Hanalan

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Hanalan is an agrarian kingdom to the east of Eire, covered almost completely in forest. Its economy is made up more or less of orchard work and other forms of agriculture. Its ruling lord is King Claudius, and the heir is Crown Prince Finlay. The capital is Floran.

Contents

[edit] History

Faerie myths state that Eire was formed when Griene, the sun, was born, and sent her servants - Solas, Teithe, Tiene, and Blatha - to warm Eire, which was encased in a thick ice. Solas, the light, warmed the part of the land that forms what is now Hanalan. Blatha, the heat, and Teithe, the warmth, made Megam, Dentoria and Kanemoria. Tiene, the fire, burned her lot to form the deserts of Atsiria. But none of them were strong enough to penetrate the mountains that shielded Kilia, or Eire's frozen north - what is now Korin.

Griene then gave her servants people, so that she could watch Eire thrive. The people of Solas loved the earth, and worked hard, and so Hanalan quickly became a land lush with greenery, growing enough food to feed them all. They made songs and dances to honour the land, in which Griene delighted. When Solas went away every year, to give his report to Griene, the leaves withered and fell to the ground and the plants no longer grew, but still his people knew how to sustain themselves by storing all they have gathered during the year and wishing Solas a safe journey before he left. In the practicality of Solas' people, compared to the idolatry and warmongering of the people of Blatha and Teithe, Griene took great pleasure.

Tales of Hanalan, the peaceful country where men tilled the earth instead of taking up swords, soon reached the people of Blatha and Teithe, as well as the leaderless people of the frozen north. Over the years they came, to take refuge and as long as they did not bring the strife that took them to Hanalan, the people of Solas welcomed them. However, the people of Tiene, who held no war but nevertheless preyed on the south, were held in suspicion by the people of Hanalan, and the two have never trusted the other.

Today, no one but the youngest of children truly believes in faerie myth, but in this particular myth, there is some truth. There is no document that states when the first settlers came to Hanalan, but when war refugees from old Dentoria and Korin arrived, the people of Hanalan had already organised themselves into rural farmers, and villagers, with a group of leaders stationed near the delta. Hanalan has remained a peaceful country, founded without war, though animosity towards Atsiria still persists.

[edit] Geography

To the north, Hanalan is divided from Korin via the Leinstair Mountains. Hanalan is separated from Atsiria by the Cloudpeak Range, and from Kilia via the Laensta Mountains. To the east lies what the people of Hanalan call the Endless Ocean. The River Suir and the River Liffe run from west to east through the middle of the country, and form Hanalan's main source of water.

Climate in Hanalan is generally quite temperate, with mild summers and cold, snowing winters. It is coldest along the Korin border, and becomes warmer as one goes south, to Atsiria. It is said that almost anything suited to the climate, such as potatoes, apples, beans, and onions can be grown in Hanalan, as the soil is immensly fertile, especially the land surrounding the rivers. The large majority of Hanalan is covered in trees, whether they be forests or orchards, while the land itself is very flat.

[edit] Towns and Villages

[edit] Government

Hanalan is an absolute monarchy, where the King has total control over the governance of the country. Although Hanalan is not a powerful political force by any means, the Kings of Hanalan hold immense influence, more so than their counterparts in Dentoria and Kanemoria, in that there is no delegation of tasks, or Council to debate him, and has more of a sense of matters in his own country. As with all noble lines in Hanalan, the throne is inherited through male primogeniture, and is currently held by King Claudius. His son, Crown Prince Finlay, is his heir.

Every villlage in Hanalan elects a mayor as a intermmediary between them and the King, for as long as the mayor is capable. While the position is elected, villagers habitually choose a person from the old mayor's family. The mayor is responsible for delivering news, such as budgets and unusual incidents to the King, and has the power to make temporary decisions until the King's verdict is sent. He is also responsible for delivering the King's word to the villagers. Any power the mayor holds, however, can be taken away by the King at any time.

