The World of Haylene

The world of Haylene is relatively small, and the part inhabited by what the elves call "the People of the Art" (races that have independently developed arcane magic) is limited to the area shown below.

This region, commonly called the "Middle Reaches" (or the "Imperial Reaches" by humans) is dominated by the former Imperial lands.  At its height, shortly after they conquered the Woods of Tulone, the Empire of Rhysone spanned nearly a thousand leagues.  The regions of the former Empire consist of:

• The Imperial Coast, the home of the Imperial City itself, and the only area still under the direct control of the city.
• The Heartlands, which have broken down into a collection of petty "kingdoms," none of which are more than a few days rides across.  
• The Northern Marches, a collection of five large baronies that still maintain the culture and organization of the fallen Empire.
• The Hinterlands, a series of large region consisting of the distant county of Durrington, the Marches of Metrol, and the Imperial Runs... all of which are now outright controlled by the Guilds.
• The Tulone Woods, whose conquest was relatively brief, and is rarely thought of as Imperial Lands.

Beyond the fallen Empire, the Middle Reaches contain most of the elven and dwarven lands in Haylene.

• The Five Nations of Prydain contain the once proud lands of the high elves.
• The Aelwode is the home of the reclusive and xenophobic drow elves.
• The Dwardok Mountains contain all the dwarf holds in the world.
• The Chasmn of the Broken Pact is a monstrous region, inhabited by chitins, ettercaps, and malign fey.
• The Dragon Ride, to the north, has recently been invaded by goblins, and whose hobgoblins seem on the verge of joining the People of the Art.

Further, to the South, there are three lands influenced by the lich-lord's kingdom of Xynalin.

• The Midnight Sea is an inland sea known for its dark waters, and is home of the Midnight Coast, home of petty warlords and nations that last a generation, maybe two.
• Norden Darkane is a vassal state of Xynalin, and known for its necromancer princes.
• The Keldoran Wilds are known as orcish lands, and have never been conquered by any foreign people, but who often serve as mercenaries in Xynalin's armies.

Speakers of the All Father

Lands: The Dwardok Mountains

Races: Dwarf (Hill, Mountain), Gnome (Rock)

While the Ap’Dwardok (Hill Dwarves) of the Border Kingdoms were largely wiped out in an ancient war with the forces of the Pact Primeval, the Dur’Dwardok (Mountain Dwarves) still maintain their holds in the high peaks and far corners of the world.  Their Speakers are the keepers of this history and faith.

There are three pillars of the faith of the Dwardok People.  The first is that of the All-Father, and administered to by priests who obtain miracles directly from him.  The second is the blood of the All-Father, which manifests in the ability to command might tempests with sorcery (and is, in these days, exceedingly rare).  Finally, there are the Storm Heralds, mighty warriors who have been bless through their faith in the All-Father to defend their people.

History

For thousands of years, the Speakers of the All-Father have served the clans of the Dwardok people faithful.  However, the constant battles against the Pact Primeval, as the Ap’Dwardok sought to expand their empire (and eventually failed) signaled the decline of the dwarves to the state they are in today.  The Ap’Dwardok are dying, and the Dur’Dwardok have disappeared into their mountain holds.

Goals

• The Faith of the All-Father revolves around the sky:  the open sky is sacred to Dwarves, and most dwarves tend to avoid it outside of religious ceremonies.  
• As the advisors, defenders, and arcanists of the dwarven people, the Speakers of the All-Father serve the chieftains, but never lead.  
• While the Dwardok people observe a strict caste system, there is little structure or order within the Speakers… they exist outside of the Clan dynamic, and often travel between clans to make sure their people are well served.

Key Individuals

• Barra Zendarek: The last of the Ap’Dwardok storm heralds, Barra spends his time drunk on the edge of human and elven lands, dividing his time between marauding and self-pity.
• Irma of the High Hold: The high priestess of the Dur’Dwardok fortress known as High Hold, Irma is regarded as the First Speaker of the All-Father.
• Indal Blackrock: Irma’s brother and one of the most powerful arcanists on the planet, India also dwells in High Hold.
• Yurek of Wyvern Pass: The high priest of the hold at Wyvern Pass, and Irma’s main rival for influence amongst the six holds.  
• Manx of Ubantoe: Perhaps the most famous dwarf outside of the Dwardok Mountains, and one of the few “adventurers” known to be active in this age.
• Note that each of the 6 Dur’Dwardok holds have a cleric of the rank of Cordel or higher.  No remaining Ap’Dwardok clan has a cleric or storm sorcerer of greater than Thrundel rank

