Hellslayer
| Hellslayer | |
|---|---|
| Avaris | |
| |
| Flag of Hellslayer | |
| Motto: "Ex flamma, surgimus" | |
| ("From the flames, we rise") | |
| Capital | Inferneum |
| Alliances | LOPN OKN |
| Official languages | Halus Ayerian |
| Demonym(s) | Halus Ayerian/Demonic |
| Government | Oligarchy |
| Grand Architect | Balthazar Sturm |
| Legislature | Council of Flames |
| Population | 40 million (estimated) |
| Currency | Sol |
| Driving side | Left |
| Open on NationStates | |
Hellslayer, officially the State of Hellslayer, is a country on the east coast of South Usea. It is bordered in the north by Khoumariya, in the south-west by Qurar, and the Gulf of Hellslayer in the south. The nation has an total area of approximately 310 000 km² (119700 sq mi). It has a population of 30.2 million, almost half of which live within the Greater Inferneum district, making it one of the most densely populated areas in the world. Other major cities include Ancead, Obisia, and Selecon.
Human activity in Hellslayer dates back at least 13 000 years, though some scholars suggest that migration to the region occurred significantly earlier. Considered a cradle of civilisation, the north of the country was home to several advanced civilisations, including the Habor-Nergal, the Keres culture, and the Asconean Empire. Ridnezite colonisation defeated the dominant Asconean Empire, establishing the colony of Halus Ayer. Hellslayer became a major landing point for further inwards colonisation of South Usea, as well as a key centre of trade and commerce for Ridnezite merchants. The 1924 War of Halus Ayerian Independence ended Ridnezite rule and led to the creation of the Halus Ayerian Republic. However, the second half of the 20th century saw the long dictatorship of Thaal Seldi, whose stagnant government and use of foreign troops to maintain control led to severe discontent among the people. In 1989, following the Fenix power plant incident, in which well-known physicist and polymath Jax Arcanic caused an explosion that led to dramatic changes in the physiology of the population of large parts of the country, the nation fell into conflict, variously called the Halus Ayerian Civil War, Third Civil War, or Arcanicist Revolution. The ensuing change of government, which saw Jax Arcanic installed as the head of state, brought in rapid industrialisation and economic growth, though also exacerbated social and economic inequality. The government has remained stable since, in spite of the 2020 coup by general Balthazar Sturm, which deposed and executed Arcanic.
Hellslayer is a newly developed country with the third-largest economy in South Usea. It is considered a regional in South Usea and a middle power worldwide. The government has an officially atheist stance, and most of the country is atheist, though Dendrite Axonity and Zawasul both have sizeable followings. Hellslayer is a core member of the League of Prosperous Nations and the Organization of Kanten Nations.
Etymology
The name Hellslayer is a deliberate corruption of the name first given to it by Utopian traders and then later adopted by Ridnezite colonisers as the official name, Halus Ayer. The name roughly translates to "Yesterday's Land" in Utopian, and may have been used as a derogatory term due to the perception that the region was undeveloped and barbaric. The modern name of Hellslayer appears first in the Utopian maps of Marco Vittorio as Halous Ayre and later in the late 16th and 17th century as Halus Ayere.
Following the Halus Ayerian Civil War, Jax Arcanic sought to establish the new government as a new birth for the nation and so the "State of Hellslayer" was adopted as the new official name for the country. However, Halus Ayer and the derivative Halus Ayerian are still used in both an official and casual context globally.
History
Main article: History of Hellslayer
Ancient Hellslayer:
The earliest evidences of human settlement in Hellslayerian territory have been dated to 13 000 BRE, attributed to the Barbas culture in the north-east. Hellslayerian societies were built on agriculture, developing techniques such as irrigation to direct water from the rivers and snowmelts to farmland. Fishing is also considered a major source of food, and it has been suggested by some historians that there was a predominantly seafood diet. The degree of centralised authority is difficult to ascertain from the remains that they left behind, but the architectural patterns are indicative of an elite who wielded considerable authority and power. For instance, while some of the monuments appear to have been constructed incrementally over a long period of time, other buildings, such as the stone circle at Caal, seem to have been erected in just one or two intense construction phases, something that would have required a considerable degree of oversight and management. The oldest known complex society in Hellslayer, the Habor-Nergal civilisation, flourished in the northern plateau beneath the Tengrin mountains between 3500 and 1600 BRE. Following the collapse, several other archaeological cultures arose in the region and further east, nearer the coastline, such as the Mictus culture between 1000 and 200 BRE, and the Keres culture between approximately 250 BRE and 600 RE. Following the collapse of the Keres culture, Hellslayer entered a period known as the Second Dark Era, which saw a return to a hunter-gatherer, nomadic lifestyle.
In the 10th century RE, the Asconean Kingdom emerged as a powerful state which, in the following centuries expanded to incorporate much of Hellslayer. Comprehensive codes of law were introduced, as well as large public works and infrastructure. Authority was consolidated into a monarch and nobility. However, the lack of a named heir to the throne in 1107 led to the fracturing of the kingdom in the First Asconean Civil War. Following the conflict, Rolan I emerged victorious and set about restructuring the kingdom into the new Asconean Empire, declaring himself Divine Imperator. Taking a more militaristic stance on expansion, in the span of a century, the Asconean Empire had conquered the entirety of modern Hellslayer as well as territories in Khoumariya and Qurar.
