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Difference between revisions of "Hallandren"

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Hallandren trades extensively with the Northern kingdoms.{{book ref|wb|5}}
  
Hallandren trades extensively with the Northern kingdoms.{{book ref|wb|5}}
   
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== History ==
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== Military ==
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=== Founding ===
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=== The Lifeless Army ===
  +
Hallandren has a large lifeless army, forty thousand strong.{{book ref|wb|1}} They have been adding to this army for several centuries before the [[Pahn Kahl rebellion]].{{book ref|wb|34}}
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The valley where Halladren is now located was discovered by the sea-faring people of the [[Chedesh]]. The tropical climate and abundance of food made the region a paradise compared to the mountains and deserts elsewhere. The sailors founded a kingdom known as Hanald on the shores of the Inner Sea. The only other inhabitants of the jungle were the native Pahn Kahl people, whose "kingdom" was in reality a collection of fishing villages.
  
   
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The Hallandren Lifeless army is split into four sections of ten thousand troops, each commanded by a different Returned in the Pantheon.{{book ref|wb|34}} The commanders prior to the [[Pahn Kahl rebellion]] were [[Lightsong]], [[Hopefinder]], [[Allmother]] and [[Mercystar]].{{book ref|wb|34}} some of these Returned are bored by their duty, reasoning that they never have to actually do anything.{{book ref|wb|30}}
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=== The First Returned ===
  
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The First Returned, [[Vo]], was born during this time. It was the people on his ship who founded Hanald. He declared the [[Five Visions]] before dying a week later. His wife became the first Queen of Hanald, and governed over the kingdom's early days.{{book ref|wb|29}}
  
   
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While the bulk of the army is Lifeless,{{book ref|wb|47}} there is quite a large support structure for the army proper which is composed of humans.{{book ref|wb|19}}
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=== Expansion ===
  
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The [[Tears of Edgli]] are a unique resource only available in Hallandren. The flowers produce dyes that work in any cloth and have a very vibrant color. The kingdom used this to their advantage, trading the unique dyes to other kingdoms. A vast mercantile effort combined with the opening of the northern passes made Hallandren rich. They controlled a lucrative region, and this gave them powerful bargaining power.
  
   
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The [[lifeless]] army resides in the lifeless barracks, located at the bottom of the Court of Gods in T’Telir..{{book ref|wb|47}} These barracks are heavily fortified,{{book ref|wb|47}} and the lifeless stationed here have orders to kill anyone who attacks the lifeless.{{book ref|wb|19}} The lifeless are kept in the dark.{{book ref|wb|47}}
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=== The Manywar ===
  
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{{for|Manywar}}
  
   
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=== Kalad’s Phantoms ===
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Roughly 300 years before the the [[Pahn Kahl rebellion]], the [[Manywar]] was started by Hallandren. While accounts differ over the real start of the war, they all revolve around the creation of the single-Breath Lifeless and the other discoveries of the [[Five Scholars]]. [[Vasher|Kalad the Usurper]] took control of Hallandren in some fashion, and started the war for unknown reason. Eventually, [[Vasher|Peacegiver]] stopped the war by bringing [[Kalad's Phantoms]] (which formed the bulk of the army) to take control of the kingdom.
  
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After the events of the [[Pahn Kahl rebellion]] Peacegiver, under the alias of [[Vasher]], granted the security phrase of Kalad’s Phantoms to the God King Susebron.{{book ref|wb|58}} This army includes some thousand soldiers which still function.{{book ref|wb|58}}
   
  ⚫
=== Armament ===
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At the conclusion of the Manywar, the Returned were firmly established as the rulers of Hallandren. Furthermore, the royal family (descendants of the first queen) was exiled to [[Idris]]. Peacegiver also gave the first [[God King]] a treasure of fifty thousand Breaths and entrusted his priests to see that it was cared for until he needed it again.
  
