Mezony
National Symbol: Mounted Knight circled by a Bronze Ring.
National Colors: Bronze and White
88% Human (Russian Ethnic Backgrounds)
12% Dwarf
60% Ancestor Worship
30% Organized
10% Shamanistic
(Feudal Oligarchy System of Government) The Hassarian Oligarchy is governed by incredibly wealthy Margraves who own all the major industry or social functions in the country. All five of the Oligarchs oversee one specific society role; Military/Law, Industry/Infrastructure, Trade/Banking, Science/Education and Health/Social Services. Taxes are distributed evenly across all five Margraves so that no single Oligarch can achieve too much power. Decisions are vetted through all five in council meetings and once a decision is made, the Oligarch responsible for that area oversees its implementation.
Badlands: Hostile
Cenovia: Neutral
Commonwealth of Dail: Hostile
Eldarian Union: Friendly
Elven Triumvirate: Neutral
Empire of Grundar: Hostile
Golden Dwarves: Neutral
Grand Duchy of Montia: Neutral
Granelian Protectorate: Neutral
Highlands: Hostile
Ichi Shogunate: Neutral
Idelan Republic: Neutral
Iron Dwarves: Neutral
Kingdom of Aldania: Neutral
Naga’s Landing: Hostile
Orc Horde: Hostile
Sahalan Sultanate: Neutral
Shaneier Elves: Neutral
Steel Dwarves: Friendly
Taisan Khanate: Neutral
The Dark Covenant: Hostile
Theocracy of Vespa: Neutral
Undying Lands: Hostile
Wolven Marches: Hostile
Currency is minted with a Mounted Knight icon on it
Gold (gp) is used to buy luxury goods and high-end services
Silver (sp) is used to buy common quality goods and skilled labor
Copper (cp) is used to buy basic supplies goods and food
Average costs
Basic Food items: 1-3 copper
Luxury Food items: 10-15 copper
Basic Drinks: 1-3 copper
Luxury Drinks: 5-10 copper
Basic clothing: 25-50 copper
Average clothing: 25-50 silver
Luxury/High End clothing: 10-15 gold
Basic Lodging (Common Inn): 5-10 silver per night
Comfortable Lodging (High End Inn): 20-25 silver per night
Luxury Lodging (Private room with bath): 50-100 silver per night
Opulent/Noble Lodging (Private suite with multiple rooms): 10-15 gold per night
Transportation (Rented wagon/carriage): 10-15 silver per km
Weapons and Armor: Use Item costs
Hassarian architecture is best described at medieval Russian in design. Buildings blend indigenous wooden carpentry with Byzantine influences. Characterized by iconic onion domes, slanted tile roofs, and vibrant colors. Towns and villages have heavy use of stone and wood materials and are built sturdy in design.
Hassarian garments rely heavily on natural textiles like linen, hemp, wool and leather. Typically, clothing is brightly colored in striped patterns. The elites and wealthy like to incorporate imported silks and furs, and jewelry to showcase their status.
Typical Hassarian cuisine includes dense breads, livestock meats, thick grain porridges, long-simmered vegetable soups, and an abundance of onions and potatoes. All Hassarian foods are heavily salted. Drinks are usually dairy or tea leaf based, and alcohol favors dark lagers, and very strong potato-based liquors.
Music: Music from Hassarian culture heavily features singing and violins. Singing is considered the highest form of musical arts and many citizens consider a good singing voice to be a national treasure. Because vocal music is so prevalent many of their songs spread through the nation like wildfire and the most popular can be heard being sung by the lowest peasant all the way up to the Oligarch’s themselves.
Literature: Because wealth is power in Hassarian culture, so is literacy well maintained. State run schools and academies ensure that every Hassarian can read and write, and there are many libraries and archives. Contracts and manuscripts are also well organized and concise.
Entertainment/Theater: Hassarians are avid tournament and festival goers and they are the primary form of entertainment. Outside of these events gambling and sporting events are popular. The most popular sport involves two teams in a capture the flag style game that can get very spirited and rough. It is usually played in open fields or tournament grounds.
Technology is around the medieval level and is not the primary means of quality of life for Hassarians. The Science and Education Oligarch is constantly on the search for new technologies however and actively recruits dwarves towards this purpose. Magic is not widely cultivated except for healing. Gifted magic users are often indoctrinated into the Health and Social Services functions to be used as doctors and healers.
During the great war between the elves and dwarves, the humans that would eventually become the nation of Hessar were used almost like dogs of war and frontline fodder by the High Elves. Trained in combat and set loose on villages and towns Hessarian’s became brutally efficient killers and foot soldiers. After the war the remaining High Elves arranged the region just south of their protected lands to be given over to the Hessar humans to use as they saw fit. Creating a buffer zone between the High Elves and other nations around them. Having never governed themselves, Hessar early history is brutal and dark, with greed being the main driving factor behind much of how the nation was formed. A warrior culture with no more war to fight in, meant they struggled to figure out what peace looked like. Eventually the wealthier and more powerful began to rise to the top until eventually five Oligarchs reached the pinnacle of wealth and power in the nation. Choosing to balance their power they set up a system of government that prevented any of the five from completely taking over. Still a warrior culture in nature the Oligarchs then turned towards expanding their lands and launched a campaign to try and invade westward. Their invasion was initially very successful, and their knights had conquered their way through large portions of the Sahalan desert, Highlands, Dail, and Grundar. Carving out an enormous new country that stretched across the eastern half of the continent. However spread too thin to hold it all, that invasion proved to be a one-way trip for most of the warriors. As the army marched westward, the other nations simply took back their territory from behind after the Hassarian forces pressed further west. Eventually cutting the Hessar army off from their homeland, and any resupply efforts. The remaining army ended up trapped in what is now Grundar, where the army was eventually starved and crushed by the Empire. This quite obviously created hostile diplomatic relations with the Highlands, Commonwealth of Dail, and the Empire of Grundar that persist to this day. When the Sultan rose to power in the desert, he chose to simply play on Hassar greed, and bought the Sahalan lands back from the Oligarchs. They were eager to replenish the wealth they lost funding the invasion and happily sold the land back to the Sultan to include a portion that now has the Sultan’s land bordering the Eldarian Union. The Hessarian Oligarchy as it stands now, is strong warrior nation, content to continue amassing wealth, in hopes to maybe one day expand their nation again.