Haneul

Physical Map of Haneul

Hanuel is a kingdom in Tirónar to the north of Duilintinn on the coast of the Eastern Sea. It is ruled by King Mark.

## Name Origin

Haneul is a roughly anglicized spelling of the Korean word for sky, heaven, and/or destiny. I thought it would be appropriate since Mark’s love of space is what inspired me to put the high, treeless plateau in his kingdom. The amazing view of the stars from this region would have naturally inspired the kingdom’s name. In addition, “destiny” matches quite nicely with Mark’s constant drive to be more and do more with the abilities and platform he has.

The actual spelling of Haneul looks like this: 하늘

## History

### Ancient Era

In Haneul, the time period before the Dragon War was mostly driven by a careful balancing act. Dragon culture originated in the rocky plateau of Haneul around the same time humans began to live in the region. The good news is that the dragons never considered their ground-based neighbors to be threats to their rapidly developing territorial culture, and often protected the humans living within their territory. The bad news is that land disputes between dragons were usually sudden and destructive, albeit short-lived.

The humans living in close proximity to these disputes soon developed contingency plans to protect themselves from their effects. Not only was this likely the origin of the "ready-for-anything" culture we see in modern Haneul, but these defenses allowed the people of this region to survive the Dragon War and rebuild in time to fend off the Waldren Occupation centuries later.

During the Dragon War, ships from the Island League sailed directly to the coast of Haneul to offer aid. While every offer was refused, the people of Haneul never forgot the daring, bravery, and selflessness of these acts.

After the Dragon War, the peoples of Haneul immediately began to investigate what remained of the devastation with paranoid determination. In addition to discovering that the dragons were seemingly extinct, they also found new people groups who were equally paranoid after decades of destruction. These encounters usually went the same way; after a brief stalemate where both parties would wait for the other to make a move, there would be an attempt to communicate with the other group. After quickly realizing that both parties spoke the language of the dragons, a truce would be called and the groups would immediately bond over the strange, dragon-less situation they found themselves in. There would still be plenty of tense moments where someone presumes a member of the other group has bad intentions, resulting in another standoff, but the destruction of the Dragon War had left everyone in a state of crisis. Most groups were not willing to risk a fight with limited resources and fighters that could wipe them out after surviving a century of fire from the skies, so these encounters usually ended peacefully, and often with agreements to help each other rebuild.

The results of this alliance between entirely disparate peoples, united only by a shared language and the question of "what the heck is going on?" are visible to this day. With conflicting government factions that simultaneously work together while clearly also out for their own ends and a king who either has no control over his subjects or the ability to herd them like sheep, it's only the ancestral awareness that danger could strike from the skies at any moment that prevents the insanity that is Haneul from falling into civil war.

In addition, during this cultural expansion, the people of the Island League had begun to return to the islands closer to the coast, where the Haneulians welcomed them with open arms out of respect for their past deeds. The Haneulians still bore an inexplicable aversion to the sea, while the sailors had no desire to be absorbed into a chaotic mainland culture, so the two "cultures" (i.e. two groups of a bazillion different cultures) instead became close allies. The newfound unity between the distinct cultures of the islands would set the stage for the creation of a confederation known as the "Island League," while the friendship with Haneul would ultimately prevent both groups from falling to the imperialism of the Waldren Occupation.

### Occupation Era

Haneul was mostly left alone by Waldren in the early days of the Waldren Occupation. This changed when, in 1227, after amassing an insane amount of wealth and spending large portions of it on ships, soldiers, and weaponry, Waldren finally attempted to take over Haneul.

Needless to say, it was a mistake.

As Waldren had initially feared, Haneul kicked Waldren's butt onto the curb. To make matters worse, Waldren's ships approached too close to the Island League during this invasion attack, prompting the pirates of the League to rob and torment the imperialist trade ships at every turn, both out of respect for their allies in Haneul and for some consistent profit and sport.

