Hallandren

"Hallandren", or officially The Hallowed city of Hallandren, is a unitary state and theocratic monarchy in Tremons, Kanahulu, led by King Gerry Taurath of the ascendent House Taurath. Composed of 8 districts and 25 major cities as of current, Hallandren´s holdings straddle all 9 seas, although the it´s ability to administer said holdings outside of Inner Hallandren itself is often limited. Hallandren´s population is heavily clustered around it´s cities, mainly along the northern stretches of the island of Stechpalme, and stratified along cultural, ethnic, and class lines. Hallandren is not a nation-state, a rarity amongst most of the central continent. It´s people often hold stronger loyalty to their local house or city then they do the concept of a Hallandrune nationality. Hallandren´s most populous city is Vythia, the de-facto cultural and political capital as of the reign of Queen Kaiza Taurath, and continued under the reign of King Gerry Taurath; It is followed close by Hallangrad, Hallandren´s administrative capital and, by Gaspardist tradition, the first city of the 5th age of the Engerdalic peoples. It was there, over the Pool of Everlife in the Hallangrad´s depths that the Caydefather´s body was burned. Hallandren, when transliterated from standardized Hallic, means "Land of Hallan". Hallandren´s current mandated faith is the veneration of the Lavvythia, to whom the seas around Stechpalme belong in full. A founding member of the now-defunct Northern Alliance, it´s successor the Migeru-Shiyamato military pact, and the founder of the BFF (Best Friends Forever) Alliance, Hallandren´s diplomatic prowess is well-known, as is it´s reluctance to direct millitary action. Being deeply resource-poor, with a largerly inarable homeland, Hallandren´s economy relies heavily on trade, foreign commerce, and manufacturing to sustain itself. Much of the average Hallandrune´s diet is centered on imported foodstuffs and fish product, a financial detriment for obligate herbivores such as the Bovinians/Minotaurs.

Introduction

Often regarded as rather antiquated in it´s traditions and institutions by contemporaries, Hallandren is perhaps best described as a nation dragged kicking and screaming into the modern age, and not without due reason. Within the nation there exists an intense disdain for change, and reluctance to innovate beyond what is necessary. Although this temperament is in-part the fault of it´s administrative caste, for whom mortal coworkers is a rather new development, they alone cannot be blamed. This attitude is endemic to the people of hallandren. What else could you expect from a nation who, for most of it´s history, has been run by vampires? For most, becoming a vampire was the only way to better your lot in life, and with that in mind they were willing to tolerate the deepest depravities if it meant getting them a chance at immortality. It has only been fairly recently, with upsets such as the Vharrhiereyh (time of ) and decline of House Hallan, that upward mobility has become possible for your average citizen. This is reflective in the condition of Hallandren as a whole, for even as conditions change for the better, it still remains home to some of the most desperate poverty the world over, often in the very same view as the most opulent wealth. Even as wonders from distant shores begin to fill the stalls of street-vendors, shiny and new, those very same streets still remain delapated and choked. Even as motorized ships with plumes of black smoke begin to grace the harbors of Inner Hallandren, native sailors are still forced to make due with ships of sail and wood. Change does not come easy to Hallandren, for stability is favored beyond all else. Yet despite all this, the kingdom has stood the test of time. Regardless of however antiquated Hallandren´s ports may be, they are a flurry of near constant activity and trade. Regardless of however adherent the Church is to religious doctrine, their cathedral in Hallangrad is home to one of the largest collections of literature Kanahulu has the offer. Its industrial base, both in terms of manufacturing and raw manpower, is robust, especially so within Hallangrad itself. There is much to hope for yet. Hallandren may be slow to change, but change still does come all the same. "'Hallandren is a nation of contradictions; Of innovation and antiquated technologies; Of towering spires and crumbling archways; Of enlightened philosophy and endless depravity; And of disperate peoples and a doctrine of uniformity. Some say we are a land out of time, and perhaps we are. But if so, then we are surely the most successful of them all. For while their petty polities collapse within a century, we stand firm and turn the tides of fate. Some say we shall fall, and indeed we will. But not by their hands, nor the hands of any other put our own. Who can respect the words of man who´s country is only as old as my father, and who´s land shall die within my lifetime? Certainly not me. Since the dawn of the 5th age Hallandren has stood, and with any luck. it shall stand for many an more ages to come. Hail Hallandren'"

History
History as a tradition distinct from religion is a relatively novel concept to Inner Hallandren. While not unheard of in the Lavvylands and Client states for people to record past events on paper, stone, or other such means of preservation, this has not been the case in Hallandren proper for some time. It is only very recently, under the ages of the ascendent House Valrath, that the state has taken any sort of interest in transcribing the various oral traditions and accounts of Hallandren into comprehensive, written narratives, not too dissimilar from those of foreign states. A vast imitative is underway to catalog and organize these account so as to fall in concordance with the modern age. Although began in-part during the latter days of the Caydefather´s reign, much of the work that exists now is of credit to the decrees of Queen Kaiza Taurath, which are continued in spirit under the decrees of King Gerry Taurath. Done so as part of her overall initative to detangle House Hallan´s influence on both church and state (and to seperate church and state from each other), the decrees of Queen Kaiza prompted the creation of both an independent historical society and state-sanctioned catalog for recorded works, housed in the former Cathedral to Gaspard. While quite a boon to the literature of Hallandren, much of what has been documented remains mired in speculation and scrutiny. Hallandren´s past, in addition to much of it´s present, is still being decided. As a general rule, much of anything prior to the destruction of house Miruvor (the and establishment of the "modern" minor houses) is interpretation at best.

Early history
The early history of Hallandren is often the subject of much debate and controversial due to the non-secular nature of Hallandren as a whole. Without substantial written accounts, often it is religious interpretation that takes root instead. There are two sides to this debate: The Lavvythian Accounts, built out of a consensus amongst Lavvythian scholars regarding the most archaic forms of their myths, made in conjunction with excavated Lavvythian scripts and records wherever they exist (Note that the Church of Lavvythia is the main religion in Hallandren as of Queen Kaiza Taurath); And the Gaspardian accounts, which supplement the mostly oral traditions of the Gaspardist Priests with cross-examined scholarly analysis. Of note amongst them is Erik Hallan, latest of the Hallan line and first recognized "Historian" of Hallandren, his work: 'Age of Gods' is extremely controversial for it´s complete discard for any notation of The Lavvythia.

