Kingdom of Halholm

"Ah, the Winter Kingdom... Not a whole lot goin' on down there for work, really. That is if you're looking for something honest..." -Barlund Rat-Eye

As one of the youngest kingdoms in Zantin, established in 1211, Halholm has quickly secured itself as one of the most dependable. Despite being independent from any alliance or pact, it has managed to hold its borders for the past 100 years. It's land extends from the edge of the Azrok Mountains to the far south cape of Halholm. The nation is host to the famous White Hand, a guild of thieves, gamblers, and cheats, which has slowly bribed or blackmailed itself into the upper echelons of Halholm society.

History

Following the mania that was the Three Blades War, Halholm was granted lands and nation status, but under the condition they assist the Dwarven Kingdom of Morathin and the Kingdom of Gilaan with the overwhelming demon threat rising from Tempest Valley. Halholm's key part was the preparation for the assault into the valley and defense of Dwarven builders, who would begin construction of the South Gilaan Wall as soon as the head of the valley was secure.
King Henry I's army was low-manned and low for morale but he did not want to force another conscription. As an alternative, he devised a recruiting strategy; any man that gave him two months of good fighting could have one-half acre of land north of the city (although this was seen as quite devious post-war since he never specified that it would be hundreds of miles north). He then tasked his veteran soldiers to begin training near 40000 new recruits.
Following the Abyss War's end and the final settlement on boundaries for the kingdom, King Henry followed through with his promise, giving every soldier who fought for two months, and to the families of those who died in battle, one-half acre of land, which would soon after become the city of Bjornfall. 
Not ten years after the end of the Abyss War, in 1221, tensions between Morathin and Halholm snapped and, again, the two nations went to war. The dwarves held a significant technological advantage, but the Halholm army's experience during their battles in Tempest Valley was the deciding factor of the war. It took only 8 months for King Henry's war-machine to drive the Dwarves back to their home and off of mainland Myrthul. A peace treaty was negotiated by King Gilaan, and the last national conflict ended, in 1222.

"Ol' Henry ne'er did let go of his blasted goal to take South Myrthul. It wasn't worth so many lives..." -King Amgrar of Morathin

King Henry died in 1225, passing the throne to his eldest son, Henry II, who quickly became aware of some opportunities his father had not taken advantage of. King "Hal" had heard rumor that jewels were appearing out near Balrock, his birthplace, and quickly sent an expedition to find the source. The party of eleven suffered four deaths from wildlife attacks before returning with a location. Hal rallied a small battle force and sent them to clear out whatever creatures may make the area unsafe. The creatures were wyverns, wolves, bears, and others, and the small army suffered many casualties. The area soon became named "Greedfall" due to the popular belief that King Hal did not care about the soldiers' deaths and was driven by greed.
After establishing his mines in the Azroks, Hal looked to establishing a trade partnership with the independent island state of Tern. Having seen Tern and its massive market in person, he desperately want to be a part of it. After three months of negotiating, it seemed as though talks had stalled. But Hal had one more card up his sleeve, and he offered exclusivity to the sapphire market that Halholm had been stockpiling. This was enough to sway Tern into signing a free-trade agreement, letting Halholm import its goods tariff free, so long as the only place they would trade sapphires from was on Tern.
In recent times, Halholm has been subject to strange events, such as a short lived turning in the Hallow Woods, raising any that died within the northern region as zombies. Local rumor says a small group of adventurers had resolved a curse placed over the area, although there still remains a small threat of living-dead.

Geography

The eastern shores of the Kingdom of Halholm are lined with the Azrok Mountains and its western shores are comprised of large plateau cliff faces. The land in between is a thick woodland, the northern portion of which has received the nickname of the The Hallow Woods due to its large number of dead trees.
Being in a polar climate, Halholm is used to mild summers and frigid winters. Oftentimes, during the later months, severe ice storms will occur throughout the kingdom, which can disrupt trade and threaten livestock. Most rainfall in the region is along the western coast, although the inland will receive a moderate amount, especially around fall.

Natural Resources

Halholm's major source of trade-goods is the Azrok Mountains, which house some of the busiest jewel mines in the world. The famous Greedfall Mine produces around two-fifths of sapphires in Zantin, giving Halholm a significant control over the market despite being a relatively small kingdom.
Because of the cold climate, farming crops is limited to a few months a year. Some notable harvests are potato, cauliflower, asparagus, and radish. Halholm does have a significant number of livestock farms, particularly Halian Cattle.

Political

Geographical

Alternative Name(s)

The Winter Kingdom

Type

National Territory

Population

~300000

Inhabitant Demonym

Halians

Location under

Southern Myrthul

Included Locations

• Bjornfall
• Halholm

Owner/Ruler

King Henry II