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Description
Ful nāme: The Hæstīngās Kīnerik (Kingdom of Hæsta’s People)

Offhand nāmen: Hæstlānd, Hasato-Kuni (Ōgō), Hostia (Auroran languages)

Thedisc wōrds: Bai the Steoran, Wē wil stānd Here

Thōdsong: Rū amōng the Rēwēyas

Scūtōsted: Hōsōgen

Daisted: Selcūtherwic - 19 million

Tungen/Gōen:

- Hæstisc - Hæstisc is oft described as a reflection of its mother country’s history. Despite the millennium-and-a-half of change, it has preserved its Old Hæstisc roots well, proving with no great subtlety its origins as an Erstisc language. Yet in many ways, from the clearly borrowed vocabulary to the Grēt Tūng Sciftān in grammar and pronunciation, it is also a definite child of Ōgō. From conflict to coexistence to fusion, the development of the Hæstisc language mirrors that of the Hæstisc people.

Modern Hæstisc arose during the mid-1200s, when political unification of the Kinerik combined with the post-war drive towards urbanization brought regional dialects physically closer together than they ever were in centuries and amalgamated them into a sort of national standard; the process only hastened with the new technologies introduced by the Auroras in the 1300s and culminated with the National Language Rationalization Decree of 1370 that created Tēscisc (“Courtier-ese”), the official standard dialect; more poetic dialects are still found in the highest classes of society—though they’re increasingly relegated to ceremonial functions—while rural “Yōkel” accents can still be found in the countryside. Outside of the homeland, it is a recognized language wherever large, well-established communities of Hæstingas can be found, most famously in the Scinham district of Cap Parfait, Republia.

Nū we’ll heol the Heafen-Hāll’s hōsts!
The Metāners’ might end theyr maind-plans,
The wurk of the Wīrd-Smiths as they of ēch wunder,
The Eferlāsting Steoran, beginīngs stārted:
They ferst alōwed, fōr Ælvenkin,
The Heafens fōr a ruf, Heoly haicrāfters!
Then the Yōrthe, Ælvenkin’s yārd,
The Eferlāsting Steoran, afterwards meede,
The lānds fōr men, Lōrds ālmiscty!

Modern Hæstisc translation of Kādmān’s Īmen, a classic of Sweart-Ulfingas literature

- Ōgō - From the Kīninghāll of Hōsōgen to the Daiscinsca of Langhed, people still speak a language unlike any other on Wandrakunja and unique to this land. It is Ōgō, first spoken by the Ō nō min. It cannot be overstated what an impact it had on Hæstisc culture in the centuries following the Seefūkū, from the language itself to the development of independent, specialized tongues like “Lāgō” (“Law Language”) and “Scinscagō” (“Shrine Language”).

Ōgō has declined in popularity over the past few centuries due to both the government’s focus on Hæstisc and the increasingly interconnected world diminishing its utility in science and economics compared to Erstisc. But that does not mean it is dying out by any stretch of the imagination: Scinscagō’s mandated use in many courtly and religious ceremonies still secure it a place in local high culture, while Lāgō is still spoken in government and legal proceedings; outside the halls of power, many larger cities still maintain populations of fluent Ōgō-speakers that, though decreasing, won’t disappear quite yet. Most importantly, the internet opened an unprecedented time for scholars to record, preserve, and teach Ōgō for generations to come.

Nenuru yo no
Yume wo fakanami
Madoromeba
Iya Fakana ni mo
Narimasaru kana

(The night we slept together
Was but a fleeting dream
In fitful doze
Its brevity
Seems all the greater)

Poem by Masuta no Edowādo to his mistress, likely composed in 429

- Frejisch and Varyagisc - Varyagiya and Volkvanger have long histories of their own with Hæstland: During the Second Migration, it was the Schnitter from modern-day Vlotterfeld and Gottsum-an-der-Oldenoog who failed to conquer the Sweart-Ulfingas kingdoms, deciding instead to use the region as an anchor for their burgeoning trade network; centuries later, these cities would be among Hūs Lofwīnas' finest allies throughout the 90 Years’ War. Too did many a Varyag prince establish many a trading post along what the locals called the “Wālwē;” in fact, Selcūtherwic (literally, “Foreigners’ wic”) was established by Varyag and Hrafnisc traders, leveraging its excellent geography and banking connections to become the one of the Kinerik’s main economic hubs. In respect of these relationships, Cuthbert II in 1343 (Selcūtherwic’s 900th birthday) declared Frejisc and Varyagisc honorary official languages of the city; today seen in the trilingual signs on roads and buildings.

Scūkyōs:

- Āyūkās Seesa - There is a star in a constellation in the night sky that is known by many names. In the Auroras, astronomers named it Alpha Imperator, the second-brightest star in the night sky; Popular folklore of the Great Vu hold it to be Vận may (Fortune), one of the three Star-Emperors; in the Many-Houses Confederacy, there is a tri-monthly festival to honor the Deer-Father. Yet in the far south, nestled within the valleys, plains, and basins of Hæstland, all from the smallest Thōman to the Kīning herself show nothing but reverence to Āyūkā, the glorious reincarnation of Hūs Lofwīnas' founding mother.

Āyūkā’s Seesa (Constellation) is one of the three most prominent sects of Wandrisc Astrotheology and by much the most “exotic.” Leveraging geographic, economic, and political factors to maintain relative religious independence, the Hæstisc constellation has retained many traits considered to have been purged by the Hrafnisc in both the Rikja and its closer-tied tributaries during the Older period—such as shamanism and certain spring festivals—while adding practices introduced by the Ō nō min, ancestor worship merely being the most obvious.

Besides that, the Seesa also proscribes to a moral code that emphasizes the Pleasures of the Kin and Self in equal measure. Often, it is misconstrued as egoistic hedonism, but in reality it is built on the idea that collective harmony (that is, harmony between the stars and mankind) cannot be possible without individual dignity (that is, the dignity of mortals), and vice versa. The Seesa strongly believes in a sense of materialistic spiritual purity in which the mundanity and poverty of mortals are considered sins that must be purified through indulgence of the material world. Of course, this is not license to simply take pleasure at the expense of others; the purposes of indulgence are to purify the mundane soul of mortal filth and form a connection with the brilliant stars, whose bliss can only be approximated by us. As such, everyday purifications take the form of small things such as a customary sweet before a prayer. Pleasures of the Vein—the intense, expensive, “orgasmic” (as tourists would describe them) luxuries—are reserved for the national festivals across the year. Purifications can also vary by class, from a daily glass of spiced water for the Kīning to exploring the nearby woods for a Yōman farmer.

A good way to understand this worldview is to see why the Seesa abhors asceticism and egoism; the former is a rejection of the world, an unwillingness to join the great family of beings, an unconscionable insult to the Stars who gave you your life, only to spend it away from the gifts they have offered, cut off from any way to connect with the creators on a spiritual or emotional level. The latter is…well, fairly obvious; it is a rejection of the Kin, of the wider universe, of the order blessed by the Lords themselves; if one is to attain Starhood, then they must prove their worth in the mortal society before join the divine one. So then, the Seesa seeks to use the material world as a way to bring us closer to the Stars not individually, but collectively.

