Luna Balcan

"I often wonder how quickly our differences would subside, if we were faced with a threat, from beyond our world."

--Aelif, the first Stormlord, in 440 AB.

The Luna Balcan is the capital and center of the Highlands culturally as well as politically. It is built upon the Kingsgrave, a burial mound of these defiant people from long before they became the Stavs. Then the hero whose name became a banner and rallying cry made a last stand against the Feast of Hell, choosing to die with dignity and accept the end of his Story rather than run.
The Balcan has been protected by the spirit of these ancestors for the last millennia, reinforced with more and more walls and defenses over time to protect Stavik's people. It is a city built along the sides and base of an extremely large man-made hilltop, the top of which is Stormheart Peak, which forms the center of the entire Highlands, where they may coordinate the war against the beasts, magical and feral, in the land, to protect their people.

--Sailing and trade becomes difficult for the Highlands, as the Yggdran Canals freeze over with almsot a foot of ice through winter.

The Luna Balcan became the government and powerhouse of the Highlands in 440 AB when there was a bloodbath in the Dead Moors, fought between Stavs and the fiendish Jarat. These beasts with spikes of bone protuding from every inch of flesh, fought to live within the hallowed burial mounds of the ancestors... and to consume the flesh of the ancient dead. Making matters worse, the battles began when there were already rising tensions between small villages of the Highlands, threatening clanwars.
The Stavs learned a lesson from this Massacre of the Moors. They sent emissaries to convene at the Luna Balcan, the wisest and smartest and strongest among them. These Communes saw that despite their disagreements and differences, there was always a greater force in the dark corners of the world, waiting for the right moment to snuff out the light of mortality. They put their banners behind their first chosen leader, Aelif the Stormlord, and from then on acted as protectors from the beasts of the lands, ensuring that no town would be left defenseless, be it one of Stavs, Wood Orcs, Forest Elves, or Kobolds.

--Local Bannermen will enforce the Stormlord's will across the Highlands, but typically defer to their own Banneret.

May those above judge me, and those below take me, if I fail in this task.

--The Oath of the Banneret.

Alternative Name(s)

Referred to as 'The Luna Balcan'. Literally "The Last Stand by the Light of the Moon" in Durumi/Cospian. The Lunar Fortress in Erini.

Type

Capital

Location under

Stavik’s Highlands

Founded:
10 AB, after the fall of Erinion allowed the Durumi to extend beyond Øst Ødela Linvik.
Ruined:
357 AB, during the Feast of Hell.
Reclaimed
370 AB.
Population:
50,000 people.