Hasteria Province

A rural province of the Azan Empire, it was once simply one of many, and of little note. But in the past century, it has found itself on the front lines of the expanding Witch-Elven Empire, and later the Gomorrah Breach.

Nowadays, it is almost abandoned of civilians, but companies of the Azan Army patrol the area and frequently skirmish against both succubi and witch-elves.

## History

Before being ruled by Azan, numerous families and dynasties ruled Hasteria, fashioning the title of King, although their fiefdoms seldom surpassed the size of a couple villages and forts. Hasteria was one of the last provinces to fall under Azan's yoke more than a thousand years ago. Straids VII of House Harn was the most powerful King at the time, and facing the threat of invasion, managed to do something that no other Hasterian king had managed to do so before him.

Calling a great council in his Castle of Olaphis, he amassed all the kings and lords of Hasteria, and proposed a temporary alliance until the Azaneese threat was expelled. According to legend, King Straids was said to have won ninety-nine out of his hundred battles against the Azaneese army, but in the final battle he was killed. His son and successor, Tristofer V, was not as successful as his father and the kingdom of Olaphis fell, and so did the rest of the independent realms of Hasteria, being incorporated into the Empire.

Initially, the victorious Azaneese made sure to split the power between the remaining families of Hasteria, stripping the previous powerful dynasties of any title, and crowning newly founded houses with the title of "Paramount Lord" over their respective areas. Due to being a relatively poor and backwards region, Azan did not have much presence in the area the centuries that followed, with only small garrisons and administrators left to keep things in order. For that reason, the local families schemed and quarelled against each other for generations, as if nothing had changed.

The years following Azan's decline, many of its northern and eastern provinces were subsequently abandoned, Hasteria included, due to internal issues and limited funds. This allowed the Paramount Lords, as well some of the ancient dynasties, to oportunistically wage war against each other, something they didn't have much chance to do under Azan's limited supervision.

The years that followed were as chaotic -if not more- as the pre-Azan era of Hasteria, with war wrecking the land, which ended up being the start of Hasteria's downfall. The rising nation of the Witch Elves to the east took advantage of the divided leadership amongst the Hasterians and the absence of Azaneese troops in the region, and planned their attacks. Even though it was mostly night raids and skirmishes, the eastern lords of Hasteria could not withold the Witch Elves for long and soon retreated further westwards, losing a good chunk of land to the Elves and their armies. As if it couldn't get worse, tensions between the Hasterians did not dissipate, and unlike their ancestors more than a millenium ago, this time they couldn't put each other's differences in order to face an external enemy.

Seeing this dramatic escalation and feeling the hot breath of the Witch Azan was quick to launch expeditions in the northeast, in order to reinforce and reclaim their former holdings. Although the Hasterians once repelled the Azaneese armies, this time they welcomed them with open hands, seeing as they were their only saving grace. The Witchelven advance was halted, and Azan used the opportunity to station a large garrison on the new eastern border, as long as build numerous forts and other defenses.

When things were finally looking bright and the Hasterians began to rebuild their country, the final nail in the coffin was put by the emergence of the Gomorrah Breach. Hordes of demons from the south and Witch Elves from the east swarmed the land, and many great battles occured. Although the Azaneese army, combined with the local Hasterian militias, eventually manage to repel the invaders, it was a pyrrhic victory at best. The majority of Hasteria was lost, the castles overrun, most of the lords slain and the land was burning, as the retreating Hasterians employed a scorched earth tactic.

Hasteria has ever since been reduced to a hollow shell, with most of its civilians abandoning it and fleeing to the west. It is regularly patrolled by the Azaneese army, which is the only thing that's keeping it from being completely overrun by the succubi.

## Government

The massive depopulation has been used as a way to motivate the troops, giving the abandoned lands to the soldiers’ families. It has reached the point of Hasteria being a province fully ruled and administrated by the azanese army, whenever it isn't being raided by the witch elves, that is.

Most of the (former) reigning families have fled to the west; to Oront and Azan, or to the south; towards Daligrad and the refugee city of Äelar'Ra. The only remaining family with any power that resides in Hasteria is House Vranmar, with Creighton the Mad reigning over Olaphis, the castle of the old kings. Olaphis stands towards the northern end of Olaphis, and is positioned between marshy terrain, built on the confluence of two large rivers. Olaphis is a three-sided castle, and on its west is a third side that faces a massive man-made ditch. In time of danger the sluice gates can be opened to fill a wide moat and leave the castle surrounded on all three sides by water, turning Olaphis into an island and leaving it practically unassailable. It commands a view of many leagues, and its hardy garrison and sturdy walls have made it impassable for any Witch Elves or demons... so far.

Creighton Vranmar has waged a war against the Witch Elves and the demons that roam his land -like his forefathers before him- killing them almost indiscriminately with no second thoughts whatsoever. Although they share a similar goal, he is cautious against the Azaneese, who he suspects are plotting to take over his castle once their nemesis is repelled.

Hasteria encompasses a region of plains, forests, hills, and endless rivers. The northern border to Stymphalia is full of swamps, the southern part of the region used to be full of plains and farmlands (and is now overrun by demons), while the east and western border is hilly, with rains almost all year round.

Hasteria never had any major cities, just small towns, such as Locerne, Mirrah and Durnhold. Most castles and former kingly and lordly halls are now gone and destroyed, or repurposed into Azaneese army holds, with the exception of the Castle of Olaphis, ruled by Creighton the Mad.

## Economy

Even during times of peace, Hasteria was never as populous as the heart of Azan, nor was it near as prosperous. Although it enjoyed a small period of wealth, before the Azaneese Civil War, where its main rivers that run across it were used for trading and the transport of goods between Azan's provinces. In times of peace fisherfolk in skiffs and grain barges pole downstream and merchants on floating ships sail on the rivers. With so much trade on the rivers, villagers would haul their grain and other goods to it to see it sold and carried elsewhere by the merchants. Wine was the main export of Hasteria.

## Religion

Between the conquest by Azan and now, the Hasterians adopted the Azaneese Faith, which they still practice. Some forms of worship dedicated to the old gods of the region have still survived, such as the building of small shrines dedicated to the goddess of fertility and agriculture - Meritele.

## Population

The only locals that can be found in Hasteria - that aren't part of Creighton's garrison or enrolled into the army of Azan - are found in the form of guerrila groups, who either live in caves around gullies and creeks, or hide deep in the forests. One of them, the Knights of St. Wicadia, is a particularly feared group amongst the Witch Elves. They are former nobles and soldiers, who after getting ambushed while crossing a ford and almost defeated in the hands of a witchelven regiment, fled to the Forest of the Spirits in southern Hasteria. There, they build a hidden village in the treets, and use it to ambush and kill any enemy they can find. It is said that they wear armor made out of demon and elven skin.