In response, Waldren attempted to take over the Island League. However, the merfolk of the Eastern Sea, who themselves were strong allies of the Island League, began to take issue with the swarms of boats coming through their territory up and down the coast. The nuisance that the merfolk made of themselves, combined with the superior seafaring abilities of the Island League and the military support from Haneul, ensured that Waldren wouldn't take over the islands and would remain easy pickings for the pirates.

Waldren was extremely stubborn and proud, refusing to admit defeat against both nations for nearly a century. This period was full of back-and-forth naval skirmishes, as the pirates of the Island League targetted Waldren ships and Waldren attempted to take one of the islands in response. With the maneuverability of the Island League's ships and the military prowess of Haneul, few of these skirmishes ended in "defeat" for Waldren. Instead, these battles resulted in a frustrating stalemate in which Waldren found themselves unable to catch the ships of the Island League, nor break through the defenses of Haneul.

When Halennor rose up against Waldren in 1445, Haneul and the Island League both lent their aid to the resistance movement. Despite its inability to defeat Haneul and the League in the past, Waldren spent several years depleting its ships and manpower in Lantraeth to the west and Duilintinn to the south in an attempt to quell this rebellion. Eventually, in 1453, Waldren was forced to admit defeat and retreat to its southern holdings. By 1500, Waldren had left the continent entirely.

### Modern Era

Haneul is currently led by King Mark. Listed below are reports on current events that have taken place in Haneul:

* Current Events, March 1614
* King Mark and Cults (September 1614)
* Chaotic Giving
* Current Events, October 1614
* Follow Up to October 1614: New Lords!
* News in Haneul (April 1615)
* King Mark and Captain Ethan Visit Merfolk (June 1615)
* Strange Tidings from the North (August 28, 1615)

## Government

### Politics

Feudalism. There are eight major nobles/noble families, each of which contributes a service or good to the king. Three of these nobles stand above the rest as the most powerful and influential in the kingdom. Though some of King Mark's vassals will attempt to take power from the other nobles. The tension between them checks the power of anyone who might seek to take power from the king himself. Each of the cities below is the urban center of each fiefdom in Hanuel.

#### The Manor

The Manor is led by Lord Dark. He took the role under mysterious circumstances and his true name is a closely guarded secret. He contributes physiological warfare techniques and espionage intel of the enemy's weaknesses to King Mark's military. Often uses the Jim family to his advantage, with or without their knowledge.

#### The Arsenal

Led by Lord Wilford Warfstache, formerly Lord William Barnum, The Arsenal contributes weapons and unpredictable field strategies to King Mark's military. It strikes first and asks questions later as a necessary counterpoint to the patient, calculating strategies of Lord Dark and the Lords Google.

#### The Council

The Lords Google, a band of nearly identical brothers, lead their fiefdom in complete unison. The Council contributes scientific, technological, and tactical advantages to King Mark's military. The Council believes the other two major nobles of King Mark's military are redundant, unnecessary, and underfoot.

#### The Crevasse

The Crevasse is led by Lord Harold Darrensworth and names for the ravine where it is located. he rules his fiefdom with an iron fist as the sole judge, jury, and executioner. Many who desire security from the chaotic nature of Mark's Kingdom take shelter in his land. Lord Harold's agents will contain any hint of the chaos that sweeps the remainder of the kingdom by any means possible. The Crevasse maintains the massive dungeon facility for the many strange threats that attack Mark's Kingdom.

As of October 1614, the Crevasse has been led by a scrappy fellow by the name of Yancy. A previous inmate of the region’s dungeons who refused to leave after serving his time, King Mark deigned to grant him a leadership role instead. While the previous leader, Lord Harold Darrensworth, had not been officially relieved of duty, he had not been seen in over a year by the time of Yancy’s appointment, and some suspect he may have died. Unlike Lord Darrensworth- who ruled his fiefdom with an iron fist as the sole judge, jury, and executioner and whose agents would contain any hint of the chaos that sweeps the remainder of the kingdom by any means possible- Lord Yancy maintains a more open-handed approach to preserving the peace in the region, primarily focusing on maintaining the region’s isolation from the chaos outside of the ravine.

