and humiliations they have suffered.

Idyllic Lake by Midjourney

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Helendriel

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