Early History by Lavvythian Accounts
The island of Stechpalme has not always been the mycelium barren wasteland it was. In fact, it was a lush jungle with plenty of greenery and vegetation. The north side of the island was inhabited by the Tribes of Engerdal. And the south the mole civilization of Maulvard. The two tribes were peaceful to each other but the people of Engerdal had started to throw empty carcasses and bones of animals into the ocean. The story goes that the Lavvythia became enraged that her oceans were being bloodied and polluted. So as an act of vengeance, she sent a hurricane to the coast of the island. Rumours spread, and the people began to worship Lavvy -mostly out of fear- and the early stages of the Church of Lavvythia begun. Later shrines and monuments had been constructed for her. But the King at the time Bryht Pek became envious of Lavvy's influence on the people and thought that he deserved the glory and that the people should worship him. He began to plan a ceremony to show the people of Engerdal who was their true saviour. He gathered up the population and grabbed a young cow and spoke to the crowd. He stuck a wooden pike into its chest and threw the bloody carcass into the ocean and publicly denounced Lavvy. The crowd was confused but started to clap from seeing such a bloody spectacle. Lavvy became enraged of this and overnight the green grass of Palme became purple with vengeance. The crops began to falter and the water around the island had a menacing purple hue. The once lush hills became barren and filled with carcasses of dead vegetation.

Cannibalism and divine intervention
Lavvy had poisoned the waters of Palme and chaos spread across the land mass. As food and water depleted and people began to riot. The whole community was in shambles and people began to look for Blood as an alternative to water. People out of pure desperation began killing their fellow humans and drinking their blood.

There was no humanity left only war and wasteland and the animal instinct of survival and Lavvy loved seeing the bloody spectacle. But decided to take pity on the people seeing as they still worshiped her with such passion and dedication even after causing such destruction. Lavvy sent a cloud of rain, and with that cloud hope. The cloud flew over modern day Hallangrad and the water filled the andesite ravine until a lake was formed. The ravine was lush with life and freshwater and the now council of elders took control for the time being and declared the Ravine of Everlife to be protected and conserved.

Founding of Hallandren
But even with that the damage was done, Engerdal still was bloodthirsty. There was a clear division of the people on the island, the ones who drink blood and the ones who do not. The population of the people who did not drink blood was dropping due to them being hunted and being forced into hiding. Remembering their past struggles with famine, the blood drinkers united in an attempt to find another food source. They reopened the port of Vythia and used their old ships to explore the surrounding islands, claiming smaller territories as their own and using their people to farm blood which would then be imported into the mainland. There was no longer chaos and the nation was renamed to Hallandren meaning 'born from hope' in hallic. And the blood drinkers of Hallandren prospered, who were then officially named vampires. And the stage was set for the next age of Hallandren.

Dawn of the 5th age
The island of Stechpalme has not always been the barren mycelium wastes it is, for a time, it had been much worse. It is said to have begun like this: of black ships, wrathful gods, and a flooded world. The first Hallandrunes in the Gaspardist traditions are said to have been those descended from the Holy city of Engerdal, a semi-mythical place rumorred to be/have been the last dwelling of Gaspard. Under this account, these people disappeared from the world for some time following a deluge cataclysm before re-emerging to settle the land sometime after. There are two popular tellings of this: In one tradition, it is sometimes said that the Engerdalians had wandered for a time, lost in the lands past the veil before eventually finding their way back home. In another tradition: Those Engerdalians who settled the land are said to have been those cast down from the Everlife, having stode-away amongst it´s golden shores to wait out the worst of the world´s end and birth. In either telling, by the end of their sojurn the world they returned to was one made new. Scarred by rainfall and wind, the new world was one one of mud and murky seas, On 12 ships of black sails these engerdalians would venture forth, each ship populated by 30 men, and to each a 2 bats to send message every dawn and dusk. And with that they wandered, suffering great tragedy and loss in the process. Disease was quick to come by, for the seas they sailed were thick with rot from the death of fish who had once swam within it, the rains having dilluted the waters so terribly as to making breathing it impossible for them. What remained of life in the depths was often holy in nature, held as sacred by one of the many feral gods who lingered after the death of their followers. Although in time these creatures would repopulate the seas, becoming the various redsproits and sea beast that make up the basis of any good Hallandrune´s dinner, for now they were few in number, and to eat one was a gamble. These gods, twisted by isolation and desperate for worship, were quick to wrath, so any attention was dangerous. Despite their efforts, the gods caught the ships´ scent on the wind. and hounded them ships relentlessly. To each the gods would curse, make bargain with, sanctify, anything and everything to feed. It wasn't just the profane these gods would smite. Some of these curses were being in nature, others less so. It was not uncommon for ships to disappear during the night, only to return populated by zealot monstrosities hellbent on slaughter in the name of their new lord. A new man disappeared every day. No more bats came. Of the 12 ships who had first set sail, only 1 remained.

Discovery of Stechpalme
The people of the final ship had been short on food for nearly a week when they first discovered the island. Although not particularly bountiful, it was more than what they had thought possible. And so, in desperation, they prepared to land. But with every attempt, the tides themselves forced the sailors back. Here they were, at the precipice of salvation, only for the very seas themselves to rise in revolt against them. It was a mockery. The shores were too rocky, the waves too violent, they had no hope of landing. And so, crestfallen, the boat searched elsewhere.That´s when the storm hit. At first, they attempted to weather-it out, but the with every passing day the tempest only grew more violent, more jagged. The wind took on a sharp quality, the air itself seemed ladden with needles. The waves turned into spirals into whirlpools as the storm´s basked in it´s. No matter how hard they pushed, no matter how far they moved, it was of little consequence. Every day, they came face to face with that accursed island, the storm threatening to smash the boat against it´s rocky shores. And with every passing day, another man fell ill, another man crippled, another faint and weary. And on and on it went. By the very end of it, only the captain remained coherent. A one-man crew to face against the storm. The Captain had enough."And lo´. Naavikas raged. And unto his"And he broke. Filled with grief at the loss of his men, of his people and his home, the captain made a truly mindless decision. With only the kind of bravery Gaspard could inspire, and the spite, The captain choose to steer the boat directly towards the island´s rocky shores. He would run no longer. At first, the island fought back, turning the ship away at every pass. The captain circled Stechpalme 9 times without luck, and with every failed attempt a voice on the wind mocked him. Maybe 25, maybe 95, the captain did not care to know. With steely resolve, he and his boat charged forth one last time. And on the 10th and final pass, the storm calmed, and the waves grew still. The boat came crashing down onto the rocky shores, and wrecked itself upon it. It was there the captain discovered the lord of the island.

