About the Dominion of Halif

The Dominion of Halif is the central country being explored in Ascended Terra, with the town of Elswin in Rheinmar being the primary play zone for the 1795 timeline onwards.
It takes roughly 1 month on foot to travel from Port Ember and Elswin assuming about 8-10 hours of walking a day or 10 days by river barge (either a very costly or grueling affair depending if one is buying passage or working a ship as an experienced sailor).


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Aloondor
Councillor: Ae'umi Divan (Sylph, young female, newly elected in 1794 with several former councillors in her family)
Seat of power: Aloondria
Major Industries: Coal, Dairy, Diamonds, Furs, Trade
Aloondria: Is the seat of power for Aloondor. Located on 2 Major Trade Routes. Aloondria is a small city and houses a moderate sized Mage Tower.
Black Rock Mine: Is primarily known for its Coal which is primarily exported to Port Ember and to Frot
Lakefield: A smaller wayside town not really remarkable for anything other than being located where two trade routes intersect.
Ruins: These unknown ruins are rumored to be very dangerous, haunted, infested, etc… Pretty much every bad rumor you've heard about ancient ruins has been heard about this place. Most intelligent individuals have given up the pursuit of investigating these ruins. Or is this what they just tell children to spook them off?

Aubertung
Councillor: Professor Logan Weller (Caveborn, male, older, has served as councillor repeatedly on and off many times pending his teaching and research duties; current Chief Ambassador [1795-1797])
Seat of power: Fort Auberium
Major Industries: Granite, Lumber, Rare (Metals/Minerals), Education
Auberium Mine: Not much is publicly known about the mine other than something was found in 1780 within the mine that was cause enough to build Fort Auberium around the Mine. No outside prospectors are allowed in the mine. The Mine is known to export rare minerals and metals.
Erforsch: Is primarily a cave dweller research town. Founded nearby the ruins of a small city lost during the Dawn Titus war. This outpost town  serves as a research and exploration hub for the ruins, there are very expensive research materials and facilities located within.
Fort Auberium: Built at great expense over 8 years 1780-1788 this towering mass of Fortified Metal and stone houses a Keep, mage tower, Auberium Mine, shops, a Temple to B’Gath, several estates and large stables. There is a small but quickly growing city forming around the location.
Pinegrove: Primarily known for its export of lumber. This small town is surrounded by a thick forest on all but its west side which is a large river, as such all trade and supplies are conducted on the river.

Borealem
Councillor: Edvard Ruest (Surface Dweller, male, late 30s, has served for 8 years, served as a squire to the knights of Halif but chose not to take his oath after suffering a crippling wound at 16 that causes him mobility issues and pain to this day, bowyer by trade)
Seat of power: Red Hallow
Major Industries: Bows, Charcoal, Finished goods, Fur, Lumber,
Cedar Run: Known for their tall red Cedar trees and their bowyers.  While lumber is sent down river along the river towards the growing capital or up river to Rheinstadt the town prefers a more down to earth attitude and a good tune around the fire as there is a strong devotion to the Bard in this town.  Cedar Run is a very old community and traces its lineage back to even before Halif was free.
Grenzan: A hunting town through and through.  A home to those who seek a quiet escape into the wild with a bow.  Many fine bow makers from Cedar Run have made their living selling their bows to the trappers and hunters who call the hills around Grenzan home.  These isolationist hunters and trappers trace their lineage back to the ages of champions and hold to their traditions of self governance and each person’s right to vote.
Red Hallow: Built almost entirely out of the Red Cedar trees, or painted to resemble such,  Red Hallow is known for making charcoal to fuel the fires of Port Ember as well as fine Carpentry.  Remarkably young compared to other cities in Halif, Red Hallow is seen by some as an attempt to both embrace the old traditions of Grenzan and Cedar Run while also offering an opening to modernity.  In this same vein all citizens of Borealem once they reach maturity get one vote to elect their Councillor, as is tradition.  

