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Hal'Tayat     In the First Aeon, Hal’Tayat was ruled by the Protodragon called Stratio the Brown, who shaped it into a beautiful yet treacherous expanse of tundra and taiga. To most species, the highest summer temperature is barely tolerable without a coat, and snow is on the ground for the majority of the year. The realm's native antecessoroids, the elves, are much more adapted to the cold of the realm. They are able to live comfortably in Hal’Tayat’s climate without the heavy cloaks that other species use to endure it, and their yellow eyes help filter the glare from the ubiquitous snow. Since elves seemed more contemplative and eager to study Alacrian teachings, it is thought that the Alacris genetically engineered their long lifespans and low birth rates - traits that have enabled their culture to advance without straining the limited food resources of the realm.
    In the Third Alacrian Era, the city-faction of Dira dominated nearly all of Hal’Tayat. Over time, the realm was revealed to be rich in mineral resources, particularly in the western Hrimkhaf Mountains. Dira mined the mountains so extensively and reached such heights of technology that the realm’s primary resource was universally termed “Dira quartz” in its honor. The mines continued to be a cornerstone of elven industry after the Fall of the Alacris, and they still enable the supply of volatite and insendite crystals that power elven technology today. Meanwhile, elven food production is dominated by a select few crops that thrive in the thawed tundra during the limited summer months, a timeless legacy of reindeer-herding, and a massive fishing industry centered around the city of Hal'Samak. The difficulty of agriculture within the realm is partially offset by the ease of transportation and preservation; food is easily kept cold throughout most of the year, with an inexpensive supply of sea salt and northern ice filling in during the summer.
    In the opinion of many analysts, the rural-urban divide in Hal'Tayat culture is the steepest of any realm; though both share elven culture's emphases on individualism, trade, and knowledge, city and country culture varies profoundly in naming traditions, clothing taboos, family rituals, and even linguistic dialects within Hal'Tayatic and Concordic. Most notably, rural elves have a deep attachment to ideals of hospitality, while city-dwellers tend to value competition and innovation much more. Visitors from other realms often reminisce about warm welcomes in elven villages, but can feel overwhelmed in elven cities, where constant technological rearrangement and social trend-setting can make it hard for outsiders to keep up.
    In modern times, each elven city is led by a monarch called a Padishah, who is assisted and overseen by an elected council. Elven political philosophy is divided into stubborn and outspoken Preamblian and Methodian camps. In the Preamblian cities of Hal’Cione, Hal'Khursan, and Hal'Shalikh, the “government” is basically powerless, and serves only to help coordinate privately-owned defense guilds. In the rest of the cities, the Methodian government is more conventional, though limited by a strict charter.
    Rampant poverty has been a problem in Methodian cities for generations; it is even more rampant in Preamblian domains, but is rarely acknowledged as a problem there. Elven culture tends to blame the poor for their own condition, as the rest of the population enjoys more wealth than any other realm of Lur-Asko. Although many charitable efforts to help the poor exist despite this prejudice, extreme inequality has often led to large outlaw populations. Pirates and bandits harass commerce throughout the realm, particularly in the northeast. A steady stream of lucrative bounties await adventurers willing to devote themselves to fighting crime.
    Animals are surprisingly common in Hal’Tayat, but always consist of those adapted to the cold weather. Snow camels dominate elven agriculture and transportation. Wolves, vargs, cougars, and bears are frequent taiga hazards, while mammoths and woolly rhinos can be found in the tundra. Wyverns, lindworms, ice drakes, and frost trolls dwell in the hilly and mountainous areas.

Major Cities Hal'Dakhama     Estimated population: 290,000
    Hal'Dakhama is the largest elven city and the former capital of the elven empire. By population, area, and (arguably) influence, it is in fact the largest city in all Lur-Asko. Carved out of the taiga on either side of the Unity River, the city is almost too large to characterize, as nearly any business, activity, or person can be found here. Distinguishing landmarks include the Four Minarets - a philosophical site iconic to both Methodianism and elven Creator religion - and the Great Hospital, Lur-Asko’s center of arcane Medic training. Due to its central location, Hal'Dakhama's natural tendency is to become a center of elven trade; however its advantages are periodically offset by steep government export tariffs. These measures are usually implemented to avoid losing wealth to the city’s Preamblian rivals, but this sometimes backfires, driving business activity northward to Hal’Cione.