To make a bargain
"At first, the captain did not recognize the lord as such, as she brazenly stepped forth through the hole in the ship´s hull."

Founding Consensus
While both interpretations hold some merit, so too do they hold some faults. For one, Gaspardist tradition provides little explanation to the existence of Maulvard, or indeed the mole-cultures of the island at all. Meanwhile, Lavvythian traditions seem to imply that vampires can, rather than the delicate process used to turn someone. be merely willed into existence viva Cannibalism and desperation. Beyond that, both make claim to the appearance and shape of the lavvythia, something that is of substantial variation depending on which tradition you most closely subscribe too. In the past Neither intreptation can be held as a wholly accurate depicition of the formation of Hallandren, but at the same time this is not the intent of either myth. The Gaspardist Founding is one principly used as part of the relvery of the Feveruthyr, and is meant to acted out on a stage. The Lavvythian founding. on the other hand, is spoken aloud by the attendents of the Temple of Lavvythia in the ravine of Everlife, as they make their cleansing procession around it. Both have markedly different purposes, and for neither is that purpose the retelling of past events as one might find with legends regarding the Vaeleyh or Vharrhiereyh. But, when taking both into consideration, the following consensus can be reached:


 * At some point in the past, Stechpalme was not the principly mycelium biome it is today
 * The Lavvythia, or some force relating, is the one most often accredited with the poisioning of Stechpalme
 * The Lavvythia is charactized as being of both cruelty and kindness, whom is venerated in part out of both fear and respect.
 * Vampirism as a practice and trait has not always been common among a portion Hallandren´s population
 * Vampirism as a practice and trait is one that has not always been viewed as a positive
 * The name "Engerdal" is one associated with the supposed founding stock of Hallandren

Too what extent these similarities are indictive of some past events or traditions to which the modern ones are based off of, or if they´re merely the result of these two seperate traditions having mingled together within the same society, is unknown.

The Caydefather
"The Caydefather ruled Hallandren for a long time, so long that no one quite remembers life without him. He arrived to the island well after Lavvythia had unleashed her rage onto it. The people were gray and hopeless, but The Caydefather saw beauty in the land and therefore restored faith into every single soul. Using his mysterious purple liquid, he was able to heal the sick and gain a rapid following that soon worshipped him as a God. Cities were built, and for the first time in a long time, Stechpalme had taken to the seas with their new ships. Since then, Hallandren had been a peaceful paradise of freedom and prosperity."

The tale of the Caydefather is a simple tale that is told quite often in Hallandren (along with the more popular version the Epic of The Caydefather). Truthfully, the Caydefather arrived at modern day Vythia while the people were beaming with life they had stolen. It did not take long for the Caydefather to learn the truth about the people in Hallandren, and he was not willing to let it continue. His first step was to gain their trust by adopting the same craving for blood the locals had. For a year, he had to partake in the cruel practices of the Hallandren vampires. It was necessary, since he learned every little thing about them including their weaknesses.

Luckily, the Caydefather was not the only one who wanted to bring freedom to the victims of Hallandren. Vampire hunter groups were coming forward by slowly chipping away at the vampire population. At first, it was only one disappearance every couple of months. This grew into entire transportation ships being burned at night, entire families going missing, and barrels of blood being stolen. At this point, The Caydefather had been accepted into the council of Elders which ruled Hallandren and was showing leadership skills. Using his status, The Caydefather felt ready to effectively join the fight against the vampires, the only problem was he had to do it secretly.

Living a double life was not easy for The Caydefather, but he was good at it. There were no direct records of the attacks he participated in, but his journal suggests he was responsible for the deaths of 457 vampires. Throughout these attacks, The Caydefather eventually became the official king of the Hallowed City of Hallandren. During the beginning of his rule, the vampires were scared into hiding. Their windows were boarded up with iron bars, no one left their houses at night, and some even were forced to convert to drinking sheep blood since all the ships had been burned down and all the sailors were killed. There was no more production of human blood for the vampires to eat. But as always, The Caydefather saw the best in his people. For once in his life, he was able to help.

The Caydefather discovered that the mushrooms on the island secreted a beautiful and bright purple liquid. From his first taste, he knew exactly what Hallandren needed. He farmed the purple liquid and gave it out to his people. It healed the sick, restored faith into the hopeless, and his journal suggests with a certain ritual one could even rise the dead.

At last, the island was finally at peace. Ships were rebuilt, more people immigrated to the island, and The Caydefather started a quite large family of his own like he once had he adopted a pair of cows K'aiza Taurath & DiiZ Taurath as more of a politcal statement to help stop the racism against bovines in a traditionally human society. He then shortly after adopt Brooke Bonburg after finding her stranded after coming from foreign lands much like the Caydefather once did. They lived a happy family with the Caydefather managing to not neglect them too much. He later on adopted Thyra Hallan from Maulvard to cement the bond between Hallandren and Maulvard.

foreign raids, defense of hallanmart
As Hallandren's economy began to grow so did the raids. Raids from foreign neighbours posed a big threats to Hallandren's trade routes as the legacy of the blood trade is still imprinted on trade ships trading with Hallandren's colonies such as Cromacia and Solutor. However, among the many raids blossomed a short tale. A fable even of a man named Gogurt. During the raids he grabbed his trusty stone sword and using the sheer power of determination slayed him and left the other raiders runners. His story grew in popularity and was basically a bed time story to encourage bravery. Like with most fairy tales this did not likely happen (or happened in a less glamarous way) but still its a display of courage which helped curbed down the amount of raids.

Death of the Caydefather
The Caydefather was found stabbed to death in his own chambers his body lifeless. No one quite knows how it happened, and it continues to remain a mystery. However. modern historians found a single hair of a panda on the scene. No one was charged with anything.

