Saihal

Saihal is a nation in Maligon

Halfling kingdom of forests and sprawling fortresses known for its proficient use of enchantment magic

Hinkipoole, Friston and hammrifen

Saihal is nestled between the high wall of Gesurb and the eastern mountains of Yoluger. Founded by northern Halflings just before the irongate war, the dense forest and the ancient fortresses intertwine like symbiotic beings. Its eastern boarder is defined by the flow of the river Torgil, and its western boarder was only defined by the standing stones of Oweib. It is a place of quiet darkness beneath its canopy and under the crumbling towers of the outermost wall of Gesurb. All of the inhabitants, halflings, firbolg, dwarves and other smaller minorities of folk have a pallid skintone from living under the forts and trees, often adorn themselves in dark colours to blend in with the bush, and because of some tragic history and insular customs have an attitude that has been considered dour.

Hinkipoole is the throne of Saihal, and it is for that reason alone that it has not been abandoned. A handful of years after being founded, a grand tower and some accompanying structures fell from the outskirts of Gesurb, no doubt some destruction from the irongate war raging within the walls. The fortress was young and not yet strong, and the causalities were devastating. The bulk of the tower remains, jutting out at an odd angle, broken over a deep fort buttress, statuary and brick work shattered across miles of the forest. The majority of the town was slowly moved to the east, and the tower was left to moss over and become part of the forest floor. The town as it exists now in the shadow of dangerous Gesurb is a muted place. The current queen is Fenleigh Amberhollow, a steely intelligent and beautiful halfling whose hand in marriage is the pursuit of other royals across maligon. The Amberhollow family introduced the communal living policies of Saihal, where all the bounties of the forest are placed in the centre of the fortress plaza and then divided by the ‘Crowner’ officials. Work begins early in the aethermorning and ends late into the night, most are fletchers, farriers, smiths and other small businesses designed to help the hunters of the forest that provide food to the communal plaza. The quiet and reserved Saihalians, especially those in Hinkipoole live and die by the adage ‘one starves, all starves.’

Travelling through Hinkipoole is difficult for those who do not know it. The ancient fort and the trees that wind are used as pathways, and you can see even the most elderly Halfling walking on suspended branches, tens of feet above the ground, stepping down onto a battlement and across an ancient portcullis as part of their daily errands. The more adventurous have even more shore footed shortcuts that run across almost impossible routes of trees and stonework. One of the other peculiar aspects of Hinkipoole is it’s preponderance for undead resurrection. Folk buried in the forest have a small chance of coming back, and when they do they may be hostile to the living. These can take the form of zombies, ghosts and even the most dangerous revenants. Hinkipoole does what it can to end these rare threats, but there is also a venerated local story of the previous queen of the Amberhollow family rising during the last great war, which will be elaborated on later.

In the centre of Saihal is the smaller town of friston, a square fortress with a patch of trees that have grown through the centre of it. Friston stretches deeps beneath the earth, not sterile dwarf like caves, but lush and bountiful underground flora and underground rivers that the people of Friston fish enormous trout from. Friston has an interesting cathedral to its south-most tip, a wooden stave that stretches two layers, similar from the exterior of the church in Offzeitkrom. While the external dedications are to Takamul, as one may expect, the church is covered in carvings and wooden statues that bare little resemblance to the cog goddesses faith as it is found across the cog. Dragons, hunched over crones, slender figures with gossamer wings, elven looking kings and queens and an elaborate carved symbol in the main hall with ancient elvish that resists translation. Takamul is scarcely seen in the interior, and the halfling priests seem touched with a bizarre, otherworldly magic. The pub of the town of Friston is single story wide slate building called the ‘Wing touched moon prince’ with an enigmatic sign of an elf like creature holding Acyn between his hands. The pub has been ran by the Keenseeker family since the town was founded, now Yarric Keenseeker seems to be the last of his line, as he seems incredibly advanced in age. Friston has a recent quirk of its younger generations that it shares with Ceterat, children born with antlers, horns and glimering skin of wild hues. Children are found sitting in circles in the deep forest listening to voices only they can hear. The Fristonners adhere to the communal policy, but with the priests of the elven temple take a share to be left in the forest to thank the spirits and ‘takamul’ that protects them in the seasons.

