Hidden within the walls of the remains of an overgrown human town, the Halls of Hiraeth is a group that has had a complicated history, but has kept to their guns through it all. Having been nearly destroyed twice before, the Halls of Hiraeth are an extremely devout group of animals that have banded together to eliminate the evil that they see in the world in the name of their powerful gods. They consider themselves a vigilante group, motivated by their desire to make their gods proud by infiltrating and destroying wrongdoers in the name of justice. As a result of their devotion to their gods and justice, it is difficult for the Halls to form allies, mainly because their standards are extremely high. However, this does not mean they deliberately seek out violence against the other groups – they only attack others if they feel that another group is evil.

All of the traditions of the Halls are based upon worshipping their many diverse gods, as well as continuing their goals to eliminate all evil from the world. As such, the group is very diverse in types of people that live there, as well as the skillsets that are welcomed with open arms. You will surely be welcomed within the tall walls of the Halls, as long as you are willing to fight for good.

THE HISTORY

Hiraeth. (n) – A homesickness for a home to which you cannot return, a home which maybe never was; the nostalgia, the yearning, the grief for the lost places of your past.

Hiraeth is a Welsh term, and one whose meaning was certainly not lost on the original founder of the Halls of Hiraeth, Silas. Silas was an ordinary tabby cat, although he had been born to a mother who abandoned him merely to months after he was born, deeming her children too much of a hassle to put up with. Alone in the mountains, Silas was forced to take care of both himself and his siblings, desperately attempting to keep them all safe and happy despite the fact he was only a child. Ultimately, however, Silas was left all alone, with all of his siblings having died either from starvation or sickness. Silas was left without happiness or a single place to call home, his last feeling of home having died with his final sibling. Desperate and depressed, Silas readied himself to join in his siblings in the afterlife, when all of a sudden he was confronted by Bertille, a goddess of light and generosity that filled him with a sense of purpose, telling him to seek out those that lacked a home, like him. After this encounter, Silas did as he was told, traveling through the mountains and banding together all those that had a similar feeling of hiraeth.

After forming a large group of like minded souls, Silas led them into a large forested area in the neutral grounds, forming their small group there. It was here where Silas established their hierarchy, along with spreading the teachings of Bertille and the rest of her pantheon, which visited him in his dreams. The group, known only as Hiraeth at this point, established themselves in their small area, and was sure to spread their beliefs to anyone around them, or any visitors. However, this brought them trouble. Another group, outraged by their differing beliefs, attacked Hiraeth, slaughtering Silas as well as many of the members. The remainder of the group was able to fight the invaders off, but they were left weakened and scattered, with their leader now dead. However, all was not lost. Silas's adoptive daughter, Hadley, stepped up after his death, giving him a respectful burial before leading what remained of Hiraeth to an old abandoned big box store. This was where they would make their new home, going under their new name of the Halls of Hiraeth, named for the intricate temple they gradually shifted the store into.

As revenge for her father's unjust death over their beliefs, Hadley turned the group into an extremely devout vigilante group, which prayed to and offered gifts to their pantheon of gods – while also actively seeking out and destroying groups that they deemed to be unjust. Their methods could be considered invasive and violent, with them sending spies into groups and violently dismantling them, but they saw it as right. The Halls remained this way all throughout Hadley's reign, until eventually she retired, passing leadership over to a young tom known as Redvox. Vox continued the traditions of the Halls mostly the same throughout his reign, until suddenly, the group was attacked again. This time it was by the many enemies that had formed through their vigilante justice. They set the store that the Halls called home ablaze, killing most of the group in the process, including Redvox, who died rescuing several of the younger members of the group from the blaze.

After this happened, the few surviving members of the Halls thought that this was the end, scattering all around and abandoning their now burnt home. However, several months later, Redvox found himself within a new form – a hybrid of bat and goat. Believing his new form to be a punishment from Bertille and the pantheon, Vox condemned himself to a life within the Pitt, figuring it would be a good place to try and disappear. He was quickly disgusted, however, by the Pitt's practices, and while he liked some of the people, he hated the slavery and other horrible actions. It wasn't until Goldenluxury arrived at the Pitt did Vox take action. The Typhoon, along with Elysium and Tanglewood, raided the Pitt, with Goldie staging a temporary takeover to convince the Pitt to give up their slaving ways. Upon seeing the way that Goldie fought for her beliefs, along with how some of the Pitt resisted her changes, Vox decided to leave, and reform the Halls, to make up for his past mistakes in protecting them.