Hal’Cione     Estimated population: 210,000
    A somewhat eccentric city, but the second-largest in Hal’Tayat. Hal’Cione is the epicenter of Preamblian philosophy in Lur-Asko and is essentially run by the market. The city attracts many vendors of goods, some of which would be illegal or highly taxed anywhere else. Tensions with other cities, especially Hal'Dakhama, are high due to Hal’Cione’s tendency to pull away business. The city itself is located at the end of the Fourth River valley, and is extremely well-fortified by both surrounding mountains and its private defense guilds. Built skyward from the base of the nearest mountain is the legendary Sanctum Tower, a symbol of freedom constructed in the early Age of Adventure. Measuring a full 1,500 feet in height, the Sanctum Tower houses the broken throne of the old empire’s Shah, as well as several timeless copies of the Declaration of Methods; this tyranny-ending document is carved into the Tower’s walls in every language of Lur-Asko.

Hal'Samak     Estimated population: 190,000
    A decent-sized port city, though business is occasionally slowed by pirate activity ranging down from Hal'Khursan. The largest non-import industries are fishing, which usually feeds a large portion of Hal’Tayat, and shipbuilding. Its proximity to Manusia makes it an important trading center by land as well.

Varanshah     Estimated population: 150,000
    Considered the intellectual center of Lur-Asko, Varanshah is the favored destination of the greatest minds in Lur-Asko and the latest imports from Myrabilis. It is home to both the University of Hal’Tayat and the Great Library, which together provide information and training in almost any field imaginable (for a price).

Hal'Khursan     Estimated population: 135,000
    A city with the same lack of government as Hal’Cione, but without the integrity. The reputation of the city is primarily that of a pirate port, though all manner of criminal activity is centered here. Often hated by the more “civilized” elven cities of either philosophy, Hal'Khursan has escaped attack by virtue of its many privately-run defenses. Needless to say, it is an absolute favorite destination for all less-noble breeds of adventurers.

Hal'Shalikh     Estimated population: 105,000
    Hal'Shalikh is a secondary Preamblian trading center. There is less variety than nearby Hal'Dakhama, but no taxes and much more black-market activity. Hal'Shalikh is often characterized as merely a smaller version of Hal’Cione, but its proud residents will vocally protest any such assertion.

Hal’Tarikh     Estimated population: 90,000
    A minor industrial and agricultural city. The surrounding hills are a comfortable retirement spot for those tired of the bustle of Hal'Dakhama, and the area is a popular choice for retired adventurers as well. Otherwise peaceful and unassuming, the city is a favorite destination of Bards, as the many retired adventurers are often eager to share their stories and thus provide them with inspiration.

Vesturheim     Estimated population: 80,000
    This small city provides a port that is relatively safe from piracy, in comparison to the eastern ocean. Despite the distance from the larger elven cities, many importers find Vesturheim very profitable due to its easier sailing route to Macska, Skreti, and Cevelky. It is the newest city in Hal'Tayat, and the only one to feature a name in Old Roc; it was originally founded by Vitur Roc explorers after that species' unification with the elves, and the population continues to be majority Roc.

Kinz     Estimated population: 65,000
    Located in the foothills of the Hrimkhaf Mountains amongst old Diran mines, this city is completely focused on resource extraction and refining. Kinz is Lur-Asko’s primary source of Dira quartz, and produces a decent amount of steel as well. Other elven cities tend to look down on the “crude laborers” of Kinz, though they are heavily reliant on their products.

Arx Alta     Estimated population: 19,000
    More fortress than city, Arx Alta was founded on a remarkably well-preserved Alacrian military outpost. It exists on a high mountain plateau that exceeds the ceiling of many airships, and is an important rest stop for any land traffic to and from the realm of Nani. Once a historic battlefield in the Third Alacrian Era, it continued this legacy under mostly-elven control during the Imperial Wars with the dwarves. Despite its bloody history, bardic lore lauds the fortress as a must-see for its beauty alone, particularly when its crystalline walls catch the light of the sun setting behind the Snowfire Galewall.


Other Geographical Features Öhman’s Runoff
    Rather than a rushing river, snowmelt from the eastern Hrimkhaf Mountains runs off in a series of tiny, winding rivulets. Taken together, they are known as Ohman’s Runoff. Whether through natural minerals from the mountains or by Alacrian design, something about the Runoff water causes the pine trees of the taiga to grow to immense sizes. Extraordinarily durable and often exceeding 400 feet tall, some of the pines can even rival the swamp trees of I’Gremsul. They are a valuable commodity, as their trunks are in high demand for elven minaret frameworks and ship keels; often an entire large airship is required to transport a single trunk. Any such operation is highly risky and requires many escorting adventurers, as the shadowlands beneath the trees are home to some of Lur-Asko’s oldest and most terrifying wildlife.