For most of its history, the Seesa was restricted to Hæstland and her trading posts across Wandrakunja, restricted by competition and suspicion from the local faiths. Over the last few decades, however, its converts in the eastern hemisphere used the growing internet to spread it across the Auroras to become one of the largest sects of one of the largest New Religions in the Auroras; of course, it appears that some of the philosophy was lost in translation as the Kīning officially denounces over a dozen so-called Wayward Gangs (rogue sects, if one will), especially the infamous Order of the Nine Virtues.

Despite the blemish, the Seesa is enjoying an unprecedented level of global popularity; the success of Hæstisc pop culture facilitated the spread of awareness of the Seesa beyond mountains and oceans, and the Wayward Gangs, reprehensible as many may be, have not seriously deterred conversions in the east.

- Frejas Seesa - Being among the first to contact the Underworld also means being the among the first to encounter its culture. Since the Second Migration, Hæstland has been one of the linchpins of Freja’s message-spreading throughout Wandrakunja and beyond thanks to its strategic location; access to the Shepva river system and the Hoskaga Sea (The Brodersø, as outsiders would know it) facilitated the spread of priestesses north, east, and west. Within Hæstland itself, Freja’s message primarily converted those who lived with or near Vängrisch traders in their designated “Swārthāvens,” which prompted the various Kīnings to make “Keneki” (quarantine) decrees that forbade the spread of Freja’s worship outside the Swārthāvens on pain of death, causing no shortage of conflict—both social and military—between the Hæstisc clans and Vängrisch cities until a blanket repeal by Hūs Lofwīnas early in the 90 Years’ War.

Since then, the Cult of Freja holds a niche position in Hæstisc demographics; only 3% of the population are Followers, the vast majority of whom live in or near historical Swārthāvens. That said, owing to the centuries of hiding-turned-mingling with the surrounding Astrotheologites, Hæstland’s Followers possess a unique and vibrant culture that blends devout faith in Freja with various practices from the Seesa, forming a religious tradition that draws tourists from the world over.

Sefū: Unitary semi-constitutional clanocratic elective monarchy

Perhaps the best way to understand the Kinerik’s government is through the Hæstisc Hūs (Clan). In the past, the region was split among dozens of such groups, each claiming descent from Hæsta. Each Hūs had their own laws, currencies, and even religious traditions. What sets Hūsen apart from other clan structures is the ability for one clan to “adopt” another, eliminating the adoptee as a separate entity and “enrolling” all its members into the adopter clan. It was through this system that Hūsen Arlwīnas and Lofwīnas slowly subsumed all other groups, culminating in the Ninety Years’ War that saw the violent destruction of Hūs Arlwīnas and the supremacy of Lofwīnas as the sole remaining Hūs, thus cementing its legitimacy as the sole descendents of Hæsta. That a Hūs possesses an internal organization not unlike a bureaucratic monarchy assisted the Kinerik’s transition into a centralized state, and many facets of the government trace their roots, symbolic or otherwise, to aspects of this system.

An integral pillar of the Hūs is Social Class. While the policy of locking all citizens into their class has relaxed significantly over the last century, one’s rank within the national hierarchy still determines how they may participate in the political system, if at all. In accordance with Ruinger philosophy, each level of the hierarchy has its own rights and responsibilities; just as a parent rewards respect and service from their child with care, attention, and trust, so shall the upper classes reward those below them. So as the stars with all the universe under them, so shall the Sēfu of Hæstland with their subjects. Here, mund (“protection,” both of the community and its dignity) is a key political principle that has evolved with the importation of eastern political philosophy into a unique ideology combining Ruinger familial dynamics with social contract.

It is these factors that shaped the modern Hæstisc government, officially defined by the Hōten of 1344:

The Kīning of Hæsta’s Folk and Land, Hūshed and of Hūs Lofwīnas, Giver of Rings, Taiscofir of the Rik, Descendent of the Kinerik’s Hūs-Mōder, Favored of Āyūkā is currently Aogifu, First of Her Name, making her monarch of the state and matriarch of the Hūs. As monarch, she is the head of both state and government, leading the apparatus of state as well as representing the nation abroad, both in peace and war.

In these respects, she is strictly limited by the laws of the Stars and Wītan; the central government is made up of over thirty Keoken (Bureaus), the heads of whom are selected by the Wītan; as part of the coronation ceremony, the Kīning must also accept and uphold the Hōshi to ningen tō nō keiyaku (Covenant between Stars and Men), affirming that she sat on the throne with the consent of the Stars on the condition that she execute their will and serve the Hūs—of which they and she herself are descendents of Āyūkā—as the Hūs-Mõder saw fit, which includes respecting the Wītan and ensuring the prosperity and dignity of the Hæstingas. These and other constitutional restrictions would have rendered her a ceremonial figurehead…

…Were it not for the title of matriarch, with which she can exert much greater influence on domestic politics. The matriarch serves with four other Āldermen as the supreme and final judicial authority of the Hūs (thus the Kinerik), possessing the power to appoint and dismiss Tēnan (though not without “good reason”), of judicial review, and to interpret the law. In administration, the matriarch is also responsible for the appointment of “Vassals” (Kāscinan) to oversee “Branch Families” (Scīzoken), translating into the Kīning’s right to appoint provincial governors. As Hūsen are also religious units, the matriarch is also the head priestess of the Seesa, required to take part in ceremonies and act as chief intermediary between The Stars and the mortal world, granting her word significant, if unofficial, weight in social and cultural matters. Note, however, that this does not imbue her with special, divine status; before the glory of the Universal Lords, she is still as mortal and mundane as her subjects, but holds the privilege of first-among-equals.

Hæstland’s Wītan, serving the Will of the Hūs at the mercy of The Stars is the unicameral legislature of the Kinerik. Seats are de jure restricted to members of the Hūs (a moot point since all citizens are part of the clan) and were historically reserved for the nobility; reforms in the mid-through-late 1200s introduced burghers elected by commoners in a move heralded as a “strengthening of clan harmony and understanding” (indeed, in the only words acceptable for the conservatives).

Presided over by the Kīning’s eldest child, the Wītan is first and foremost tasked with assisting the matriarch with governing her clan, which translates to assisting the Kīning with ruling the Kinerik. As such, they are first and foremost an advisory board, to convene weekly or on the order of the Kīning to discuss the happenings in the land, “pass advice” (i.e., advise the Kīning of their thoughts on the week’s matters and what actions she should take), and—after a ceremonial blessing from the Kīning—create legislation. Yet their greatest power, like that of the Kīning, arguably lies with their traditional role as part of the clan, specifically in succession: Upon a Kīning’s death, the Wītan shall select the successor from the monarch’s children (though these days, especially after the 1399 Sērē on Transitions of Power, the Wītan immediately elects the eldest; the last time they broke this rule, a few months of courtly intrigue resolved the “discrepancy,” and the Kīning abdicated in favor of her oldest brother). These duties hearken back to the Wītan’s ancestors, the advisory councils of pre-unification clans; thus, it is clear that it is not just a legislative body in the conventional sense, but also a privy council writ large.