#### The Jims

The Jims is led by the Jim family dynasty. They provide scouts, reconnaissance, and general information in wartime and civil contexts. They're everywhere, know all, and see all. However, they rarely interpret and/or share their discoveries in a coherent manner. Whether this is a chaotic form of data encryption or general incompetence is up for debate, but the people of Mark's Kingdom have grown accustomed to reading between the lines of these strange reports. Few secrets are safe from their investigations, often preventing ambitious nobles from plotting against the others.

Despite being the leaders of a distinct region of Haneul, no one is actually sure where the Jim family lives. Or who the head of their family is. Or how many members of the family there even are. Of course, you can see a Jim around nearly every corner in the city itself, but there’s no evidence of an estate where the large family would live. Rumor has it that the Jim family lives in an underground tunnel system with innumerable secret entrances and exits. This would explain why the Jims seem to be everywhere all at once, but the reason this rumor took hold was more due to the mental image of the Jims popping out of the grasslands like rabbits rather than any logic behind the theory.

However, the rumor isn't entirely wrong either. There are tunnels underneath Haneul, just like those found in Tandeli. These tunnels are dwarven in origin and were originally an extension of the dwarven cities that exist deep beneath the large mountain range in the center of Tirónar. However, the Dragon War that decimated the continent had a literal impact on those underground as well. As a result, the tunnels closer to the surface (i.e. those without mountains acting as insulation) suffered a number of cave-ins. In the aftermath, the dwarves sealed off any tunnels that weren’t directly beneath the mountains. Of course, humans would later discover these tunnels, sometimes expanding them through mining or general curiosity. However, these tunnels are completely unmapped, theoretically crisscross beneath the entire continent, and are now home to many wild animals, so explore with caution.

In October 1615, an adventurer named Illinois was appointed a lord... but no one is entirely sure what his job is. Everyone agrees that Lord Illinois’s new duties have something to do with the secret tunnels populated by the Jims, but that’s all we know for certain. Rumor has it that Illinois simply stumbled upon the secret tunnels, and was given a title and the ability to explore them in exchange for his silence...

#### The Warehouse

The Warehouse is led by the Derekson family dynasty, even after most of the family line was killed in a horrible tragedy. The family patriarch has a tight hold on both his trade monopoly and his remaining heir. Many other nobles will find underhand ways to trade without the Dereksons' involvement. The remaining Derekson boy is far better liked than his father, though few expect him to take up the family legacy.

In recent years, the Warehouse and the Dereksons have lost most of their power and authority over Haneul’s international trade. Though still a ruling force in name, most of the kingdom’s international trade has been taken over by Captain Magnum, a new lord appointed over Haneul’s waters  in October 1614.

#### The Crash

The Crash is led by Lord Bing and is named for the waterfall nearby. This small fiefdom is generally derided as weak and immature by the other nobles, in part due to Lord bing's overbearing desire for the popularity and his unabashed interest in using magical sciences to reach the same power command by the other fiefdoms, especially the other Lords Google. He mostly provides entertainment to the kingdom (sometimes unintentionally), though his awareness of the more trivial aspects of the kingdom's culture makes his advice useful at times. Not that the other nobles would ever admit it.

#### The Great Tree

The Great Tree is led by a man called "King of the Squirrels" by his vassals; nobody knows his real name, or even if it exists. In formal settings, he's known as Lord King, but considering the chaos in Mark's kingdom, that formality rarely exists. He manages the agricultural and animal husbandry pursuits of mark's kingdom and is arguably the least ambitious and/or power-hungry than the rest of King Mark's vassals.