Rise of Queen K'aiza Taurath & the Bonburg's Claim
Queen K'aiza is the current ruler of Hallandren since the Caydefather passed, but her rise to power was not easy. Being born as an ant from foreign lands, K'aiza had trouble fitting in with the rest of the Hallandrunes and spent her youth digging random holes and tunnels throughout Hallandren. House Taurath was also unique from the rest of the Hallandrunes as they were not humans but cows, so out of sympathy and compassion, K'aiza was adopted into House Taurath. Growing up, K'aiza spent a lot of time with the Caydefather and was eventually allowed to work under him in his government which greatly determined the Queen she became.

Funeral turned civil brawl
Tensions had built up for a while now after the two opposing claims to the throne. As sides began to form and eventually would collide at the Caydefather's Funeral. Helt at the Ravine of Everlife, in which the body of the Caydefather was placed in a mahogany coffin buoyant in the freshwater lake. In which his children would fire at the coffin causing it to sink and his soul be released. But things turned sour in which K'aiza Taurath and her brother DiiZ Taurath invited prominent members of Antisnoq to the funeral. As the procession begun, the remaining descendants of the Caydefather fired at the wooden coffin and the box sunk... Silence. The king was dead. Its time to move on K'aiza thought. She then turned to the crowd and announced her regency and that she was the true succesor. This angered Brooke Bonburg as she felt that her sister was using the funeral as a platform for her regency. They then got into a heat discussion in which ended with K'aiza accusing her own sister of murdering their father. Brooke lunged at K'aiza and thus a civil brawl ensued. Antisnoq helped Taurath forces shut down any attempt at taking power. And the Bonburgs fled. Leaving K'aiza Taurath as Queen of Hallandren...

Amythest Ages
The Amythest Ages of Hallandren marks the succession of Taurath to the throne and the reign of K'aiza Taurath. It also marks an age of diplomacy as Hallandren orchestrated the BFF Alliance and became a prominent member in the Migeru Shiyamoto pact. The Amythest Age starts with the coronation of the Queen and ends with her eventual quest to hunt vampires. It is most notably named the Amythest Age do to K'aiza's amythest crown and her extravagant spending on axolotls, llamas, and constructing the Statue of Vythia.

Coronation of K'aiza Taurath
The coronation of K'aiza Taurath (Micelicious) marked a new age for Hallandren. An age of diplomacy and stability. The coronation was held at the Vythia Clocktower in Vythia and was attended by many officials across Kanahulu. K'aiza Taruath was crowned by Tom Valtier, High Priest. The Queen was rumoured to be drunk at her coronation. Perhaps due to the stress of such a large event. She thanked everyone for coming and was a peaceful ceremony which then turned into an afterparty at Vythia.

Soon after, K'aiza got word of the Bonburg's secret location. She told the Bonburgs that she had their son Morisson under capture. They decided they would rather die trying to save their son then rot in a foreign town. Support for the Bonburgs however still stayed strong as people didn't like the fact that K'aiza was an ant and married a foreigner from Antisnoq. So she devised a plan in which she would put an end to her sister's claim to the throne. And put an end to her sister...

The Lavvy Games
The First Lavvy Games used an altered version of The Caydefather Clock in Vythia as an arena, and the victor was a murderer named Ball. With the help of his team, Ball was able to hide throughout the entire game until there was only one other person left who he was able to easily murder due to how weak they were from the fighting.

Ball was the victor of the First Lavvy Games, and he won with the strategy of hiding while his team consisting of Gojo Gyattoru, Pillezu, Ibes, and Poxeltar Le Cake fought the other competitors to their deaths in order to save his strength until it was only him and Tim Gyattman left and ball was able to snipe with a bow due to how weak Tim Gyattman had been from the fighting. Ball had been put into the games due to his extensive history on murder, kidnapping, torture, and arson. It had taken years to finally track him down and imprison him, but the games have only set him free to continue his legacy.

Tim Gyattman was the last person to die in the Lavvy Games, and was sniped by Ball. Having the most kills in the game, he was an extremely ravenous competitor who was fueled by his cannibalistic ways. He was also on a team consisting of Tims Pot and The Surgeon. Before being assassinated by Ball, Tim Gyattman had completely wiped out Ball's entire team including Gojo Gyattoru, Pillezu, Ibes, and Poxeltar Le Cake. Tim Gyattman had been in the games due to his hunger for human meat, previously being imprisoned in Scilogete for his countless murders.

Edmond Von Bonburg was the first to be killed in the First Lavvy Games, and he was stabbed to death by Pillezu as he was searching one of the chests. Edmond was put into the games with his wife Brooke Von Bonburg and son Skoopy Vop Bonburg due to their attempt to contest K'aiza Taurath's claim to the throne who had been heir at the time.

Formation of the BFF Alliance
The formation of the BFF Alliance was a diplomatic venture by Queen K'aiza Taurath to unite all the peaceful nations in Tremons much like Hallandren. It boasts over 13 members and is a symbol and testament to the ethos of Hallandren's foreign policy in an uncertain time in Kanahulu. The BFF Alliance remains present day and proved useful in the upcoming Silly vs Epic wars.

Age of Silly Steel
The age of Silly Steel is named after the invention (or rather discovery) of Silly Steel. A new material -lost to time- unearthed in Luserose's old armoury named Silly Steel. This new Silly Steel revolutionised Kanahulu due to its properties. Weapons such as the Warping Witherblade and Prismatic Shield are made possible because of these materials. It also marks a new age of turmoil for Hallandren as the collapse of its powerful ally Luserose is taken by Silly extremists (which just so happens to be the Queen's grandson & niece) and the Silly vs Epic wars begin after the Silly landing of Vythia and subsequently end after a new silly king is crowned.

Silly Landing of Vythia
After tensions between the Epic idealogy (backed by the BFF Alliance and thus Hallandren) and Silly finally bubbled. The Silly Soldiers decided to strike on the coastal city of Vythia by surprise as retaliation for denying their application into the BFF Alliance. A battle ensued between the Hallandren army and soon reinforcements who came and managed to push them back. This was expected as the new unexperienced silly army (even with the help of Silly Steel) faltered when reinforcements came. When the whole battle was over, Hallandren deemed the silly landing a terrorist attack and refused to recognise the Silly State's claim over Luserose. This battle started the Idealogical Silly vs Epic Wars of Kanahulu as the BFF Alliance lead by Hallandren had to defend against numerous attacks on allied cities as support for the sillies were growing rapidly.

