Hynadeyr
The Ancient Fachfordian Kingdom of Hynadeyr was a country covering most of Gisteria. It was one of the few Fachfordian states that resisted, and even pushed back against the Weallander Invasions. Hynadeyr fell in the year 83 MT.
Within the span of a few decades, almost all other Fachfordian kingdoms had Fallen. Hynadeyr lost most of their holdings to the west of the Oros Mountains, and the Weallander kingdom of Býzig (pre-curser to Bezet) was encroaching on them from the south. Hynadeyr was surrounded on all sides: The North had fallen to Weallander invasions long ago, the East was the homeland of the Weallanders, the West had fallen, and the South saw the sea, and Býzig. However, Hynadeyr's land was immense, and it was covered in dense primordial forests. Though the refugees flooding in from the other regions of Elwe strained Hynadeyr, they also bolstered its numbers.
Hynadeyr never managed to exert proper control over Western Elwe outside the Islands of Fachfordir. Because of this, when the Dýti arrived in the first century PT, they granted the land to these new peoples, hoping for an ally against the ever present Weallanders. The Dýti started of amicable, and fought in some smaller wars against the Weallanders with Hynadeyr. It is unknown when or why the relations between Hynadeyr and the Dýti soured, but by the founding of Aster in the year 0, they were no longer allies. The cause of the war between Aster and Hynadeyr is similarly unknown. Speculated causes include: Hynadeyrian disapproval of Asterian urbanism and industrialism, Conflicts over the Fachfordir Isles, or simply, that there were no more Weallander foes to beat nearby, and that Hynadeyr was the only simple path of expansion for Aster. Whatever the underlying cause may have been, their tensions boiled over in 82 MT. Asterian records state that the Hynadeyrians suddenly slaughtered Asterian diplomats in their territory, and simply retaliated against this 'act of war', though many records are noticeably incomplete or missing from the archives. The Asterian offensive was swift and effective; the Fachfordir Isles were blockaded by the superior Asterian navy, and two Asterian armies invaded Hynadeyr via the Northern Coast, and through the Oros Mountains. The Hynadeyrians attempted the same succesful strategy as they had against the Weallanders, but the Asterians had heard of this infamous defeat, and prepared for it. The northern army laid siege to Gràdhbeathamar, and torched the surrounding forests. The Hynadeyrians had hoped this would incur the wrath of their gods, but their prayers clearly fell on deaf ears. The southern army in the Oros mountains found empty towns just like the old Weallander invaders, but instead of marching past, they torched them, and built fortified encampments in their stead. Many Hynadeyrians could not stand idle and watch their homes burn, and the army splintered as groups of soldiers tried to defend their homes. The Asterians made short work of these groups, and pressed on. Before the southern offensive could lay waste to all of Hynadeyr, the city of Gràdhbeathamar fell. It had been well prepared for a siege, and the Asterians knew this. They taunted the Hynadeyrians by burning down their vaunted forests, but it was trickery that won the day. An ancient gargantuan tree stood just outside the city, it was under the protection of Raka and impossible to be burnt. In the cover of darkness, the Asterians covered the tree in tar and other flammable material, giving the fireproof holy tree a burnable 'bark'. At dawn, they set the tree alight in the view of the Hynadeyrian defenders. The commander of the Asterian army sent his Phoenix familiar to perch on the burning tree. The Hynadeyrians knew that the Asterians worshipped Fotos, and that the Phoenix was a creature of Fotos. After their own gods had seemingly forsaken them, this display of power from the Asterian god broke the defenders' morale, and the city surrendered. This quickly devolved into the complete fall of all of Hynadeyr, as all its territories were swallowed up by Aster, Barring the Isles of Fachfordir, who were afforded a surprisingly lenient peace. No attempts would be made to invade the islands. Their unity, however, was shattered with the loss of their rulers. The local rulers of the Provinces Byr, and Astyny, could not agree on a new king of Hynadeyr, and simply ruled their own lands to their liking, officially ending the Kingdom of Hynadeyr.
