Federation of Halge

The Federation of Hälge is the culmination of a months long conflict between the Trade Republic of Steinjärn and the Soleannen Realm of Hälge. The nation of Steinjärn, which was the successor state of the Hälgean vassal of Roachean Federation, believed that Dolphin Whiterose, the leader of Soleannen Hälge, had betrayed the spirit of Hälge. After a lengthy period of high tensions and Hälgean decline Steinjärn took up the nations mantle and traveled to Abex.

Steinjärn
Steinjärn or the Trade Republic of Steinjärn was founded after Smoggy Dof Roach was exiled from the Roachean Federation and began collaborating with the break away state of Gronborg. The Stein-Jarn emergency council was created out of this co-operation and that soon evolved into the Steinjärn Trade Republic, where he was Doge. Steinjärn would have a long and storied history which you can read more about it in ¨ Steinjärn Trade Republic ¨. What is to be noted about Steinjärn is that it stood in constant opposition to Dolphin's Hälge. Just across a small body of water from the City of Hälge was the thorn in their side that was Steinjärn. The republic would be such a problem for Hälge that they would eventually fund a coup in Steinjärn. This coup would be crushed before Hälge could act on its short lived success, but this event would still lead a boom of Anti-Hälge sentiment that would out last Steinjärn itself. Steinjärn would end up falling to what was soon to be the Imperial side of the Bardonian civil war. Steinjärn would live on in the form of a grand duchy in Valoore, the nation they were a vassal of.

Taking Back Hälge
The People of Steinjärn would begin to plot and plan in exile so they could once again have an independent land of their own. Many began to propose an invasion of Hälge. The merits of this plan were clear as they knew the area well, Hälge was large to the point of indefensibly, and their population had dwindled. These plots and plans would not and could not be acted upon as an opportunity arose for action unlike any other. That opportunity was a workers strike in Hälge's cactus industry. Steinjärn funded the cactus farmers with weapons and armor in order to turn their strike into a revolt. This plan worked and Dolphin was driven into his palace were it is said he attempted to use dark magic to quell the revolt. The gods were angered by his actions and struck him down. After this Hälge would be looted by many of the revolting workers and regional powers. In the after math of all this destruction Steinjärn would secure the city.

The Rebirth of Hälge
The leading members of the cactus revolt and Steinjärn would meet in Hälge in order to discuss Steinjärn gaining full control over the city. After many rounds of talks Steinjärn would be dissolved and re-forged into the Federation of Hälge. Many of the leading members of the cactus workers revolt would be folded into the government and the government itself would be restructured. Peace would be restored to the isle of Hälge and its people would no longer have to face tyranny, The symbols of old Hälge would be reinstated and the city's true flag would be hoisted on every street corner. The ember of the old Hälge, Roach and then Steinjärn had sheltered, would finally burn bright once more in their birth place.

One Nation Two Thrones
Smoggy Dof Roach was the Grand Duke of Steinjärn and before that he was the Doge of the Trade Republic so when the question of who should lead the federation came up Smoggy was the only since-able choice. Soon though something surprising happened because there was another candidate for leadership that presented itself. Valoore, the nation Steinjärn had been a grand duchy and before that a vassal of, had been in countless political unions for the last couple of years and their most recent one Yuvaria-Valoore had just collapsed. Smoggy seeing this as an opportunity to repay Valoore for their help afford to Micheal the king of Valoore a merger with Hälge. Micheal agreed and they were soon crowned as the duel monarchs of Hälge.

The Escape
The parades and festivals that fallowed the foundation of the Hälgean Federation were short lived due to the comet of Iristor coming to destroy the world. The new Hälgean government would begin to such for a way for Hälge to survive this apocalyptic event. Smoggy and the newly converted Micheal believed the answer lied in Hälgean belief. They studied the old texts and began to hone in on an answer. Legends told of a portal used by the first power of Hälge, the Emerald Cult. After weeks of frantically searching the isle of Hälge an ancient underground sanctum was discovered. It held many artifacts belonging to the cult and a large portal into another world. Hälge then began exploring this world and moving things over on mass.

New Home
The portal spit them out in a cave under a spruce forest. Once the people of Hälge surfaced the duel monarchs quickly organized them and began work. Soon enough the Hälgean people began to settle the forest and New Hälge City was created. Once things were settled in the city Micheal began a such for other nations in the region as he believed they couldn't have been the only ones in this new world. Smoggy set out to explore the land of this new place. Smoggy would explore the entire coast the their peninsula before setting inland and discovering the great tundra.

The Traveling Court
Smoggy with the help of Heimrean horse riders would explore the entire north of the continent. Smoggy having been tasked with leading the internal policy of the nation so in order to prevent himself from neglecting his role in the nation he quickly set up a moving royal court were people in New Hälge City could send messages to him via Heimrean horse riders. Micheal on the other hand had set out to sea to find settlements and as he did he would send word to Smoggy who would set up message routes to them in order to communicate. Smoggy's traveling court via this message system would become a hub for international diplomacy. Micheal would over time be satisfied with the nations he had discovered and travel to smoggy's court. He would then put the system Smoggy had put into place to great use and negotiate the borders of the region and alliances with most nations. Smoggy's system of message carriers would soon be turned into the South Eastern Diplomatic Center.

A Buried Past
While exploring the forests around New Hälge one of the citizens discovered large squared stones forming a large aitch. Their were runes on this stone that resembled proto-Hälgean so many began to believe that it was left by the Emerald Cult a way stone to navigate through the forest. With this theory widely prevailing many thought it was a literal aitch standing for Hälge which would have pushed the creation of the term Hälge back by several hundred years. This theory was disproved and replaced with a much more interesting truth however. When archaeologists began to excavate the site they found that the aitch was a support structure for a now ruined and buried castle. As excavation of the site and exploration of the country continue it is clear that the Emerald didn't just use the portal to Abex to harvest resources, but also as a settling ground that roughly encompasses the area of the modern day Federation of Hälge