Queen K'aiza's Departure
Among the chaos going across the seas of Kanahulu, the Queen received a vision from the Lavvythia herself. She told her that her time as Queen would end and to let the currents of Kanahulu to determine the future of Hallandren. She told her that she had a new vocation a new purpose even, vampire hunting. And to follow in his father's footsteps. The new king would be next in line, which was Gerry Taurath, co founder & married to the leader of the Silly State. Hallandren's position on the Silly vs Epic wars was about to take a dramatic turn...

The Silly Treaty of Silly Manor
The Silly Treaty of Silly Manor was a treaty between the Silly State and Hallandren promising peace and even military support signed by Gerry Taurath & Elle Taurath. This was widely controversial and threatened a schism in the BFF Alliance and in Hallandren itself (more on that later). However, the treaty was signed and no one could do anything. Gerry Taurath was the true king. Also note that Gerry and Elle Taurath are married! but that surely didn't play a part in the diplomacy right? However, some prominent nations refused to make peace. Nations like Falconer and surprisingly Scilogete (a supposed neutral nation) refused to end the war and wanted the silly to be exterminated.

Architecture
The first gothic-styled building was the Cathedral of Culture in Hallandren's Capital Hallangrad and has since followed the grand gothic theme ever since, utilising terracotta for the roofs (purple terracota in Vythia) and having tall gothic styled apartments in Vythia to shorter yet still pointy houses in Hallangrad, However their colonies differ with a medieval style in Solutor and a more discrete style with the underground mole style in Maulvard.

Industries
Hallandren, and especially Hallangrad, is known to host many advanced farms that have played a key role in the economical and demographical development of the nation.

Bee farm
The bee farm is carved directly underneath the park of Hallangrad, it was built and used mostly by gerald in order to make the famous ant stimulator brew.

The Caydefather Clocktower


The Caydefather Clocktower was built circa day 40 of Tremons in Vythia as a tribute to the Caydefather and was a massive feat of engineering and designing in order to build it. Its comprised of primarily stone and andesite and is built on a holy rocky island called Teardrop Island. Some say the Caydefather himself designed it but there is no evidence to support and is likely a rumour. Its intricate details and ginormous scale is a testament to the influence Hallandren has over Kanahulu. And is the 1st World Wonder of Tremons. Many events has been hosted in the Clocktower such as Micelicious' Coronation, The Lavvy Games, and the Silly Landing of Vythia.

Pool of Everlife
The Pool of Everlife is a natural (and deeply holy) wonder in Hallangrad. By Lavvythian tradition, it was formed following the events of the poisoning of Stechpalme and is the only known source of aboveground freshwater on the island. Held sacred by the Church of Lavvythia, it is testament to The Lavvythia´s deep mercy and gratitude, and is protected by the Hallandren government. Next to the basin sits it the Temple of Lavvythia, having been constructed using imported sandstone and copper. The Temple is the home of the pool´s attendants, who work delligently to maintain e purity and sancity of the pool in the fave of the pollution that can trickle down from the city surrounding it. Events hosted there include the Funeral turned Civil Brawl and a hockey stadium for Navvikas´ night.

Statue of Vythia
The Statue of Vythia is constructed on Teardrop island, Vythia and is a statue (shocking I know) depicting the Goddess Lavvythia watching over Vythia with a trident in her hand with a crystal on top made of amethyst. Soul blue lanterns hang from the chains on her to represent the stars in the night sky but to also remind us that she is chained to the ocean.

Temple of Lavvy
The Temple of Lavvy is a temple dedicated to the godess Lavvy located in Hallangrad, it is built using a mix of quartz, copper and wood which differ greatly from the surrounding architecture. It is known for hosting the funeral of the Caydefather as well as multiple sacrifices.

City park
The City park is the second oldest landmark in Hallangrad, being built just after the Cathedral. It is centered around a gothic fountain from which emerges the luminous beam of a beacon, surrounded by various native species of giant glowing mushrooms and two oak trees that are, according to the legends, millennials old.

Hospital/prison


The Hallandren hospital, also known as a prison (due to it's role as a place to hide and torture those who shouldn't be seen it can be considered to be a tool of social segregation, thus having a similar role to hospitals during the era that Hallandren is supposed to take place) is the highest monument in hallandren based on the height of the ground floor. It was built mainly by gerald in a fortified gothic style with very few windows. The internal layout is made up of a convoluted network of elevators, one way doors, cells and secrete passages. Mass and repeated murders have taken place in this building, with the souls of those who have been slaughtered still haunting the walls of the building. There is a legend running around hallandren that there is a secret room underneath the hospital in which untold atrocities have been commited, those who have been able to see it in person have never made it out of the hospital. One of the room in this hospital is the silly room, an almost exact recreation of the silly room in the Lavenland hospital on tremons season 1.

Caslte of House Valrath.
This building is an outlier in Hallangrad as it's building style is very different from the traditional gothic style, instead following a more fantasy style. It is build on the edge of the city, on the eastern side of the everlife ravine, with a calcite-wood-mushroom style along with some wheat farms surrounding the main building making it resemble the style of the city of Ilamrin from the previous nation of Cathai.

Museum of Hallangrad


A few weeks after the founding of Hallangrad the need for a place of storage and display was being more and more imminent. This lead mice to design a giant museum that could be used for both purposed however it's gigantic size meant that it could only be built on a newly build artificial platform made by gerald. As construction was delayed a few days, some houses were eventually build on the platform before the museum, mainly the spruce house of megamasterbloc, and they had to be destroyed before construction could began. This incident lead to an internal change to the building guideline and processes, making it nearly impossible for such incident to happen again

Government
The process of assigning minister used to follows a rigorous selection by the elders of Hallandren, after which the candidate members were informed of their new position. Ministers had to follow the Code of Ministers. Ministers were dissolved mid-season in favor of the elder system.

Minister system
Minister of Agriculture, Infrastructure & Ressources

Frosty was nominated Minister of Agriculture, Infrastructure & Ressources on the 16th of October 2023.

Minister of Architecture

Oli was nominated Minister of Architecture on the 16th of October 2023

Minister of Defense

Dizz was nominated Minister of Defense on the 16th of October 2023. Cheezy was nominated Minister of Defense on the 16th of December 2023.

