Halli

**Halli** is a city-state to the **far west** of Athena and **Halli City** is located between the mountains and as such is mostly obscured from sunlight during most of the day. Its location is intentional as the city of **Halli** was founded by a coven of vampires and a group of fleeing pirates who at first fought each other over the ruins but eventually agreed it would be better to live together peacefully rather than fight each other.  The surrounding lands consist of vast plains and forests perfect for agriculture and hunting.

Halli City is built upon a site of old ruins. An ancient artifact is housed within these ruins, but has been built over by the residents of the city.

## Geography

Situated in the western mountains of Athena, Halli is notable for its relative geographic safety. Additionally, and more noticeably to its locals, the mountains block a large amount of sunlight, leading to the city existing in relatively dim lighting throughout the day. Under these conditions Halli has become known throughout Athena for its very unique and regionally sought after plantlife. Among the traditional cave mosses and fungi, a variety of photoluminescent plant life grows natively within the area, shrouding the city with light. As much of the city is active during the night, these plants have become a vital necessity to life.

Following the natural curvature of the land, the buildings within Halli ascend up towards the peaks of the mountains nearby. However, much effort has been placed on building up the undercity as well, which exists in tunnels that descend into the mountain. Maintaining both the above-ground buildings, as well as the below-ground, has proven to be somewhat of a challenge, but one that the people of Halli undertake with honor in order to improve the lives of all types of its diverse population.

## Culture

Most strange about Halli is the collection of citizens that live within the city boundaries, which to most outside of the city would be rather surprised. Composed of a collection of Humans, Vampires, Damphyr, Werewolves, as well as the various other races that have since immigrated to the location, all parties involved live openly with each other, and even more surprisingly exist with great respect for each other.

Many observers would correctly tie this to the city’s origins, which started with warring pirate and vampire factions and eventually found relative peace coexisting. Thanks to the clear knowledge of what war brings to their people, the founders learned what fighting meant, and even more importantly what benefits cooperation held. This ties heavily into the democratically handled politics of the city-state, though it also pertains to even the common citizens within Halli, who see the benefits of having other types of people while maintaining a business.

As has been mentioned, the city never truly sleeps, and this comes heavily on the backbone of the humans and vampires, who trade off in the times of the day that they maintain business. At any point, travelers can find restaurants, inns, and stores open throughout the day and night, though the selection of goods might differ between the tastes of humans and vampires.

Thanks to the dual societies living together, a newfound societal status has been found for the offspring of both humans and vampires, with Dhampyr being revered within the city for their ability to exist with both traits of humans and vampires. Not only are they very sought after for governmental positions, they are actively encouraged, and Vampire/Human couples are not uncommonly found, with high expectations placed upon the children of said families.

This being said, the seeming utopia hasn’t always welcomed all sorts of people. Originally, there was a widespread hatred for those who carry lycanthropy within their blood. This has changed over time, with Lycanthropes now holding a position of security within the bounds of the city, though this was not always the case. To this day, many lycanthropes feel ostracized, and some even feel like outcasts, and active efforts have sprung up for better social acceptance for those afflicted.

## Politics

Cooperation is key within Halli, and in order to support all species and walks of life, a need for political input from all people was key. This took the form of a democratic process, with representatives of all walks of life participating actively within the government of the city-state.

Under the first full moon of each month, a meeting is held within the government hall in the undercity, where the representatives gather and discuss implementation of laws, current events, and other related topics. These meetings are vital to Halli, and have served as the main governing force for most of the history of the city-state.

Critical to the success of this form of governance is the Speaker, a position held by Lady Rhea Leora. Holding both a large amount of sway over the other representatives, as well as guiding the conversations towards success, the Speaker exists in order to facilitate conversation and make final decisions. While the one holding the position can be changed at any point with a vote, there has been practically no attempts at doing so, with the current speaker having held the position for centuries thanks to her beloved status within Halli.

Despite the new addition of the Lycanthrope representatives, joining the ranks of Vampire, Human, Craftsman, Merchant, and Military, the Lycanthrope party is largely underrepresented, though this is slowly changing.

## Military

Halli doesn’t boast a large military, with very little protections being necessary thanks to their strong natural boundaries. Despite this, what military force the city-state does have is very potent, with members boasting the strength of lycanthropes, the cunning of vampires, and the willpower of humans. As the region is very tied to hunting, most of the military are also skilled trackers, making escape nearly impossible for their enemies.

In recent history, Dhampyrs have been making an entrance, and have been pushed into a direct seat of power within the military, serving as an elite faction known as the “Sunwalkers” and protecting high ranking officials, as well as acting as peacekeepers within the city. While duties for these Dhampyr are not quite as extravagant as others, the position is well respected by the vast majority of citizens, and they are rewarded handsomely for holding said role in society.

## Religion & Customs

Being devout followers of Venatrix, with a city-spanning acceptance, much of her values can be found amongst the core principles of the population, woven into their very lifestyles. Not unsurprising is the focus on hunting within Halli, with elements of Venatrix’s humility meshing with big game hunting principles to create a love for the exotic and hard to acquire. These hunts often become ritualistic, or are tied to holidays, marking occasions where the people of Halli can band together to hunt prized targets and take their spoils home to celebrate together.

This doesn’t simply pertain to meat from rare beasts however, and even more disturbingly has cascaded into entertainment. Nightime Human hunts, while an older and rather rare form of capital punishment for the region, are not unheard of as a means of celebrating momentous holidays and turning points for the city. During some holidays, especially the harvest celebrations, those who have been condemned are let into the wilds to seek freedom, and to give thrill to those that would opt to hunt them down.

Despite the seemingly vicious environment, a vast majority of people within Halli are benevolent in nature. They are more than willing to help out a weary traveler in need, so long as they don’t disturb the environment around them.

## Local Fauna

Halli is home to a variety of species of phosphorescent fauna. This is largely thanks to the low levels of natural light that encapsulate the area. As most plants struggle to grow in this situation, many have grown to take its place.

### Goblin's Gold

A species of moss that glows a light green hue. It tends to grow looking like small feathery blades, and grows more plentifully in areas of darkness

### Halli Baubles

A flower known for its bubble-like petals that take a translucent blue color. Light passing through these petals are reflected within to provide the plant with the most sunlight possible. Some of the light reflected within the petals is refracted in the area around the flower.

The flower commonly grows in areas of medium to low light, and as a side effect often has plants that require large amounts of light growing nearby it, making it perfect as an added plant in greenhouses.

### Pyrelights

Another flower species local to Halli, and one well known as a result of the centrality to Halli events. While growing, the flower is notable for its long bladed petals that curl open, and feature colors of many varieties. The pollen associated with this species of flower glows a bright color, and spreads similarly to a dandelion, with gusts of wind blowing the pollen across the city.

The flower earned its name for the pollen spreading phenomenon, in which the floating pollen looks much like a series of fireflies flying through the air. Some would contradict this, saying the name refers to the firework-like shape the petals of the flower grow in.