After leaving the Pitt – and encouraging anyone who wanted to accompany him – Vox eventually came upon the current home of the Halls. A small, formerly bustling town that has been retaken over by nature, with their main camp being a large half sunk into the earth apartment building with trees and all sorts of nature growing out of and through it. The group began to work back to their old justice seeking vigilante ways, working hard to interact with others and adapt to their new territory. Redvox led them steadily for several months, before he was unexpectedly killed at a meeting, defending the town hall from being set ablaze. Aslisk has now stepped up as the Harbinger of the group, and must lead after their former leader's gruesome and tragic death.

THE TERRITORY

The Halls of Hiraeth calls a both very unusual and very normal place home. The reasoning for this is that they reside within an old abandoned human town that was just beginning to make major strides forward when they were struck by tragedy. Now, a while later, the town has been reclaimed by nature, with large amounts of foliage growing over and through every building that remains standing up. It seems as though their territory is gradually growing into a new forest once again, but with the added remains of civilizations serving as their main places to stay now. The borders of their territory are mostly surrounded by bramble bushes, with paths carved through the natural defenses in order to let members of the group in, although they are well hidden from enemies.

Past their natural defenses and lush forestry, lies the main home of the Halls of Hiraeth, a large apartment building half sunken into the ground and overwhelmed by foliage hanging off of the large balconies. That are also several more landmarks scattered around, although the apartment building remains as the large base in the middle.

THE MAIN FORTRESS – Known as the main fortress to all of those within the walls of the Halls of Hiraeth, this large apartment building is the place that every member calls home. Although the building's base is half sunk into the ground, with the front doors sunk beneath the earth, there is still an easy way to get in, in the form of the large opened windows that line the balconies of the second floor. The apartment building is multiple floors tall, and has many balconies along the sides, all of which are filled with greenery and large plants. The rooms within are filled with overgrowth, the remains of human homes, and small shrine rooms erected for the various gods of the Halls. Every room within the apartment building is up for grabs for members, with the rooms on the higher floors open to the higher ups. Members are welcome to come and go as they please throughout the building, and are also welcome to lock their doors if they would prefer not to have visitors.

There are two large shrines within the meeting room of the apartment building, with one being a prayer shrine to Bertille, and the other being a prayer shrine to Ghadra. The lesser gods have shrines in various smaller rooms, and may have personal shrines erected in the rooms of members.

THE OLD TOWN HALL – Situated near the northern border of the town lies the abandoned town hall, a rotting brick building with a tree growing through the side of it and vines gripping the entire structure. The town hall has clearly been there since the town was first founded, and as such is in pretty awful shape, with piles of dust covering nearly every surface. However, this is the place where meetings and social events are held, with the building being fixed up as well as dolled up for the occasions, as much as is possible. There is a large podium situated in the middle of the stage of the town hall, perfect for meetings, and there are many stored away tables and other social gathering supplies, although some of them have fallen apart over time.

HYDROPONICS LAB – Lying in the southwestern corner of the town territory is the old abandoned hydroponics lab, a modern science that had been coming to the town just before the humans' demise. In it's current state, the lab is somewhat in shambles, with the plants around it all either having died or overgrown their nutrient filled bases, with their roots and leaves spreading out to all corners of the small greenhouse building. Currently the Halls are working on restoring the lab to its former glory to have a consistent source of food. There are several tubs full of plant nutrients, packages of seeds, and trellises for plants to grow on, all hidden beneath the growth that occurred after the humans were gone.

