The Heldannic Order - Vaults of Pandius

GEOGRAPHY
Eikervik (200) is the home of Fredek
Halvardson.
Theriður: 130 people live in this
village in the northern Heldland. The
local woods are plentiful in game, for
which hill giants occasionally raid.
Isoður: Isoður is so far north, that its
villagers consider themselves
Nordurlanders not Heldanners. The
community is small (145), and it is often
troubled by local trolls.
There are another five villages of
notable size (75 with 5 soldiers and 5
priests) scattered throughout the
Territories. Additionally, there are 68
commandaries (posthouses) maintained
by the Order. These posts are manned by
31 soldiers and knights.
The Heldannic Territories and the
Heldland region contain upwards of
250,000 people. Only 15% of the
population reside in the previously
mentioned communities. The remaining
85% live in individual Freeholds.
Point of Interest
Hayavik: Hayavik was once a very
prosperous Heldannic village on the trade
route between Ethengar and Wendar. It
was also an important redoubt during the
hellacious years of the Orcwars.
However in 914 AC, Toktai Khan
spurred the hordes of Ethengar to invade
western Heldann. Hayavik was besieged
by successive waves. The defenders
rebuffed the Khan, until finally, Hayavik
was razed in 926. The Ethengar turned
the town into a wasteland of char and
rubble. The Great Khan was killed soon
after in another conflict, and the hordes
returned south.
Since that time, the area has become
overgrown, but the ruins are still clearly
visible. The trade route has remained and
Hayavik is still used as a stopping point
for the caravans crossing the steppes, but
the area belongs to Ethengar in all but
name. The ruins themselves have been
inhabited by dark creatures from Glantri.
Gyl Erid: Gyl Erid is a small keep on
Lake Erid’s sole island. It is home to the
Eridians, a cult that worships the
minotaurid figure, Gylgarid. The cult has
only one to two dozen members, but the
Priests of the Rock strike fear in the local
troll-born population. Erid is removed
from the Order’s positions, and the
Eridians are careful not to draw the
Knights’ attention to their activities.
The Bösenwald: Within the hills
and forests of the Altenwald is a region
of great darkness, the Bösenwald. Those
who approach it invariably fall to curses
or fatal accidents. The immediate locals
know to avoid this area, but they are
unaware that the innermost grove of trees
is the prison to an ancient evil. The
Teufel of Bösenwald predates every
extant culture in the Known World,
trapped here by the fey and Immortals.
Other Territories
The Heldannic Order is a power with
global reach. While most Known World
characters will restrict themselves to the
lands of the old Freeholds, some daring
souls might wish to embark on journeys
to the very ends (and insides) of the
world. What follows are the major
holdings of the Heldannic Order.
Southport Mission: Fort Southport
is at the tip of Hattias in Thyatis. It is a
naval and army post for the Thyatian
Empire. The Heldannic Order runs a
mission office there which will soon
handle pilgrimages to Vanya’s Rest.
Vanya’s Rest: While Freiburg is the
administrative capital of the Empire, its
true heart is the Holy Citadel of Vanya’s
Rest. This fortress lies on the eastern
shore of the continent of Davania and
marks the place where the miraculously
incorruptible body of Vanya was found.
The Citadel is a huge structure
containing barracks and courtyards along
with many stone buildings that house the
priests of the Order and those members
who have come to stay and pray at
Vanya’s side. A replica of the central
tower of the Fortress of Freiburg has
been erected at Vanya’s Rest.
Vanya’s body rests in the central
portion of the Citadel. It appears to be a
young warrior princess, dressed in armor
and lying on a velvet-covered bier. A few
priests are attendant in the chamber at all
times, praying or watching over the body.
This hall is annexed to the larger
congregation chapel. Underneath the
13
chapel sits the Star of Vanya. This
artifact is the literal source of the Order’s
power.
The surrounding land is very barren and
under-populated. Tribal humans once
lived near the coast, but they were
displaced inland by the Knights. These
humans occasionally raid the Order’s
interests.
At the present time (1000 AC), the
Heldannic Order is unaware that these
humans are being armed by a race of
lion-headed creatures called the Simbasta
(not unlike the Rakasta).
Stonehaven: When the Knights
arrived in the Hollow World they landed
on one of the islands of the Anathy
Archipelago. This barren rock was
riddled with tunnels. The Knights used
these hidden, defensible locations as a
base for operations in this exotic lost
world.
The surface of the island itself is rocky
and covered with scrubland. The wide
main entrance into the Knights’ cave
complex permits the launch and landing
of warbirds. Many thousand Knights
reside within the cave’s small city. They
maintain temples, mushroom farms and
warbird docks. The Knights have not
explored the cave system fully, and they
are therefore unaware that one tunnel
leads all the way back to the surface.
Oostdok: The floating island of
Valoin-Flaemaker was formed when two
islands, each inhabited by gnomes,
collided in 778 AC. A new gnomish
civilization that used dirigibles arose
from the mix of cultures, and it thrived
for many years. When the Knights
entered the Hollow World, they soon
added Oostdok to the Order’s
possessions.
Physically it is a flying rock 50 miles
long by 30 miles wide. It is about a mile
and half from top to bottom. A series of
small mountains and plateaus form the
upper surface. The capital, Schaerbeek, is
a large and populous town.
Oostdok is currently covered in warbird
and dirigible docks and makes a fearsome
launching point for Heldannic attacks.
The gnomes are a deeply oppressed
people but a resistance movement is
beginning to make its presence felt.