Rank and Associated Abilities

Associated Subclasses Barbarian (Storm Herald), Cleric (Forge & Tempest domain), Sorcerer (Storm Sorcerer)

• Dundel (Rank 1): Barbarian, cleric, or sorcerer training available (required for 1st level of cleric or sorcerer or 3rd level of barbarian).
• Drankel (Rank 2): Cleric training available (required for 2nd level of cleric).
• Thrundel (Rank 3): Barbarian, cleric, or sorcerer training available (required for 6th level of barbarian, cleric, or sorcerer).
• Cordel (Rank4): Barbarian, cleric, or sorcerer training available (required for 8th level of cleric, 10th level of barbarian, or 14th level of sorcerer).
• Grandel (Rank 5): Barbarian, cleric, or sorcerer training available (required for 14th level of barbarian, 17th level of cleric or 18th level of  sorcerer).

The Calendar of Haylene

The Roll of Years

There are three common ways of keeping track of the changing of years and the marking of history in Haylene, although usually this is the province of sages and scribes, and not the common man.  Most peasants have no idea what year it is; for them “three years ago” is a perfectly valid method of keeping track of the passage of time.  As such, the most common method of tracking the years and centuries is very inconvenient for anyone who isn’t a historian… the tradition is to note a monarch and the year of their reign, such as “The Third Year of Esinaan III.”  This, of course, requires detailed knowledge of when the third year of Esinaan III was… it’s much easier to say “about four hundred years ago.”  However, if one reads a historical tome, it is extremely likely it uses this convention of dates.  

Two other calendars exist, however, one extremely old, and one relatively new, which both keep time in a much simpler fashion.  The first is the Guild Count, which is a count of years from the Great Conflagration and the death of Emperor Aasiman I, the last Emperor of Rhysone.  By the Guild Count, the current year is 324 (commonly annotated 324 GC).  The second such calendar is the Elven Count, kept by the high elves of Prydain.  The Elven Count is far more complicated, based on the phases of the various moons, and goes back over 12 millennia.

The Months and Weeks

The only commonly agreed upon convention in Haylene is that the year is 363 days long… this happens to coincide with with five & half cycles of Io, the Dragon Moon.  The weather of Haylene depends very strongly upon how Io aligns with the Winter Solstice (which is almost universally viewed as the start of the year).  In years where Io is Full, the weather is generally very wet, while in years when it is New, the weather tends to be very dry.

The matter of months is less of an agreed upon matter.  The dwarves, who give little care for the phases of the moon, divide the year up into 11 months, each with three tendays and three feast days (the first, last, and middle of the months).  While this convention is uncommon outside of Haylene, the strength of Dwarven trade and the popularity of the festivals meant that the Rhysonian calendar (which is far more popular), also uses three tendays and three festivals, although their festivals are three days long (and much less festive than the dwarves).  The Rhysonian month follows Titania, the Fey Moon, which has a 39 day cycle. 

In order to keep the months (based of Titania) and the years (based off of Io) loosely in synch, the Rhysonian calendar borrowed the elven month of Enandin, which occurs every three years during summer.  As such, the Rhysonian year typically has 9 months of 39 days each, and every three years has 10 months.  

The third moon, only called the Dark Moon (or the Dark), has a much longer cycle, taking 595 days to complete an orbit.  There are no commonly used periods of time based off of it, although it factors prominently in the Elven Calendar.

Conjuctions

Titania, the Fey Moon, Io, the Dragon Moon, and the Dark Moon do sometimes come into conjunction (periods where they are in the same phase).  With periods of 39, 66, and 595 days respectively, these conjunctions occur in four ways.

• An Arcane Conjunction, or conjunction Titania and Io, occurs every 7 years (7 years and 33 days, to be exact).  This is supposedly a time of great magic.
• A Strange Conjunction, or a conjunction between Titania and the Dark Moon, occurs every 63 years (63 years and 336 days, to be exact).  This is a period associated with death, and in particular the undead.
• A Terrible Conjunction, or a Conjunction of Flame, is a conjunction of Io and the Dark Moon.  This will occur every 108 years (108 years and 66 days) and be a time of great upheaval
• The Grand Conjunction, which has not happened in recorded human history, would be a conjunction of all three.