Minister of Law and Order

JoshManle was nominated Minister of Law and Order on the 16th of October 2023

Minister of Culture

Tom was nominated Minister of Cultureon the 16th of October 2023.

Minister of Foreign Affairs

Gerald Of Bonbug was nominated Minister of Foreign Affairs on the 5th of October 2023

Minister of Diplomacy

Mice was nominated Minister of Diplomacy on the 16th of October 2023.

Minister of Cartography

Megamasterbloc was nominated Minister of Cartography on the 16th of October 2023.

Minister of Religion

Historybuff was nominated Minister of Religion on the 16th of October 2023.

Elder system
The elder team is made up of the most trusted players of the nation, those who have played a key role in it's founding or have been involed at some point. The current team at the end of the season is made up of : Lavvy, HistorryBluff, megamasterbloc, Micelicious, diizcow, stregastrooga, gerald, josh manley and tom. Some of the older members include Oli, who left stoneworks and cayde who was kicked out of the nation.

Houses


Hallandren's Royal Family Tree started with the Caydefather forming House Hallan. He then adopted a total of 4 children, with 2 of them forming their own houses. With one house, Valtier marrying into Taurath creating a branch of Taurath deemed 'Valrath'. The line of Taurath is the line of succession after the events of the Civil War.

 Major Houses 

To refer to them as "houses" at all is a misnomer. Less so the greatest among equals, the Major Houses were Hallandren itself. To work for the state, the church, or any and all major institutions within Hallandren meant pledging your loyalty directly to the major house, and to who´s will they represented, namely the ruling monarch of Hallandren. In this context, the minor Houses served at the digression of the major, and competed amongst themselves for a greater shares of it´s authority.As the Major houses acted as extensions of the absolute authority held by the ruling monarch of Hallandren, there have only ever been two: House Hallan, and The Ascendant House Valrath.

House Hallan - The Eternal
House Hallan was formed out of necessity by The Caydefather. He created the House to ensure stability and also bring legitimacy to him (as The Caydefather was in fact a foreigner as shown in the Epic of The Caydefather). He adopted 4 children in a lottery of some sorts. He adopted a young frog who had come from foreign lands Brooke von Bonburg, he saw a lot of himself in her. He then adopted a pair of cows DiiZ Taurath and K'aiza Taurath as more of a political statement as lots of people were very xenophobic to Cows and other bovine creatures that migrated to Hallandren in search of hope. And later Thyra Hallan was adopted from the underground kingdom of Maulvard which later became part of Hallandren. His children later formed the House Bonburg & House Taurath as branches of House Hallan. Some say House Hallan dissolved with the death of The Caydefather with Thyra leaving Hallandren due to not wanting to be involved in the civil war while others say that House Taurath is the succesor of House Hallan.

House Valrath - The Ascendant
 Minor Houses 

House Valtier - of elves
The oldest of the minor houses, before it´s merger with House Taurath. it´s exact origins are unknown, although often placed as sometime after or during the Vaeleyh (time of ). This ambiguity, rather than a byproduct of the house´s extensive age, is the unfortunate result of repeated "tests of loyalty" by the state to whom this house has been the repeated subject of. These purges have effectively scoured the Valtiers of their founding stock and familial history, regardless of how long-lived they naturally are. Although lacking in the many sorts of pagan practices the minor houses are known to indulge in, the Valtier´s veneration of the Lavvythia as not just the goddess of the tides, but also as keepers of the sun is well known. If there are any remaining embers of mysticism remaing among House Valtier, these are surely it.

According to Gaspardist tradition, House Valtier was founded when the last of the Ivory Lords, unable to retreat from the island following the burning of their fleets, bent the knee to the Caydefather, and pledged himself and his fellows unto his will. In an act of supreme mercy and gratitude, the Caydefather adopted him under the name "Valtier", and provided him the land in the northmost of Stechpalme. Under this interpretation, House Valtier would have been established in much the same way as modern houses are, despite their markedly foreign origins. In contrast by Lavvyithian speculations, the first Valtier, rather a singular person, were instead a group of Vaeldrune (people of, who had settled on the island following the end of the Vaeleyh) who had organized under the name "Valtier" in order to curry favor within the existing political establishment. Under this interpretation, the Valtiers are not related by blood, and instead forced their way into the upper echelons of Hallandren society through a means of collective bartering. While both interpretations hold some value, given the lack of any remaining pure-blooded Vaeldrune on island and the death of The Caydefather, confirmation viva a first-hand source is impossible. It should be noted, however, that the name "Valtier" is not Hallic in origin, as is the case for most last names up until the very beginning of the modern era.

Unusually entrenched in the bureaucracy of the state, House Valtier holds near complete authority over the Architecture Guild and it´s activities. To announce yourself as being "with the guild" is tantamount to announcing your loyalty to the Valtiers. Their eyes fall on every permit, and to get a permit a tithe will be required of you. Perhaps the result of their long lives, which carry with them a sense of respectability in the eyes of the administrative caste, they have successfully managed to worm their way into the upper echelons of Hallandren´s society, and secure for them a measure of influence beyond which is possible of the other minor houses. Using this influence like a scalpel, they cut away at the fat of the other houses to influence policy and advance their own interests. With a single flick of a quill, they set into motions cascades that may take decades to unfurl, but at the end of which will have brought entire sub-districts under their sway. Their rule over the city of Belfur was not gifted to them by the crown´s grace, but earned through cunning and bribery. Indeed, despite what the Valtier may claim, they are not so separate from the elves of old. They merely discovered what the Vaeldrune did not, that being there are far more lucrative means of exploitation then mere "pillage and plunder"

Notable individuals among this house include:


 * Tom Valtier, Minister of Culture: At the head of both the initiatives to revitalize of Hallandren´s literacy rates, and to ressurecy of Hallic as a standardized language.
 * Oli Valtier, Minister of Architecture, head of House Valtier: responsible for the strict buliding standards of Hallangrad