Fōlkskōr bai the Dūmonth of 1441: 160,204,830

Welthskōr bai the Dūmonth of 1441

- Minthūd - The Scot

- Welthdom (PPP) - $4 trillion

- Welth fōr each (PPP) - $24,968

Yōre:

- 0 to 308 - The Sweart-Ulfingas Cgidai - The first groups to arrive in modern-day Hæstland during the First Migration were Esrtisc tribes, likely related to the ancestors of the modern Liskers and Freesisc. Archeological evidence is almost non-existent and what does exist gives very little insight to the exact events of this period, so the most detailed accounts come from national mythology:

In the distant past, harsh winds and poor soil threatened all clans with famine, though none quite as much as the two greatest, the Sweartans and Ulfingas. Thousands starved to death and all others seemed fated to follow; it was during this hour of despair that a figure emerged from the blizzards, calling themself “Hæsta” (some accounts refer to them as a man, others as a woman, so the official line is to use neutral pronouns). Rallying the aldermen of the Sweartans, Ulfingas, and other doomed clans, they led an arduous trek over mountains, across rivers, and through canyons to a plain where not only was the soil fertile, but warmth and shelter could be enjoyed by all; a gift from the newborn stars, it must be, granted by their divine emissary (historians reckon that Hæsta actually led them to a group of abandoned Precursor cities, complete with greenhouse complexes and coal piles)! Their future secured, the clans who followed coalesced into a single, united tribe. When they asked who shall lead this tribe, the people shouted “Hæsta!” When they asked what it shall be called, the people shouted “Hæsta!” And when they asked what the homeland shall be called, the people shouted “Hæsta!”

(It is in thanks to this achievement that Hæsta was posthumously bestowed the title of “First Kīning” in 1313, the 1,300 anniversary of the Legend of the Hæstingas.)

The order established by Hæsta would survive for 250 years, during which the Sweartans and Ulfingas transformed into dominant clan-factions within the larger group. Material and written culture appear in abundance during the later half of the era thanks to the reign of Āthelred the Wise, giving us such treasures as the Readwōrth ship-tombs and the jewelry of Osgith, while the Dai-Sāgā, the official historical chronicle of the nation, began as the Great Saga at the behest of Athelstān the Blind.

- 309 to 366 - Seefūkū-Cgidai - The Hæstisc portion of Wandrakunja is dominated by rugged, mountainous terrain that has been as vital in keeping out invaders as corralling the population into choice valleys and plains. Harsh as it is, however, the Kinerik’s geography does not fully isolate it to the outside world; indeed, besides the various cross-continental rivers that pass through the area and the megacaves that lead to the Untervelt, there are also a number of passes that are surprisingly easy to move through, which in the nation’s early history meant contact with a select few groups across the passes. Most important were the Ō nō min of the southwest, a racial-ethnic group completely unrelated to the various Erstisc, Slovisc, and other Wandrisc groups surrounding them. The first recorded interactions between the Sweart-Ulfingas and Ō nō min dates to about 110, and relations until 309 seem to have been amiable, if somewhat detached.

All of this is to say that when temperatures dropped in the early 300s and the grounds of their homeland, Yama no Umi, could no longer support life, the titular “Ō” (roughly analogous to “King”), Dairyu (regnal name; personal name unknown), asked Kīning Ceolwulf for new land to settle or at least passage to the north. In a fit of bewildering pettiness, the Kīning not only rejected his pleas but also demanded his subjugation. Prodded from all sides by worsening weather, famine, and neighbors, Dairyu rallied his Sea of Mountains—settlers, warriors, and courtiers alike—and marched upon the north in a journey not unlike Hæsta’s a mere 300 years ago (aside from the mass bloodshed, of course). Atop steeds of land and air, the riders of the southwest swept into the Kinefeld plain where they slew the army of the Sweart-Ulfingas, their Kīning with them.

At least, that’s the story told by the many works of art commissioned in the decades after the conquest, such as the world-famous Rīngmar Tapestry; modern archeological and historical investigations posit their own ideas of what likely happened. What definitely happened, however, was that Ceolwulf was not among the prisoners taken after the Battle of Anglīngās, leaving Dairyu free to ride into the surrendered capital of Kinstōw and have the shamans crown him Kīning of a new dynasty. Of course, barging into a foreign land and violently usurping the native rulers rarely a stable reign made, and Dairyu’s was no exception. We’ll never know if he could’ve successfully put down the many pretender-revolts, drive back the Untervelters, and lead a peaceful, prosperous Kinerik; for his efforts, The Stars gifted Kīning Dairyu three years of ceaseless turmoil and settling before the affairs of little Hæstland were swept aside by the mightiest of migrators.

The Hrafnisc likely first appeared in Hæstland around 314, as it was this year when the Dai-Saga recorded a great fleet of “wooden whales” (likely just very large longships) sailing through the Wālwē and establishing a settlement in “Nytt Virki” (modern-day Nitherby). It was this Great Selcūther Army that quickly met and defeated Dairyu’s host and killed the Kīning on the fields of Blodstan, and with him the last remaining figure who could have kept the realm together. In short order, the pretenders turned their swords on each other while the Hrafnisc dispersed across the land, settling wherever the rivers took them and intervening in conflicts whenever their influence could be expanded; indeed, it was their preferred strategy of Deila og Drottna—to intentionally maintain divisions among the locals to prevent a single, powerful entity from directly challenging them—that allowed the Hrafnisc to slowly whittle the pretenders to fourteen relatively stable “Riklīngs,” each one claiming to be the sole legitimate successor to Ceolwulf’s line either through blood or adoption. Most importantly, all fourteen looked to the newly dominant Hrafnisc fleet-kings for support, especially against the tail-end of the Untervelter invasions, beginning the 900-year Hrafna Lagu-Cgidai (Ravenlaw Era).

- 466 to 852 - Kintsugi-Cgidai - Most Hæstisc historians point to this era as the birthplace of modern Hæstland, for it is here that all the necessary pieces are finally available: The Sweart-Ulfingas natives, the Ō nō min settlers, the Hrafnisc kingmakers, and even the sundry migrants from all over Wandrakunja—the Vängrisch and Varyags only being the most numerous.

The era gets its name from a peculiar art-philosophy of the Ō nō min—Kintsugi—in which broken ceramic is repaired with gold-dusted lacquer, with the result being as beautiful as the original; it teaches a variety of lessons surrounding destruction and repair, from the acceptance of fate to the power of starting anew to the impermanence and adaptability of man. All told, quite the apt metaphor for Hæstisc culture and society during this time. Under the guise and swords of the Rikja, the Ō nō min—farmers, craftsmen, and nobles alike—gradually settled amongst the natives not just as administrators, but as neighbors and colleagues. Over generations, while racial lines remain clearly visible, ethnic lines faded as both groups cohabited, mingled, and intermarried with increasing frequency: The late 500s is when linguists pin the birth of Middle Hæstisc as elements of Ōgō began appearing in Hæstisc writings; by the mid 600s, one Sigbjorn of Eskilshem noted that in the larger cities, the supposed “Ulfings” and “Omings” were practically indistinguishable; the early 700s is agreed by Hæstisch historians to be the earliest point when “Hæstisc” syncretized cultures could be found across the fourteen Riklīngs, founded on various blends of Sweart-Ulfingas and Ō nō min cultures and added to by the immigrants who found their way to Hæstland through its rivers and passes.

Politically, the Kintsugi-Cgidai was quite the opposite of its namesake; along with Varyagiya, Hæstland’s enforced division during this time is often cited as the zenith of Deila og Drottna and a textbook case of the Younger Rikja’s anthropological and diplomatic acumen. For almost 400 years, the Hrafnasæ was able to prevent the rise of a large Hæstisc state and maintain its hegemony over the region.