Hammrifen in the southernmost town, touching the sheer cliffs of the Yoluger mountains, where some of the Hammrifen inhabitants make their home, carved into the rock. Hammrifen is home to the most non-halflings of Saihal, as while still heavily forested, it doesn’t require the living within the roots and branches as much as Hinkipoole or some of the strange customs of Friston. The second largest demographic are the mineless dwarfs known as ‘shrub dwarves’ or ‘bramble dwarves’ living in the largest communities outside of the Yeroifox village of Jae. With the dwarves are some other immigrants from the merec wilderness and Yero tree forests, the firbolgs, who go by the clan name Saihalbarock. A Firbolg of the Saihalbarock is instantly recognisable to their kin, often pale, with ritual scarification and dark tattoos woven into beautiful patterns across their skin, adorned with beads and jewellery across their manes and facial hair. One of the dreams of an art collector across maligon is to gain one of the statues that the Saihalbarock make of etolik, their patron goddess for generations. These etolik statues are long wooden columns of the goddess in a bovine like form, facially like a more animalistic firbolg, each are inscribed with the pathways of the five moons over a cogyear, passing the body of the goddess, and when held to a full Acyn on certain nights of the year when she is most visible illuminates the column in a way that seems to have the goddess move. Obviously, The Saihalbarock are not likely to part with such a treasured item.

The dwarves and halflings of Hammrifren worship at a site near the communal food stores at the base of Yoluger. While the five goddesses are present, more-so than in friston, the walls of the mountain have been decorated with icons of the ancestors of the halfling and dwarves, much like the central chambers of Lumthonom but with friezes of halfling story telling along with the rocky faces of the dwarven heroes. This has had a tangible impact on Hammrfrien culture, as the defenders of the town can call upon the ancestor spirits they venerate for guidance, divination or even to attack their foes. The two pubs in town are called ‘grandfather’ owned by dwarven brewer Humul Brewalestone and ‘grandmother’ by the halfling family the Quickapples and it’s current head albert. Both are a fine place to listen to traditional music from either culture, enjoy story telling and for some races: try to survive the quality and proof of alcohol they serve.

During the last war, Saihal was asked to join the allied forces by Oweib, Trichstes and Behallow. Despite ibid the avowed being welcomed in Friston by the priests, negotiations went poorly, forever putting a wedge between the monarchs of Saihal and Behallow, who placed a curse on each other as is halfling tradition. Saihal found itself wedged between enemies, and unable to join the army of the bear. Despite the natural advantages of their land, the Saihalians were almost battered to breaking, with behallow and tritches adopting a brutal deforestation policy late into the conflict. It was only when the defenders were at their lowest that a crypt opened beneath Hinkipoole, and great great grandmother of Fenliegh Amberhollow, Gailavira ‘paleheart’ Amberhollow rose from the dead as a mighty commander and mobilized ancestor spirits, zombies, awakened trees and the fey from other realms to force the attackers to utterly retreat. It is unknown what happened to Ibid during this time, but the enigmatic lord of Oweib agreed a full surrender thereafter and when on to withdraw his support from the allied completely. While the official position of the amberhollow throne is that Gailavira returned to her slumber, there is legends of a mighty and unnaturally powerful unit of halfling knights that patrol the forest and protects the trees from the rest of maligon.

The fauna of Saihal is similar to the other dense forests of maligon, Owls, badgers, wild cats, elk, deer and wolves being common. In addition to these, the rare Saihal woodpecker with its distinctive grey stripes is used as an emblem of national design by Saihalians.