THE WATCHERS' TOWER – Named for a watchtower in the old Halls of Hiraeth territory, the new watchers' tower is a large wooden tower in the middle of the woods surrounding the town that used to be used for watching for fires. It is now used by templars and sentinels to watch over the territory for any approaching threats. It may also occasionally be used by the priest or the harbinger as a place to commune with the gods from, since it is so high and close to the sky. The watchers' tower is not actually utilized as much just yet, since the base of the tower is very shaky and has come under some wear and tear since the town was abandoned.

HAVEN'S SEEK – Haven's Seek is a wide open field between the town and the surrounding forest which has a massive gap in the trees which gives a full view of the sky above. In the spring and summer, the field is massively overgrown with flowers and other types of brightly colored foliage, and is considered a wonderful place for outdoor activities. Haven's Seek is also where the priest commonly goes to commune with the gods, due to the full view of the sky, where the gods are believed to reside.

ROLLING RIDGE HILLS – Far to the south corner of the territory, right before the boundary line, there is a portion of land where the earth rises and falls in massive uneven hills, with trees and plants gripping onto them desperately. These lands are often used for hunting prey such as rabbits and nesting birds, but also presents a set of unique challenges, since the land is roamed by mountain lions, venomous snakes, and other predators that offer a significant risk and reward scenario for hunting on the hills.

THE LEANING TOWER & DEPTHS – The last significant landmark of the territory is a large building that may have at one point been approaching the status of a skyscraper, before all of the humans disappeared. Left in a half finished state, the large building tipped half over on its side and now covers most of the western part of the territory. The building is in total shambles despite still being half upright, and can't be used anymore for most things. However, beneath this half collapsed building is a series of tunnels that were formerly dug out to put in supports. The tunnels now remain beneath the building and are known as the depths. They mostly remain untouched, save for the occasional Ghadra ritual being held in one of the large underground chambers.

THE GODS

Ever since their inception, the Halls of Hiraeth has been a group that has had an extremely important pantheon of gods. Bertille was the goddess that originally motivated the founder, Silas. To form the Halls, and as such, she is extremely well regarded and is considered one of their "main" gods, with several under gods that serve her. Opposite from Bertille is Ghadra, a main god of darkness that is the polar opposite of Bertille, and represents the delicate balance that is maintained by the Halls's justice keeping ways. Ghadra also has several under gods, and is worshipped in almost equal capacity to Bertille, although this does not mean that there isn't any discrimination of Ghadra followers within the group – although discrimination is actively discouraged. While worshipping is not forced upon anyone, it is greatly encouraged, and those who are not worshippers may be looked down upon or alienized icly.

THE RANKS

HARBINGER – The harbinger is the absolute leader of the Halls of Hiraeth, as chosen by the gods and harbingers before them. They have control over the entirety of the group, and are in charge of overseeing practically everything that goes on throughout the Halls. They are in charge of whether or not the Halls decides to attack a group, handling promotions and demotions, and deal with making sure the Halls are running smoothly. They have gained this position not only through their seniority and skill, but because they are the most trusted and respected member of the group.
Aslisk – roleplayed by Kugawing

REGENT – The regent is the second in command of the entire group, and they have very similar responsibilities to the harbinger. Promoted to this position based on their skill and intelligence, the regent is in charge whenever the harbinger is gone or busy, and can do things such as host training sessions and social events, as well as suggest groups that the Halls should be worried about. The regent ends up taking over as harbinger when the current one dies or chooses to retire.
N/A – roleplayed by N/A

HEAD CLERIC – The head cleric is the cleric at the head of the entire medical team, who has earned their position through seniority, activity, and medical expertise. The head cleric is in charge of organizing training sessions for lesser clerics or those that wish to become clerics, dealing with promotions within the medical team, and, of course, taking care of their injured clanmates. The head cleric, while they may be spiritual and are encouraged to follow Errapel, is not required to follow any of the gods.
N/A – roleplayed by N/A