The Great Tree itself is literally a massive, petrified tree on the eastern edge of the forest. The main halls where the “King of the Squirrels” holds his court are built and carved into the ancient, hardened bark of this huge tree.  The major population center of Lord King’s fiefdom is built in a half-circle around this tree, spreading outwards towards the coast before spreading out into small villages and towns. The tree itself has been dead for centuries, if not longer. It was most likely petrified under the eroding sediment that created the plateau, uncovered by wind, rain, or bodies of water thousands of years later, and then surrounded by the new forest that grew up around the region. The tree itself is larger than any other tree in the forest, and bears little resemblance to its living, deciduous neighbors. Other petrified logs and stumps have also been found scattered throughout the forest, but only one intact, standing tree.

#### The Sea

In October 1614, a new government position was made with jurisdiction over the seafaring affairs of Haneul, most likely due to the growing alliance between Haneul and the Island League. This role was given to a ship captain named Captain Magnum and has largely taken over the trade authority previously held by the Derekson family of The Warehouse.

### Military

The military in the kingdom is absolutely all-encompassing. Everyone is trained in some sort of combat from childhood and weapons are common gifts during rites of passage. The nobles are supposed to organize these armed commoners into civilian militias during the times of war and chaos, but few actually do so. In most cases, the masses are let loose upon the most recent threat at the urging of King Mark, to astonishingly consistent success. Masked monsters, kick cult, that one time some maniacs staged a battle to the death that encompassed the whole kingdom (jury's still out whether that was actually a threat or a weird flash mob), and many more fiendish invaders have all been pushed back and survived by the chaotic might of King Mark's military kingdom.

King Mark of Haneul has a very unique polearm. For those of you who don’t know, a polearm is any type of weapon with a pointy bit at the end of a long shaft, such as lances and spears.  It’s extremely versatile, able to be used in close quarters combat while providing the user with more range than the average swordsman. In large groups, polearms can be used in formation to great effect in both offensive and defensive scenarios. King Mark’s polearm is particularly unique, as is his fighting style. No one is entirely sure just how many different ways one could wield the Haneulian King’s signature weapon, but King Mark seems to find a new way to fight with it with each new battle (all hail the wielder of the tactical shovel). Most of Haneul’s army utilizes the normal variants of this weapon as well, although in a much more typical context.

## Geography

The kingdom has two major regions; the highland plateau to the west and the lowland coastal plains to the east. Three rivers divide the kingdom; a fast-running one cutting a ravine in the north, a slow-moving one fed by dozens of small streams in the center, and one in the south that flows steadily towards a forested water basin.

In the northwest, dozens of small streams and rivers have carved the Gyedan  (계단) Mountains (in the Common Tongue: “The Edge”), the Yong Sanmaeg (용 산맥) mountains (in the Common Tongue: “The Winged Peaks”), and parts of the plateau of this region into a maze of sharp crags and ravines. The Manor can be found near this region. Slightly further south, King Mark’s capital city lies in the well-irrigated region where many of the streams meet into the central river that flows through the kingdom. Just downriver, The Arsenal sits at the edge of the plateau. This region was the original native habitat of the Dragons before their expansion and eventual extinction.

In the northeast, a rapid river has carved a large ravine out of the rocks before the Winged Peaks to the north. The Crevasse and its impenetrable dungeons are shielded within. Along the coast, windy plains with scruffy plant-life and a few stubby trees contain The Jims. These plains are pasture grounds for lowland sheep and goat herds

In the southwest, the beginnings of a ravine are slowly being worn away by the river travel down the Gyedan  (계단) Mountains (in the Common Tongue: “The Edge”) and over the plateau, but the rest of the area is far flatter and less eroded than in the north. Lots of moss and lichens grow here, and The Council holds court near the ravine. The Crash sits downstream, just before the river flows down a waterfall into the plains to the east. The flatter highland plains are home to multiple species of highland sheep and goats.

In the southeast, a deciduous forest grows in relative shelter from the ceaseless winds of the plateau and coastline. The area is full of diverse forest life, all managed by the leader in The Great Tree. Slightly to the north, The Warehouse sits at the wide banks of the central river, close enough to the coast that ships can still travel up the river before it becomes to shallow. Most of the non-forested region is similar to the northern portion of the coastal plain, with trees growing thinner and sparser the further north you travel.

