Exalted
From Evil Robot Wiki
Contents |
The Characters
Dawn Caste - Paul
Zenith Caste - Neil
Night Caste - Kevin
The Adventures
None so far.
Setting Information
AHALN
History of Ahaln
There was no place such as Ahaln before the great contagion and the war with the Raksha, the land that the small nation now occupies was no more than rocky plains running along side the yellow river during the first age. An enviroment meant only for a few scattered goat herders and hermits that lived in the region and the only structure worth mentioning was the Star Spire manse. It held no wildlife except wild rabbits and migrating birds.
During the many following years under the Dragon Blooded shogunate the land remained largely untouched and even when the great contagion struck the few scattered residents where too far from civilization to be touched by the horrible plague. But as the plague ravaged, the fey decended on creation and a great army swept through the region now known as the hundred kingdoms and destroyed all life in its path and the small area was almost turned to the wyld.
A great explosion, followed by a great earthquake. Rocks, trees, humans and fey where shattered leaving the land around the manse perfectly vacant of life for several miles all around it, the explosion itself was so intense that the heartstone of the manse was destroyed.
Although the destruction seemed complete, the wake of the blast and the earthquake had revealed an unknown bounty, because where there was rocky land and hostile terrain, deep rich soil which had rested underneath was now revealed and with time, more and more humans braved their way closer to the wyld and a good number saw the opportunities the land offered, they cleared the ground of stones and planted their fields and with the stones they built their homes and roads.
In Yu-Shan, a minor goddess of peace had been horrified by the destruction and the chaos that ensued, she had seen her beloved humanity fall to the great contagion and the fey while her celestial brethren turned their backs on them to play the games of divinity, and so she left her sanctuary and place within the Celestial beauocracy behind and decended to creation defying the heavenly mandate, she traveled for long as a warm summer breeze before she by chance came upon the farmers who toiled their lands in peace and harmony, she instantly fell in love with them and approached the first of them to make his home within the lands and spoke to him, and she said; "Jales'he who has walked far and toiled the earth well hear me now, I am Ahalni goddess of whispered peace and you have my eternal love, you must take my blessing and with it travel to the center of these lands and there brave the dangers of the lands surrounding the Star Spire and become a king to your people" and so he did as the goddess asked of him, and slew the fey noble who had taken the manse for himself, and activated the powers of the manse once again, making its heart begin to form once more, as it sprung back to life the mighty Star Spire sent a pillar of light up amongst the stars which still shines both night and day, and the people saw this and flocked to the manse where Jales'he emerged with the goddess by his side and spoke "with this pillar of divine light let it be known that his land is now Ahaln and that I Jales'he the first shall be its king until my eyes are closed, and that its people forever shall live in peace with one another and let it also be known that all who travels beyond her walls shall always find their way home once more" and the people saw the goddess at his side and they knelt and accepted his claim and from then the nation of Ahaln was born. Many centuries have passed since the Star Spire has last shown its pillar of light, when Jales'he first king and founder of the lands died so too did the pillar of light, since his death none have been able to re-light the pillar.
Economy of Ahaln
As for the wealth and resources of the nation they have and produce a vast amounts of various grains every year, no rice is grown as the nations soil is simply too absorbant but fruit groves are also plentyfull, nuts and herbs are also gathered from the wild and the cattle of the nation are strong and fat and pig breeders also provide good meat, the Ahalni leather and wool wares are often thick and dense making it popular as warm clothing and armour.
As such the people of the land are often healthily built, this is because of the abundance of rich foods and reputedly none ever starve in Ahaln, this surpluss of foods also means that even when hard times befall the land and a crop is bad, the nation holds large granaries and storehouses filled with grain, fruit and dried meat to last nearly a year.
The normal Ahaln diet consists mainly of bread and beef or pork, supplimented with fruits and vegetables, the Ahalni drink mostly milk and beer with their meals which the country brews itself in the brewery, so named because it is the only one in the nation. A few farmers have over the years tried making wines as well, but all attempts so far have only yielded wines too sour for any to drink and savants speculate it has to do with the destruction of the land in the first age.
