Halasian

Halasian
Playable	See Human
Home	Halas
Associated Deities	The Four
Leader(s)	Unkown
Related Races	related

Halasians, are large and rugged humans that live in the frozen climate of Everfrost in northern Antonica. They get their name from the cultural center of the north, the city of Halas.

Society

The Halasians are large, rugged humans from the frozen climate of Everfrost. They are a warrior culture, who value martial prowess and feats of strength, and have earned a reputation for being skilled and fearsome warriors. They don't generally care about creature comforts, preferring functional simplicity in their designs. A Halasian does appreciate some decoration in their architecture, however, and in fact they will often adorn their buildings and furniture with furs, antlers, claws, and engravings.

The Halasians have lived in the harsh climate of Everfrost for generations, and have built their city with heavy, strong materials intended to stand against the elements of the cold north. The buildings have large doors and windows, and are adorned with intricate patterns and animal imagery.

Shamanism

The practice of Shamanism is very important to Halasian society and their form of Shamanism is known across the land infused with the power of The Four, whom they worship.

Arcane Magic and the Iron War

The seeds of the northerners' distaste for magic dates back to the Takish occupation of Bayle. The elves employed magic as one of the tools of subjugation, something the humans would not soon forget.

After the founding of Halas, the city's leaders obviously understood the necessity of magic as a resource. But rival clans sought control over certain relics left behind from the struggle against the dragons, leading to an outbreak of hostilities that would come to be called the Iron War. The fallout from this destruction caused Halas' most magically inclined clan and its followers to break away and found their own settlement elsewhere.

So it's not that magic isn't practiced in Halas--the northerners have a strong belief in the Four and the primal forms of magic associated with their gods. It's more that it isn't welcome as a scholarly pursuit as much it is among many other races. Halasians are expected to survive on their wits and strength, and to rely solely upon magic is considered a weakness.