Havil

Before the rapid decline of the Empire during “The Fall,” the Great Dam of Havil was a symbol of Imperial power and prosperity. “Havil” in the Ancient Imperial dialect is most closely translated to “Anvil” in modern Atlen. It’s main purpose was control over the Caeros during its flooding seasons, allowing the areas now known as the Free Banks to expand further and free up massive swathes of land for development and farming. A secondary function was the collection and refinement of Dust and other materials slowly eroding into the river from the Borro Mountains. This Micro-Dust would coalesce around the two central crystals, accumulating in size over the many millennia of the Empire, and carefully chipped away to provide some of the purest forms of Dust available within the Empire.

After “the Fall”, Havil became the host of a Primordial Grimm known as the Creep, a tendril-based Grimm whose heart lies in the deepest depths of the Dam. As Micro-Dust funneled through the Dam, the Creep fed off of it and grew stronger. For 600 years, Anicism forced the now highly centralized province of Atlas to avoid the growing threat due to the religion’s defeatist beliefs towards the Grimm. Thus the Creep went unchecked, slowly overtaking the damn and slipping its tendrils down the river bed as it followed the Caeros River into the Eastern Seas. Alone this creature was more than a threat; its corruption created Grimm from the shadows it cast, creating mayhem along the banks of Caeros. If that alone wasn’t enough, merely coming in contact with the tendrils would curse any living organism to a terrible fate – one of rapid and harsh mutation as the Grimm quickly overtook your body.

When Atlas consolidated its power in the 8th century, they began fighting the primordial Grimm that threatened their homes. As more and more Dust was acquired, new ways to combat The Creep were discovered. Ironically, it seemed its own power was also its weakness; the production and acquisition of Dust-infused weaponry grew over the next few generations, and the Creep retreated further and further back towards the Dam.

After removing the Creep from most of the Caeros River, plans for the future occupation of Havil were a serious topic of debate among the various nations of Marathon. Atlas, having made trade agreements with the city states of the Free Banks, justified their seizure of merchant lands near and around the Dam as a “reconquest”. However, with the emergence of the Gaelic tribes to the east and the formation of a tributary independence pact in the Southern Banks, tensions grew. Atlas needed the dam to negotiate with the “savages” and retain control over the region, and the eastern tribes – the Free Banks included – didn’t want their money going to a desperate rump state.

Eventually, mercenary organizations funded by those opposed to Atlen interference began to launch surprise raids and assaults on Havil and its surrounding outposts. The most notable group, The Free Rivers, even managed to raid an entire shipment of precious metals as it was traveling through the Dam. This soon spread beyond Havil and its personnel; anyone supporting Havil became a target of terrorist groups backed by Gaillan arms dealers and Free Bank merchants.

Despite these attacks, excavations of the main levels in Havil were underway. As more and more systems were uncovered and cleared of Creep, Atlas began bringing more systems online. Atlas also began to reintegrate Havil’s hydroelectric generators into their own systems, powering many of Atlas’s major cities and military bases. With this sudden overflow of power, the abandoned port city of Hyperion, finally cleared of the Creep after years of being overrun, saw a massive influx of Imperial denizens.

The Hyperion was originally one of the most wealthy cities in the Empire. As the retreat towards the core state of Atlas began, most thought Hyperion would continue to thrive as its close proximity to Havil and the Capital allowed Imperial forces to keep it secure – but time has shown otherwise. After almost 50 years, the people abandoned Hyperion and retreated deeper into Atlen territory.

With the Creep’s removal from the upper dam and the subsequent repowering of Havil’s systems, the abandoned city — frozen in time — started anew. Many citizens returned to the homes of their forefathers in hopes of restoring Hyperion’s glory. As the generators spun, the city streets flooded with settlers from across the kingdom. The city was once again a major Atlen shipyard, with all of Caeros at its benevolent, pearlescent mercy. But this greater control over the region would only worsen relations with Atlen subjects down the river; most notably, Gaillas and the Free Banks.

In 947, the Gaelic tribes, uniting themselves in opposition to the growing threat of Havil and the Hyperion, signed themselves into an alliance with a plethora of city-states along the Caeros river. As this alliance grew, Atlas began pressuring the Free Banks with threats of closing down the river via Havil in order to curb their aggression and force them to bend the knee. Nothing worked.