House Bonburg - Of Corpses


The house of Bonburg is a recent one formed in the middle ages after the marriage of a panda Edmond Bonburg and a frog Brooke Hallan. A memoir from Brooke Hallan's Diary explains more about her past life before eventually being adopted. However, Edmond's past is unexplained. What we do know is that Edmond is not from the island of Stechepalme and most likely migrated here. They lived a simple life in the coastal town of Vythia. Brooke wasn't interested in being the adopted daughter of the king. But rather wanted to be the daughter of the Caydefather. Life was easy, effortless for the Bonburgs. Until a flood struck the town and killed Brooke. These events are explained further in The Ballad of Bon Bon in which a book is gifted to Edmond by the panda God Bon Bon that posseses the ability to resurrect the dead. After performing the ritual Brooke came back to life. And everything went back to normal right? Edmond and Brooke had then had four children. With Morrison being the Caydefather's favourite. The family worshipped Bon Bon as a family pantheon of some sorts. Around this time the Caydefather died. Causing a massive shock to Brooke. And thus the events of the Hallandren Civil war ensued causing the House of Bonburg to wage war against their brothers and sisters. After the events of the civil brawl, the House of Bonburg had to go into hiding before being eventually found. The entire family were sent to the Lavvy Games by Brooke's own sister & brother and killed in combat. At least they died together....

The pantheon of Bon Bon or Bon Bon Orthodoxy is still mysterious to historians present day. The House of Bonburg is a relic of the past and an artifact of Taurath's might over the Hallandren Throne.

Death of literacy in Hallandren
As a direct result of the population collapse that marked the end of the Vharrhiereyh, literary as a skill amongst the general public is almost non-existent. With the death of the majority of those who knew Hallic-script, and a reluctance by to teach it by those who remained, there hasn't been a standardized form of written Hallic for nearly 4 centuries. Beyond that, in places where written Hallic remained, it´s written form often began to diverge greatly from what it once had been. Influenced by trader languages from Cromacia and neighboring Scilogete in addition to natural drift, what existed of Hallic was shattered into dozens of new forms, or subsumed entirely. And with travel within Hallandren grinding to a halt as quality of life continued to plummet, these differences only worsen overtime. At present, what exists of Hallic, both written and spoken, is oftentimes incomprehensible to those from different regions, sometimes only even a hour apart by foot. At every level, the death of a standardized form of Hallic has hindered Hallandren´s ability to operate as a functioning society, and utterly annihilated whatever bourgeoning historical tradition had been developing on the island. It´s death represents a sharp divide in record-keeping or just long-distance communication.

Standardized Hallic - preface
Standardized Hallic is a Hallandren´s answer to the existence of a unified Hallic language. As of current, standardized Hallic is the sole recognized, official language of Hallandren, with all others being regarded as mere "local varieties" of it. Standardized Hallic is the coalescence of the varying forms of Hallic-script as they features in documents from the personal collection of Tom Valiter and the Valtier line, to whom credit for much it is owed. All originating from some time in and around the Vaeleyh, the most notable and complete of among them is a poem passed down from along the Valtier-line, who´s opening line reads: "Pryh Felniteter plertuf'tyh k'Drenuft". Often regarded as particularly archaic in comparison to much of the spoken Hallic varieties as it exists currently, Standardized-Hallic has a tendency to substitute words that it has no direct equivalent for with transcribed approximations taken from several north-stechpalme dialects in and around the Belfur area. It likewise uses these dialects for much of it´s pronunciations whenever so needed. Used primarily for government functions, Standardized Hallic is largely exists solely in an offical capacity, and has otherwise only seen middling success amongst the general public. With continued efforts from the state, Standardized Hallic is expected to become the dominate form of Hallic it´s reach in the coming decades.

General grammer rules of Hallic
Nouns


 * General rule about nouns is that they are written with a capital letter.
 * You have a core part of a noun and to make it plural you add “-y” at the end.

Verbs

Verbs come in two forms: impersonal and personal. The first one is the default, and to make a personal verb you’ll need a noun before the verb.


 * e.g. “Fivift.” - ("A like/Liking")
 * e.g. “Er fivift.” - (“I like.”)

Verbs come in 3 tenses: present, past done, past continuous and future.


 * Future: VERB + “-’ver”,  eg: “Er zhlag’ver.” - (“I will go.)
 * Past done: VERB + “-’tyh” e.g. “Pryh Felniteter plertuf’tyh” - (“An island appeared”)
 * Past continuous: “tis” + VERB + “-’tyh” e.g. “Er tis zhlag’tyh t’Pevelk.” - (“I was going to a forest.”)

Adjectives

Adjectives are used to describe an object/person, or an action and are followed by either a verb, a noun, or another adjective.

Pronouns

This part differs the most from Common. They divide into two categories: singular and plural, BUT they divide into three more categories: informal, formal and divine Pronouns translated to Hallic: To create a possessive pronoun (mine, yours, theirs, ours, etc.) add “kel’-” before a pronoun.

To create a reflexive pronoun (myself, yourself, etc.) add “vil’-” before a pronoun.

Preposition

Is always infused to an Object. Conjunction Every conjunction beside “and” needs a comma before it.

Interjection

After an interjection is either a comma or an exclamation mark. The most popular interjection in Hallic is “Fyveli!” which is used as a confirmation, greeting or an exclamation, somewhat like “yea” in English.

sample of words
Although in no-way comprehensive, here is a select sample of Hallic as it exists currently

Quirks
Hallic varieties (the perferred term to regard what might otherwise be called "different languages of the Hallic Family) perfer to ignore distinction when discussing the gender of a speaker or object, instead perfering to divide itself along lines of hierachy. Assuming a mortal speaker, when refering to a vampire or someone of seniority, it is most common that you would use the formal. When referring to equals or those younger than yourself, the informal is perferred. When referring to a divine-figure, such as Gaspard, The Lavvythia. or The Caydefather, the Divine is most favorred. It should be noted that you are unable to refer to divine figures using personal pronouns for most forms of Hallic. This inbeded form of hierachy is a general feature of most Hallic varieties, but not at all universal. For example: in places such as Vythia and Maulvard, the formal and divine are dropped entirely. In particular for Maulvard, Hallic largely exists as a creole of itself and the extinct Maulvardic language, which favors the use of Maulvard´s pronouns over Hallic´s in most contexts. Along the west, Hallandrunes often make use of a pidgin form of Hallic-script principly of scilogete-infulence, which does not record based on pronoun-type. . In the middle-low lands and belfur-area, spoken Hallic is often dominated by varing levels Vaeldrune-infulenced accents, for whom the formal-informal-divine is used fluidly depending on the respect the speaker has for recipient. As a general rule, the further inland you go, the more fermented hallic becomes. the closer you are to the coast, the more foreign infulence takes root.