[edit] Society

[edit] The People

The people of Hanalan are practical, laid back, and prefer simple lives. Outsiders often stereotype them as being simple minded and backward, when in truth, they have an uncomplicated view of the world. Certainly, their outlook on life is quite lax, and centres around the philosophy to take things as they come. Although industrious, Hanalanfolk take great joy in life's pleasures, such as music and dancing.

[edit] Rural Folk

The majority of Hanalanfolk are farmers, growing the crops that the country so relies on for its sustenance and economy. Farmers are content to live their whole lives out in the farm, and may never get the chance to travel beyond their farm and the nearby village. Farms may specialise in one particular crop or grow a variety, though many choose to devote themselves to one, as to reduce competition with their neighbours. Every farmer is required to keep a ledger recording their harvest to hand to the mayor at the end of every autumn. The tradespeople are also essential to Hanalan society, providing services for the farmers and nobility, and their shops and houses are usually concentrated on the village square.

[edit] Nobility

To Hanalanfolk, the nobility are families who do not work, being more wealthy than the average farmer. Most noble families can trace their line to the first settlers of Hanalan, the mythical people of Solas, while newer noble families have some refugee blood, but have amassed enough gold so that working on the land is unnecessary. Unlike nobles of other countries, Hanalan nobility plays little part in the governance of the country, except when they donate some of their wealth to struggling communities. Instead, they live to serve and entertain the royal family. They often take up pursuits such as dancing, music and poetry to achieve this aim, and as a result, court life flourishes. All nobles live in Floran or at its outskirts.

[edit] Daily Life

The village square is almost as central to rural Hanalan as the farm. All social activities, such as fairs, weddings, banquets, bonfires and village meetings take place in the square. Market days occur every weekend in the village square, where all surrounding farms make up stalls and sell their crop and other wares to other villagers, travellers and merchants. Shopping in rural Hanalan is otherwise quite informal, and often takes the form of popping over to the neighbours for a jar of honey or a basket of apples. Hanalan's only major city, Floran, is said by those more travelled to be nothing more than a glorified village, and while life in Floran is certainly more lively due to the influence of resident nobles and higher population, there is essentially little difference to the rural village.

[edit] Language

The main language of Hanalan is Trade. It is spoken and written right from the commons to the King himself, and the language in which all government business is conducted. The native Hanalan language, on the other hand, is barely known by the commons, let alone spoken. Only very few, including the King, are even near fluent in Hanalan, and therefore, foreign scholars cannot hope to achieve complete knowledge of the language. It is not known why Hanalanfolk have taken the language of the merchants so much to heart, but it has certainly contributed to the growth of the Hanalan economy.

[edit] Crime

Petty crime in Hanalan is more frequent compared to other countries. It is not rare to have someone "forget" to pay for something, or to pay less than the asked amount. When such an incident can be proven, the offender usually gets off lightly by righting the wrong, i.e. paying back the money. Sentences for repeat offenders often centre on public humiliation rather than imprisonment, as such a sentence would not undermine the village's productivity. Rural Hanalanfolk in particular regard sabotage of the harvest as the most serious crime, and the accused is usually exiled from the village. Rape is not treated as a serious crime by authorities.

[edit] Religion

The majority of Hanalanfolk have adopted Dragon Worship when the nobility chose to follow the Dragons instead of the faeries, although they do not follow it to the extent of the countries to the east. To Hanalanfolk, mere belief in the Dragons is enough, and extravagant, ceremonial displays of belief are unnecessary. Such ceremony is exclusive to nobility, and held not because of desire to show their devotion to the Dragons, but rather for entertainment and to emulate foreign nobles. Very few believe in faeries, but the old myths are known to the people of Hanalan since they were children, as bedtime and bonfire stories, rather than historical document.

[edit] Characters of Hanalan Heritage

[edit] Highborn Characters

[edit] Commonborn Characters

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