At least, until the War of the Flocks began.

- 855 to 1117 - Kūcgakū to Ōkāmi-Cgidai - In centuries past, it was common to simply attribute the instability in Hæstland entirely to the Rikja’s weakening power. Today, thanks to the work of historians such as Takeo Vōhlsmith and Kelwulf Selnerby, the native Hæstisc have been recognized for their own initiative in the “Era of the Peacock and Wolf.” The decades preceding the war saw increases in trade between the clans and outsiders as far-flung as the Ammarid Dynasty and Utari Kotan, all without the Rikja acting as an intermediary. Moreover, many of the larger clans began “Stargorodizing” their governments, creating parallel institutions to those overseen by Rikja “advisors” and staffing said parallels with native clan loyalists. In truth, the road to Hæstisc unifications actually began quite some time before the War.

Thus, when the War happened and the Rikja lost much of its ability to dominate the region, the process of independence did not begin so much as accelerate as two of the largest Hūsen, the Peacock of Lofwīnas and the Wolf of Arlwīnas, grew to prominence. Accordingly, the Cgidai also saw a marked increase in conflicts as both consolidated alliances of weaker clans, primarily in the form of proxy wars. For foreigners, this era is most commonly presented in period dramas through the eyes of foreign mercenaries, for sellswords—especially Varyagisc and Vängrisc—were regularly employed to supplement feudal levies; occasionally, both clans dispatched their own armies to assist foreign allies as well

The century-and-a-half Peacock and Wolf Era saw Lofwīnas and Arlwīnas establish themselves as serious continental powers and fierce dynastic rivals; and it was this rivalry that drove both Hūsen to gradually escalate the dispute by enlisting the support—first military, later diplomatic—of foreign powers until the alliance-webs inevitably tangled.

- 1117 to 1212 - Sēsē-Cgidai - While Hus Lofwīnas turned to Srath Luaithre and Sedemte for support, Hus Arlwīnas took advantage of its (relatively) good standing in the Thverarkerfi to extract further blood and gold from the Rikja in exchange for deeper ties to the Godshelm. Thus, when Arlwīnas requested assistance from the Thverarkerfi in suppressing “those impious usurper-rebels,” they soon threatened the core lands of Lofwīnas within the year. In turn, Lofwīnas called on its allies in the Srath and Vasiliya to drive out “those hubristic pretenders,” dragging the continent into the largest war in its history.

The Hæstisc front, for most of its life, was defined by two main factors: “Tidal Warfare”—the cycle of invasion, stalemate, retreat, and counter-invasion—and the culmination of 160 years of political consolidation as the Peacock and Wolf absorbed the last of their vassals (the former through relatively bloodless marriages and adoptions, the latter through annexations and purges). It was only with the full commitment of the Varyags and Srathisc, exacerbating the crippling succession crisis in clan Arlwīnas, that Lofwīnas was able to finally maintain their final invasion, take Ōkham, and fully exterminate the main line of clan Arlwīnas.

Only afterwards, on the midnight of the Third Day of the Icemonth, could Hūshead Steorgifu II be proclaimed Kīning Steorgifu I by the assembled shamans and nobles of the land. For the first time in almost 900 years, Hæstland was under one government. Not even a single day passed after the proclamation ceremony before the new monarchy was thrust into its first—and thus far, worst—crisis.

- 1213 to 1299 - Hatsuga-Cgidai - A near-century of total warfare left the entire continent of Wandrakunja a charred wreck, and Hæstland was not spared any of the devastation. With nothing more than shattered hothouses, dead trade routes, and a mauled population, the first task of Steorgifu I and the next two Kīnings was to simply prevent the country from slipping into yet another famine—perhaps its last.

If the Kintsugi-Cgidai was the birth of modern Hæstisc culture, the “Germination Era” was the birth of modern Hæstisc politics as the “Three Legs of Jatagarasu” enacted sweeping political, social, and economic reforms much in line with the centralization and “de-feudalization” trends already done by Sedemte and the Srath (indeed, some historians speculate that Gōdaswulf II’s state visit to the Srath shortly after the Loyalists’ victory directly inspired his descendents’ later policies). Such reforms coincided with an aggressive push to integrate Hæstland with the wider continental economy by capitalizing on the region’s unique geographical, mineral, and mercantile assets (at least, those that survived the War).

By 1299, the Kinerik emerged from 90 years of devastation as one of Wandrakunja’s Great Powers, boasting extensive economic and political networks across the continent—and indeed world—through its assistance in creating the Gemeanwealth. As such, it was among those nations uniquely poised to capitalize on the arrival of the Auroran continents.

- 1300 to today - Arora-Cgidai - Since the first merchant ships reported strange new lands in 1302, Hæstland has been one of the most active old-world connections with the eastern hemisphere, best exemplified in the handful of colonies scratched out of the chaotic years of early New World history.

It enjoys the privilege of being among the “First 15” of countries who “acquired” (plundered), studied, and copied eastern technologies, later coordinating with Republia and Ambera to develop its “imports” into Wandrakunja’s first computer industry. Such proved an unexpected bounty when it later fueled an unexpected recent global interest in the country’s cinema. Today, “Hastimation” is one of the Kinerik’s strongest cultural exports.

Abroad, the Kinerik is among the most enthusiastic supporters of the Gemeanwealth, GMC, SHTO, and other international organizations, supporting them with one of the world’s largest economies. All considered, perhaps it should not be surprising that Alyawm magazine called it “The Far-Southern Dragon.”

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Artist's Notes:
Portions of this factsheet are written in Hæstisc, an amalgamation of Old English, Middle English, American English, and Japanese.
Again, huge shoutout to the Anglish community for their hard work!
Note that I’m by no means an expert in any of the languages used to build Hæstisc, so if anyone here feels like giving any pointers for future revisions, feel free to give them.
The Kinerik draws significant inspirations and design cues from England and Japan:
The general history of the Kinerik is heavily inspired by those countries, though Peacock-Wolf years also take cues from the Habsburg-Valois rivalry and the bitter sectarianism of the 30 Years’ War
The Hūs was primarily inspired by the Uji of the Kofun period, with the modern government effectively being a modernized combination of that, the Anglo-Saxon Wītan, and a Lords-dominated Parliament
Āyūkā’s Seesa is a constellation (branch) of Wandrisc Astrotheology, itself heavily inspired by Norse/Germanic Paganism, their modern descendents, and hedonistic philosophy. The Seesa builds on that with Shintō and a greater emphasis on hedonism compared to the other constellations; if you squint, you can see elements of Anglicanism peek through as well
Rū amōng the Rēwējas is the first six minutes of Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending.
The Ōgō (Japanese) poem is actually by Ariwara no Narihira, and can be read here
By law and custom, the pole the flag flies on is to be topped with a crown of silver and black Rju feathers
The Mon on the flag (Houou no Maru) is courtesy of DoyouknowJapan.com
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Tucked away in the taiga’d mountains and plains south of the Brodersø is Hæstland, a kingdom of complementary contradictions, where modernity and tradition meet and coexist, where the great rivers of Wandrakunja bring people from all over to mingle in this patch of wooded snow. If you ever stop by, consider trying a nice cuppa Kāfā and some Tajakings.

As always, comments are appreciated and encouraged! Till next time, hope to see y’all again soon!