Candamar
Councillor: Levandi Anek (Gobkin female, older yet still considered very beautiful, Levandi is unusual not only as she is one of few women to hold title as Lord Mayor over the last century and a half but she gained status as an actress, musician and dancer rather than through the creation of fine artisanal goods and produce. Has served for 10 years-- 6 of which are consecutive)
Seat of power: Candamar
Major Industries: Agricultural (Cranberry, flax, rice, other), Fine Goods, Guild halls, Trade
Candamar: The northern cultural capital of Halif.  Whereas Elathor has the arts as a means to entertain the wealthy, the arts and artisanal goods are a point of pride to this city.   Guild halls for all sorts of trades are well-established in this city and are a large part of the governance.  Each established guild gets a number of votes that they may give to any of their guild members as they see fit. Prominent citizens, known as Freemen --an elite status granted by the Court of Aldermen, also get to vote in City Elections.  Votes are cast in each of the 13 boroughs to elect Aldermen to the eponymously named court.  From there elections are held from within the Court of Aldermen to elect a Freeman to be the Lord Mayor, who serves both as the speaker of the Court of Aldermen and Councillor.
Krutashire Keep: Both a crossroads between the Monarchy and Halif and border keep Krutashire serves as the entry point for many into the Halif.  The tall imposing walls and sharp architecture started construction in 1701NE with the help of Kamouraska and was completed in 1710NE.  Today the keep sports many elite soldiers and is a breeding ground for the Knights of Halif due to a strong patriotic culture.  Outside the imposing structure many merchants have set up caravan stations where caravans can gather and trade wears outside of the hustle and bustle of the big city.  At present Commander Strand Cormin is the Master of the Keep.

Elathor
Councillor: Teagan 'Silvertongue' Morenna (Snakelike seafolk, female, late 30s, Teagan was a street youth who managed to talk her way into being sponsored by the Kerdalin family as an expert silver and mithril smith after a chance encounter with one of the sons as a child. Seen as an odd cross of street smarts and higher education, Teagan has a no nonsense governing style and managed to survive two calls for early re-election while rooting out corruption in local guilds since 1792. Her term is due to end in March 1796).
Seat of power: Elathor
Major Industries: Livestock, Raw ore, Silver
Elathor: Known to some as the Silver City for her many silversmiths of high repute who call the city their home.   Others see the wealth brought in by the mines and public works paid for by the wealthy owners, such as the Kerdalin Library or the Silver Winged Theater, as the reason for the name.  While the countryside of Elathor deals in livestock and the shipping of raw resources towards Port Ember or Rheinstadt it also acts as a central storage hub for the amassing and distribution of goods throughout the dominion. The core of the city is a light for the owners of these businesses who seek some simple comforts of entertainment and food.  It is worth noting these amenities do not hold a candle to those in a proper Monarchy city or Candamar.  A council of guild masters and business owners elect from amongst themselves someone to serve as Councillor.
Silverpoint mine: Known for the quality of its deep silver and other ores.  The mine is owned by a Caveborn family, the Kerdalins, who sold shares in the mines to wealthy investors in the 1650s to help get the mine off the ground.  While little is known about the reclusive Kerdalin family it has been suspected that Bouwbenvil money was part of the initial investments made.  The estate overlooking the mining camp is grand and secluded, very few entering or leaving.

Ember
Councillor: Jana Hewlett (surface dweller, female, late 40s-50s, a semi-retired privateer, Jana is a devotee of Argo'Lest and was considered a controversial choice when first elected in 1789 due to her past actions including serving in a mercenary company that was hired by King Wilhelm of Titus before his coronation.  Shrewd and charismatic, she recently turned down the nomination to be Chief Ambassador, instead throwing her support behind the stoic and less divisive Professor Logan Weller)
Seat of power: Port Ember
Major Industries: Fishing, Manufacturing, Trade,
Port Ember (formerly Rosegaarden): Capital city and primary port on Great Bull Lake, Port Ember has expanded into the lake through the usage of mage-grown islands and permanently tethered barges which serve as fishing hubs to feed the ever growing city. Along with booming trade the inland outskirts sport manufacturers of all sorts where those talented convert raw materials into all sorts of market goods that those in town are able to barter for valuable resources.  With the previously ransacked governor’s palace serving as their merchant hall and seat of government, the cantons of Halif will send a representative to the capital quarterly to discuss the going ons of the Dominion.  

Frot
Councillor: Joao Cavarro (feline landfolk, male, early 30s, considered not only physically powerful but very intelligent for his tactical approach to the great tournament. Time will tell if the newly appointed Joao will be a good councillor, however he is also a skilled Engineer with a passion for developing Experimental weapons)
Seat of power: Frot
Major Industries: Military, Weapons
Frot: A southwestern trading post on the Dominion’s border, Frot promotes a warrior-centric society, acquiring their resources by raising caravan guards,  enforcers (of both legal and pirate-kind) and some of the most skilled weaponsmiths in all of Halif. They have good relations with Clans Codrilo and Cazador of the Gulahack Alliance.  A great tournament is held every year by the great temple of Aurelius to determine the best ten fighters with the pinnacle fighter becoming the Councillor and the remaining nine forming an advisory board.  
Riverview: An outpost along the frontier and often a training ground for fresh blood looking to gain respect and their place within Frot.  In Riverview, might make right, and time spent in the nearly lawless town is often seen as a right of passage before joining with a mercenary company.  

