Hayrin

They walked together down the hall till they got to the top of the stairs. There, below them, was the expectant crowd. The hall was crammed, and the doors were open for there were so many people they could not be shut. When they saw him, a cheer erupted. He had already impressed them with his little hostage-taking stunt. He smiled, although he felt a little like throwing up, and raised his hand. Hesitantly he waved, and they cheered louder. He took a deep breath, then forced himself to step forward. Gingerly, he came down the stairs, and the crowd parted to let him by. As he touched the floor, a fiddle began to play an old air. He walked down the aisle, and then up to the throne. The ornately carved wooden chair sat over the sacred stone of Torath. Water bubbled from inside the stone and passed down channels in the great hall’s floor, the Mother’s gift to Hayrin and a clear statement of the King’s duty. A King was not a man to be served, but rather a man who served the nation. His power and his very life essence were not his own, but the property of the nation. That was why King Karadem had stood holding up his shield to plug the murder hole, as the last citizens of Brenna ran by him through the jammed portcullis. When the Iron Men finally unjammed the portcullis, the King was trapped behind it. On the other side of the river, Captain Rian drew up the drawbridge. It was only then they realized that their King was not with them. He knelt in the space between the portcullises, with his shield before him. Then the Iron Men poured the scalding sand onto him, and with flaming braids he fell onto the targ at the center of his shield. Ollin had arrived in time to see it, to catch Captain Rian as he fell to the ground with an unearthly howl of grief. Rian had tried to throw himself off the cliff edge, but Ollin had grabbed him by his breastplate and wrestled him down. “You forget yourself man, you are yet bound by your oath.” he had said through gritted teeth. “I cannot…” Rian had started to say, sobs wracking his body and his face swollen. He still fought Ollin's grasp like a cornered wolf. “You must live. There is yet a King in Hayrin. I need you Rian.” Ollin had replied. With that, Rian stopped fighting. “I…I’m sorry, my King”he whimpered. Like a puppy who had lost and then found it’s mother. Ollin got off him. “Nay, I expected nothing less of you. That is why I was prepared to stop you. Come, let us retire and share our grief.” Ollin had said gently. Inside Ollin's tent they cried and shared stories of the dead King, friend, father, brother-in-law. When the moon rose they were asleep in each others’ arms. When the sun rose, sleep-quenched they arose strong enough to face the world. Ollin had gone straight to the smith, with the spike from his targ. He had dreamed of Shun, lord of the sea, fighting an iron crab. Shun had caught the crab’s claw in his trident, twisted and broken it off. The crab had cried in anguish, and Shun speared it’s softer belly. He knew what to do. The Iron Men were so called for their heavy armor made of forged steel plates. The targ was a useless weapon against them, for their armor had almost no cracks which the targ’s central spike could find. But three prongs like on Shu’s trident, could catch a weapon as well as bite soft flesh. Ollin had had the smith reforge the spike on his targ, so that he could demonstrate the principle for the men, and so that he could use it in battle on his mission to capture the Iron Men’s leaders. Then, he’d gone and gotten one of the long-necked squashes and mounted it with a nail, on a wooden handle. It would be more effective than a sword against the heavily armored men. Soon he would have the smith make something out of metal, but with a wooden handle he reminded himself. He would also have to have the carpenter cover the steel at the center of his targ. Magic, he knew, is dampened by forged metal. Queen Shira had wielded a spear with bronze fittings, and eventually swapped her steel blade for an obsidian one. Stubbing his toe on the dais brought him from his reverie. He bit his lip on the inside, and ascended to the throne. He paused, and smiled at the priestess who was standing by. Then he took a deep breath, turned, and sat. “Ollin, son of Karadem, as this water flows from the stone so may your life be a gift to this land. By the power invested in me by Shun and by the Code of Baylor, I proclaim you Lord of the Seven Rivers which flow to the encircling sea. As the water returns to the land, so does the King. Not one man, but many, a river ever flowing and ever renewing.” She said, as she fastened the smaller circlet made of two pieces of silver on his brow. Then, an old priest ascended the dais. “Ollin, son of Karadem, as the land dies in winter and is reborn in the spring so is the King of Hayrin. Be reborn of the Mother, as the new life of this land. By the power invested in me by the Mother and by the Code of Baylor, I proclaim you Lord of Torath. Born of this land, your life and your death will nourish this land. Winter has come and gone, may the spring see us prosper.” He said, as he placed a much larger crown on Ollin's head. The dual crown represented the realm itself: the land rising from the sea. He put his hand on Ollin's shoulder and winked. Ollin gave him a nervous smile. Then he swept away. Captain Rian stepped forward, tears wobbling in his eyes. Ollin gave him a smile he hoped was encouraging. “My King, I offer my sword in the defense of Hayrin” he said kneeling, and holding up his sword. “Rian, son of Guin, arise as Hayrin’s champion” he said, drawing the sword and touching the top of Rian’s head gently with the flat. He lifted the sword, and Rian looked up both grinning and crying. Ollin gestured to the empty part of the dais beside him. Rian bowed and went to stand in his place with his chest held high. For a moment, Ollin admired him standing as straight as his ancient greatsword and as proud as if this were his son’s birthday.