There’s a mountain pass into Haneul through the Dungjisan (둥지산) mountains (In the Common Tongue: “Northern Mountains”) by the source of Duilintinn's Pa'Gille River and Agrona River, accessible via Duilintinn's Agrona Bastion. It’s incredibly difficult to navigate, especially with any sort of heavy cargo. Only messengers between the two kingdoms consistently use this route through the mountains, and even then, it’s usually still more efficient to travel by sea like everyone else. However, during the winter, when the coast of Duilintinn is wracked with devastating storms that prevent any ships from leaving or entering the harbor without serious risk of being dashed upon the rocks, the mountain pass is actually a safer route between Haneul and Duilintinn, despite the snow and hazardous conditions.

### Climate

Cold to mild highland climate in the west, with slightly warmer temperatures in the east. It is very windy. The climate as a whole gets colder the further north one travels, but the wind chill will fool many into thinking the entire kingdom is the same temperature.

### Flora and Fauna

Haneul and Duilintinn share a lot of mundane fauna, especially in the Southwest region of Haneul, due to animal migration over their shared mountain border. The paths between Haneul and Duilintinn over the Northern Mountains were discovered when people noticed these animals were somehow getting over the mountains, sometimes migrating back and forth.

Similarly, many varieties of magical fauna have crossed these mountains from Duilintinn into Haneul; a phenomenon that has likely contributed to Haneul's chaotic, paranoid culture of constant vigilance for strange and unnatural threats. The most well-known example of this phenomenon is Haneul's mimic population. These creatures were almost definitely an invasive species at one point, most likely coming from Duilintinn in the south. However, today they are a recognized element of Haneul's ecosystem. King Mark even keeps a domesticated mimic, affectionately nicknamed "Tiny Box Tim."

## Economy

Haneul exports military goods or services, as well as extremely capable experts in a variety of niche fields, and various textiles.

### Agriculture

The winds that blow over King Mark's kingdom make agriculture difficult, but not impossible. The strip of land running from the north to the south immediately before the land rises to form the plateau is the most fertile; the plateau's slope actually shelters it from the wind, allowing cereals like wheat and barley to grow. The southwestern forest extended further along this region before large swaths of it were cut down for lumber. Hunting is a major part of the kingdom's food production. In the highlands, falconry is a common method of hunting the small game hiding amidst the shrubs. Crops such as peanuts, corn, upland rice, and beans are grown in the highland region to the west. Seafood is also common along the coast.

### Science and Technology

All of the nations of Tirónar are at a relatively high level of ship tech due to the nature of the Eastern Sea. Namely, the fact that it's full of islands and weird storms and stuff. The reason that Tirónar went undiscovered for so long is that that's how long it took for other continents to figure out how to make boats that were maneuverable enough to navigate that part of the ocean! Since then, the ship tech that Waldren brought to Tirónar has been expanded upon enormously and, in some cases, adapted to fit other pre-existing ship tech in places like the Island League. This has allowed for trade between the nations of Tirónar to thrive, especially since it's incredibly difficult to cross between the mountains that form their inland borders (and even more difficult when you've got a lot of goods in the back of the cart!). While Haneul's shipbuilding skills are not on par with that of the Island League or Leyfel, their close alliance with the former more than makes up for it. Haneul's ships usually feature more weaponry and military capabilities than ships from other nations, most closely resembled by the similar features in Tandeli's navy.

### Transportation

Traveling internationally to and from Haneul is intense, but fairly simple. Haneul has an in-depth interrogation process you have to go through upon arrival to be vetted for entry. However, it's very rare that anyone gets turned away. It's just a lot of "WHO ARE YOU WHY ARE YOU HERE ARE YOU TRYING TO MURDER US ALL" and then when the person says no it's just "okay then... I trust you..."