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==== Bladed weapons ====
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Most Hallandren use ‘Dueling Blades’ a long and thin type of blade.{{book ref|wb|19}} The Hallandren also use daggers{{book ref|wb|19}} and spears.{{book ref|wb|4}}
   
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=== The Pahn Kahl Rebellion ===
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==== Awakened clothing ====
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It is not uncommon for an awakener to [[Awakening|awaken]] their clothing, helping them fight.{{book ref|wb|21}} There are even specialized sets of clothing made for this very purpose.{{book ref|wb|21}}
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{{for|Pahn Kahl rebellion}}
  
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Three hundred years later, a Pahn Kahl named [[Vahr]] made an attempt at stirring up his people. He spent over a decade working to that that end, but was ultimately captured and imprisoned due to [[Bluefingers]]' information leaks and killed by Vasher.{{wob ref|6020}}{{book ref|wb|prologue}} [[Bluefingers]] himself planned an extensive subversive campaign centered around starting a war between Hallandren and Idris: he brought mercenaries and Pahn Kahl Awakeners into the tunnel system below the court,{{wob ref|7298}} manipulated [[Siri]] into distrusting the Hallandren priests,{{wob ref|6983}} and hired [[Denth's crew]] to increase tensions in the city.{{wob ref|6723}} When his plans were nearing completion, he tortured [[Blushweaver]] and [[Lightsong]] in order to get the Command phrases for Hallandren's Lifeless army, changed the Command phrase, and sent the army towards Idris.{{book ref|wb|55}} The attempted rebellion was defeated when the [[Susebron|God King]], with his newly healed tongue, used [[Peacegiver's Treasure]] to storm his palace with an army of Awakened cloths. Vasher decided to give the God King the Command phrase to Kalad's Phantoms, which he then sent after the Lifeless army.{{book ref|wb|epilogue}}
  
   
 
== Culture ==
  
== Culture ==

Revision as of 17:36, 9 December 2023

Hallandren
T-Telir.png
by Shawn Boyles
Capital T'Telir
World Nalthis
Universe Cosmere

“This, however, was Hallandren: land of Returned gods, Lifeless servants, BioChromatic research, and—of course—color. ”

Hallandren is the most powerful kingdom on Nalthis. Its capital is T'Telir. It is unique for its jungle environment and the Tears of Edgli, which grow nowhere else. It is home to the Hallandren Iridescent Tones, the religion that supports and is led by the Returned.

Geography and Ecology

by CarloswkArt
Vivenna & co entering Hallandren

“A paradise hidden between the mountains, a land with pleasant rains that never grew cold, a land where succulent food grew spontaneously. ”

—Hoid telling what the Chedesh thought when they first landed on Hallandren's beaches[2]

Hallandren is located in the jungle valley on Nalthis. It is unique in the known world of Nalthis as being the only place that Tears of Edgli will grow, as well as being the only known jungle climate.[2] The growth of plants in this region is partly helped by Investiture, much like the Elendel Basin.[3] The jungle is inhabited by panthers, parrots, monkeys, snakes, and crocodiles.[2][4][5][6] Parts of the jungle are cleared to make room for cropland, where food and dyes are produced.[6]

To Hallandren's east,[7] there is an inland sea that features several islands.[8] At least a third of the coastline is controlled by Hallandren, which has its capital city built abutting the water.[9] The area suffers frequent earthquakes.[10] There are mountains north of Hallandren, as well as toward the sunrise.

Elephants and zebras are said to be exotic creatures from "the south." Whether this means they come from southern Hallandren or south of Hallandren is unclear.[5]

The Hallandren people have access to fine wines, sweet potatoes, figs, nuts, and garlic, among other foods; it is unknown, however, how much grows in the area and how much is imported.[11][12] The Bright Sea is full of life, including many sorts of mussels, fish, and tentacled creatures.[6][13][14]

Government

“The Hallandren theocracy is a top-heavy structure laden with bureaucratic foolishness and inertia. ”

Theocracy

Hallandren is a theocracy ruled by the Pantheon of the Returned, headed by the God King[16] The religion behind this theocracy is the Iridescent Tones. A religion that worships the Returned as gods,[16] and believes they returned to guide and bless their people.[16]

The Returned have duties and votes on specific matters in the city and the empire.[17] The task of the priesthood is generally to inform the gods of the people’s opinions.[17] The Returned can then make informed decisions, which the priests enforce. In reality the priests handle most of the minor decisions, so that the Returned only vote on the major decisions.[18] This method of government, waiting on debates that must be brought to the gods (who cannot leave the court to be among the people of the city) by the priests, operates notoriously slowly.