Population
Before the Fachfordian humans became the largest group of people in Elwe, the land was inhabited by a whole host of other races. Most numerous among them were the Halflings, Gnomes, and Orcs. other races that made up the population of Hynadeyr were Harengon, Tabaxi, Tortles, Changelings, Centaurs, Bugbears, Firbolgs, Genasis, Minotaurs, Lizardfolk, and more. This huge variation in races was a result of the pacifist leanings of Fachfordian settlers. Though in the first centuries of their presence on Elwe, the humans lived mostly separate from the other races, they also made no incursions into their lands, and respected their customs, borders, laws, and religion. Through time, the populations slowly mingled, doubly so in the Hynadeyrian capital Gràdhbeathamar. Many of the native races migrated to Gràdhbeathamar because it had grown to be the largest port in Elwe, and grew wealthy of trade with the outside world. Thus the Lizard folk city states, the halfling hamlets, orc tribes, and other groups of people slowly grew closer to Hynadeyr. In return for their loyalty, taxes, and abiding by their laws, the people of Elwe would join Hynadeyr. Hynadeyr would provide protection and made Elwe safe for commerce and agriculture. Since the fall of Hynadeyr, many of the old native races of Elwe have severely declined in number. Though many halflings and gnomes and others made their homes in Astyny and Byr.History
The kingdom of Hynadeyr was likely founded some 2000 years ago during. The circumstances of their founding are unknown, but it is known that Fachfordians already inhabited the lands of Elwe for a long period at that time.Fachfordian Period
Hynadeyr started out as a small kingdom centred at their capital Gràdhbeathamar (now Theoskia). They slowly spread out across the lands of Elwe, defeating other Fachfordian kingdoms in wars, and settling new lands. By the time of the first Weallander invasion in 329 PT, Hynadeyr ruled every piece of land east Oros mountains, and had many settlements west of it; Namely, in the Isles that are now called Fachfordir.The Weallander Period
Within the span of a few decades, almost all other Fachfordian kingdoms had Fallen. Hynadeyr lost most of their holdings to the west of the Oros Mountains, and the Weallander kingdom of Býzig (pre-curser to Bezet) was encroaching on them from the south. Hynadeyr was surrounded on all sides: The North had fallen to Weallander invasions long ago, the East was the homeland of the Weallanders, the West had fallen, and the South saw the sea, and Býzig. However, Hynadeyr's land was immense, and it was covered in dense primordial forests. Though the refugees flooding in from the other regions of Elwe strained Hynadeyr, they also bolstered its numbers.
Hynadeyr's Retaliation
Perhaps with the help of the Wood-Elves of Notos, Hynadeyr built armies the likes of which no Fachfordian nation had ever seen. However, their numbers were still small compared to the huge Weallander populations. The kingdom of Býzig, confident in their superiority in arms, numbers, and tactics, invaded from the south. For weeks, they encountered no resistence, as they marched deeper and deeper into the hilly and prehistoric forest of Dásos. The few towns they conquered were empty. The Weallanders scoffed at the strange nature of Fachfordian settlements, which were sparsely built, seamlessly blending in with the surrounding forest. Sometimes they did not notice they had entered a town until they had reached the central keep, which were often the only stone buildings in the town, barring larger towns and cities. The Weallander invadors reached the town Pigíchorío (then called Heddwchyde) at the foot of the Oros mountains, and a source of (now named) Theónero river). Yet to meet any Hynadeyrian army, their supply lines were stretched, and they had strayed farther inland than planned. However, the Weallanders were expert ship builders, and decided to hunker down and create a makeshift fleet to sail down the river, as the capital of Hynadeyr lay down the river. This is when the atmosphere changed, Hynadeyrian forces, having spotted the shipbuilding, they attempted to slow down the effort. The Weallanders were harassed relentlessly by Hynadeyrian hit and run attacks. They appeared from the forest and viciously struck, before quickly retreating again. Anytime Weallanders would pursue, the pursuers were cut down in brutal ambushes. However, despite their setbacks, the Weallanders had numbers on their side, and finished the ships in a few weeks. About half of the army embarked the ships, as the other half followed along the banks of the river. It was only a few days into their renewed march, that disaster struck. At a bend in the river near current day Xýlipóli, the Weallanders encountered a huge makeshift wooden dam blocking passage through the river. The ships crashed into the dam and a horrible mass of ships was stuck together on the river. The Weallander army was a days march away from the ships, and could not prevent what was to happen. Fachfordian