Meadows
Councillor: Taryn Combs (Female, landfolk with canine features, mid40s, retired soldier and treasure hunter; Taryn caused a stir with her donation of rare artefacts recovered in her youth. Her family owns an apiary outside of Meadsburry. Term 1795-1797)
Seat of power: Wiese
Major Industries: Agricultural, Equestrian, Furs, Mead, Wine
Glenborough: Once a home of the fabled Glen Greenlance this small community prides itself on its stables and husbandry skills.  Throughout all of Halif the horses raised in these stables are the envy of all others.  A pastime for some and way of life for others, is hunting from horseback in the wide fields and meadows not filled with amber grain.  Hunting lodges are often based in Glenborough and furious are treated trap lines set for the winter. A note on horses: they are very expensive to upkeep and thus are not often used except by nobility, couriers and high ranking military. The military usage of cavalry has fallen out of fashion since the Dawn-Titus War and advances by the Airigat Magocracy, although Kamouraska still boasts a large calvary of specially trained horses who are less spooked by magic than most animals.
Meadsburry: A pleasant riverside community with fine vineyards and exquisite honey mead.  With many families operating small distilleries or wine presses the quality of the drink procured here is in the blood of the local peoples.  Its position on the river makes it an ideal stop point for river merchants and so bottles of wine and mead often follow trade down the river, leaving Meadsburry a more wealthy community than most.
Wiese: Initially a crossroad town run by the Marlon family, Wiese has become an agricultural and brewing center.  Whereas Meadsburry is known for many small family owned wine presses, Wiese is known for the BlackBarrel Distilleries, and the merchant houses that export it.  The old Marlon Estate has been converted into the Council chamber for the Canton.  The Councillor is elected based on donations, where all intendent candidates give a blind and secret donation to the Canton’s coffers.  The person to have donated the most is given the title of Councillor for a term of two years and may not hold this title again for another 10 years.  While the Blackburns, who own the main distillery, have had many elected to the Councillorship there are several families from Meadsburry who also have won the title in recent years.

Parvati
Councillor: Henrik Jade (caveborn, male, late 40s,  former military Engineer and Master Trapper, who made a name for himself with his inventions. His surname Jade is an assumed name as his family name kept being mispronounced by his superiors when completing his training).
Seat of power: Fort Riverfoot
Major Industries: Agricultural (Goats, Grains, Medicinal plants/fungi), Engineering, Finished goods, Fishing,
Fort Riverfoot: This old fort town from the border lord days has long since been without traditional lords or ladys to rule over it, and instead, is the home of guilds. Outside the old stone walls and within the newer stone walls can be found many water mills and a small college of engineers who build and maintain the mills used in the production of cloth. Fort Riverfoot serves as the third busiest border crossing in the Dominion, it is arguably the most dangerous crossing as well, the Fort is also the most used by unsavoury characters and smugglers from Titus as well as the odd crossing from Appalia. As such Fort Riverfoot maintains a permanent well-equipped and sizable garrison within the fort's ancient walls. Although the Fort and Canton is officially under the rule of a standing Knight of Halif, Dame Bronwyn dislikes politics and prefers to keep a local council of Guild Masters to administer the Canton. The representing Councillor for Parvati is appointed from within this council. A small temple to the bard serves as a community hall for the housing that spills out from the walled city limits.
Pike: Named after the fish caught in the lake Pike is a peaceful community of farmers and fishers with nary a care outside these interests.  Shrines to Argo’lest dot the shoreline and the locals attribute the bountiful harvests of pike to them. Coastal winds also blow many windmills that grind the local wheat allowing milled flour to be exported. During winter when the ice and ground is frozen the long common hall fills with song, dance, and knitting.  Pike socks, with their goat wool, are the warmest in all Halif.
Westone: The rocky face of Westone plays home to goat farms and herbalists.  A small circle of druids live among the rocks and tend to patches of old medicinal fungi patches and offer up worship to Naeth.  Goat riding children are not an uncommon sight and are said to help the druids or herbalists in finding new patches that crop up in the rocky face of the region.  A natural hot spring serves as a community gathering point in winter.