The government loans out Lifeless to help citizens with menial labor such as clearing land of trees in order to create farmland. Terms of such a loan stipulate that in war time any food produced on the landowner's land will be seized by the Returned. While this is specific to the policy for lending out the Lifeless, the government retains the right to seize any land during war time regardless.[6]

Court Assembly

The Court Assembly is a standing commission of the Court of Gods that provides decisions to Hallandren's citizens.[19] It meets daily to make small judgments, but important discussions are reserved for weekly meetings of the full Assembly.[19] The Assembly is made up primarily of priests and priestesses, and meetings are held in a large arena at the back of the Court of Gods.[19][11] The Returned do not sit on the Assembly,[19] but many of them regularly attend the weekly meetings to watch from ornate stone observation boxes,[11] including Susebron.[20]

Some Returned do not concern themselves with politics and rarely attend,[21] while others find the meetings boring because they believe their opinions do not matter.[22] During Assembly meetings, arguments are brought forth regarding various topics such as relations with Idris; Siri was also presented to the Court at the Assembly.[23] The Assembly's discussions are often full of rhetoric[24] and politically savvy Returned try to influence the direction of the Assembly.[17] Attending the Court Assembly is thought of as a privilege by the people of Hallandren; there are only four benches in the arena for citizens to attend, so only people who are rich, influential, favored by a god, or have at least fifty Breaths attend regularly.[23] Average citizens may enter a lottery to win a token to attend the Assembly.[23][18]

Main Assembly

The regular Court Assembly is not empowered to make major decisions such as a declaration of war; instead, all of the Returned must attend a gathering known as a "main" or "general" assembly so they can all cast a vote.[25][26] The outcome of a Main Assembly becomes the Will of the Pantheon. All the gods have the right to refuse the Will of the Pantheon, although it is frowned upon. These special assemblies are rare and often very crowded, as citizens who win lottery tokens to attend an Assembly often save them for a main assembly so they can see all of the gods together.[18]

Territories

Hallandren controls the entire jungle valley, and is bordered by mountains to the north[27] and east.[28] It is also bordered by the Bright Sea[29] and controls about one third of it’s coastline. They also control multiple islands in the Bright Sea.[8]

Administrative Districts

Hallandren is made up of a number of provinces. The only known province is Pahn Kahl, a quiet and peaceful province in the south of Hallandren.[28] This province is home to an ethnic group called Pahn Kahl,[28] although this isn’t the only place in Hallandren where these people can be found.[2]

The Monarchy

The God King

Hallandren has had a monarchy for its entire history,[2] some three hundred years. All of their kings have been Returned, and all of them are named Susebron, with the current king being Susebron the fifth.[2] Due to their nature as Returned they carry the title of God King.

The God King has absolute power in Hallandren,[30] although in reality he acts more like a figurehead for the priesthood.[31] The priests also cut out his tongue to prevent him from using his Breaths,[31] as their god Peacegiver commanded them to do.[13] The God King resides in a large black palace in the Court of Gods.[29] He can also veto any decision made by the Pantheon of Gods.[18]

Some people consider Peacegiver to have been the first God King,[2] while others don’t think so, and instead consider Susebron the first as the first king.[2] At least one of the God Kings ruled for a century. The God Kings are believed to have received life themselves from Peacegiver.[2]

The Queen

For most of a God King’s rule the Hallandren are without a queen.[30] This is because a queen is only selected after an infant Returns.[8]

The Queen is formally addressed with ‘Your Majesty’ or ‘Your Excellency’.[2][28] She is also sometimes addressed as ‘Vessel’ as she is considered to be a Vessel for the God King.[28]

The Queen has only one duty, to provide the kingdom with an heir.[19] She spends the rest of her time being idle, enjoying the same luxuries as the Returned.[19] She is not allowed to leave the Court of Gods.[19] She is also one of the few people in the Court of Gods who are allowed to touch the God King.[32]

Succession

The God King’s priests take an infant Returning as a sign that it’s time to change Kings.[28] They then choose a wife for the God King and hope she has a child, as they would rather have the God King's literal child.[8] Sometimes the queen is the actual mother of the child, while other times a marriage is arranged. Retired God King's are proclaimed dead from healing those in need and are taken to one of the isles in the middle of the Inner Sea.[5] They maintain a lavish lifestyle until they die.[33]

Foreign Policy and International Relationships

Idris

Hallandren and Idris have a mostly antagonistic relationship. This is because of a number of reasons, most of which can find their way back to the Manywar. One of these reasons is the splintering of Hanald, with both kingdoms claiming the other’s territories as their own.[17] Another reason is the Idrian religion of Austrism. This religion, banished after the Manywar, began teaching against everything that had to do with Hallandren, such as ostentation[30] and awakening.[34] Due to these reasons, along with the false stories told by ramblemen, the hatred of Hallandren became deeply rooted in the Idrian culture.

