Kingdom of Halengard

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The Kingdom of Halengard, also known as Halengard, was a nation in East Astria bordering Akhatai to the south and Eskaya to the north. It was originally founded by Leobische settlers, but decades later detached from the West Astrians that had originally ordered its founding.
Occupying the fertile territories north of the steppe lands of Akhatai, the natives of Halengard fought constant battles with the Orcs of the steppe. Decades of constant warfare since the creation of the nation led to great martial advances amongst its people, most notable of all the creation of advanced forging techniques which were unmatched anywhere else in Astria.
The Halesche were also known for their prowess at magic. They used their signature black steel in most things, refined from deep mines and caverns under Lanskroun and on the borders. Black steel had a variety of uses, though arguably it was of most importance to the Order of the Chalice, who were devoted to the protection of the realm.
== Organisation and Society ==
Although similar in structure to the monarch that it came from, Halengard, in time, developed its own distinct customs. Influenced by the teachings of the Church of the East, it never concerned itself with the happenings of the world as a whole. To many of the early settlers, the threat of the steppe Orcs to the south were greater than the expectations of those back in Leoben. Raids from the steppe were commonplace, and attempts to stop incursions into the many border villages were futile. A lack of proper road infrastructure, the harsh heat of the open steppe as well as the unfamiliarity of the land led to many monarchs dying in battle against the Orcs, who knew not only their lands well, but those to the north as well.
The high mortality rate of nobles and monarchs led to the institution of an elective system, in which the landholder who was most capable of supplying and fielding troops would become the protector of the land, and the monarch who would guide the hopes of the people. In this way, there was no shortage of eager families, and the nation would never be left leaderless due to the constraints of a hereditary system. Votes were distributed given on who could provide the most troops at a given time. Whoever had more land, and more soldiers, had more votes.
This unusual meritocratic practice was not only adopted by the nobility, but was also emulated in all other strata of society. Common-folk who distinguished themselves on the tournament field, or who proved themselves in battle, were often rewarded land and titles for their efforts. This emphasis on upwards social mobility through martial prowess led many to join the armies of the nation, and allowed the Kingdom to enjoy a vast levy of eager soldiers, often well-trained. Women were not exempt to the rule, and were known to fight alongside their male comrades both on and off the field. Strength was seen as a virtue, and an attractive quality. 
Foreign royal suitors were often seen as a less attractive prospect than native-born Halesche due to their often gentle sensibilities, though this was not always the case. Records from the Era of Harvest suggested the union of Artava and Halengard on many occasions.
== Magic ==
The Halesche were also known for their innate ability to control magic. Throughout history, many of the strongest wizards came from Halengard, though there were more accounts of them dying in battle than there were of their arcane prowess. Wizards were not inherently valued over those who could wield a weapon well, although there was no widespread aversion to them, like in Vesryn. Halengard was not without its cruelty, though. 
Children who displayed great arcane potential were often ordered to join the Order of the Chalice, and those who refused the call were often ridiculed and disowned by their villages. Families were often punished for hiding their children's potential, often by fines, but there were often more violent cases.
The technique of binding souls to armour originated in Halengard. Black steel and meteorite ores were used to create large suits of empty armour. Meteorite seals were used to bind the souls of the mightiest warriors of Halengard who were on the verge of death, whether it was due to old age, or due to mortal wounds sustained in battle. These souls, if accepted by the Order, were transferred into the empty armours, where they could continue to serve their country without the constraints of the weak Human body. When done in this way, this process was called Apotheosis.
== History ==
=== Journey of the Ostgrenzeren ===
The first men and women who packed up their settlements in Leoben were known as the Ostgrenzeren. These families, in 672 H.E, left the relative safety and comfort of unified Leoben with the blessing of their monarch, to found new life in the east. It was said that amongst the wagons and supply carts brought, there were hundreds of families, and more uncounted. They passed through the lands of Artava, although known to the counts of that land. Although banditry was common and the dangers of the wilderness awaited them at every step, the families continued onwards. 
Those that turned back were often singled out by opportunistic rogues, and there were many accounts of families going missing during the journey. Common sights also included threats from forest predators as well as fighting between the different families of the convoy.
Although not entirely harmonious at first, the group that emerged on the other side of that tough journey became like blood. Lessened in size, but not in spirit, they finally reached a destination they were satisfied with. The fertile lands north of the lands of Akhatai contained rich grass, and under that lay soil richer still. In that land south of Eskaya they founded the first hamlets that would grow into Halengard proper, yet the land was not theirs yet.
Early conflicts soon began to emerge.
=== The Harsh Steppe Frontier ===
The new hamlets and villages of Halengard quickly came into conflict with the Bektaigar dynasty of the Akhatai and the western realms of the Goblins under Nuul Khur in the northern steppes. They soon also learnt that they had to deal with two other powers, the previously accommodating Artava and Eskaya to the north.
