The Coat of Arms of Bahrin's Rest
Argent, a pall Gules, accompanied in chief by a reversed heart Vert, and flanked to the right by an arbalest Sable, and to the left by a coin Azure.
Structure
References
As one of the youngest nations, the creation of coat of arms of Bahrins Rast is also the most well documented.
Nothing in has been left to chance.
It references three other closely related organisations, and in doing so simultaneously references the three races native to the country:
- The Council of Illubardor, which watches over the continent the country is situated in. The same part of the coat of arms also references the Elves because they have led the council for many centuries.
- The Dwarves of Heleg'Fotar, who border the country to the south.
- The Order of the Coin, a trade organization which has funded the country from its first day on. As a predominantly human organisation, they represent this race in the coat of arms.
Design
The coat of arms is partitioned into three fields.
On top, it bears a reversed hart in green.
The colour has forever been associated with the elves because it is the colour of the forest.
Most elven tribes bear it in their coat of arms and so does the Council of Illubardor, even though it is not strictly an elven organisation.
The shape of the reversed heart is also taken from there.
Its origins are unclear, but it frequently appears in relation to multilateral organisations.
As such, it does not only reference the council in this case but also reminds of the unity of the three founding races.
On the heraldic right, the coat of arms displays the Darksteel Arbalest in black.
On the one hand, this references the neighbouring country, the Dwarven Kingdom of Heleg'Fotar because it is the primary feature of their heraldry and an important relic of their culture.
However, here it is displayed in black, not in gold as it is the case in their heraldry.
The dark colour represents the stone and the dark tunnels the dwarves call their home.
It is also present in their coat of arms, but as the background colour.
On the other hand, the Darksteel Arbalest is also the main reason why the Hundred Years War broke out in whose aftermath Bahrin's Rest was founded.
As such, it is also a reminder of the pain and destruction this war brought over the continent and the peace Bahrin's Rest is meant to bring.
This is especially the case because it is displayed together with the reversed heart of the council: two former enemies united in one symbol.
The heraldic left of the coat of arms shows a blue coin taken from the coat of arms of the Order of the Coin, a trader's organisation which has not only funded the founding of Bahrin's Rest and brought travellers from all over the world into the town, but also is the most influential human faction in Illubardor since the fall of the Illuban Kingdom.
As such, it also represents the race of the humans.
Besides the fact that the background of the coat of arms of the Order of the Coin is blue, that colour was chosen to remind of the Rararí river, which connects Bahrin's Rest to the remainder of the world.
The pall which separates them was chosen to be red because this way all heraldic colours are present in the coat of arms, just like all races and cultures are welcome in Bahrin's Rest.
Historical Details
Background
The coat of arms of Bahrin's Rest was created shortly after the founding of the city after the end of the Hundred Years War.
It was designed to represent the visions and origins of the first habitants of the town.
As such, the most relevant influences were the said war between the Council of Illubardor and the Dwarves of Heleg'Fotar and the destruction and death it caused, most notably the fall of the Illuban Kingdom.
This resulted in the wish of a peaceful coexistence of the races of Illubardor.
A second important influence is the legend of the dwarf Bahrin, who is supposed to have travelled the world and befriended elves and humans alike.
Together they are said to have overcome many an obstacle.
His legend fueled the visions of the survivors of the war and he became the namesake of the newly founded town and soon-to-become city-state.
History
Bahrin's Rest was founded shortly after the end of the Hundred Years War, in which racial and political tensions between elves and dwarves released in a devastating war which cost countless lives and shaped the political climate for decades to come.
Among it's "victims" is also the Illuban Kingdom, formerly the largest human country in western Illubardor.
After the war, it had been eradicated from the surface of the continent.
In sum, this left elves, dwarves and humans alike tired of war and in search of a future free of hate.
Following this sentiment, visionaries founded Bahrin's Rest.
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