Hallandren

Hallandren
Capital	T'Telir
World	Nalthis

Hallandren is the most powerful kingdom on Nalthis. 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

Hallandren sits in a valley bordered by both the sea and the mountains. The capital city, T'Telir, sits on the sea and is a major trade center. The Tears of Edgli grow only in the soil of Hallandren. The valley has a moderate climate that is never too cold. The climate allows food to be grown without difficulty. Powerful earthquakes are a frequent occurrence there.

Government and Religion

Hallandren is a theocracy ruled by the Pantheon of the Returned, headed by the God King. The Iridescent Tones, which grew out of the Cult of the Returned, is the religion behind this theocracy, and is responsible for the worship and care of the Hallandren Returned. Each Returned is given a palace in the Court of Gods in T'Telir, and served by a group of attendants and priests. The priests organize the interactions between the Returned and the citizens, including the weekly offering of Breath that the Returned require to survive and the daily hearing of petitions.

As part of the government, each Returned is assigned specific administrative duties, such as maintaining the city sewers or commanding part of the army. The God King can nominally make any decision he pleases, but in reality much of the day-to-day government decisions are made by the priests of the various gods.

Military

The Hallandren Lifeless army was split into 4 sections of ten thousand troops, each commanded by by a different Returned in the Pantheon.^{[citation needed]} They are kept underground in darkness and have people to maintain and exercise them.^{[citation needed]}

The commanders prior to the Pahn Kahl rebellion were Lightsong, Blushweaver, Allmother and Mercystar. Blushweaver had convinced Mercystar to hand over control of her troops through passing on her command phrase.^{[citation needed]} Blushweaver attempted to do the same with Allmother, but failed to persuade her. Instead, Lightsong gained Allmother's trust through their former association with Calmseer, and mutually exchanged command phrases with Allmother. Lightsong witheld these phrases from Blushweaver and maintained control over half the total forces of Halladren. During the Pahn Kahl rebellion Blushweaver and was tortured by the rebels for the new passwords. Upon seeing Blushweaver die, Lightsong despondently gave up his remaining passwords in fear for Llarimar's life.^{[citation needed]}

There are also human city guards, but the bulk of the army is still the Lifeless.^{[citation needed]}

History

Founding

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.

The First Returned

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.

Expansion

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.

The Manywar

Roughly 300 years before the setting of Warbreaker, 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. Kalad the Usurper took control of Hallandren in some fashion, and started the war for unknown reason. Eventually, Peacegiver stopped the war by bringing Kalad's Phantoms (which formed the bulk of the army) to take control of the kingdom.

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.

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.

Notes

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