The two largest settlements, known as Lanskroun and Moldauthein, gathered together what would come to be known as the first conclave of the families. These later developed into bonds of co-operation between neighbouring villages, and in some cases resulted in the foundation of new cities in Halengard. Of those who came to the first conclave, at least ten were of noble stock. Of these, three candidates were selected to lead over the new lands of Halengard. Although the specifics were later lost to history, it was known that the system of elective monarchy was established at the first conclave. This system meant that Halengard would never go on to develop the splendour and grandeur that West Astrian nations often afforded their royal courts, and would later influence the meritocratic society that characterised the late-Halesche culture.
The establishment of the conclaves brought with them the benefits of co-operation, and with the rise in population over the next few decades came an emergence of huge cities, substantial migration from border hamlets to the cities as well as agrarian revolutions brought by eastern traders. Halengard enjoyed a brief period of stability during these few decades, but in 1233 C.E was faced with the greatest warband it had ever seen.
As part of The Great Ride, a period of Orcish aggression previously unseen on Esria, the nation was set upon by vast hordes of Orcs, its border villages pillaged, raped and burnt to the ground. The monarch was beheaded and paraded through Lanskroun city, which was then itself put to the sword and burnt. Yet, with nowhere else to go, the city of Moldauthein stood firm.
Records of the period were spotty and the details were never clear given the vast amounts of information destroyed by Orcish raids, but it is known that Halengard survived, albeit through great sacrifice. Through the tenacity of its people and pure hatred, it spent the next century rebuilding. Fear turned into determination, and the people of Halengard began to detest the Orc. It was during this period that black steel was unearthed and studied.
=== The Black Chalice ===
In 1364 C.E, north of Lanskroun, researchers and archaeologists under Brother Oskar Liebwin unearthed a series of burial chambers. Inside the tomb the research teams unearthed multiple burial mounds, and the skeletons of what was later ascertained to be Humans of the Arcane Era within. No riches were found, but significant amounts of cultural wealth were discovered and later moved. In the main chamber, where the remains of a great king were interred, teams discovered scenes of a struggle. Four skeletons were found dismembered in various parts of the chamber, and another was found clutching a rusted sword rammed through the center of the burial casket. Various alembics and broken glassware were also found around the room. It was recorded that upon opening the burial casket, no body was found inside.
Researchers also uncovered an artifact in the antechamber of the last room. A small, blackened metal Chalice was discovered to have great magical potential. The significant discovery was enough to bring the King of Halengard, who rode with the court bishop to observe the phenomenon. Despite the magic of the world fading, the chalice was found to emanate a great aura, and was seized by the King. It was taken back to Moldauthein, where it sat dormant for another eight years.
After the end of the Long Night, the magics contained within the artifact began to release. Unlike anything that had ever been recorded by the Church in years prior, the chalice was reported to be flowing with raw, unbridled forces previously unseen by the people of Halengard. Attempts to channel different kinds of magic through it were initially unsuccessful. It was not until a teacher of the Emberstrand College of Magic visited Halengard that the chalice was found to conduct mana. Studies into the artifact showed that it was outputting a new kind of magic that had never been recorded in the books of the Church, or by the college. Despite offers, and later demands from the Vesryne establishment, the artifact was seized by the King of Halengard, Havel Reingard.
The greatest wizards of Halengard were called to Moldauthein, and there they conducted great experiments to discover the martial potential of the artifact. At the same time, the craftsmen of Lanskroun had discovered the phenomenon of meteorite ores from the people of Eskaya. They were melted down using alchemy in order to create meteorite leaf, an applicable liquid form of the ore that could be used to decorate. Upon realising the inherent conductive qualities of meteorite and its use in Western Astria to create wand-like weapons, the craftsmen of Lanskroun began their own experiments. Although they could never match the craftsmanship of experienced Leobische guildmen who had been using the ore for years, they were successfully able to apply the meteorite into a brutally efficient form of casting and permanently maintaining a magic spell through seals.
The abilities of the Black Chalice were later discovered by complete chance. On the night of November 21st, 1392, onlookers were astonished by a local blacksmith's armour display being trashed by what looked to be an invisible force, and an animated suit of armour was snatched off the street by local guards. Investigations into the incident revealed that one of the court wizards who had died of old age the night before had been bound into the decorative meteorite seal of the armour, allowing him to control it. His body had already been transferred to the local graveyard, but at the same time wizards of the court who were conducting investigations of the Chalice had channeled magics into it, binding his soul and presence of mind to the nearest meteorite seal. Confused and legless, the man-turned-armour had stumbled and clattered across the street before being picked up by men of the King.
=== The Order of the Chalice ===
By 1394 the secrets of the Chalice had finally been illuminated. Previous victims of the seal binding rituals were given peace to move on and the seals were destroyed. Decrees were sent out to the crafters nationwide banning the usage of meteorite in creating magical seals, and King Havel Reingard summoned the great wizards once more to his throne at Moldauthein. There they were inducted as the first members of the Order of the Chalice, the martial order that would later go on to be feared by the enemies of the Church.
King Havel granted them the realm of Helden, a previously destroyed region on the southern border of Halengard known for its inhospitable nature. There, between burnt grass, destroyed hamlets and craggy rocks they founded the fortress of Heldenbrecht out of the rocks.