Besides its many farmed products Ahaln also possesses a iron mine near the Star Spire which was uncovered by the blast, a series of smelteries along the range process the iron into steel and the nation is famous for making excellent farming equipment such as plows and scythes and small smithies dot the landscape, which takes care of the day to day needs of the population, on the rare occasion a weapon is produced in the country, they are often sturdy weighty peices, that prove very unhandy for outsiders in battle, the Ahalni however have grown accustomed to these, and many have their own styles for using them native to Ahaln.
Also occasionally small deposits of moonsilver are uncovered in the mines and are most often either stored away or produced into finery or parts for the lightning ballistae, the king also realizes the rarety of the material and uses it as currency in larger trades, as a rule the Ahalni never trade with guild caravans holding slaves and slavery is punishable by exile in the nation. Furthermore, tiny deposits of star metal have been found deep in the mines but the geologists of the nation have been unable to identify it and have put it in storage until it is identified, lastly the nation also possesses fine oak groves which trees are used to build homes and other carpentry, there is not enough in Ahaln to trade however.
Politics and Religion of Ahaln
Outwardly the Ahalni seem as a joyfull and content people, if perhaps humble, satisfied with their lives as they have it. They welcome a weary traveler but a sharp eye will know that the people keep a healthy caution toward strangers and all homes have some sort of ward against the fey often inlaid in the woodwork, and fey or fey blooded discovered are immidiately escorded and banished. Dragonblooded are sent to the king upon their arrival and are escorded by armed guards, if an Ahalni introduces them as his or her guests however they are often let in freely as long as they travel with their host.
Crime in Ahaln is practically none present and the rare instances are often crimes of passion rather than planned, despite their warmth and openness Ahalni laws are strict and range from removal of the hands through execution and exile, Ahaln holds no prisons and exile is the most often occurring punishment and sometimes young offenders are cast out for a year to learn to appriciate their lives in Ahaln, in the most difficult of cases, the king himself calls judgement on the offenders and in such, and many other instances, the king will leave what he is doing to attend to the needs of the people, as is his duty.
The Ahalni speak their own language which is a mix of old realm, forest tongue and riverspeak all covered in a thick accent, making it hard to understand even for well learned foreigners, all Ahalni seem very patriotic and always speak fondly of their home lands when asked, even exiles and criminals such is the blessing of the goddess, Ahalni society consists of small scattered townships which all have a ruling body of elders at their head, most often this is the oldest and wisest persons in the village which makes all the calls concerning the entre township, the councils convene once a month at the palace (the Star Spire) to a meeting under the king to discuss the wellbeing of the nation, and debate any important questions and topics or voice complaints or indiferences, often such matters are solved swiftly by the king before any major conflicts evolve. Next in command below the king is his advisor and crier and this sage is charged with serving the king until his death at which the new king picks a sucessor, the current advisor, Phelepos the rain grey clouds has held his position through two kings and is rumored to be well over two hundred years old.
Religiously all the Ahalni pay tribute to Ahalni their own goddess of peace, although her religion is a very private and personal one, the only temple dedicated to her lies a short distance from the palace, and it only consists of a glass tower with no room for worship, the tower acts as a conductor for the prayers sent to her and it is rumored that the way to her sanctuary is located within the many facets of the glass. The few monks of Ahalni works persistantly polishing the tower every day, and in summer the suns reflection can nearly blind anyone watching from miles away.
Generally the Ahalni have few celebrations and the most common are five for each change of the seasons and calibration, a multitude of harvesting festivals and minor brewing ones, also a single one is held in reverence of Ahalni at night during ascending fire where all lights are extinguished and the people look to the Temple and the stars above, the Ahalni astrologers also use this time to read the skies for information as to next years crops and birthings or any omens that bode well or ill for the nation. Worship of other gods is accepted in Ahaln.
Setting Maps
House Rules
None so far.