After years of Atlen aggression, the Free Armies of the Great River declared independence and began marching on the Dam. As Gaillan troops stormed Hyperion by land, the Free Banks and a jury-rigged Gaillan Fleet began to siege Havil and its surrounding outposts. For years the encirclement of Havil and the Hyperion continued, until one fateful morning in April of 982.

The Writ of Gerhard (transcribed):

Glory to Oren. The lieutenant has received a letter. We are ready. It is a strange invention. I do not know what evils lie within. We are not meant to understand. I fear its maker knows as little.

The device used by the tribes to demolish the Dam has since been lost to time; neither Atlas nor Gaillas recalls it. In fact, Gerhard’s log is the only mention of it — but regardless of its nature, Havil was destroyed, and the Hyperion was compromised. Since then, Gerhard and his band of sailors have since been declared MIA.

When the tribes were forced to demolish the Dam, the ensuing destruction would cause one of the worst floods in the river’s history. Gaelic forces vastly underestimated how much runoff actually fed into the river, and so as the months pressed on, entire cities were forced to evacuate. Thousands of acres of land would be ruined; livestock, farms, and even major ports were washed away seemingly overnight. This disaster would lead to the total recall of Free Bank forces from Atlas, leaving the tribes of Gaillas alone to hold the city alone. The Free Armies would continue this occupation of Havil, as well as Hyperion, until a major Atlen offensive would finally drive them out in the year 993. As the city fell, the tribal armies at Havil and its outposts were forced to retreat, lest they become surrounded.

After more than a decade of fighting off the tribes to the east, Atlas would find itself once again fighting what was left of the primordial Grimm deep within the lower levels of Havil. As the explosion rocked the foundations, more of the Creep was able to drive its way through the weakened soil and began spreading like wildfire. But this time, Atlas was prepared not only to take back their dam, but to finish off the foul beast within.

Several scouting parties later, the source of the Creep was discovered by a lone adventurer. Later known as the “Heart of Darkness”, it soon became the crown’s top priority as soldiers from across the kingdom plunged into the depths of Havil to rid it of the infestation. It would be almost a decade before the first Hunter fireteam, GLAS, would reach the Heart and strike the first blow against the monster, albeit unsuccessfully. After multiple failed attempts, one team would finally fell the Creep in 1040. But when fellow Hunters were sent to recover Fireteam SOAR, they were nowhere to be found, and to this day their remains have never been recovered.

With the Free Banks still reeling from the Caeros Flood, and Gaillas centered on securing its new sovereignty in Marathon, Atlas began the reconstruction of Havil. This time however, they would not allow such a fate to befall it again; it would be bigger, more secure, more efficient. As the engineers began to carve away the ruins, new plans were drawn up. The Havil was to become not just a symbol of control, but an instrument of it. As technology changed, so did Havil. The walls were changed, from concrete to dust infused with steel. Parapets, entrenchments, and artillery emplacements dotted its enormous ramparts. Guarded by only the most veteran, equipped with only the best, second only to the defenses of the capital itself, Havil became more than a wall. It became a symbol.

25 years after the Creep’s death, Atlen scientists finally discovered the secret of Havil. Covered by the Heart, the Micro-Dust filters were used to feed it continuously. These filters were found to produce minute quantities of pure dust as the water flowed over the dam – this was a complete game-changer for Atlas, making many of its Dust imports obsolete and further consolidating Atlen power within the region.

Soon after the reintroduction of the Catalyst Crystals and the reintegration of the Micro-Filter, Havil’s future as one of Atlas’s most important relics was all but secured. As Hyperion worked the forges of Atlas along the Caeros, and with Havil to guard their back, Atlas become virtually unstoppable in the coming centuries.

In memory of the Dam’s completion, a writing by one of the soldiers to his King was emblazoned upon an iron plaque overlooking the valley below:

**Rise and fall, to rise again,**

**A phoenix upon a river; a sun upon a sea.**

**Here we will stand, here we are Havil,**

**And here we will sing everlasting victory.**

Currently, Havil serves as major bargaining chip in terms of military and economic might. Hyperion, lying in the shadow of Havil, is one of Atlas’s largest shipyards and the launching point of the Atlan Naval Forces, allowing for ample protection against the Gaelic Navy and the tributaries down-river. Access through Havil also forces the will of Atlas over the nation-states farther up the Caeros, as most every southern nation in Marathon depends on the river for their economy. Along with tolls and taxing certain goods, Atlas can demand tribute from anyone down-river, lest they be swallowed up in another flood.

You thought it would be another sentence about Havil, but it was me DIO!