Since the mountain path between Duilintinn and Haneul is formed and preserved by the annual migrations of animals over the mountains, this route is dangerous for different reasons depending on when you travel. You could either travel at the same time these animal migrations tend to happen, giving you a clearer path but more risk of wild animals, or avoid that time of year and the animals but have the path be less distinct.

## Demography

### Language

The common tongue is spoken throughout the kingdom and almost wiped out the ancestral language and script of the land entirely. Thankfully, recent trends are starting to bring back the use of this older language, especially the script, which resembles the real-world Korean script.

Most surnames in Haneul are a combination of two different words, i.e. Wren BaceSpider.

### Education

The education is incredibly rigorous, second only to military training. King Mark wants his people to be ready for any sort of threat that might be lurking over their shoulders, including those that require more brains than brawn to defeat. Education covers a wide variety of specific topics, allowing scholars to pursue niche interests from an early age. This provides the kingdom with an array of experts in every field imaginable. Mandatory education ends at age 16, slightly older than that of Duilintinn.

## Culture

### Architecture

Most populated areas in Haneul are organized around these big super strong fortresses, surrounded by smaller towns in a sort of urban sprawl. Each town has an academic school and a small training field with dedicated teachers for both.  As the sprawl continues outward, you get a lot of random training camps and outposts scattered around the edge.

The closer to the fortress you are, the higher the population density. People gravitated towards these fortresses because "oh these are the safe spots I want to be near here when stuff goes down,” causing communities to grow around them and spread outwards. Those who wanted the taste of chaos and adventure but also wanted to stay close to home and family and protect them will gravitate towards the edges of these sprawls, where they'd see more of the action and simultaneously form a sort of defensive perimeter for those seeking calm.

One of the notable aspects of Haneul's architecture and structure is how it's been cultivated specifically to fit Haneul's age-old chaotic tendencies, and these fortresses and the towns built strategically around them are one such example. This is very different from Duilintinn’s architecture, which features a bunch of smaller, isolated towns and communities that join together in name and identity but not in terms of physical location. Haneul was a kingdom that planned it's architecture/town layouts to reflect its culture; Duilintinn was a kingdom that adapted to an existing layout.

The architecture itself is very brutalist for the most part, built with precision and for strength, simplicity, and defense. Things get destroyed so often you want to have an architectural style that prevents that where it can and makes things easy to rebuild when you can't. Nothing too fancy because odds are that fancy architecture will be destroyed and all that work will be irreplaceable.

“Storming the Forts” is a Haneulian idiom meaning “to worry” or “to hide.” It’s a reference to the big forts in the center of most Haneulian population centers for when things get really crazy. It’s basically their version of the real-world English idiom of “bunker down,” which is a reference to waiting out dangerous situations in bunkers during wartime.

### Values and Attitudes

King Mark rules a military kingdom fundamentally oriented around vigilance and preparation between intermittent periods of pure chaos. One has to be smart, strong, and fast, because one never knows when chaos is about to break loose within the land. After all, while Duilintinn has to worry about the threat of a single, well-defined enemy stalking their borders, the dangers that haunt Mark's land are part of a very different ball game. In order to handle the chaos and paranoia that these threats cause, Mark's kingdom has developed a sort of cultural paradox.

In times of peace, the land is focused, strategic, prepared, and vigilant. Military training is part of everyday life for adults and children alike, with gifts of a weapon at almost every rite of passage. Citizens stay alert through constant reminders to not look over their shoulders. Academics are rigorous, all-encompassing, and mandatory until at least age 16 to prepare students for every possible situation. Dark humor and sarcasm combined with goofy levity in the face of danger are a cultural staple to cope with the impending doom and chaos the lurks around every corner, waiting to pounce upon anyone in order to bring death and destruction and demons and *more death-!*

In times of war, Mark's kingdom reacts with the chaotic force of a drunken bear. Except that bear has the advantage of advanced combat training, adrenaline built up from constant paranoia, and heaps of knowledge that may or may not be absolutely useless. There is no "watching" in King Mark's kingdom, only waiting and screaming. When the threat vanishes or is defeated, the kingdom returns to its vigilant muttering as if nothing had ever happened. Indeed, threats that break against the might of King Mark and his kingdom rarely return for a second round.

