Empire of Halaan

A powerful northern empire ruled for a thousand years by a dynasty of elven supremacists.

Rigidly disciplined and heavily armed elven soldiers patrol the imperial roads linking the Empire's two dozen large cities -- a near-impossible task, as some say Halaan is as large as the Tarqan Plains. The roads themselves are maintained by chain gangs of non-elven slaves, most bred into slavery, some captured on Halaan's infrequent raids on the South. Genteely convinced of their elven racial superiority, the elves of Halaan have built an empire that is large, stable, peaceful, and wealthy. Ruled by an elven court and an Emperor more than a thousand years old, Halaan's rigid rules of decorum hide a violent hatred of any non-elven species.

History

More than two thousand years after the Massacre of the Crossroads backfired on the elven supremacist Halas and his supporters, Halas' dream of elven racial superiority was reborn. In 3854 B.C., a small elven kingdom was founded in the old Halasian heartland, west of the fey Kingdom of Cernoa. They named their new kingdom 'Halaan' after the ancient elven supremacist hero Halas.

Magisterium of Godossea

Seven hundred fifty years later, in 3202 B.C. the Kingdom of Halaan was badly threatened by tribes from the plains to the west. Weakened by those attacks, the Halaanese capital of Ashaan was sacked by Godossean armies. At that time, both the Kingdoms of Godossea and Cernoa were absorbed into the Magisterium of Godossea. The xenophobia and racism of the Halaanese ruling class was suppressed out of a need for self-preservation. As a part of the Magisterium, the Kings and Queens of Halaan were still known for their racism, but they worked well as part of a larger whole. It was always hoped that being part of a multispecies empire would 'cure' the next generation. Given the lifespan of elves, such changes would come very slowly. In addition, there was simply too much money and power to be had being a part of the Magisterium, not least of which was access to favorable trading terms with the western Ancient Alousian Empire. For a millennium afterwards, Halaan became closely integrated into the Magisterium, and racist politics was eventually only found in tiny fringe movements.

Return to Independence

However, by 1800 B.C. a strong sense of Halaanese nationalism had become tied to nostalgia for the old elven supremacist ideology and a spreading hero worship of Halas. When independence was finally (and bloodlessly) won in 32 A.C. just before the Magisterium collapsed, the Halaanese nobility became expansionist slavers. With the newly liberated and powerful Kingdom of Cernoa to the east and the remains of Goddossea (soon to be the Kingdom of Fealand) to the south, the Halaanese looked west.
For thousands of years, the territory between the western Ancient Alousian Empire and the eastern Magisterium of Godossea had remained the lands of traditional ausrani caravans (still nomadic since the time of Mother Ausra) and a scattering of free city-states. The Halaanese armies decimated them, taking their land and enslaving the survivors. Over the course of two hundred years, Halaan expanded to the borders of the Ancient Alousian Empire, which even in decline was strong enough to withstand the elves’ attacks. By c. 200 A.C., the Halaanese had expanded west as far as their supply lines could handle. Emperor Actheon, however, was eager to continue their rapid expansion, and began eyeing the disorganized peoples of the south. Southern conquest became a popular cause among the Halaanese court. For a nation built on elven supremacy, defeating the caisheni kingdoms and their miscegenating allies became a moral imperative.

The Carcifexium

Carcifex of Rhoscannon (Kingdom of the Wood), ruled by Carcifexion Threna Belcanris Carcifex of Escarion (Kingdom of the Plains), ruled by Carcifexion Alceir Parein Carcifex of Sabaan (Kingdom of the West), ruled by Carcifexion Dashran Oyenda

The Halaanic Wars

See "The Halaanic Wars".

Elven Supremacy

Since the time of the elven chieftain Halas thousands of years ago, certain elves of the Halasian region (now in the Carcifex of Rhoscannon) have kept alive a culture of elven supremacy. With the rise of the Empire, this ideology has been forced on hundreds of thousands of young elves, slaves, and other servants across Halaan.

Ethreal's Racial Hierarchy

In 348 A.C., the Halaanese elven scholar Ethreal published a 'hierarchy of racial virtue' with the Emperor/ess of Halaan at the top and the various caisheni at the bottom. Ethreal's work was in three volumes and he fastidiously catalogued the virtues of the various intelligent species of Ancathra. Dissertations and philosophical treatises have been written for or against the hierarchy for centuries, with most Halaanese dissenters attempting to simply refine Ethreal's work: 'are fey really superior to half-elves?', 'what about those with less than half elven blood?', etc. Non-Halaanese reviewers have tended to be more critical.

1. The Emperor/ess of Halaan
2. The Halaanese Royal Family
3. The Halaanese nobility
4. Halaanese elves
5. Non-halaanese elves
6. Fey
7. Half elves from human stock
8. Half elves from orc stock
9. Half elves from hobgoblin stock
10. Hobgoblins
11. Half elves from other stock (goblin-elves, halfling-elves, bugbear-elves, etc.)
12. Other ausrani (humans, orcs, goblins, halflings, etc.)
13. Gnomes
14. Other yesreni (dwarves, giants, ogres, oni, etc.)
15. All caisheni (tabaxi, minotaurs, werebears, centaurs, gnolls, loxodon, etc.)

Slavery

Since the elven supremacist clans took power in the wake of the Collapse of Godossea, the Halaanese have raided and enslaved millions. Anyone in Halaan who is not an elf is legally a slave, whether owned by a person, organization, or the state. While most slaves engage in physical labor of some kind, others are artisans, professionals and government officials. It is illegal for any slave to use magic. There are three special cases, however.

Non-Halaanese Elves

In Halaan, all elves are free and only elves are free. While the Halaanese look down on 'barbarian' elves from outside Halaan, they never enslave them and treat with dignity if not always respect. Let alone liking.

Half Elves

Elves crossed with any other species are fair game for enslavement in Halaan, though their elven blood offers them some protections and legal standing. They are allowed to use magic in limited ways under elven supervision.

Hobgoblins

Because elves reproduce so slowly, it was decided in the early days of the Empire to offer a special position to quick-breeding, order-loving hobgoblins from the Tarqan Plains. In exchange for a priviledged position in the Empire, the hobgoblin tribes who joined the elves received legal protections and the ability to rise higher in the Empire than any non-elven species. Hobgoblins are often middle management, serving as military officers, overseers, guards, and government officials. They are occasionally allowed to use magic under controlled conditions.

The Inquisition

The Halaanese Empire has an extensive network of spies and secret police to keep the enormous number of slaves docile and afraid. Inquisitors also function as both slave takers capturing new slaves and slave catchers re-capturing escaped slaves.See "The Halaanian Inquisition".

Emperor Actheon Haldrassa II

Empress Atona Haresh

Imperial Crown Princess Naruan Haldrassa

Imperial Prince Belascion Haldrassa

Imperial Princess Ressam Haldrassa

Maps

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  Halaan, Empire of (political)

• 

  Halaan, Empire of (geographic)

Type

Geopolitical, Empire

Demonym

Halaanese

Neighboring Nations

• Magisterium of Fealand
• Republic of Tanatra
• Second Alousian Empire
• Sylvan Kingdom of Cernoa