Description
Ful nāme: The Hæstīngās Kīnerik (Kingdom of Hæsta’s People)

Offhand nāmen: Hæstlānd, Hasato-Kuni (Ōgō), Hostia (Auroran languages)

Thedisc wōrds: Bai the Steoran, Wē wil stānd Here

Thōdsong: Rū amōng the Rēwēyas

Scūtōsted: Hōsōgen

Daisted: Selcūtherwic - 19 million

Tungen/Gōen:

- Hæstisc - Hæstisc is oft described as a reflection of its mother country’s history. Despite the millennium-and-a-half of change, it has preserved its Old Hæstisc roots well, proving with no great subtlety its origins as an Erstisc language. Yet in many ways, from the clearly borrowed vocabulary to the Grēt Tūng Sciftān in grammar and pronunciation, it is also a definite child of Ōgō. From conflict to coexistence to fusion, the development of the Hæstisc language mirrors that of the Hæstisc people.

Modern Hæstisc arose during the mid-1200s, when political unification of the Kinerik combined with the post-war drive towards urbanization brought regional dialects physically closer together than they ever were in centuries and amalgamated them into a sort of national standard; the process only hastened with the new technologies introduced by the Auroras in the 1300s and culminated with the National Language Rationalization Decree of 1370 that created Tēscisc (“Courtier-ese”), the official standard dialect; more poetic dialects are still found in the highest classes of society—though they’re increasingly relegated to ceremonial functions—while rural “Yōkel” accents can still be found in the countryside. Outside of the homeland, it is a recognized language wherever large, well-established communities of Hæstingas can be found, most famously in the Scinham district of Cap Parfait, Republia.

Nū we’ll heol the Heafen-Hāll’s hōsts!
The Metāners’ might end theyr maind-plans,
The wurk of the Wīrd-Smiths as they of ēch wunder,
The Eferlāsting Steoran, beginīngs stārted:
They ferst alōwed, fōr Ælvenkin,
The Heafens fōr a ruf, Heoly haicrāfters!
Then the Yōrthe, Ælvenkin’s yārd,
The Eferlāsting Steoran, afterwards meede,
The lānds fōr men, Lōrds ālmiscty!

Modern Hæstisc translation of Kādmān’s Īmen, a classic of Sweart-Ulfingas literature

- Ōgō - From the Kīninghāll of Hōsōgen to the Daiscinsca of Langhed, people still speak a language unlike any other on Wandrakunja and unique to this land. It is Ōgō, first spoken by the Ō nō min. It cannot be overstated what an impact it had on Hæstisc culture in the centuries following the Seefūkū, from the language itself to the development of independent, specialized tongues like “Lāgō” (“Law Language”) and “Scinscagō” (“Shrine Language”).

Ōgō has declined in popularity over the past few centuries due to both the government’s focus on Hæstisc and the increasingly interconnected world diminishing its utility in science and economics compared to Erstisc. But that does not mean it is dying out by any stretch of the imagination: Scinscagō’s mandated use in many courtly and religious ceremonies still secure it a place in local high culture, while Lāgō is still spoken in government and legal proceedings; outside the halls of power, many larger cities still maintain populations of fluent Ōgō-speakers that, though decreasing, won’t disappear quite yet. Most importantly, the internet opened an unprecedented time for scholars to record, preserve, and teach Ōgō for generations to come.

Nenuru yo no
Yume wo fakanami
Madoromeba
Iya Fakana ni mo
Narimasaru kana

(The night we slept together
Was but a fleeting dream
In fitful doze
Its brevity
Seems all the greater)

Poem by Masuta no Edowādo to his mistress, likely composed in 429

- Frejisch and Varyagisc - Varyagiya and Volkvanger have long histories of their own with Hæstland: During the Second Migration, it was the Schnitter from modern-day Vlotterfeld and Gottsum-an-der-Oldenoog who failed to conquer the Sweart-Ulfingas kingdoms, deciding instead to use the region as an anchor for their burgeoning trade network; centuries later, these cities would be among Hūs Lofwīnas' finest allies throughout the 90 Years’ War. Too did many a Varyag prince establish many a trading post along what the locals called the “Wālwē;” in fact, Selcūtherwic (literally, “Foreigners’ wic”) was established by Varyag and Hrafnisc traders, leveraging its excellent geography and banking connections to become the one of the Kinerik’s main economic hubs. In respect of these relationships, Cuthbert II in 1343 (Selcūtherwic’s 900th birthday) declared Frejisc and Varyagisc honorary official languages of the city; today seen in the trilingual signs on roads and buildings.

Scūkyōs:

- Āyūkās Seesa - There is a star in a constellation in the night sky that is known by many names. In the Auroras, astronomers named it Alpha Imperator, the second-brightest star in the night sky; Popular folklore of the Great Vu hold it to be Vận may (Fortune), one of the three Star-Emperors; in the Many-Houses Confederacy, there is a tri-monthly festival to honor the Deer-Father. Yet in the far south, nestled within the valleys, plains, and basins of Hæstland, all from the smallest Thōman to the Kīning herself show nothing but reverence to Āyūkā, the glorious reincarnation of Hūs Lofwīnas' founding mother.

Āyūkā’s Seesa (Constellation) is one of the three most prominent sects of Wandrisc Astrotheology and by much the most “exotic.” Leveraging geographic, economic, and political factors to maintain relative religious independence, the Hæstisc constellation has retained many traits considered to have been purged by the Hrafnisc in both the Rikja and its closer-tied tributaries during the Older period—such as shamanism and certain spring festivals—while adding practices introduced by the Ō nō min, ancestor worship merely being the most obvious.

Besides that, the Seesa also proscribes to a moral code that emphasizes the Pleasures of the Kin and Self in equal measure. Often, it is misconstrued as egoistic hedonism, but in reality it is built on the idea that collective harmony (that is, harmony between the stars and mankind) cannot be possible without individual dignity (that is, the dignity of mortals), and vice versa. The Seesa strongly believes in a sense of materialistic spiritual purity in which the mundanity and poverty of mortals are considered sins that must be purified through indulgence of the material world. Of course, this is not license to simply take pleasure at the expense of others; the purposes of indulgence are to purify the mundane soul of mortal filth and form a connection with the brilliant stars, whose bliss can only be approximated by us. As such, everyday purifications take the form of small things such as a customary sweet before a prayer. Pleasures of the Vein—the intense, expensive, “orgasmic” (as tourists would describe them) luxuries—are reserved for the national festivals across the year. Purifications can also vary by class, from a daily glass of spiced water for the Kīning to exploring the nearby woods for a Yōman farmer.

A good way to understand this worldview is to see why the Seesa abhors asceticism and egoism; the former is a rejection of the world, an unwillingness to join the great family of beings, an unconscionable insult to the Stars who gave you your life, only to spend it away from the gifts they have offered, cut off from any way to connect with the creators on a spiritual or emotional level. The latter is…well, fairly obvious; it is a rejection of the Kin, of the wider universe, of the order blessed by the Lords themselves; if one is to attain Starhood, then they must prove their worth in the mortal society before join the divine one. So then, the Seesa seeks to use the material world as a way to bring us closer to the Stars not individually, but collectively.