Rheinmar (PC’s Canton)
Councillor: Margo Liefstadt-Elswin (played by Sarah M) (surface dweller, female, jokes about being as old as dirt, married into a lesser branch of the Elswin family and has outlived both her husband and 3 of her 4 children. Has served for 16 consecutive years and 24 years in total, Margo has also had the honour of being Chief Ambassador once. She keeps applying to do the job until she "dies or someone competent steps up")
Seat of power: Rheinstadt
Local Knights of Halif: Ser Victor MacGillis (played by Shawn L)
Major Industries: Artifacts, Finished Goods, Furs, Medical Training...dumb adventurers, Rare Organic Materials.
Elswin (PC’s Town) : Sprawling rural shanty town with a rotating population of adventurers, the Elswin town proper contains a main market square, the central guildhall and some supporting trades and inns. Established by siblings Ines and Jacob Elswin in 1642 who were granted lands for their service in securing the Dominion’s independence both prior to and during the Halifasian Riots, as well as during the negotiations that followed. Originally a sleepy collection of farms with a central waystation, Elswin has rapidly and haphazardly expanded over the last decade or so. Noisy barges pass occasionally on the nearby river bringing couriers, transporting knights and soldiers or moving goods; passage on a barge must be booked in advance and is quite costly to the average citizen or adventurer.
Fort Veammont: Fort Veamont was established in 1701 NE by an expedition branch of the Kingdom Kamouraska military in repayment for support given during the Subjugation Wars.  As a fort on the borderlands Fort Veammont has high walls and large stables ready for quick reactions.  The fort itself holds a Mages tower of the Oathsworn Consortium of Mages, barracks, an extensive field hospital, as well as training facilities.  The garrison is almost entirely Kamouraska cavalry with a mix of Dragoon mages and Hussars supplemented by Chosen Footmen Lifeguard as a reserve.  The commander of the Fort is Major Leon Sicarius (played by Alex M), Although not a part of the standing force in recent years the Fort has regularly served host to and as a base of operations and correspondence for Sur Victor MacGillis one of the more skilled and Rugged Knights of Halif and his personal Men at Arms.
Rheinstadt: A young but growing city Rheinstadt has experienced increasing interest with the arrival of a prophecy within its reaches.  While many would-be adventurers come to try their luck in Elswin, many have set up in Rheinstadt as merchants to turn a profit off those longing for adventure.  Once a quiet college town with a sizable library founded by Anno Stellar, Rheinstadt is now home to an abnormal number of guilds and a temple to Adleria, all rumored to be trying to seek advantage of the rare resources turning up in the area.
Ruins of Esaress: A city from the age of heroes lost under mysterious circumstances.  Many believe the place to be cursed as while it may hold many great riches it also holds long lost secrets that draw attention, both good and bad.  A local mission of Anno Stellar had taken to exploring the ruins for lost knowledge during the anarchy of the 1640s NE and in 1725 NE a Monastery was founded to more readily gather information.  At this time they are between Chapter Masters


Syden
Councillor: Herbert Syden Sr. (Male, late 50s, Herbert Sr is of mixed heritage but appears to be a Surface Dweller. His first wife Ava was a Sylph and 2 of his 3 elder children are Sylph as well, with the remaining one, Herbert Jr, being a Surface Dweller. His second wife, Lyndsy, is an Aether blessed kinfolk, with features akin to an arctic fox tinged by Aetheric Air. The Surface Dweller Syden clan tend to seek out magically gifted individuals from other races to diversify the family line.)
Seat of power: Farhold Keep
Major Industries: Fishing, Trade, Military, Ritual Training
Farhold Keep: Ancestral home of the last of the border lords, who still hold influence from the old Monarchy days, the Sydens. Built in 1315 NE the keep has seen many renovations over the years from Noble estate to Border castle with a growing community.  Historically the Keep served as a military strong point and training headquarters. In the last 10 years Herbert Syden Senior’s second wife has opened a Mage Tower with the express interest of ritual research, while also converting their summer residence in Syden’s Cove into a magic school. The Keep also serves as a coastal defense and early warning to Port Ember.  
Syden’s Cove: A pleasant coastal town that the Syden family affords much freedom.  Independent fisheries and merchants enjoy tariff free trading and peaceful living under the protection of well maintained local garrison.  Some merchants and fishermen take on the local colors of the Syden family, a checkered blue and red, and take the family on as a patron as an opportunity for trade and sport while others trade based on their own names.  Since the opening of Lyndsy Syden’s magic school in the old Syden summer estate, the town has seen an increase in travelers and has even started to offer increased accommodations and hospitality services.