Haelwyd

Map of Haelwyd

### Exports

food, livestock, crops, fruits, fine cuisine, culinary recipes, alcoholic beverages

### Allied Countries

Aiur (Informal), Cathais (Informal), Brennon (Informal)

## Common Knowledge

Haelwyd is an idyllic, hilly paradise in western Orelisle, home to many revelrous hobbits. Scholars of soul magic may also know about its prestigious Soul Academy.

## Topography and Climate

Haelwyd is a heavily grassy region, dominated by countless hills and valleys with only the occasional deciduous or pine forest in between. A dense forest occupies much of its eastern border.

## Population

Haelwyd has the highest concentration of hobbits in western Orelisle, with gnomes coming at a very distant second place, but their kindly nature ensures that just about any kind of person can be found in the area if one looks long enough.

## Exports and Trades

Haelwyd’s main export is food; livestock, crops, fruits, fine cuisine, recipes thereof, and fine alcoholic beverages flow from their trade routes like milk. Most of its denizens are farmers of some variety, or otherwise work with food and its preparation.

## Government

Haelwyd functions on a pure oligarchy. Various noble families have divided up the nation amongst themselves, establishing themselves as lords and ladies of different regions. The peasantry who work the land surrounding each noble estate send a tax of raw goods and currency to their province’s lording family, and the lord in turn offers them protection with their private guards. Different nobles may institute different laws than those of their neighbors, but most of them keep things roughly similar.

## Military

Haelwyd lacks a traditional military structure, much as it does a central government. Instead, each noble family assigns their private guards, who could be knights trained from birth for their role, hired mercenaries, or former military personnel from other nations, as they see fit.

Haelwyd’s only natural defense is the forest on its eastern border. All in all, it is a very poorly-protected nation, but it has miraculously never come under threat by a foreign power.

## Social Hierarchy and Culture

The culture of Haelwyd reflects the attitudes of the hobbits: eat, drink, and be merry. Good drink, hot meals, and warm beds are in many ways central tenets of their lifestyle. Any major developments on their part are usually in advancement of this goal.

They value a good story as much as they do good company, and as such welcome any outsiders who grace their doorsteps. Most Haelwydans value hospitality, and the handful of recluses who do not often still respect the tradition thereof.

### Haelwyd Soul Academy

One of the only real institutions that exists in Haelwyd is the Haelwyd Soul Academy, a highly reclusive, knowledgeable, and powerful center of study for the soul and all related topics. Unlike some of its colleague institutions (such as the Amrali House of Healers), the Soul Academy does not publish research or magical rituals until it is absolutely certain of their veracity, and even then often waits years or even decades before publishing it in a manner available to outsiders.

The Soul Academy is one of the most reliable handlers of undead, especially ghosts. Though they forbid the practice of necromancy, past experiences with their members have taught the faculty that lack of study on the subject can prove dangerous. To that end the Academy has a labyrinthine storage system beneath its primary manor, holding many spectral undead in captivity for study. In the event that these entities need to be released for empirical research, there are two massive chambers which can be used as an arena. These arenas are sealed by massive doors, and their walls infused with leylines, silver, and salt.

The Academy has a leyline surrounding its surface facility, to prevent the escape or entrance of any undead.

### Celebrations and Holidays

The jovial inhabitants of Haelwyd have too many celebrations to count; harvest festivals, seasons’ beginnings, seasons’ ends, historical events, and so on. Its people will find any excuse to feast and be merry, or otherwise just invent an excuse.

## Cities, Towns, and Villages

### Bumbleford

A village near the northern border, within walking distance of Aiur. Has a trade agreement with the United Sanctuaries of Orelisle.

## Alliances

Haelwyd doesn’t have any formal alliances, and keeps mostly to itself. Some noble families may have trade deals with individual nations, but these tend to be rare. Despite this seeming apathy, Haelwyd is under partial protection from the nations it trades with, as they comprise much of their food supply. Anyone cutting off that supply risks a counter-invasion.

Haelwyd is not a member of the United Orelisian Council, both as a way to remain out of foreign affairs and to prevent infighting amongst nobility.

## Enemy Countries

Haelwyd has no enemy countries, and has somehow avoided the gaze of both the Aiurian and Brennosian militaries throughout its history.

## Founding and History

### ??? (9,319 A.B.)

Based on Cathais’ lore, we know that the nation of Haelwyd existed since at least 9,319 A.B.

### Asher Benfondt (C. 9,700 A.B., 10,018 A.B.)

In the 9,700’s, a member of the Soul Academy named Asher Benfondt began to pursue necromantic study. To this end, he kidnapped men, women, and children across Haelwyd, killed them, and bound their souls to this plane to conduct experiments on them. His activities were discovered, and members of the Soul Academy executed him. Knowing that his soul was too powerful to pass on, they imprisoned his spirit and the ashes of his body in a magically-sealed urn and turned the urn over to his family for safekeeping.

Centuries later, Erika Benfondt, a descendant of Asher unfamiliar with the importance of the urn, released his spirit and became possessed by his ghost. In the years to come, Asher would cause a great deal of heartache to Erika and her family, itching to return to his activities and escape back into the world. Though he was not personally responsible for this, many children of Haelwyd’s noble families began to go missing as Asher’s influence grew. Asher’s soul was finally put to rest by the Binturian Party in 10,018 A.B..

## Further Information

* Aiur
* Amrali Republic
* Benfondt Incident
* The Binturian Party
* Brennon
* Ghost
* Gnomes
* Hobbits
* Magic
* Soul