Although these conditions sound terrible, many citizens have taken it in stride and even thrive in the chaos of Mark's land. Others will seek refuge during times of danger and chaos in fortresses built throughout the kingdom. There, they will take comfort in the presence of their saner companions and wait until the threat passes, as the citizens believe it always does in the end.

More importantly, King Mark's passion to protect his people isn't always channeled through this chaos. Oftentimes, it's simply seen in the honest, genuine, and serious way he speaks to them. King Mark sees his people as equals who are all worth and able to take up arms and engage in dialogue amidst the sea of chaos that consumes his kingdom and the world as a whole. Much has been made of the differences between the leadership styles of King Mark and King Sean. King Sean sees a problem and says, "We'll get through this," while King Mark sees a problem and shouts incoherently while setting it on fire to assert dominance. Ultimately, however, both kings lead their people into a better an brighter future. For this reason, King Mark and his kingdom are staunch allies with King Sean and Duilintinn, and vice versa.

### Perspective on Magic

While there are a fair number of Fae Gardens in Haneul and magic itself is considered one of the factors in the constant chaos of the region, attempting to study and understand magic, especially for personal gain, is deemed ridiculous. Accidental magical powers that you just so happen to have can't really explain are fine; weirder stuff happens here all the time. This is why magical abilities of Lord Dark (who doesn't act like it's abnormal) and Lord Wilford (who clearly has no clue what he's doing half the time) are fine and acceptable, but Lord Bing's attempts to use magic are viewed as almost pathetic. Most mages in this kingdom are people with intense forces of will to begin with that unintentionally form into a magical focus. There are many unfocused mages in the kingdom as well, which simply adds to the madness.

Haneul’s stance on magic is intentionally disconnected with its stance on most other military and academic matters. With King Mark’s kingdom so focused on being prepared for any danger that crosses their path, between military training and rigorous academics, you’d think intensive magical studies would also be a natural highlight of Haneul’s culture, right?

And yet, that’s not the case. People who study magic are seen as ridiculous and compensating for something, while mages with powers they can’t really explain or control all the time are fine. It seems counterintuitive at first… but it actually makes a lot of sense.

In many ways, the culture of King Mark’s kingdom is all about believing in your own abilities and refusing to let anyone curb your style. This is a big reason why most of the nobles are allowed to do what they do and why the chaos of Haneul is the stuff of legend. The only reason it works is that the variety of chaotic natures inevitably balance each other out. For example, Lord Wilford forces Lord Dark and the Lords Google to take action instead of sitting on their butts, while Lord Harold’s chaotic obsession with The Law balances out the significantly less legally-inclined obsessions of literally just about everybody. That sort of thing.

This is a carefully maintained balance of disarray; too regulated and it will lose all of its character, but left completely alone, it would fall into destruction. Since the study of magic would inevitably lead to rules, laws, and greater administration on the matter, Haneul avoids such research like the plague. Scholars know about it, of course- information gets around in a vibrant trade network whether you like it or not- but they’re generally ignored and laughed at if they try to bring it up. Most people of Haneul just assume that, for every mage with unpredictable or dangerous abilities, there’s another mage out there who can repair or mitigate the damage. After all, that’s how most of their culture works; chaos balancing out chaos.

## Foreign Relations

### Known Allies

Duilintinn, Borrike, Grancinco, The Island League, and Halennor are all allied with Haneul.

### Public Opinion

Many people have a positive opinion on King Mark and Haneul. However, some wonder if he has allowed the chaos of his realm to go too far.

## Trivia

* In case you're not familiar, Haneul is the AU's representation of Markiplier's youtube channel.