Many Idrians in the lower mountains were forced out of their homes through famine or lack of money,[35] these Idrians, unwilling to make the long and hard journey to Bevalis to petition the king, traveled south into Hallandren and started working here.[35] These people are looked down upon by both the Idrians and the Hallandren.

After the Pahn Kahl rebellion the God King Susebron the fifth, a friend of the Idrians, took more direct control of Hallandren politics and because of this the relations with Idris likely improved.

Tedradel

Since the Manywar, which saw Hanald, the predecessor of Hallandren, and Tedradel go to war with each other[2] Tedradel’s opinion of Hallandren hasn’t improved much.[34] Their opinion of Hallandren is so low that Yarda considers it possible that Tedradel would go to war again, should Idris be attacked.[34]

Tedradel still has many traders in T’Telir,[9] and likely other Hallandren cities as well.

The Northern Kingdoms

Hallandren doesn’t have a very great relationship with the Northern Kingdoms. If Hallandren had decided to attack Idris a number of these kingdoms would have aided Idris.[27] Dozens of these kingdoms do not share Hallandren’s views of Idris as a rebel faction.[27]

Hallandren trades extensively with the Northern kingdoms.[27]

Military

The Lifeless Army

Hallandren has a large lifeless army, forty thousand strong.[34] They have been adding to this army for several centuries before the Pahn Kahl rebellion.[25]

The Hallandren Lifeless army is split into four sections of ten thousand troops, each commanded by a different Returned in the Pantheon.[25] The commanders prior to the Pahn Kahl rebellion were Lightsong, Hopefinder, Allmother and Mercystar.[25] some of these Returned are bored by their duty, reasoning that they never have to actually do anything.[22]

While the bulk of the army is Lifeless,[21] there is quite a large support structure for the army proper which is composed of humans.[36]

The lifeless army resides in the lifeless barracks, located at the bottom of the Court of Gods in T’Telir..[21] These barracks are heavily fortified,[21] and the lifeless stationed here have orders to kill anyone who attacks the lifeless.[36] The lifeless are kept in the dark.[21]

Kalad’s Phantoms

After the events of the Pahn Kahl rebellion Peacegiver, under the alias of Vasher, granted the security phrase of Kalad’s Phantoms to the God King Susebron.[37] This army includes some thousand soldiers which still function.[37]

Armament

Bladed weapons

Most Hallandren use ‘Dueling Blades’ a long and thin type of blade.[36] The Hallandren also use daggers[36] and spears.[29]

Awakened clothing

It is not uncommon for an awakener to awaken their clothing, helping them fight.[38] There are even specialized sets of clothing made for this very purpose.[38]

Culture

Hallandren and its inhabitants live a very colorful life, as they are sitting on the Tears of Edgli. T'Telir, in particular, is famous for having color everywhere and anywhere it can be displayed. Society is fairly well-off, with a middle class that doesn't exist anywhere else with similar technological development.

Coins in Hallandren are called marks, with a smaller variety called bits.[24][39] A single bit would not buy more than a mouthful of food.[39]

Skilled artists of at least the Third Heightening often write poetry using the Artisan's script.[16]

Hallandren's society places value in athleticism. Duels for sport are common enough that someone talented with a blade could gain a wealth of prizes, notable fame, and a sizable following of students in their lifetime.[40] The Court of Hallandren's arena is often used as a location for athletic individuals to engage in contests of physical prowess. Some arena competitions mentioned are shot put, javelin toss, archery, leaping contests, and races.[5] However, special accolades are not given to the winner, but to all the contestants, for possessing the physical prowess required to participate.