Structure

King: constitutional semi-hereditary monarch. Tanist: the monarch's successor. Usually the present monarch's son, brother or nephew: however doesn't have to be a blood relative. Council of Elders: keepers of the constitution, known as the Code of Balor. Commander: King's bodyguard, also a semi-hereditary position. Usually also the Lord of Toraguard Keep. Admiral: The head of the navy, and the High Priestess of Shun (the sea god). First Minister: oversees the nation's economy. High Priest of the Mother (the earth goddess).

Public Agenda

Control the island of Hayrin, and protect the freedom of humans in a world of powerful magical creatures. Due to the island's fertility, the nation is more powerful than it's geographical size would suggest. It's one of the few human nations with a serious military. Hayrin is a nation built by the descendants of shipwrecked sailors, of many ethnicities.

Assets

Balor Keep and the sacred forest of Torath. The state provides weapons and armor, ships and other military equipment. Otherwise everything is privately held. The King has the right to call on a lord to defend the land, but they can refuse under certain conditions.

Demography and Population

Hayrin is a highly populous country with most of the population concentrated in the city of Brenna on the Southeast Coast. It is an ethnically diverse nation, but with a strong overarching and unifying tradition.

Territories

The island of Konna. Sometimes the Iron Islands, little spits of rock located to the North of Konna.

Military

The King's Guard: Commanded by a nobleman. The Navy: Commanded by the Head Priestess of Shun.

Technological Level

Roughly equivalent to the Renaissance era. Hayrin's technological growth is sluggish though, due to it's preference for political and economic isolation. With good reason, this human-dominated nation tends to be suspicious of technological innovations made by non-humans.

Religion

The people of Hayrin believe in two gods: The Mother, the personification of the island of Konna. The Ayrish are all descended from shipwrecked sailors, so they view the island as a salvific figure. She has no name, but in private prayers many Ayrish use the name of their individual mothers. In public prayers, sometimes the name of the Queen is used. Shun, a personification of the sea which spared their lives and placed them on the island. Also, they trade on the sea and the navy is an important part of the culture.

Foreign Relations

Hayrin deals with foreign nations as little as possible, for the most part. However, the island of Konna lacks metal (iron, copper, tin etc). Some Kings have solved this by trading timber for metal: but always being careful to retain control of the production. Others have decided on military solutions, such as conquering the Iron Islands.

Type

Geopolitical, Kingdom

Demonym

Ayrish

Government System

Monarchy, Constitutional

Power Structure

Feudal state

Economic System

Mixed economy

Currency

There is no official currency, taxes are paid in useful products or service to the government. Inside the country, most trading takes place via a barter system. Services can be traded for goods. However, there are several items which are commonly used as currency by weight. One of the many things the King does, is establish and maintain standard weights and measures. silver-a pound of silver is an amount that people can easily carry around. Large purchases can be made with pounds of silver. For land and the like, the price may be measured in talents of silver instead. cloth-specifically, bolts of wool and linen. This is largely because the price of cloth is exceedingly stable, since it is both easily produced in large quantities and highly desirable. Bolts of cloth are mainly used to purchase goods which Hayrin cannot produce. wood-particularly hardwoods, like oak and maple. Uncarved wooden planks are likewise easy to produce and highly desirable: both inside and outside the country. Ordinary people or merchants don't use this material as a currency to trade outside the country: but the King's officially sanctioned merchants do.

Legislative Body

None. The King can make laws so long as they are in accordance with the Code of Balor. There is however a ratification process which a law must go through. A bill must be written and submitted to review by the Council of Elders. They review it for compliance with the Code of Balor. If it complies, they will approve it and it becomes law. In practice, a majority of the nobles must agree to laws as well since they have their own independent militaries.

Judicial Body

The Council of Elders. They review laws and the King's behavior for compliance with the Code of Balor. If they see a violation, they are responsible for prosecuting the King. While the King can also be tried in normal criminal court, many of the usual laws specifically don't apply to him (for example, the law against murder). However, the Code of Balor is more specific: defining the difference between an execution and a murder, specifically forbidding the latter while allowing the former.

Controlled Territories

• Brenna
• Konna