For most of its history, the Seesa was restricted to Hæstland and her trading posts across Wandrakunja, restricted by competition and suspicion from the local faiths. Over the last few decades, however, its converts in the eastern hemisphere used the growing internet to spread it across the Auroras to become one of the largest sects of one of the largest New Religions in the Auroras; of course, it appears that some of the philosophy was lost in translation as the Kīning officially denounces over a dozen so-called Wayward Gangs (rogue sects, if one will), especially the infamous Order of the Nine Virtues.

Despite the blemish, the Seesa is enjoying an unprecedented level of global popularity; the success of Hæstisc pop culture facilitated the spread of awareness of the Seesa beyond mountains and oceans, and the Wayward Gangs, reprehensible as many may be, have not seriously deterred conversions in the east.

- Frejas Seesa - Being among the first to contact the Underworld also means being the among the first to encounter its culture. Since the Second Migration, Hæstland has been one of the linchpins of Freja’s message-spreading throughout Wandrakunja and beyond thanks to its strategic location; access to the Shepva river system and the Hoskaga Sea (The Brodersø, as outsiders would know it) facilitated the spread of priestesses north, east, and west. Within Hæstland itself, Freja’s message primarily converted those who lived with or near Vängrisch traders in their designated “Swārthāvens,” which prompted the various Kīnings to make “Keneki” (quarantine) decrees that forbade the spread of Freja’s worship outside the Swārthāvens on pain of death, causing no shortage of conflict—both social and military—between the Hæstisc clans and Vängrisch cities until a blanket repeal by Hūs Lofwīnas early in the 90 Years’ War.

Since then, the Cult of Freja holds a niche position in Hæstisc demographics; only 3% of the population are Followers, the vast majority of whom live in or near historical Swārthāvens. That said, owing to the centuries of hiding-turned-mingling with the surrounding Astrotheologites, Hæstland’s Followers possess a unique and vibrant culture that blends devout faith in Freja with various practices from the Seesa, forming a religious tradition that draws tourists from the world over.

Sefū: Unitary semi-constitutional clanocratic elective monarchy

Perhaps the best way to understand the Kinerik’s government is through the Hæstisc Hūs (Clan). In the past, the region was split among dozens of such groups, each claiming descent from Hæsta. Each Hūs had their own laws, currencies, and even religious traditions. What sets Hūsen apart from other clan structures is the ability for one clan to “adopt” another, eliminating the adoptee as a separate entity and “enrolling” all its members into the adopter clan. It was through this system that Hūsen Arlwīnas and Lofwīnas slowly subsumed all other groups, culminating in the Ninety Years’ War that saw the violent destruction of Hūs Arlwīnas and the supremacy of Lofwīnas as the sole remaining Hūs, thus cementing its legitimacy as the sole descendents of Hæsta. That a Hūs possesses an internal organization not unlike a bureaucratic monarchy assisted the Kinerik’s transition into a centralized state, and many facets of the government trace their roots, symbolic or otherwise, to aspects of this system.

An integral pillar of the Hūs is Social Class. While the policy of locking all citizens into their class has relaxed significantly over the last century, one’s rank within the national hierarchy still determines how they may participate in the political system, if at all. In accordance with Ruinger philosophy, each level of the hierarchy has its own rights and responsibilities; just as a parent rewards respect and service from their child with care, attention, and trust, so shall the upper classes reward those below them. So as the stars with all the universe under them, so shall the Sēfu of Hæstland with their subjects. Here, mund (“protection,” both of the community and its dignity) is a key political principle that has evolved with the importation of eastern political philosophy into a unique ideology combining Ruinger familial dynamics with social contract.

It is these factors that shaped the modern Hæstisc government, officially defined by the Hōten of 1344:

The Kīning of Hæsta’s Folk and Land, Hūshed and of Hūs Lofwīnas, Giver of Rings, Taiscofir of the Rik, Descendent of the Kinerik’s Hūs-Mōder, Favored of Āyūkā is currently Aogifu, First of Her Name, making her monarch of the state and matriarch of the Hūs. As monarch, she is the head of both state and government, leading the apparatus of state as well as representing the nation abroad, both in peace and war.

In these respects, she is strictly limited by the laws of the Stars and Wītan; the central government is made up of over thirty Keoken (Bureaus), the heads of whom are selected by the Wītan; as part of the coronation ceremony, the Kīning must also accept and uphold the Hōshi to ningen tō nō keiyaku (Covenant between Stars and Men), affirming that she sat on the throne with the consent of the Stars on the condition that she execute their will and serve the Hūs—of which they and she herself are descendents of Āyūkā—as the Hūs-Mõder saw fit, which includes respecting the Wītan and ensuring the prosperity and dignity of the Hæstingas. These and other constitutional restrictions would have rendered her a ceremonial figurehead…

…Were it not for the title of matriarch, with which she can exert much greater influence on domestic politics. The matriarch serves with four other Āldermen as the supreme and final judicial authority of the Hūs (thus the Kinerik), possessing the power to appoint and dismiss Tēnan (though not without “good reason”), of judicial review, and to interpret the law. In administration, the matriarch is also responsible for the appointment of “Vassals” (Kāscinan) to oversee “Branch Families” (Scīzoken), translating into the Kīning’s right to appoint provincial governors. As Hūsen are also religious units, the matriarch is also the head priestess of the Seesa, required to take part in ceremonies and act as chief intermediary between The Stars and the mortal world, granting her word significant, if unofficial, weight in social and cultural matters. Note, however, that this does not imbue her with special, divine status; before the glory of the Universal Lords, she is still as mortal and mundane as her subjects, but holds the privilege of first-among-equals.

Hæstland’s Wītan, serving the Will of the Hūs at the mercy of The Stars is the unicameral legislature of the Kinerik. Seats are de jure restricted to members of the Hūs (a moot point since all citizens are part of the clan) and were historically reserved for the nobility; reforms in the mid-through-late 1200s introduced burghers elected by commoners in a move heralded as a “strengthening of clan harmony and understanding” (indeed, in the only words acceptable for the conservatives).

Presided over by the Kīning’s eldest child, the Wītan is first and foremost tasked with assisting the matriarch with governing her clan, which translates to assisting the Kīning with ruling the Kinerik. As such, they are first and foremost an advisory board, to convene weekly or on the order of the Kīning to discuss the happenings in the land, “pass advice” (i.e., advise the Kīning of their thoughts on the week’s matters and what actions she should take), and—after a ceremonial blessing from the Kīning—create legislation. Yet their greatest power, like that of the Kīning, arguably lies with their traditional role as part of the clan, specifically in succession: Upon a Kīning’s death, the Wītan shall select the successor from the monarch’s children (though these days, especially after the 1399 Sērē on Transitions of Power, the Wītan immediately elects the eldest; the last time they broke this rule, a few months of courtly intrigue resolved the “discrepancy,” and the Kīning abdicated in favor of her oldest brother). These duties hearken back to the Wītan’s ancestors, the advisory councils of pre-unification clans; thus, it is clear that it is not just a legislative body in the conventional sense, but also a privy council writ large.