In 1398, the Order fortified the crags there into a mountainous citadel of great height. There it watched over the southern borders, armed to the teeth with grand ballistae, trebuchet and mangonels across its great structures. From it, the Order of the Chalice conducted their raids into steppe territories, citing the forceful penance of the Orcs as their goal. Finally, after centuries of Orcish dominance, the foundation of the Order and their fortress at Heldenbrecht signalled a new period of aggression.
Human aggression.
=== The Legend of the Maiden Lost ===
A tale that later became popular amongst the people of Halengard was the Tale of the Maiden Lost, accounting the birth and ascension of Albina Helferich. The legend went told of the hamlet of Vykopal, one of the furthest expansions into steppe land that the Halesche founded. Set on the borders of the northern Orcish Dschingur dynasty, far from the grand lands surrounding Khurgai Beyenchur, the settlers eked out a quiet existence away from the domineering watch of Heldenbrecht, and away from the notice of the Orcs. Although the men and women of the settlement had long since given up their dreams of a grand migration as their ancestors once did, they still held the dream of a civilised steppe city, and so managed to stay under the watchful gaze of the Orcs for decades.
In 1401 B.E, the settlement was attacked and destroyed by a warband under the Warchief Udutai Dschingur. Although it was heading northwards towards Halengard proper, the scouts had spotted the hamlet by random chance after a horse had broken free and fled in that direction. After a brief battle in the village, the people were raped and slaughtered. What farm animals that were still of use were seized and added to the warchief's stock, and the village was put to the torch. 
In this chaos, at fifteen years of age, the legendary future Queen of Halengard, Albina Helferich, watched as her father was cut down by a war axe, and continued to watch as his head was cut off and placed in a saddlebag. Her mother faced the same fate, but not before being violated first. Lastly, the son of the Warchief came to her. Although often removed from the stories told by the bards, the popular legend tells that she too was violated, yet she was not killed, for she managed to take the Orc in a moment of surprise. Using her father's sword grabbed not far from where his body still lay, she injured her captor.
The Orc was not deterred by the first blow, nor the second, but by the time he was ripping her right eye out of its socket, she had cut across him with a third slash which laid him low. It was often embellished that in his death throes he cried out in fear, though to those who fought the Orcs on the southern border it was dismissed as typical bardish showmanship. The version passed around the fires of Halesche soldiers continued on from this point, stating that Albina made her way halfway across the wastes before eventually fainting from any combination of exhaustion, blood loss and dehydration. The legend often recounted that she was found by a man some knew as a caravan guard. In other versions the man was replaced by a being representing destiny. Regardless of the version, it was known that she was saved and taken north to Heldenbrecht, where she convalesced. 
=== Fortress Heldenbrecht ===
Whether or not the tale was true, the Maiden went on to become one of the most infamous warriors of Halengard. At sixteen years of age she was awarded her knightly spurs and blessed by the Church of the East for her martial prowess. At that early age she was accepted into the Order of the Chalice. Thereafter known as Lady Albina, she was also awarded lands north of Helden, which she used to drum up soldiers to her cause. Lured by the legend and by promise of gold, but also by the promise of Orcish blood, she raised a great force that was further bolstered by the nobles of the Reingard, the Klaber and the Everard families.
On the day of the 11th Conclave, Albina Helferich led her great host not to the conclave at Moldauthein, but to the fortress of Heldenbrecht. There she declared herself the sole leader capable of leading Halengard. Despite the audacity of her claims, the dramatic manner in which she asserted them spread her name even further across the nation. By now, she had cultivated a reputation for herself which was hard to resist. By the end of the week, the 11th Conclave had chosen a new Queen of Halengard.
The promises sworn by Albina Helferich on that day later went on to become the drafts for her first decree, aptly known under the popular term 'Fortress Heldenbrecht'. The creation of border infrastructure and the commissioning of the Lanskroun and Moldauthein guilds signalled the beginning of a great era of warfare.
=== The Bloody Hand of Helferich ===
In 1417, Queen Albina Helferich began preparations for a retaliatory attack on Akhatai. Although popular support from within Halengard was high, she sent ambassadors to the nearby Kingdoms of Wiecza, Eskaya and Artava. Citing the common bonds of faith between the four countries, she received formal support from all three, with extra troops and supplies being massed in Lanskroun. Within the next three years, she rode from the throne of Moldauthein with a vast army, beginning the the formal period of war known thereafter as the First Halesche Crusade. Hundreds of thousands of aspirants from the Church of the East, and some from the Church of the Heavens, with multiple armies comprised of commoners and nobles alike from across Septist lands, and foreign mercenaries from further afield all made up parts of the host. Estimates at the time included the hulking animated armours of the Order of the Chalice.
The north-western Goblin kingdoms of Nuul Khur and Nuul Grom were attacked and destroyed outright. Cutting a bloody swathe across most of the land, the Orcs soon grew to recognise and fear the Bloody Hand of Helferich. The banner of the army was simple, yet effective. A large blanket made up of tanned, stretched and sewn Orc skins drawn across a crude wooden frame. As the army marched, the number of these banners grew. The large northern lands of Akhatai were captured and distributed to Septist rulers, effectively ending the war and solidifying Halengard as a major power.