Hallic varieties also have a tendency to adhere their spelling to to the word´s pronounciation, rather then the other way around. This results in Hallic words being spelled soley on the whims of the speaker, and oftentimes of significant variation depending on the accent of the speaker spelling them. Added on to the fact that speakers of Hallic varieties have a habitat of creating new compound words to describe unknown objects for whom the original term has been forgotten, and Hallic, regardless of variety, can easily become incomprehensible even to other speakers in the same region.

"Spiders bring rain"
Ubiquitous in and around the Vythia area, the idea of spiders ( or their absence) as harbingers of rain is an infamous one, although for whom the precise origins of which are unknown. A recurring motiff, it features heavily in many a folklore, legenend, or fairy tale. As a motiff isA famous real-world example of this would be in the slaying of the Sea Beast Cyanthus during the campaign to clear Vythia of it´s infested depths. As the tale goes, the expedition was delayed last-minute when a unnamed captained radio´d in the expedition´s head to voice their concerns, explaining the Spider´s web in the corner of their helm was suspecious empty, and that a storm must surely be brewing. The expedition head agreed, and only 2 hours later Vythia was hit with a storm so strong that it valuted the tides over the city´s floodwalls and cleared out the streets. Had the expedition not have been delayed, its likely that over a 100 souls would have met their end in the briney deep.

Religious Overview
Gaspard-worship

The state-mandated, and sole recongnized faith of Hallandren during the reign of the Caydefather, Gaspard-worship

Lavvythia-veneration

The new offical faith of Halladren as of the reign of Queen Kaiza Taurath of the ascedant house Valrath

Bon-Bonism

Sol-Taurath

Xirexa, star-hoppers, and other minor faiths

Festivals - times of celebration
Feveruthyr, and Navikas´ night

A time of revelry and delight, Feveruthyr takes place during the. Despite routine and persistent insistence in life to the contrary by the Caydefather,

Crowning

Cusine.
Due to it's special culture, Hallandren is home to many brews and dishes that are only made possible thanks to the special ingredients made available by the sacred mushrooms.

Ant Stimulator
The Ant Stimulator is a savorous brew made in the deep factorires of Hallangrad, while it's origin is mostly unknown we do know that it was brought up to Hallandren by Mice. This thick brew has been used for many occasions and has been a key part in the industrial devlemoment of the nation.

Hallandren's Notable Works of Literature:

Hallandren Libary
Hallandren owns a large collections of books, documents and hand-written notes, almost all of them are publicly accessible in Hallangrad.This collection has been acquired in a multitudes of ways, some were donated, some were found and some are also writen by Hallandren citizen. A big portion of the books currently displayed were created during or after the literarture contest organised by the minister of culture, altought no books won that contest due to the short deadline imposed by Tom.

Territories
Hallandren is made up of a primary district as well as 7 other distinct districts and a special administrative region. Some districts are entirely made up of towns owned by the Hallandren familly while others like Cromacia and solutor are the result of vassalisation agreements, a few districts were created due to special circumstances like the Neptune mandate which was gifted to Hallandren, or the special administrative region which was gracioulsy offered by the claim owner.

Inner Hallandren
The primary district is home to most of the towns of Hallandren and include it's capital, Hallangrad. It is located on the continent of Stechpalme.


 * Hallangrad : Political capital and primary city of Hallandren, built by multiples players and used as an industrial center as well as for some events.
 * Vythia : Most populated city, known for hosting various events such as the lavvy games and one of the battles between the Silly and the Epic.
 * Belfur : small town directly north west of Hallangrad, has been used a a ceremonial temple.
 * Isle of Bob : small vacation resort with an articial floating island.
 * Kriegden : Industrial town with some farms underground, rendered redundant after bigger farms were built in Hallangrad
 * Maülvard : Initially it's own nation after being given some land by Hallandren, it got vassalised after a while, has some farms and a unique mole culture.

Territories
The Lavvylands

The Territories of the Lavvylands, (previously named the bloodlands) named after the Church of Lavvythia, is primarily located on the continent of Bankü. And was mainly used for farming blood for the vampires in Inner Hallandren before the Caydefather's Rule.

HallanTrading & Co
 * Hallanotawarclaim
 * Kuica
 * Vulkrien
 * Port of New Hope : Port of new hope was built by MrBlueHistory in an atempt to own more land and to break appart from the dominion, it then joined Hallandren.
 * Renatus Arena : This small town stared when there was the need to make brews, but as it grew bigger it eventally became a trading center for the whole district.
 * Micehill : this fortified town saw many coups and changes in leadership but was finally acquiered by mice. An old leader attempted to coup the town but failled due to the near end of the server.
 * Navale

This small district is made up entirely by the HallanTrading corporation.

Dragon's Den
 * Hallanmart2 : economic center of Hallandren, it is made up of a fortified market that sells various goods and showcase the architecture of the nation.Hallanmart2.png

Dragon's Den, named after the town of the same name, is a district directly north of the Inner district, west of the Dragon's bay.

Cromacia
 * Dragon's Den : Known for dupping shulkersDragon's den.png

This small district is located north of Honu’Kai.


 * Cromacia
 * Dragon's FallDragon's Fall.png

Solutor

Solutor is located on two continents, directly south of Cromacia for it's western part and around HallanTrading & Co for it's eastern part. Republic of Pawville
 * Solis
 * Grimfall
 * Viridiana
 * JoeSolis.png

The Republic of Pawville is an integrated republic located on three different continents, Honu’Kai for it's western part, in the middle of the Gummy Isles for it's eastern part and near the Diizbay for it's northen part.

Mandate of Neptune
 * Pawville2
 * Beanburg
 * New Diizland

The mandate of netpune is a relica of the KCC and subsequent nations, it is primarily located on the continent of Uthara Uranus

Special administrative region
Hallandren owns a small portion of the verkalo island, this territory is not directly part of Hallandren and is therefore a special administrative region.

Media

 * Top 5 Most Beautiful Cities in Kanahulu | Stoneworks MC by Sawyer
 * Queen Micelicious' Coronation by Timewarps_1