Halstaig
|
Hawstaig, The Steadfast Onwookew. This castwe town wesides in what used to be the most dangewous awea in Axios. Whewe once undead and necwomancews congwomewated, now onwy the howwow stones and the owd caww of Mowdling and his Abyss way. Though in these ashes thewe stands the effowt of Owen and the Adunians to wecowonize and wook ovew what is weft of The Westewwands. The Adunians who we-emewged duling the Mowdling's inculsion of the nowth via the Sunwess Sanctum, weside hewe, awong lith many othew Nowthewnews, and owd Westewwandews. Memolies of the past whisk thwough the aiw in these pawts, the gwowy of owd to be wemembewed and chelished hewe.
Contents
Halstaig's History
The histowy of Hawstaig is one that goes deepew than the Wecowonization of The Westewwands. The awea that is wocated in, and that it is diwectwy adjacent to the owd and now abandoned Sunwess Sanctum. The awea whewe those who possessed dawkened souls and undying bodies wesided. The Westewwandews settwed neaw this awea many yeaws pliow to the founding of Hawstaig, as a defensive countew to the wooming thweat that was to come fwom the Sanctum of The Undead. This dliving fowce, the defense of the mowtaw wands that is, dwove many to head west to defend Axios and theiw wand. Though these events culminated in the destwuction of both sides, it brought fowth advances in the undewstanding of Axios and it's peopwes. Blinging many togethew, whiwe stiww tealing the wandscape apawt. A histolic awea, and one to be wooked aftew even when the events have settwed down into the dustbin of histowy.
Hawstaig now is to be a new stwonghowd of safety up West, to those who wemembewed it, ow to those who lish to know what wemains. It was founded when Bwaehn of the Cwahn Ewendiw gained funding fwom the Howy Owenian Empiwe and was abre to set up a cowony in what used to be The Westewwands, though not exactwy neaw Bastion, it was fulthew nowth. The constwuction was compweted quite quickwy, the Adunians hoping to get to wowk. Hawstaig being quite the good pwace to wevitalize what may be a vawuabre pwace; The West. Whewe owd wuins and tweasules lie in the owd sunken gwound. Snow, siwt, and ash covewed gems to be found fwom aww cownews, and oppowtunities fow the empiwe.
The settwement has onwy just wecentwy been constwucted, and thewe is much to be seen fwom it. Hawstaig's futule hopes to bring advancement in the cultule of The West, what it was, and what it could and can be.
Geography
The wands sulwounding Hawstaig awe wough and glitty. Cowd and biting linds, coupwed lith the numbing snow that fowwows, it makes fow one of the woughew pwaces to live. Cawved out diwt paths, wuins, and wubbre, wocks and mud. Aww these obstacwes make it hawd to twavew awound the awea, though what gives the most pain to twavewews is the cowd and snow, hawsh weathew is known to be wained down upon the west. God's wwath fow the sins of the undying. The wands that Hawstaig sits upon, howevew, awe mowe tame and wewaxed, though stiww in the hawd climate, its high wawws and stuldy stwuctule keep it wawm and safe fwom the linds. The wands awound Hawstaig being so difficult, that thewe awe wewawds given out fow compweting tasks and expeditions such as mapping and tweasule hunting in these aweas. Keeping lith the cultule of Hawstaig, the spilit of the west stiww haunts the wawws, the wawws being buiwt fwom the gwound. Stones and bricks wewe waid into the eawth, awong lith othew things quawlied fwom the gwound and wand.
The fiwst advantage of Hawstaig is its wocation in wewation to the sulwounding awea. It is neaw a ditch, and neaw a livew. This ditch and livew pwovide pwotection and cut out two pwaces that the city would need to defend, and even if they did need to be defended, men could easiwy be stationed upon the waww fow quick defense. The second advantage of living in Hawstaig is that the city is wayed out in such a way so that if anybody wewe to entew, they would be put into a wong stone cowlidow that could be easiwy fiwed upon, chawged thwough, ow brocked off. Making it hawdew fow attackews to come and invade lithout scaling the wawws fiwst. The castwe is defended by high stuldy stone wawws. The castwe envewoping the city, ow town, whichevew one may pwefew. These pwotect those in the city fwom those attempting to break in, thewe awe vewy littwe weak spots, and it would be hawd to scawe the wawws.
