Castellan Heartlands

Current Flag of Castellan Heartlands

The **Castellan Heartlands** are centered at the heart of Alteniquian deserts and make up a large part of core Alteniquian territory and as such represent the cultural and industrial Holy Land of the Castellans. Made up of two metropolitan cities -Konushum and Nislewood accompanied with lesser outposts and towns with current Castellan minority such as: Fort Talin, Hurasemphey Outpost, Fairavon and Ersetu. Rich with history and culture, Heartlands represent the Castellans in a mighty light. The doctrine of Merso-Castellans (a subculture of tougher, less tolerant Castellans inhabiting Heartlands that greatly value their traditions and are highly supremacist) is mostly isolationist and disapproving of other cultures and as such the Heartlands region has been faced with plenty of turmoil throughout the many years of it's existence.
The governor of Castellan Heartlands is Grand Steward Crossfire with his right hand being Countess Fazen Castellan of Fort Castell.

## History of Heartlands

### Arrival of Castellans to Yimmu-Audal

The Castellans were one of the original human groups on Rathnir before the Human migrations took place. Originally stewards of castles and forts, they once held an ancient vast Kingdom that was regarded as one of the greatest human kingdoms on Rathnir that, alongside long-forgotten Mersonia, crushed the petty kingdoms and principilaties and brought civilizations under the Castellan fold. The false history now spreads the tale of Niedene being the original peoples of Rathnir and that humans came from Jagdas yet Castellan oral traditions and scriptures prove otherwise.

Following the Great Migration, The Kingdom of Castell collapsed, with the newcomers quickly hunting down and quickly dispatching the Castellan’s base of power in the North-Central Lands they had dwelt in for a millennium, the remaining Castellans would scatter throughout the world keeping their faiths and culture and passing on their beliefs and teachings from one generation to another. One such Family was the remaining members of the Royal Family of the Castellan, who passed their lineage and legacy down generations to another Skavier II, however, the Lineage would be broken and sadly lost after the Son Torben choose to marry a Idan-Ridu girl in the Monshil-Nak clan in Konushum, where they would choose to give up their culture, and adopt the culture of his Wife that of the Idan Ridu with them raising their son as a shepherd, the son who would later become Skavier Castellan III, grew up as a Proud Citizen as a citizen of Theios-Essukdal.

After interacting with the Guardian Prophet of the Orthodoxy, The Incarnate, Skavier would go on and travel around the world for years, gathering Castellans and bringing them into the city of Konushum. Slowly, news spread throughout Rathnir and a surge of ascendants of the old Castellans were regularly immigrating to the city of Konushum.

### Growth of Konushum & The First Golden Age

In result of the never-ending arrival of the Castellans, Konushum was forced to expand outwards, forming the provinces of Fairavon, Nislewood and Fort Talin. Each province held a specific role that was meant to be filled out: Fairavon - a quarry; Nislewood - a lumbertown; Fort Talin - steady fort. Notable people that arrived to Konushum at this time were: Crossfire of Jouquiwae (non-Castellan hired for mercenary work), Byzon Hardin of Fairavon (non-Castellan emigrant), Elegius (Military Architect), Lord Tobi of the Giants, Nizzles, Dimitri, Naiki and Jordyn "The Duck".

Skavier's power grew exponentially and his name grew famous within the lands of Yimmu-Audal, but he wasn't known to be a humble leader. Skavier was recognized amongst the Audalad nobelty as a manipulative overlord that had overly ambitious goals in mind, only beneficial to him and his people and at the expense of the Empire. Tensions grew, lack of communication and mutual dislike led to many accounts of petty conflict between the Castellans and Audalads & Idan-Ridu.

At it's highest peak, Konushum was equal to Urnu-Arrak (Great Capital of Yimmu Audal) in terms of sheer manpower, resources and gear. This point marks the slow decline of **The First Golden Age of Heartlands.**

### Downfall of Skavier's Reign

With the threat of the Castellan Uprising on the horizon, the Empress Mystic Audalad, along with BeaverDung of Idan-Ridu and their subordinates, worked toward reducing the Castellan influence in the region. A first notable event in the chain of Castellan losses soon to follow was the Rise and Independence of Fairavon led by none other than Byzon Hardin. An independent Fairavon, now abandoning it's old culture in favor of Idan, meant an evident decrease in ores and metals, alongside blocking the rest of the Konushum river. A decent size of Fairavon's populace was not happy with the decision but in due time people of Fairavon learned to coexist.

Slowly, threats of exile and expurgation of the Castellans were more and more common and the provinces of Nislewood and Fort Talin had no choice but to follow Fairavon and go independent, though they stayed loyal to their overlord. People of Konushum were facing massive prejudice and bias against them, and with a letter to Skavier from his firstborn son from the East who recently gained a Kingdom, an unanticipated outcome followed:

Skavier, along with most of the Castellans, decided to migrate to Sparwood and leave Konushum and provinces for Crossfire and several volonteers to govern. With his leave, Castellan hold over the nation crumbled and Castellans remained a minority, being a majority of population only in Konushum, Nislewood and Fort Talin.

### Heartlands as of today

The term "Heartlands" slowly gets mentioned more and more throughout the Castellan scriptures until it becomes an official term used by Castellan nobelty to describe a sizable region within core Yimmu-Audal as the origin of the majority of the populace. It's Grand Steward would remain Crossfire, who, althrough he preserved peace and stability, never went on to share his plans and goals with the rest of the region. He found repairing relations with Anoshphey and Yimmu-Audal as a whole unnecessary, as the damage has already been done. Still, the tensions, although still present, are much lower and Heartlands are far more stable under Crossfire's rule.

Recently, Crossfire appointed Fazen as the governor of Nislewood and his right hand. Rumors spread that a certain discovery may spike a new growth within the region, one that would be unsurpassed even by The First Golden Age, but facing a completely new direction & directed by Crossfire and his own ambitions.

Image depicts: Average Merso-Castellan inhabiting HeartlandsImage depicts: Konushum CanalImage depicts: Entrance to the Grand Castell district within Konushum