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Modern Haelfinan Nations
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Once the Haelfinan ruled over the entirety of the northern continents, but their
hold was broken millennia ago and they were forced to flee from the combined might
of the Human and Var. In the modern day pockets of Haelfinan still exist on the
main continent in out of the way places, the largest concentration being in the
far north but with smaller clusters scattered throughout the middle and southern
reaches of Danoshorvas. However the bulk of the surviving Haelfinan culture survives
on two large islands in the Runorshorvian Ocean.
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EALDRELIN
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The largest concentration of Haelfinan remaining on the mainland is Ealdrelin in
the distant north, beyond the lands of the Human people known as the Nordmanner.
The Haelfinan and the Nordmanner have been at odds for millennia, and through constant
struggle these Haelfinan have been able to slow the encroachment of mankind into
their deep forests.
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Ealdrelin maintains the ancient relationship with the nearby Kaer-Na, a Human people
of the Eld-folk.
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TARBHDYNION
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The Haelfinan of Ealdrelin created a new race of servitors by altering captured
humans and melding them with forest animals to make a warrior race called the Tarbhdynion
(tarv-DEEN-eon; beast men), humanoid creatures bearing a resemblance to goats, rams,
bears, and other creatures. The superstitious among the Nordmanner believe the Tarbhdynion
to be Walddmonen (walled-DAY-mo-nin, "forest demons"), and will kill them
on sight.
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AELORA
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The second largest concentration of Haelfinan on the mainland is in the northwest,
north of the Vorgaanese nation of Lanolyan. This land is called Aelora and has had
a much less tumultuous relationship with their Human neighbors. Though there have
been occassional skirmishes and "incidents" along their shared border,
the Haelfinan of this region have by and large been able to get along with their
neighbors and while they remain distant they are not overtly antagonistic.
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IANDRAS & IANDRAR
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The heart of the surviving Haelfinan culture reside on two islands off the east
coast of the continent on the Islands of Iandras and Iandrar, in the form of three
"nations". Eandrial and Llishima are located on Iandras while Aelonar
exists on Iandrar. They are primarily differentiated by their level of isolationism.
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AELONAR
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Aelonar is almost xenophobically isolationist. Non-Haelfinan ships are turned away
by powerful magics, and they maintain no ties with any other non-Haelfinan nation,
even the Eld-folk of Kaer-Na and Chur'An.
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EANDRIAL
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Eandrial maintains limited ties with the Chur'An, a Human people of the Eld-folk,
and has a few sequestered port areas where foreign traders can conduct limited trade.
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LLISHIMA
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Llishima is relatively friendly with both Chur'An and Gorosh, maintains some diplomatic
relations with Zedesh and Aruthol, has a merchant's area in it's capital for outsider
merchants to reside in, and occasionally sends out a merchant vessel or politcal
envoy of it's own.
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ENCLAVES
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Additionally there are some scattered enclaves of Haelfinan hidden here and there
in the more remote locations of the mainland, such as a clutch of Haelfinan found
in the Vold. These groups are all relatively small and often in somewhat desperate
or dire straights.
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INTERBREEDING
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Some of these colonies have had to interbreed with Humans due to dwindling population,
in an attempt to "breed-up" Human-Haelfinan cross-breeds to increase their
numbers, and then slowly reduce the Human "taint" over several generations.
This has resulted in a number of Haelfinan and Human crossbreeds among these
communities in the last millenia, and in some enclaves the number of partially Human
Haelfinan outnumbers the pure-blooded Haelfinan.
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