Helleda

One of the largest countries and superpowers on the planet, Helleda is primarily made up of large swathes of forest, planes, mountain ranges, and tundra. There are four main territories of Helleda: the Ekklesian Hills in the West, the rocky coastline, the Northern Territory, and the forest. While Djupr Nordir is technically it’s own settlement, the Helledans refer to it as the Northern Territory and consider it to be their land, however the land is so harsh that it was largely uninhabited for hundreds of years.

Traditions and style are largely a mixture Greek, Roman, Nordic, and general European.

Magic is banned within the country due to historical tensions, however, the capital city of Avalon happens to be a major crossing point of leylines.

# Geography

Helleda is an incredibly verdurous country, covered in large swathes of temperate and alpine forests. The country has a variety of natural defenses which have helped it prosper and grow with little conflict from external forces. For example, to the south the Granas Scar or Granas Canyon separate Detsong from Helleda almost completely, the crystalline canyon anywhere between one and two miles across in most places. Along the western border of the country leading up from the frozen north is a large mountain range that mostly houses the population of dragons and more so the Talpa population. The entire eastern border is entirely coastal, the ocean providing a natural border on that end as well. The northern border is entirely made up of the Northern Territory, a frozen land that is largely inhospitable for common folk.

As part of the invisible geography of Helleda, there is a large collection of leylines that run through Helleda with a convergence point underneath Avalon. The country itself is incredibly rich with magic due to these leylines, which help the soil be rich and the plants grow to a great, yet manageable degree. These leylines are a lot older than most, so while they don’t usually channel as much magical energy as the leylines of the Southern Wilds of Trioque, they are notable. Unlike most leylines, toward the east of Helleda there are visible structures to mark them known as the Queen’s Road.

The Queen’s Road, which was previously known as the King’s Road under previous monarchs, is an ancient road that is restricted to the military and nobility of Helleda. Most of the structure only exists within the central and eastern parts of Helleda and was constructed long ago in a time that is largely forgotten. These roads almost universally follow the leylines, weaving like rivers in the same way and rumor has it allow for faster travel through the country. They are elevated about 60-100 feet off the ground by large columns of presumably moss covered marble and stone, though most people don’t get too close to really look at it as the structures are imposing.

## Capital City: Avalon

The capital city of Avalon is located at the summit of Mount Avalon, a city that just breaches the cloud line at approximately 3,000 ft. The city is literally carved out of the mountain, the oldest structures being carved out of the mountain while other structures were built on top of the plateaued portions of the city. The tallest structure of the city is Castle Benizelos despite it belonging to the second royal dynasty (see Monarchy and Nobles section for further details) as it was carved out of the mountain after Castle Alexandria, which is the second tallest structure in Avalon.

Architecturally, the older, mountain carved structures resemble Ancient Greek architecture, while large newer buildings resemble that of Ancient Roman architecture. Smaller buildings such as residential or markets are cubiform and resemble the structures on the real world island of Santorini. Around Avalon there are 10,000 gargoyle statues, some carved into buildings as part of the original mountain structures though others were added later throughout the centuries.

In regards to the general layout of the city, Castle Benizelos rests at the western edge of the city while Castle Alexandria is toward the eastern side though more centrally located.

### Castle Benizelos

Belonging to the second and current royal dynasty of Helleda, Castle Benizelos stands roughly 300 ft at it's highest point, though on average stands at approximately 180 ft tall. A majority of the windows are stained glass, causing the setting sun to create a cascade of color. At the center of the castle there is a large atrium that makes up most of the space at ground level, this point being the exact point where the leylines converge. Inside the atrium is a verdant garden, well maintained and the pride and joy of the Benizelos family, some of the plants in the garden only existing there.

The castle took approximately 200 years to complete, building of which was completed in 946 AV.

### Castle Alexandria

The castle of the first dynasty of Helleda, Castle Alexandria still belongs to the Alexandria family (see Monarchy and Nobles section). The castle is the second tallest structure in Avalon, standing at 200 ft tall at it's highest point with an average height of it's towers being 160 ft. The castle has sustained damage over time, including the loss of its previously tower in the dragon attack of 717 AV.

The castle took approximately 120 years to complete due to a lack of resources and was completed in 674 AV, making the castle over 800 years old and one of the oldest structures in Avalon.

## Linguistics

One of the most diverse parts of Helleda is not only the amount of languages spoken in Helleda, but also the number of dialects there are of the Helledan native language, Helle. Helle itself can be broken down into three main dialects, though there are older unused dialects that can still be read today (the equivalent of Old and Middle English). The most widespread languages are Helle and Common.

Helle can be broken down into three main dialects which are known as Helle (sometimes referred to as Capital Tongue), Øderse, and Signal. The first of those dialects is the central dialect for the language, often spoken in the capital and derived at an earlier date (100-200 AV) from the old Øderborg common language of Øden whereas Øderse was derived from Øden starting approximately in 500 AV. Øderse is spoken mostly by those East of Avalon in the land that used to be Øderborg. Signal on the other hand was developed during the later part of the Alexandria dynasty, as a large portion of the Alexandria family by that point had developed Waardenburg Syndrome (which can effect hearing) and is an entirely nonverbal, hand gesture based dialect originally based off of the version of Helle being spoken at the time in the capital and adapted over time. While it is not a perfect match to the Helle that is spoken today (like how English and American Sign Language are not one for one), it is still commonly understood at a basic level by most Helledans.

