H

Find below an alphabetical list of all the character names, places and objects beginning with the letter H in the World of Astrom. I shall add to this list as more of my works are published. If an entry is missing, leave a comment below and I shall fill it when I can.

Hamid

The capital city of Aranar and one of its largest settlements. It nestles in the foothills at the southern edge of the Goragath Mountains in the north-west of the country. Although a relatively remote location, it holds a special significance for the folk of Aranar as its oldest city, its spiritual and cultural centre and its role as host venue for the annual Hamid Tournament, by which the ruler of Aranar is chosen. See also Aranar & Hamid Tournament.

Hamid Tournament

An annual event held in the capital city to decide who should be Jeantar, the titular ruler of Aranar. It is a lavish festival of chivalry and pomp in which the great lords of the realm come together with countless knights to contest the greatest event in the Tournament Circuit. Through a series of dramatic events, including jousting, duelling, horse-racing and archery the Jeantar is chosen as the man who has accrued the greatest number of points. That person will then be Jeantar for a year before having to defend their title at the next Hamid Tournament. The system is machoistic and primitive in many ways, but it has proved remarkably successful at ensuring peace and stability among the rival clans of the nation. It helps prevent any one clan becoming too powerful and allows a healthy vent for violence and passions which would otherwise spill over in civil war. See also Hamid, Aranar & Jeantar.

Haracost

A fell city in northern Ciricen and an abode of evil. Perched high in the Ark Mountains, it is the haunt of evil creatures and the greatest stronghold of the Sordai, the evil race of men who contest with the noble Lordai for control over Ciricen. Long ago it fell under the influence and sway of Kurundar and provided his launching pad for countless invasions of the south, and its evil folk prospered even in the interludes of Kurundar’s power. See also Sordai & Lordai.

Hardos

A man of Aranar and Clan Knight of the Pegasus Clan. As a senior member of the ruling clan, Sir Hardos is one of the most powerful figures in Aranar at the time of the Quest of Oron Amular. He is a dependable right-hand man for Jeantar Southilar. See also Pegasus Clan & Southilar.

Harolin

The name of the ruling house of Maristonia, shortened from the elvish Haretholin, meaning ‘quick of spirit’. The dynasty has ruled Maristonia for thousands of years, with some disruptions along the way, and traces its roots back to the original chieftain of the armists, Armanor. More properly the descent is reckoned through Armanor’s son, Carinen, who removed to the coast and built the city of Mariston. After the house’s ascent to the throne in the days of Istilian, Curillian is the eighth ruling king in the dynasty. With such long heritage and so many noble scions, the Harolin name is cherished throughout the realm and forms a cornerstone of Maristonian history and national self-consciousness. See also Carinen & Curillian.

Haroth

An armist and member of the Third Cohort of the Royal Guards of Mariston. Haroth is a brave warrior and devoted to his talismanic king. See also Royal Guards.

Harracks

A mysterious race who inhabit subterranean halls and caverns in the land of Stonad. Lying in the southern Black Mountains, this mountainous domain lies between Kalimar proper and the wood-elven realm of Tol Ankil. The harracks are little known to their neighbours except as a source of trouble and few among either armists or elves know the secrets of their origins. In fact they are an ancient race of dwarves, descended from an outcast chieftain of Carthak who journeyed north in exile with a few followers. These were ignoble individuals who founded a nation which bore their own traits of harshness, injustice and ferocious insularity. Through long millennia of isolation the harracks degenerated into a fallen race of coarse, unlovely warriors and craftsmen, barely recognisable to their old dwarvish kin but not dis-similar from the Black Dwarves of the Goragath Mountains, another evil scion of old Carthak. The harracks are short, stocky and incredibly tough, strong and with thick skin that is difficult to harm. They are ruthless with outsiders and extremely secretive about their ways. However they do have redeeming features, being quite capable of great feats of engineering, excavation and construction. They are frightful to look upon, for not only were they not beautiful to begin with but they have added to their horrifying demeanour by affecting brutal customs like head-binding and eschewing all but the most rustic garments and decorations. See also Stonad, Carthak & Tol Ankil.

