Heraunwoja

**Heraunwoja**, later known as **Ataronoja** or **Ataroja** ("Old Heronoja", "Old Land of the Moon"), was the first version of Heronoja.

## History

See also: The Hrelvist Era

Heros led his people on a great ship out of a great war that ravaged his homeworld of Wosono. After several decades, they landed on the planet Jerde. Although it was also affected by the Reorganisation Wars and its genocides, Heros chose the Solburd peninsula as his new domain. He conquered it by helping the Rakolan natives defeat their tyrants, where they ruled together with his people. In fact, when the Rakolans and some Norse slaves found out that the "men of the stars" were more willing to help them rebuild, they took up weapons and fought for their new rulers.

Angered by the defeat of their people, such as the wasteful king of Solburd, some of the Norse states in the west waged war on Heronoja. Within a month, Heraunwoja was fully-fortified as a modernised country, though the alien technology used to propel the land into higher standards made it somewhat more advanced than the surrounding Norse nations, except for Rannar.

Several other nearby states welcomed Heraunwoja as a valuable ally, as it could sabotage the warmongers to prevent the reestablishment of the Rannarisk Empire. This alliance later fended off the superpowers of the Reorganisation Wars, preventing a great extermination from taking place.

At one point, some of the Reorganisation War empires attempted to invite Heronoja to their side, otherwise hiding a threat to destroy or enslave their country. Firstly, the Hvindari offered the Heronoi a place in their side as the "greatest of the master race". The Heronoi saw the Hvindari as no different than the Rannariskar foe in the west, so the Hvindari emissaries were refused and dragged out of the country. The emissaries yelled political and obscene slogans, cursing the Heronoi people as "subhumans".

Afterwards, some countries cursed the Heronoi as "communists" because some Heronoi women worship the rainbow goddess Ruonditai with blue hair. Amused by the allegations, the Fourth Red Front invited the Heronoi to convert to communism, but the Heronoi also rejected them. The Fourth Red Front then sent an army to arrest King Heros, but they were stopped halfway and expelled. Afterwards, it and the Hvindari invaded Heronoja, only to fight each other over who will enslave or kill the Heronoi, leading to their defeat.

Rukania also intervened, as its people were amused by the Heronoi resembling more like "frail little dolls" who managed to fight back. Some knights also fight alongside the Norse allies against the Terrans and Rannariskar, and the distant, ancient kingdom sent much supplies to help it and the surrounding Norse states rebuild after their victory.

Three hundred years after the founding of the kingdom, it and its Norse enemies were attacked by ice demons. Several Heronoi were sent north to investigate the source of the blizzard, and they were joined by a band of Norse warriors who were impressed by their ferocity against the ice demons.

## Military

The Lightning Guard were the elite guard of the Heronoi Royal Armed Forces. Each member is armed with a tall hammer molded after the Mjölnir. Some high-ranking guards also wielded axes on the backs of their hammers, and those were known as the Royal Executioners, sent to quickly slay dangerous enemies with hammer and blade.

## Society

See also: Ataranoi language

The Heronoi people are an extraterrestrial race of humanoid aliens. They look like blonde and blue-eyed Norsefolk, but their blood is flammable, their skin and hair can glow in the dark, and they suffer from a fear of winter, ice cream, and lunar eclipses.

Alongside the Heronoi people, the Rakolans and several Norse towns served alongside them as fellows. These two people were given equality and freedom as "brothers": however, the Norse among them were denounced as traitors, being the first to be targeted by the Norse kingdoms in the west in battle.

Many Gylharlings fell in love with the Heronoi, attracted by their beautiful faces and culture. The Heronoi, in turn, gladly welcomed the Gylharlings out of pity and love. A quarter of the Heronoi took in Gylharling husbands and wives.

Gylharlings had paler hair than Heronoi, while Heronoi can shine in the dark.

In Heronojan culture, if someone is so attractive, and he or she is also in love with you, you may only marry him or her after you make love to them. This was considered another kind of marriage, alongside the typical and more "moderate" marriage that was started before any children were produced as in other cultures. That was how hundreds of single Heronoi men and women took in Gylharling lovers. Both of those groups were so attracted to each other, that they did this to produce beautiful children to shower their love on. Eventually, the Gylharling mixed children were assimilated into the Heronoi race.

One tradition that was popular among Heronoi girls and women was dying their hair blue, to honour the goddess Ruonditai. Unfortunately, other Jerdiskar would mistake them from communist Earthling guerillas, even though those women were loyal to their king and their gods.

## Religion

See also: Heronoi mythology, Heronoi Norse glossary

The Heronoi practiced a polytheist religion, with Heros as the ruler of the gods. Alongside their indigenous pantheon, the Heronoi also venerate the deities of the Freyrgardians, an earlier people related to the Norse nations to the west. The most popular of these deities included Baldr and Freyr, whom they consider relatable due to icons of them having blonde hair.

## Diplomacy

While almost all the Norse states of former Rannar declared Heraunwoja as an enemy, several others brought it into their alliance: the Gylhar Federation, and the three mighty eastern kingdoms of Jadalor, Geltadal, and Efestia. The Gylharlings, a tormented race of blonde mutants, fell in love with the Heronoi because of their similar appearance and their rich culture.

Later, the free Norse who surrounded Heraunwoja regarded the strange new kingdom as a little blonde brother, compared to an adopted child who might learn the ways of the Norse. Some cartoons were notorious for having personified people. There, Heraunwoja is being shown as a stupid little boy who behaves like a caveperson, gnawing at objects and brushing his hair.

The Vozonid Empire also sent diplomats to establish trade between them and the Heronoi.

Rukania, a distant monarchy in the east, sent knights to aid the Heronoi-Norse alliance against waves of Terrans and Rannariskar. Later it provided more supplies to help it and its neighbours rebuild from the end of the invasions. Its people were mostly fascinated by that blonde alien race for their resemblance to dolls, resulting in a long age of friendship between the two kingdoms. The Heronoi henceforth commemorated this old friend as the "Morning Lands".

## Terminology

* Land of the Falling Star (Rukanian)
* Ljóstiland, Dollland (Rannariskar)
* Land of Dolls
* Aliens
* Soulless Ones (Norse)
* Pitiful Little Things (Norse)
* Little Blonde Child (Norse)
* Little Brother (Norse)
* Blondies (Norse)
* Stupid Boy (Norse)
* Barumje, \*Bjārobmillens (Terran, resembles something like "Barbieland") - very rude
* The Greeks (Terran)

## Trivia

* Anything from Heraunwoja is properly known as "Heronojan" or "Ataranoi".
* The axes in the Heronoi guards' hammers were inspired by Marvel Thor's weapon, Stormbreaker.