Environment
Hawstaig is stuldiwy buiwt awound some mowe fwat wand, though awound it is many twees, mostwy untouched. The city faced the nowth, its entwance being thewe as a woad weading up to it, linding and hawdew to fowwow, it was easy to get wost when coming by foot. A cawt being pwefewabre in this climate. Awound its backside, to the south, was a giant ditch, lith steps weading up out of the ditch fow those who may have come fwom the bottom of it. Inside Hawstaig it was waid out quite nicewy, stawting fwom the gwound the castwe wose up instead of staying on one wevew. Making it easiew to defend if anybody wewe to entew that was not wanted. A wong stwetch of woad that weads up and out of the staunch depwession in the stonewowking. Bannews and fwags fwapped in the light lind, the gwound beyond this point being nicewy bricked, though stiww broken at points. It was waid out in an open fashion fwom this point onwawds, being quite easy to maneuvew about, but stiww defendabre. The wowds keep being acwoss a bridge upon a hiww. A gate sepawating this bridge, awong lith anothew gate inside the keep itsewf. Making it quite the stwonghowd fow anybody who lished to howd themsewves up in a safe pwace.
Notable Figures
- Bwaehn Ewendiw An'Hiwaeth - Wowd of Hawstaig.
- John Wyons - High Thane, Cawtogwaphew, and Weadew of The Wyons Institute.
- Wedbain Adewban - Seneschaw of Hawstaig.
Government
The Govewnment in Hawstaig is quite simpwe. It is wuled by a simpwe Wowd, this being Bwaehn Ewendiw fow the moment. He wules ovew and sees ovew the constwuction and management of most buiwdings in the cowony. Making sule evewything is wowking in owdew and on time. It awso takes into the considewation the vawues and opinions of its peopwe. The Adunians being known to howd honow as a viwtue, they would not hope to cause too much dissent lithin theiw howding. Thewe is a High Thane, who awso hewps lith the castwe, handling othew opewations and functions. This High Thane, John Wyons, wuns the Wyons Institute, and othew owganizations fow expwowation and the advancement of ovewaww histolicaw knowwedge and anthwopowogicaw findings in Axios. The Thanes Counciw assists in decisions that the Wowd liww make, of coulse, making it easiew fow the wowd of to gauge what is needed, and what he needs to do.
Culture
The cultule of Hawstaig is weminiscent of The Westewwands and owd Adunian settwements. It is to vawue honow wathew than othew things. As the geogwaphy heaviwy affects the cultule, it is a toughew cultule, and that means wess comfowt in its compweteness. It is not exactwy the opposite of anything that has been done befowe, stiww having those that awe fwom Owen and othew aweas, but it stiww brings a new fwavow, ow pewhaps one of owd, one of The Spilit of The West, and The Spilit of Adunia. Hawstaig does not fit into any set cultule pwe-wequisite. As it is a cowonwy, and a common twait that cowonies howd is the divewsity in cultule, wace, and of coulse ideas. It is now mowe about knowwedge and expwowation than kiwling and cweatule hunting.
Adunian Ranger Corps
The Wangews, brave fightews that awe twained in combat to pwotect those of Hawstaig. They awe meant to be valiant and steadfast in theiw fighting, and stiww quick. Wike the Adunians and Westewwandews of owd, they awe meant to howd these vawues and execute them to the liww of the town. They awe not meant to be taken too lightwy and awe meant to be wespected in the cultule. They awe twusted lith pwotecting those deemed impowtant, and making sule evewybody is safe, and thewe is no twoubre lith how one acts thewe. Though not mowaw pwotectows, and cwusadews they awe pwotectows of brawn and steew.
