Heilinthar Empire

"The Heilinthar are perhaps superior to us in every way...except humility of course. They will always remind you that elves are better than humans. But I would never want to live within their borders, even if I was an elf."

―An excerpt from Alexander Kronen's journal

The Heilinthar Empire is a large faction located within the Outerlands. It is a totalitarian regime that upholds the superiority of the high elves, or Heilinthar. They consider other mortals to be on par with animals and do not acknowledge them as sentient. As such, it is quite befuddling to them that they are capable of forming nations, let alone managing the powers of an Aard'Vorn.

The Heilinthar have started a war with Leir on the pretext that they need guidance from a more advanced species so that the Leirians and the mortals of other nations can be domesticated by them. In reality, they perceive Leir's posession of the Worldstone as a direct threat to their power over the Eidyn subcontinent. They prefer to fight on a front of cunning and trickery to mitigate the risk of other Aard'Vorn bearing nations to step in to aid Leir.

Government

The Heilinthar Empire, on the surface, is apparently ruled by an emperor, but in reality, this emperor is merely a proxy. The true ruler is an elven goddess named Luminiferah who ascended to godhood using the Star Crown. Luminiferah is preached as a mythical figure though in reality, she exists as a physical being. Nonetheless, they revere her as such because the knowledge she gained from wearing the Star Crown as well as the associated powers she gained from it.

The figurehead emperor during the late Renaissance Era was Emperor Steladran, known for his dirty, underhanded schemes and direct cooperation with criminal organizations.

Culture

Heilinthar culture revolved around perfectionism. All citizens were held to a strict code of conduct and social behaviors. Performative rituals and specific customs had to be held - right down to the way tea was served and the way tables were laid for meals. Any who deviated from these customs were ostracized, either banished from their lands or executed depending on the severity of their deviation. While the Heilinthar did have a secret police, more than likely, other citizens would jump at the chance to report the deviant behavior as a means of raising their own societal reputation. As such, the work of the mob often aligned with the interests of the emperor. While not all Heilinthar are as fanatically devoted to serving justice, they usually go along with others out of fear, to avoid persecution themselves and the risk of being considered heretical.

Despite the strict adherance to formality, they still have outlets for vanity and mass entertainment. Perhaps one of their most notorious examples are stage plays using other mortals as actors forcibly controlled by animation spells. For the supposed sake of realism, in scenes where a character is supposed to die, the actor is killed for real on the stage. Naturally, tragedies and historical reenactments of battles were among the most popular of plays.

The Heilinthar have such a callous disregard for other mortal life because they believe that only the souls of elves are actually sentient. After many centuries of brainwashing, many do not consider or are even aware of the idea that the other mortal races have similar levels of intelligence as them. Because of this, they tend to mix mortals and animals together, keeping them in cages to either experiment with them or use them for their own amusement.

Other mortals, humans especially, that are born within their borders are almost never taught how to read, speak or write - only how to obey verbal commands and hand gestures. Though humans are considered slaves, some upper class nobles keep humans as royal retainers - serving as pets that they keep surprisingly well-fed and taken care of. The standards of living of these retainers often exceed that of the common citizens of Leir and other neighboring nations - making the prospect of becoming one tempting for outsiders.

Language

While most Heilinthar can understand Tradespeak, they usually prefer their own native language, also known as Heilinthar. They consider Tradespeak to be on par with gibberish animal noises compared to their own language. Many Heilinthar will express surprise at any mortal capable of speaking in a scholarly fashion - having a similar reaction to the sight of talking animals.

Technology

With the knowledge gained from the Star Crown, the Heilinthar is very magically advanced, particularly specializing in both aether magic and animancy. One of their most powerful creations are the simulacra, autonomous beings similar to golems except made of flexible fabric which makes them highly agile.

The Heilinthar are also skilled in necromancy, which they often use as psychological warfare against the Leirians who believe necromancy to be blasphemy. The Heilinthar are known to taunt their enemies by raising the corpses of their fallen comrades and loved ones and using them as meat shields. Some particularly powerful variants of simulacra are also powered by souls, although these particular souls are corrupted and on the verge of mutating into demons.

Points of interest

Opera House

The Opera House is a famous building where the empire's infamous death plays are held. It can house more than two thousand guests.

Tower of the Star Crown

A stronghold and a temple of great significance to the Heilinthar. It is here where it is believed that the Star Crown is housed and where their goddess Luminiferah resides. From the top of the tower, it is believed that Luminiferah gazes upon other regions, able to see as far as the southern borders of Leir using the powers of the Star Crown.