Haless (meaning Eastern Land in Old Castanorian) is the largest continent in Halann and is located to the east of Cannor and Sarhal, with the Serpentspine and Paravimvata mountains acting as its natural border. The land of Haless is widely known for the presence of spirits that roam the continent, which were kept in check by the various High Temples that dotted the continent until their falls that lead to the Rending of Realms.
Geography[]
Sub-Regions[]
Due to its extensive size, Haless is divided into five main regions:
- Rahen: the subcontinent linking Haless with Sarhal at the southwest of the continent. The region feature Marutha desert at its center, plains in the north, and river basin in the south. This region is also the homeland of the Harimari race, who have lived alongside Halessi since their ascension.
- Yanshen: a region encompassing the central eastern portions of Haless, stretching from the Demon Hills bordering the Serpentspine and Shamakhad in the west to the Jellyfish coast in the east.
- Vimdatrong: subcontinent forming the southern part of Haless, featuring the misty hills of Xianjie, river lands of Bomdan, open plains of Thidinkai, rainforest jungle of Lupulan, and the Ringlet Isles.
- Gozengun: the northeastern part of Haless, with steppes and forest on the eastern side and the mysterious Nomsyulhan valley on the western side
- Forbidden Plains: a massive stretch of steppe and grassland inhabited primarily by centaurs, human, and ogres. Despite being part of Haless, many chroniclers prefer to consider it separate.
History[]
Before Ashes[]
Haless is home to some of the oldest human civilizations in Halann, in no small part due to the dwarven civilizations nearby. The region of Shamakhad in Rahen saw the rise of Nadimraj, before it being eclipsed by Rahenraj from the south. Meanwhile, the dwarves of Verkal Ozovar exert their control over the nearby Kai people.
After Ashes[]
The Day of Ashen Skies bring about one of the most influential events in Haless history, the ascension of Harimari people from the Ascension Peninsula in Rahen. Under the leadership of Harimar the Great, the Harimari would conquer most of Rahen, Vimdatrong, and Yanshen and established an empire called the Harimraj. After the Xia revolted, the Harimraj formally split into two, with the Rahen part keeping the name of Harimraj while the Yanshen part later named Lianzhou. The two empires would later disintegrate, leaving the continent mostly fractured between feuding warlords.
After finishing up his campaign in Bulwar, the elf Jaher set his sight on Haless. He and his Phoenix Empire invaded Haless in 1038, quickly conquered most of the same territories as Harimar but was stopped at Thidinkai by the alliance of Baihon Xinh. Nevertheless, he went on to seize Yanshen and ruled his empire from the city of Tianlou. Elven rule in Haless was not welcomed however, and soon Jaher and then his son Jaerel would meet the same fate of being assassinated by the Halessi. This prompted a retreat for the Phoenix Legion back to Bulwar.
Rise of the Command[]
The Hobgoblins have been inhabiting the Shamakhad plains just outside the Jade Mountains when they formed the Great Command in 1392. The Command rose quickly to become the dominant player in Halessi politics, conquering the entire Shamakhad region, Xianjie, Dhugajir, and big part of Yanshen. The Command also brought their ideologies to the people they conquered, starting the process called wuhyunization that created new cultures such as Azepyanunin, Kintonan, and Ikaniwagain.
Haless became a part of global trade shortly after the Busilari rounded Sarhal in the 1569, connecting the continent to Cannorian markets and influence. The Gommo, accompanying the Busilari, used this route and expanded it to Yanshen, allowing them to gain access to black damestear or "korashi" and begin making the Korashi Drills. Korashi Drills allowed the Gommo to break through the inner warding and defenses of the High Temples across Haless. The High Temples are later known to be surpessing the Great Spirits, and with the destruction of many temple cores, the Great Spirits broke free in a disaster dubbed the Rending of Realms. The rending caused calamities across the continent, exhausting the resources of the Command that later caused their collapse, with their subcommands breaking away during the Great Insubordination.
Races[]
Due to its size, Haless is home to many different races that lived alongside each other, such as:
- Humans: the most populous race in Haless, forming the majority in most regions with few exceptions like Nomsyulhan and the steppes of Forbidden Plains.
- Harimari: mostly lives on the former Harimraj territories of Rahen, Yanshen, and Xianjie, with few others scattered around Vimdatrong.
- Harpies: consist mostly of P'ezarang Harpies that lives around the Phokhao mountains or Xianjie and Nuzenanpu Harpies found in Nomsyulhan.
- Hobgoblins: most lives on the former territories of the Command, while Eagle Hobgoblins lives on Nomsyulhan valley.
- Ogres: the ogres live mostly in three regions, Horned Ogres or Oni of Demon Hills in Yanshen, Soulseeker Ogres of Nomsyulhan, and Fathide and Mossmouth Ogres of Ogre Valley in Forbidden Plains.
- Kobolds: the Goldscale Kobolds live mostly in the northern mountain range in Yanshen.
- Trolls: the Hill Trolls lives alongside human in Gozengun.
- Orcs: the Brown Orcs originated from the Jade Mountains, now resides in small population in Shamakhad after centuries of oppressions by the Command.
- Dwarves: Rahen is home to many dwarves that are fleeing the fall of Grôzumdihr, led by a figure called the Exilarch.
- Elves: Some elves stayed in Haless after the retreat of the Phoenix Legion, mostly found in Azkare, Arawkelin, and a small number in cities such as Sarisung.
Religions[]
Philosophies[]
The Three Paths[]
Spirits[]
Other[]
- Ravelianism: The Ravelian Church spread to eastern Haless thanks to Cannorian colonizers, mainly Busilar.
- Ancestor Worship: The Dwarves who left the Dwarovar rejected their gods, and instead only revere their ancestors.
- Jadd: The Rite of Jaddar spread primarily to Rahen due to its conquest by the Jadd Empire.
Commerce and Exports[]
Since ~100 with its first journey that reached Tianlou, the Treasure Fleet became a staple of the Halessi economy.