Within the West, Dwarvish and Draconic are commonly spoken by those who live in the Ekklesian hills as they border both the Nerazdune Mountains and Cassan.

# History (in progress)

Helleda was previously an offshoot of the older Øderborg civilization that existed along the eastern coastline and somewhat into Djupr Nordir. While the Øderborg civilization was largely sea faring, the Helledans started off as a farming community in early years of the current era (AV, or Anno Viridi). They found the temperate forests to be much more sustainable and from there decided to continue moving westward toward the small collection of mountains that included Mount Avalon, upon which the capital was constructed later on.

This collection of mountains proved to be a proverbial jackpot, existing around a convergence of many major leylines. There was a large abundance of precious gems and metals in the mountains, the forests lusher and the soil prime for farming.

From there Helleda blossomed, people from outlying villages and other small communities gathering together. This included a merchant family, the Alexandrias. Over the span of a few hundred years, the Alexandria family gained power within Helleda, helping establish the city of Avalon and taking control of Helleda as the first royal dynasty. With centralized leadership, Helleda quickly grew in size, buying out Øderborg through means of a slow economic takeover.

With Øderborg becoming part of Helleda, the country was able to expand out to it's natural borders without much opposition.

## The Curse Upon the Land

In the year 715 AV, Crown Prince Irenaeus Alexandria met with the draconic princess Iormungand who was adopted from the Nerazdune Mountains of the west but raised in what remained of Øderborg at the time. Legend has it that while Iormungand fancied Irenaeus for a time, Irenaeus was rather uninterested, stringing her along and eventually deciding to marry another after ruining her reputation. In Iormungand's grief she transformed into something else entirely, a monster so hideous that no one could conceivably look at her. In her fury, she attacked Irenaeus at his wedding in 717 AV, burning the braid before completion (see marriage rituals). She was only consoled by the singing of Irenaeus's bride to-be. Once the song was done, Iormungand stole the bride and dug deep into the earth.

Years later in 752 AV, Iormungand emerged from the ground once more proclaiming that her slumber had ended, her heart broken, and that she would put a curse on the land as she wept, vowing that if the curse was broken she would destroy Helleda. That day, the eldest daughter of the Benizelos family found a golden mark upon her skin, making her the first of many sacrifices to come to Iormungand. From then on, every seven years whoever was cursed with the mark had to sing a song to Iormungand and be carried off by her to never be seen again, the mark then appearing on another the next day.

## The Benizelos Dynasty

After the blunder with princess Iormungand and the curse that befell the land, the Alexandria family slowly lost power and with a number of strategic marriages and social climbing over generations prior, the Benizelos family seized control of the throne after the crown princess of the Alexandrias was claimed by the curse. The Benizelos dynasty is the current dynasty to rule over Helleda and has ruled longer than that of the Alexandria dynasty.

## Northern Wars

There have been many wars for the control of the Northern Territory, Djupr Nordir. Whether against old Øderborg, the Talpa of Nerazdune, or later the Nymphs that were pushed to the North, this territory has been under constant struggle due to the natural economic resource of ice mining, as well as it being the only part direction where invaders to Helleda can easily cross over the border.

### The Arcane Plague and the Arcane War

In 1470 AV, King Lavrentis Benizelos declared that Nymphs were a pandemic on Helleda. While the Nymphs had always been feared for their magic and were often stigmatized for it, there was a natural swell of arcane energy along the leylines of the area over the better part of the 1400s, causing an uptick in Nymphs being born. Due to this tensions with the Nymphs rose and many were beginning to be cast out or had to endure acts of discrimination by crown, country, and their own fellow townsfolk. While prior to this magic had still been outlawed, it was not something that had been taken as seriously until the final years of the former king's (King Lavrentis's father's) reign.

The Nymphs began to seek refuge in the Northern Territory, which was at this point largely uninhabited due to it's brutal landscape. Groups began to form, a sort of pilgrimage beginning to happen. While most people were not terribly bothered by this King Lavrentis immediately saw it as a threat, closely monitoring the situation. This unfortunately became more dire for the Nymphs when in 1475 AV, King Lavrentis declared war on the Arcane Plague--a new threat that had begun to effect the continent of Trioque and to which he believed the Nymphs showed signs of. While many people share this belief still to do this day, the more explosive nature of the Nymph's magic is caused by the natural leylines and how magic manifests within Helleda.

At the start of the Arcane War, Nymphs began to be actively driven North to be isolated as if they were infected by the plague already. These conflicts grew less one-sided as the Helledan knights tried to push those who had already established towns in the Frozen North, but they were no match for the Helledan military until they became organized at the Battle for Brekka, when a group of powerful Nymphs formed a militia to defend the newly dubbed capital of the Frozen North. After a decisive victory the Nymphs begin to organize more effectively and fight back, a series of skirmishes establishing a true border with Helleda.

The war officially lasted ten years, ending in 1485 AV, the military weary and the conflict largely unpopular by this point. King Lavrentis Benizelos declares their efforts have vanquished the Arcane Plague.

# Economy

Helleda is an incredibly prosperous land, every inch of the land containing some form of tradable item. Vast forests allow for logging and plentiful construction materials, while the mines seem to be just as fortunate as those of the Nerazdune Mountains.

## Section

delete if not relevant

*[future categories -m]*

* Founding
* Monarchy and Nobles
* Population
* Marriage Traditions
* Trades - iron, crystals, wool, jewelry and fine metal crafts