Fōlkskōr bai the Dūmonth of 1441: 160,204,830

Welthskōr bai the Dūmonth of 1441

- Minthūd - The Scot

- Welthdom (PPP) - $4 trillion

- Welth fōr each (PPP) - $24,968

Yōre:

- 0 to 308 - The Sweart-Ulfingas Cgidai - The first groups to arrive in modern-day Hæstland during the First Migration were Esrtisc tribes, likely related to the ancestors of the modern Liskers and Freesisc. Archeological evidence is almost non-existent and what does exist gives very little insight to the exact events of this period, so the most detailed accounts come from national mythology:

In the distant past, harsh winds and poor soil threatened all clans with famine, though none quite as much as the two greatest, the Sweartans and Ulfingas. Thousands starved to death and all others seemed fated to follow; it was during this hour of despair that a figure emerged from the blizzards, calling themself “Hæsta” (some accounts refer to them as a man, others as a woman, so the official line is to use neutral pronouns). Rallying the aldermen of the Sweartans, Ulfingas, and other doomed clans, they led an arduous trek over mountains, across rivers, and through canyons to a plain where not only was the soil fertile, but warmth and shelter could be enjoyed by all; a gift from the newborn stars, it must be, granted by their divine emissary (historians reckon that Hæsta actually led them to a group of abandoned Precursor cities, complete with greenhouse complexes and coal piles)! Their future secured, the clans who followed coalesced into a single, united tribe. When they asked who shall lead this tribe, the people shouted “Hæsta!” When they asked what it shall be called, the people shouted “Hæsta!” And when they asked what the homeland shall be called, the people shouted “Hæsta!”

(It is in thanks to this achievement that Hæsta was posthumously bestowed the title of “First Kīning” in 1313, the 1,300 anniversary of the Legend of the Hæstingas.)

The order established by Hæsta would survive for 250 years, during which the Sweartans and Ulfingas transformed into dominant clan-factions within the larger group. Material and written culture appear in abundance during the later half of the era thanks to the reign of Āthelred the Wise, giving us such treasures as the Readwōrth ship-tombs and the jewelry of Osgith, while the Dai-Sāgā, the official historical chronicle of the nation, began as the Great Saga at the behest of Athelstān the Blind.

- 309 to 366 - Seefūkū-Cgidai - The Hæstisc portion of Wandrakunja is dominated by rugged, mountainous terrain that has been as vital in keeping out invaders as corralling the population into choice valleys and plains. Harsh as it is, however, the Kinerik’s geography does not fully isolate it to the outside world; indeed, besides the various cross-continental rivers that pass through the area and the megacaves that lead to the Untervelt, there are also a number of passes that are surprisingly easy to move through, which in the nation’s early history meant contact with a select few groups across the passes. Most important were the Ō nō min of the southwest, a racial-ethnic group completely unrelated to the various Erstisc, Slovisc, and other Wandrisc groups surrounding them. The first recorded interactions between the Sweart-Ulfingas and Ō nō min dates to about 110, and relations until 309 seem to have been amiable, if somewhat detached.

All of this is to say that when temperatures dropped in the early 300s and the grounds of their homeland, Yama no Umi, could no longer support life, the titular “Ō” (roughly analogous to “King”), Dairyu (regnal name; personal name unknown), asked Kīning Ceolwulf for new land to settle or at least passage to the north. In a fit of bewildering pettiness, the Kīning not only rejected his pleas but also demanded his subjugation. Prodded from all sides by worsening weather, famine, and neighbors, Dairyu rallied his Sea of Mountains—settlers, warriors, and courtiers alike—and marched upon the north in a journey not unlike Hæsta’s a mere 300 years ago (aside from the mass bloodshed, of course). Atop steeds of land and air, the riders of the southwest swept into the Kinefeld plain where they slew the army of the Sweart-Ulfingas, their Kīning with them.

At least, that’s the story told by the many works of art commissioned in the decades after the conquest, such as the world-famous Rīngmar Tapestry; modern archeological and historical investigations posit their own ideas of what likely happened. What definitely happened, however, was that Ceolwulf was not among the prisoners taken after the Battle of Anglīngās, leaving Dairyu free to ride into the surrendered capital of Kinstōw and have the shamans crown him Kīning of a new dynasty. Of course, barging into a foreign land and violently usurping the native rulers rarely a stable reign made, and Dairyu’s was no exception. We’ll never know if he could’ve successfully put down the many pretender-revolts, drive back the Untervelters, and lead a peaceful, prosperous Kinerik; for his efforts, The Stars gifted Kīning Dairyu three years of ceaseless turmoil and settling before the affairs of little Hæstland were swept aside by the mightiest of migrators.

The Hrafnisc likely first appeared in Hæstland around 314, as it was this year when the Dai-Saga recorded a great fleet of “wooden whales” (likely just very large longships) sailing through the Wālwē and establishing a settlement in “Nytt Virki” (modern-day Nitherby). It was this Great Selcūther Army that quickly met and defeated Dairyu’s host and killed the Kīning on the fields of Blodstan, and with him the last remaining figure who could have kept the realm together. In short order, the pretenders turned their swords on each other while the Hrafnisc dispersed across the land, settling wherever the rivers took them and intervening in conflicts whenever their influence could be expanded; indeed, it was their preferred strategy of Deila og Drottna—to intentionally maintain divisions among the locals to prevent a single, powerful entity from directly challenging them—that allowed the Hrafnisc to slowly whittle the pretenders to fourteen relatively stable “Riklīngs,” each one claiming to be the sole legitimate successor to Ceolwulf’s line either through blood or adoption. Most importantly, all fourteen looked to the newly dominant Hrafnisc fleet-kings for support, especially against the tail-end of the Untervelter invasions, beginning the 900-year Hrafna Lagu-Cgidai (Ravenlaw Era).

- 466 to 852 - Kintsugi-Cgidai - Most Hæstisc historians point to this era as the birthplace of modern Hæstland, for it is here that all the necessary pieces are finally available: The Sweart-Ulfingas natives, the Ō nō min settlers, the Hrafnisc kingmakers, and even the sundry migrants from all over Wandrakunja—the Vängrisch and Varyags only being the most numerous.

The era gets its name from a peculiar art-philosophy of the Ō nō min—Kintsugi—in which broken ceramic is repaired with gold-dusted lacquer, with the result being as beautiful as the original; it teaches a variety of lessons surrounding destruction and repair, from the acceptance of fate to the power of starting anew to the impermanence and adaptability of man. All told, quite the apt metaphor for Hæstisc culture and society during this time. Under the guise and swords of the Rikja, the Ō nō min—farmers, craftsmen, and nobles alike—gradually settled amongst the natives not just as administrators, but as neighbors and colleagues. Over generations, while racial lines remain clearly visible, ethnic lines faded as both groups cohabited, mingled, and intermarried with increasing frequency: The late 500s is when linguists pin the birth of Middle Hæstisc as elements of Ōgō began appearing in Hæstisc writings; by the mid 600s, one Sigbjorn of Eskilshem noted that in the larger cities, the supposed “Ulfings” and “Omings” were practically indistinguishable; the early 700s is agreed by Hæstisch historians to be the earliest point when “Hæstisc” syncretized cultures could be found across the fourteen Riklīngs, founded on various blends of Sweart-Ulfingas and Ō nō min cultures and added to by the immigrants who found their way to Hæstland through its rivers and passes.

Politically, the Kintsugi-Cgidai was quite the opposite of its namesake; along with Varyagiya, Hæstland’s enforced division during this time is often cited as the zenith of Deila og Drottna and a textbook case of the Younger Rikja’s anthropological and diplomatic acumen. For almost 400 years, the Hrafnasæ was able to prevent the rise of a large Hæstisc state and maintain its hegemony over the region.

