Kingdom of Hardalir
A small alfur nation inhabited predominantly by high alfur. It’s capitol, Fyrbor, is considered by most to be ‘the’ alfur capitol. It is notorious for being protective of its borders and not letting in outsiders into the nation proper. Fyrbor itself is the only city open to most outsiders, and even then, only some of it, while there are a few border towns guarding mountain passes that are similarly only partially open to outsiders.
The crest of Hardalir is a three-headed eagle with wings spread, as it was the use of giant eagles in war and the mountains/hills nearby that led to their dominance in the area. They not only train these giant eagles as mounts but often practice falconry in general. Their greatest weapons were and still are the rocs, however, which are birds of such immense size they are capable of swooping down and carrying away even some of the larger landships, let alone mere cavalry, in their talons, and usually dropping them from a great height shortly afterwards.
Despite this, if anything the alfurs of Hardalir are becoming more and more withdrawn from the rest of the world, although they maintain their trade – mostly in various enchanted items and other magical goods – and have a network of contacts and spies to keep an eye on things. They have even been suspected of carrying out assassinations, thefts and other acts in attempts to undermine potential threats and rivals across Triumve.
All most of the world sees of the Hardaliri are the Watchers, alfurs that roam the world not unlike errants, except that they do so to perform tasks set by the Great Council of Fyrbor. These tasks are typically hunting down criminals, escorting dignitaries or keeping a more overt eye on a particular area or even certain people. Many such Watchers have taken these positions to spend a decade or two away from the strictures of Hardalir itself. Some (most famously, Daegen) have spent much longer as Watchers, usually as a form of protest, penitence and/or punishment.
The nearby lands, known to most as the Alfur Freeholds, make up a large area of their former Empire. These areas are much more varied, albeit typically they have only a minority of alfurs with most of the population (and usually but not always the government) being varkin. While Hardalir doesn’t officially rule the Freeholds anymore, it has a great deal of influence across the region.
Structure
Hardalir is technically a monarchy but in practice their monarch not only has a term (two hundred years) and is voted in but shares power with two other branches of government: the council of representatives and ministry of legislators. Both groups have an elected figurehead of their own (the High Chancellor and Prime Minister respectfully) which, along with the monarch form the Great Council. All three also have subsidiary positions that they nominate themselves and which fulfil different aspects of government (Lords/Ladies, Chancellors and Ministers, respectively). Traditionally, the three branches fulfil different fields of government, with the monarch/Lords overseeing the rule of law/justice (including the army), the council/High Chancellor overseeing other domestic matters (such as the militias, buildings and urban roads), and the ministry/Prime Minister overseeing non-domestic matters, principally trade and commerce (including rural roads).
The monarch is the longest elected of the three (terms of two hundred years) and not a true democratically elected position with the monarch putting forward three candidates who are then voted upon by the nobility. In the case of a tie, the monarch has the deciding vote. In the case of a monarch who dies before nominating their ‘heirs’ it defaults to their three closest relatives (with priority given to their eldest children/grandchildren and then their siblings/their children) although it is very rare for this to happen as the monarch traditionally nominates their heirs early on in their term and simply changes it as/when needed. Most heirs are also Lords or at the very least serving members within either a branch of government or the military.
The Prime Minister is elected in terms of fifty years and the High Chancellor to terms of twenty-five years, with both positions a matter of public vote (although who is given the vote has varied greatly during its history). Generally speaking the three branches are seen as most representing the nobility (monarch), working class (council) and middle/merchant class (ministry).
Religion
Hardalir has no official state religion, although traditionally the monarch and many of those in power have principally worshipped one of the Incarnates (currently Luen, after the schism that caused Meena to retreat to Undermount).
Worship of Murrthir and the Primordials is rather common, especially Yld, while as a landlocked nation, worship of Shirama is unusual but not unheard of.
Of the Twins, Hardaliri are generally more likely to worship Vrida because of the mountainous valleys of their homeland are their association with flying and flight, although this often has themw worshipping Murrthir or Behema for their animal aspects.
Founding Date
Hardalir was founded soon after the World Flood.
Type
Geopolitical, Country
Capital
Demonym
Hardaliri
Government System
Monarchy, Elective
Currency
Talan (platinum, gold, silver and bronze coins, although promisory notes are common among merchants, nobles and other large transactions).
Legislative Body
Split between the House of Lords, Council of Representatives and Ministry of Legislators.
Judicial Body
The Monarch and House of Lords oversee law in general, but individual Justicars are assigned to act as judges at court.
Related Ethnicities
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