warmachines, archers, and mages emerged from the forests. The immobile mass of ships was pelted with catapulted boulders covered in burning tar, flaming arrows, and fire balls. The smoke of the burning fleet could be seen for leagues. As the army caught up and witnessed this, a deafening chorus of chanting started emanating from everywhere around them. The entire Fachfordian army appeared en masse. What happened next, has been spun into many legends: Weallander tablets speak of the trees marching with the Fachfordians and crushing them, Local Fachfordians claim their ancestors flooded the river to crush the army, and the book of the Paladins of Viridios states that the ents of Psildés fought alongside them. What is known for certain, is that the Weallander army was utterly destroyed. only a handful of survivors managed to flee west across the freezing winter mountains of Oros3, and told the harrowing tale. No other Weallander invasion of Hynadeyr was ever attempted.The Fall of Hynadeyr
Hynadeyr continued to prosper for a time, and mounted offensives into Weallander territories. Most impressively, the kingdom pushed most Weallanders out of the West of Elwe over the course of a century, and conquered the Fachfordir Isles for itself. However, their successes did not last, and the nation fell into decline as their isolation and stagnating population took its toll.Hynadeyr never managed to exert proper control over Western Elwe outside the Islands of Fachfordir. Because of this, when the Dýti arrived in the first century PT, they granted the land to these new peoples, hoping for an ally against the ever present Weallanders. The Dýti started of amicable, and fought in some smaller wars against the Weallanders with Hynadeyr. It is unknown when or why the relations between Hynadeyr and the Dýti soured, but by the founding of Aster in the year 0, they were no longer allies. The cause of the war between Aster and Hynadeyr is similarly unknown. Speculated causes include: Hynadeyrian disapproval of Asterian urbanism and industrialism, Conflicts over the Fachfordir Isles, or simply, that there were no more Weallander foes to beat nearby, and that Hynadeyr was the only simple path of expansion for Aster. Whatever the underlying cause may have been, their tensions boiled over in 82 MT. Asterian records state that the Hynadeyrians suddenly slaughtered Asterian diplomats in their territory, and simply retaliated against this 'act of war', though many records are noticeably incomplete or missing from the archives. The Asterian offensive was swift and effective; the Fachfordir Isles were blockaded by the superior Asterian navy, and two Asterian armies invaded Hynadeyr via the Northern Coast, and through the Oros Mountains. The Hynadeyrians attempted the same succesful strategy as they had against the Weallanders, but the Asterians had heard of this infamous defeat, and prepared for it. The northern army laid siege to Gràdhbeathamar, and torched the surrounding forests. The Hynadeyrians had hoped this would incur the wrath of their gods, but their prayers clearly fell on deaf ears. The southern army in the Oros mountains found empty towns just like the old Weallander invaders, but instead of marching past, they torched them, and built fortified encampments in their stead. Many Hynadeyrians could not stand idle and watch their homes burn, and the army splintered as groups of soldiers tried to defend their homes. The Asterians made short work of these groups, and pressed on. Before the southern offensive could lay waste to all of Hynadeyr, the city of Gràdhbeathamar fell. It had been well prepared for a siege, and the Asterians knew this. They taunted the Hynadeyrians by burning down their vaunted forests, but it was trickery that won the day. An ancient gargantuan tree stood just outside the city, it was under the protection of Raka and impossible to be burnt. In the cover of darkness, the Asterians covered the tree in tar and other flammable material, giving the fireproof holy tree a burnable 'bark'. At dawn, they set the tree alight in the view of the Hynadeyrian defenders. The commander of the Asterian army sent his Phoenix familiar to perch on the burning tree. The Hynadeyrians knew that the Asterians worshipped Fotos, and that the Phoenix was a creature of Fotos. After their own gods had seemingly forsaken them, this display of power from the Asterian god broke the defenders' morale, and the city surrendered. This quickly devolved into the complete fall of all of Hynadeyr, as all its territories were swallowed up by Aster, Barring the Isles of Fachfordir, who were afforded a surprisingly lenient peace. No attempts would be made to invade the islands. Their unity, however, was shattered with the loss of their rulers. The local rulers of the Provinces Byr, and Astyny, could not agree on a new king of Hynadeyr, and simply ruled their own lands to their liking, officially ending the Kingdom of Hynadeyr.
Type
Geopolitical, Kingdom
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