At least, until the War of the Flocks began.

- 855 to 1117 - Kūcgakū to Ōkāmi-Cgidai - In centuries past, it was common to simply attribute the instability in Hæstland entirely to the Rikja’s weakening power. Today, thanks to the work of historians such as Takeo Vōhlsmith and Kelwulf Selnerby, the native Hæstisc have been recognized for their own initiative in the “Era of the Peacock and Wolf.” The decades preceding the war saw increases in trade between the clans and outsiders as far-flung as the Ammarid Dynasty and Utari Kotan, all without the Rikja acting as an intermediary. Moreover, many of the larger clans began “Stargorodizing” their governments, creating parallel institutions to those overseen by Rikja “advisors” and staffing said parallels with native clan loyalists. In truth, the road to Hæstisc unifications actually began quite some time before the War.

Thus, when the War happened and the Rikja lost much of its ability to dominate the region, the process of independence did not begin so much as accelerate as two of the largest Hūsen, the Peacock of Lofwīnas and the Wolf of Arlwīnas, grew to prominence. Accordingly, the Cgidai also saw a marked increase in conflicts as both consolidated alliances of weaker clans, primarily in the form of proxy wars. For foreigners, this era is most commonly presented in period dramas through the eyes of foreign mercenaries, for sellswords—especially Varyagisc and Vängrisc—were regularly employed to supplement feudal levies; occasionally, both clans dispatched their own armies to assist foreign allies as well

The century-and-a-half Peacock and Wolf Era saw Lofwīnas and Arlwīnas establish themselves as serious continental powers and fierce dynastic rivals; and it was this rivalry that drove both Hūsen to gradually escalate the dispute by enlisting the support—first military, later diplomatic—of foreign powers until the alliance-webs inevitably tangled.

- 1117 to 1212 - Sēsē-Cgidai - While Hus Lofwīnas turned to Srath Luaithre and Sedemte for support, Hus Arlwīnas took advantage of its (relatively) good standing in the Thverarkerfi to extract further blood and gold from the Rikja in exchange for deeper ties to the Godshelm. Thus, when Arlwīnas requested assistance from the Thverarkerfi in suppressing “those impious usurper-rebels,” they soon threatened the core lands of Lofwīnas within the year. In turn, Lofwīnas called on its allies in the Srath and Vasiliya to drive out “those hubristic pretenders,” dragging the continent into the largest war in its history.

The Hæstisc front, for most of its life, was defined by two main factors: “Tidal Warfare”—the cycle of invasion, stalemate, retreat, and counter-invasion—and the culmination of 160 years of political consolidation as the Peacock and Wolf absorbed the last of their vassals (the former through relatively bloodless marriages and adoptions, the latter through annexations and purges). It was only with the full commitment of the Varyags and Srathisc, exacerbating the crippling succession crisis in clan Arlwīnas, that Lofwīnas was able to finally maintain their final invasion, take Ōkham, and fully exterminate the main line of clan Arlwīnas.

Only afterwards, on the midnight of the Third Day of the Icemonth, could Hūshead Steorgifu II be proclaimed Kīning Steorgifu I by the assembled shamans and nobles of the land. For the first time in almost 900 years, Hæstland was under one government. Not even a single day passed after the proclamation ceremony before the new monarchy was thrust into its first—and thus far, worst—crisis.

- 1213 to 1299 - Hatsuga-Cgidai - A near-century of total warfare left the entire continent of Wandrakunja a charred wreck, and Hæstland was not spared any of the devastation. With nothing more than shattered hothouses, dead trade routes, and a mauled population, the first task of Steorgifu I and the next two Kīnings was to simply prevent the country from slipping into yet another famine—perhaps its last.

If the Kintsugi-Cgidai was the birth of modern Hæstisc culture, the “Germination Era” was the birth of modern Hæstisc politics as the “Three Legs of Jatagarasu” enacted sweeping political, social, and economic reforms much in line with the centralization and “de-feudalization” trends already done by Sedemte and the Srath (indeed, some historians speculate that Gōdaswulf II’s state visit to the Srath shortly after the Loyalists’ victory directly inspired his descendents’ later policies). Such reforms coincided with an aggressive push to integrate Hæstland with the wider continental economy by capitalizing on the region’s unique geographical, mineral, and mercantile assets (at least, those that survived the War).

By 1299, the Kinerik emerged from 90 years of devastation as one of Wandrakunja’s Great Powers, boasting extensive economic and political networks across the continent—and indeed world—through its assistance in creating the Gemeanwealth. As such, it was among those nations uniquely poised to capitalize on the arrival of the Auroran continents.

- 1300 to today - Arora-Cgidai - Since the first merchant ships reported strange new lands in 1302, Hæstland has been one of the most active old-world connections with the eastern hemisphere, best exemplified in the handful of colonies scratched out of the chaotic years of early New World history.

It enjoys the privilege of being among the “First 15” of countries who “acquired” (plundered), studied, and copied eastern technologies, later coordinating with Republia and Ambera to develop its “imports” into Wandrakunja’s first computer industry. Such proved an unexpected bounty when it later fueled an unexpected recent global interest in the country’s cinema. Today, “Hastimation” is one of the Kinerik’s strongest cultural exports.

Abroad, the Kinerik is among the most enthusiastic supporters of the Gemeanwealth, GMC, SHTO, and other international organizations, supporting them with one of the world’s largest economies. All considered, perhaps it should not be surprising that Alyawm magazine called it “The Far-Southern Dragon.”

...

Artist's Notes:
Portions of this factsheet are written in Hæstisc, an amalgamation of Old English, Middle English, American English, and Japanese.
Again, huge shoutout to the Anglish community for their hard work!
Note that I’m by no means an expert in any of the languages used to build Hæstisc, so if anyone here feels like giving any pointers for future revisions, feel free to give them.
The Kinerik draws significant inspirations and design cues from England and Japan:
The general history of the Kinerik is heavily inspired by those countries, though Peacock-Wolf years also take cues from the Habsburg-Valois rivalry and the bitter sectarianism of the 30 Years’ War
The Hūs was primarily inspired by the Uji of the Kofun period, with the modern government effectively being a modernized combination of that, the Anglo-Saxon Wītan, and a Lords-dominated Parliament
Āyūkā’s Seesa is a constellation (branch) of Wandrisc Astrotheology, itself heavily inspired by Norse/Germanic Paganism, their modern descendents, and hedonistic philosophy. The Seesa builds on that with Shintō and a greater emphasis on hedonism compared to the other constellations; if you squint, you can see elements of Anglicanism peek through as well
Rū amōng the Rēwējas is the first six minutes of Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending.
The Ōgō (Japanese) poem is actually by Ariwara no Narihira, and can be read here
By law and custom, the pole the flag flies on is to be topped with a crown of silver and black Rju feathers
The Mon on the flag (Houou no Maru) is courtesy of DoyouknowJapan.com
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Tucked away in the taiga’d mountains and plains south of the Brodersø is Hæstland, a kingdom of complementary contradictions, where modernity and tradition meet and coexist, where the great rivers of Wandrakunja bring people from all over to mingle in this patch of wooded snow. If you ever stop by, consider trying a nice cuppa Kāfā and some Tajakings.

As always, comments are appreciated and encouraged! Till next time, hope to see y’all again soon!