Hawk Clan

One of the great clans of Aranar, behind only the Pegasus Clan in terms of size, strength and prestige. Unquestionably the great regional power in eastern Aranar, Hawk lands run down in a fertile corridor between the eastern slopes of the White Mountains and the Dorzand Wall. To their south are their frequent allies, the Falcon Clan, whilst northward is the less friendly Charger Clan. The Hawk Clan is often antagonistic to the western clans, feeling the distance from the centre of power in Hamid and smarting under perceived condescension from the more cultured Pegasus and Unicorn Clans. The Hawk Clan is distinctive for owning the Redmar Vineyards, a great region of fruitful vines whose wines are world-famous for their unique taste and quality. Thus they profit greatly from the vast wine exports which go out from Redmar to Hendar, Ciricen and the rest of Aranar. See also Aranar, Pegasus Clan & Falcon Clan.

Hearthel

A medium-sized market town in the East-fold of Maristonia, lying on the Armist Road between the larger cities of Arket to the west and Aldia to the east. Hearthel lies at the point where the road crosses the River Herthir, which flows down from Broadsword Ridge into The Bowl. Like the other market towns of the region it is a hub for the important local grain trade as well as other regional commodities. See also East-fold, Arket & Armist Road.

Hendar

One of the great realms of Astrom, Hendar dominates the north of the continent, being the northernmost part of the mainland before the Haunted Pass marks the start of frigid Urunmar. Hendar is the largest kingdom in Astrom, both by population and land area, a powerhouse in the mortal world. Geographically it is separated from the lands further south by the towering obstacle of the Goragath Mountains, but it is nonetheless a fierce rival of Ithrill to the southwest and Aranar to the southeast, and the narrow corridors at the end of the mountains where it adjoins these neighbours are both busy trading routes and tense frontiers. Hendar is also a long-term rival of Ciricen to the east, from which it is separated by the long, narrow Firth of Ciricen. Most of Hendar is dominated by two great river systems: the Goralar, which flows west to the Rétorn Ocean; and the Gorathar, which flows north to the Firth of Ciricen. Most of Hendar’s wealth and population resides in these huge river basins. The hilly regions north and south of these great valleys are more sparsely populated and more mysterious.

Hendar traces its history back to the exile of the elven prince Eretholin (Eretol), who came here in the mists of the ancient First Chapter after quarrelling with his cousin, Avar. His new kingdom of Endomar waxed strong in the north but became the epicentre of the tragic Great Betrayal, where a mass rejection of Prélan by the elves of the north led to The Curse of Morality. As a result of this Endomar became Hendar, the ‘Mortal Kingdom’, and entered the Third Chapter as the greatest of the new mortal realms. By dint of civil wars it became dominated politically by five great dukedoms: Kalator, Malator, Nalator, Jalator and Lalator. These dukes, as well as the Senate sitting in Kalator, provide a formidable check on the power of the king. See also Aranar, Urunmar, Ithrill, Ciricen & Goragath Mountains.

High King

The High King is the highest rank of royalty in Elvendom. Traditionally an heir of Avatar, the Elder King, the High King is the recognised overlord of all the elves of Astrom. Other kings or queens, be they the monarchs of individual kindreds or sovereigns of other nations and smaller enclaves, all pay homage to the High King. Outside the bounds of Kalimar this overlordship is more nominal than actual authority. See also Avatar & Elvendom.

High Magic

One of two kinds of magic in Astrom, the other being Black Magic. Where the latter is evil and expressed in terror, High Magic is good and benevolent. Magic was originally the gift of Prélan to the elves, conveyed through Avatar and his descendants. It flowed from two great pools, one in Oron Amular and one in Oron Barazand (later renamed Oron Cavardul). The former was stewarded by the League of Wizardry and was used for the protection and blessing of the Free Peoples – although it was at times misused by certain individuals. The latter pool, located in Urunmar in the far north, was originally as pure as its counterpart in the south, but its discoverer, Kurundar, soon corrupted it by his own ambition and pride and it became dark and sinister, a source of evil power. Ever since the two pools and the two strains of magic have been at variance in a titanic struggle for the fate of Astrom. See also Oron Amular, Oron Cavardul, League of Wizardry & Prélan.

Horuistan

An armist and a general in the Maristonian Army. Horuistan is the commanding officer of the 15^th Legion, a force of 12,000 armists garrisoned in barracks between Arket and Aldia in the East-fold. It is one of five legions in the Eastern Army. See also Eastern Army & Arket.

Hoth

A dwarf lord from the ancient realm of Carthak. He leads the heavily-armed dwarvish contingent to the Quest of Oron Amular. See also Carthak.