The Hallandren may have a calendar which views the Manywar as the year 0, as Hoid mentions that the time before the Manywar was before time itself began.[citation needed]

The Hallandren people enjoy music, painting, dance, poetry, sculpture, puppetry, play performance, sandpainting and lots of other ‘lesser’ arts.[19]

The Hallandren herd livestock such as sheep and cows.[34][17] They also eat figs[12] and many sorts of sealife, such as mussels, fish, and octopi.[6][9][13]

Silk is commonly used as clothing for the highborn.[citation needed]

The people at the edges of the kingdom of Hallandren, have dark skin, however since Siri notes this, it may be that the people at the northern border have dark skin. People here also dye their hair.[citation needed]

Their language is called Hallandren as well.[citation needed]

Economics

When Hallandren was still known as Hanald, the kingdom had little of note economically, until the Tears of Edgli were found. These flowers quickly turned the country into an economic powerhouse. T'Telir's location on the Bright Sea made it easy to access Hallandren textiles and dyes, which quickly turned the city of T'Telir into a prime port and a center of trade for all kingdoms in Nalthis.[9]

While the Bright Sea's trade routes are a boon to Hallandren, they only connect Hallandren to the southern kingdoms, which do not provide nearly enough income for the kingdom as a whole. For Hallandren to thrive, it needs access to trade routes to the northern kingdoms, which are monopolized by Idris. Bebid postulates that a drawn out war with Idris would cut off their primary trade routes and would lead to "full economic collapse."[27]

Priests control much of the trade in the city. Being wealthy individuals with notable political power in Hallandren's theocracy, they own and organize a large sum of the traded goods in Hallandren.[36] There were strict rules around buying and selling Breath.[1]

Truthcall is one of the Returned given a vote over issues of trade with other kingdoms. As such, his decisions hold sway over the economics of both Hallandren and its trade partners.[6]

Notes

  1. ↑ a b Warbreaker prologue#
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k Warbreaker chapter 32#
  3. ↑ SpoCon 2013
    — Arcanum - 2013-07-10#
  4. ↑ Warbreaker chapter 35#
  5. ↑ a b c d Warbreaker chapter 27#
  6. ↑ a b c d e f Warbreaker chapter 22#
  7. ↑ Warbreaker chapter 12#
  8. ↑ a b c d Warbreaker Annotations
    — Arcanum - 2011-03-01#
  9. ↑ a b c d Warbreaker chapter 9#
  10. ↑ /r/books AMA 2015
    — Arcanum - 2015-06-18#
  11. ↑ a b c Warbreaker chapter 14#
  12. ↑ a b Warbreaker chapter 26#
  13. ↑ a b c Warbreaker chapter 40#
  14. ↑ Warbreaker chapter 53#
  15. ↑ Warbreaker chapter 43#
  16. ↑ a b c d Warbreaker chapter 3#
  17. ↑ a b c d e Warbreaker chapter 16#
  18. ↑ a b c d Warbreaker chapter 50#
  19. ↑ a b c d e f g h Warbreaker chapter 8#
  20. ↑ Warbreaker chapter 44#
  21. ↑ a b c d e Warbreaker chapter 47#
  22. ↑ a b Warbreaker chapter 30#
  23. ↑ a b c Warbreaker chapter 15#
  24. ↑ a b Warbreaker chapter 17#
  25. ↑ a b c d Warbreaker chapter 34#
  26. ↑ Warbreaker chapter 48#
  27. ↑ a b c d e Warbreaker chapter 5#
  28. ↑ a b c d e f Warbreaker chapter 55#
  29. ↑ a b c Warbreaker chapter 4#
  30. ↑ a b c Warbreaker chapter 2#
  31. ↑ a b Warbreaker chapter 20#
  32. ↑ Warbreaker chapter 6#
  33. ↑ Warbreaker Annotations
    — Arcanum - 2011-06-22#
  34. ↑ a b c d e Warbreaker chapter 1#
  35. ↑ a b Warbreaker chapter 28#
  36. ↑ a b c d e Warbreaker chapter 19#
  37. ↑ a b Warbreaker chapter 58#
  38. ↑ a b Warbreaker chapter 21#
  39. ↑ a b Warbreaker chapter 41#
  40. ↑ Warbreaker chapter 25#
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