ARCH-ROGUE/ARCH-TEMPLAR – The arch-rogue and arch-templar are two complementary roles that, while different, work together commonly. The arch-rogue is in charge of, of course, the rogues of the group. They are in charge of handing out possible spying assignments to rogues, hosting stealth training sessions for new or younger rogues, and reporting possible big targets to the regent or harbinger. Meanwhile, the arch-templar is, of course, the templars of the group. They are in charge of leading the templars into battle, hosting battle training sessions for new or younger templars, and commanding the templars when the Halls are under attack.
N/A – roleplayed by N/A
Breena – roleplayed by Misty

CLERICS – The clerics of the group are those that make up the healing team for the Halls. Serving underneath the head cleric, the clerics are in charge of taking care of their clanmates with issues both big and small. They are trained extensively by the head cleric, and use both old clan ways of medicine, along with new types of medicine and bandages. They are often trained alongside rogues so that they can sneak through the battlefield to attend to wounds, if necessary. While clerics are encouraged to follow Errapel, the goddess of medicine, it is not required to be promoted.
N/A – roleplayed by N/A

SENTINELS – The sentinels are the stepping stone rank of the Halls, and they have been promoted to this position in acknowledgement of their dedication, activity, and skills that they have contributed to the Halls. They may host social events, provide ideas privately to the higher ups, and continue their duties as rogues or templars, as indicated by their titles of rogue-sentinel or templar-sentinel.
N/A – roleplayed by N/A

ROGUES – Rogues are regular members of the group that have dedicated themselves to espionage and stealth. They are extensively trained to be able to sneak through enemy territory to steal things, infiltrate their ranks and observe them to decide if they're worthy of attacking, or finding ways to rescue captured allies. They are also expected to be able to interact socially with other groups, and may host social events as they please. They report to the arch-rogue, and have a responsibility to report their findings to the higher ups.

TEMPLARS – Templars are regular members of the group that have chosen to dedicate themselves to fighting and warfare, as well as strategy. They defend the Halls when they are under attack, are the main fighting force of the group, and are extensively trained in the field of battle. They often cooperate with rogues to figure out what their next target will be, and report to the arch-templar when needed.

THE TRADITIONS

When it comes to traditions, the Halls are obviously a group that values religious ceremonies and traditions. However, this doesn't mean that religion is the only thing that influences the traditions and ways of the Halls. Despite being a major part of their lives, religion is not a required part of living life within the Halls of Hiraeth. A character may face ic discrimination because of being a nonbeliever, but never ooc discrimination. A Halls member may go through many ceremonies and experience many of the group's traditions over their lifetime, and most of them are very diverse and interesting to experience. Some ceremonies and traditions are even open to this outside of the group, just so that others can learn more about their ways, and to improve relations with other groups.

THE FOLLOWER CEREMONY – The follower ceremony is an extremely important part of Halls culture, mainly because of how well respected the gods and their followers are. The ceremony takes place at the end of every month – provided there are enough members to warrant doing one. When a child comes of age, and when new members join the group that want to, this ceremony is held to allow them to pledge themselves to one of the several gods of the Halls pantheon. Each god has a different pledge that the member must recite in front of either the Bertille or Ghadra shrine, and then the new follower will be given a small circular holy symbol to wear around their necks or somewhere on their bodies to indicate they're a follower of that god. Followers are not required to wear their holy symbols everywhere, but they're encouraged to wear them into battle or during ceremonies.

THE FESTIVAL OF BERTILLE – The Festival of Bertille is a large and exciting festival that takes place from January 13th, through the 17th. This is believed to be the week where Bertille first convinced Silas to form the Halls of Hiraeth, and as such is celebrated greatly. There are different activities going on each day of the week to celebrate each of the light gods, including Bertille and all her under gods. The activities change each year, and the festival is open to all groups that want to come and celebrate without any violence or malice, and just want to learn about the light side of the Halls pantheon.

ENCHANTED SUN CAIRNS – The enchanted sun cairns are part of a scavenger hunt that happens every summer, with the month of summer it happens in shifting with each year. The cairns are small rock piles with fires in the middle to make them glow that are hidden around the territory by the most senior members of the group, with one for each of the gods. Members are encouraged to seek out the cairns throughout the month, and each member that finds a cairn gets a special reward from the leader. Once all the cairns are found, a large party is held in the main camp to celebrate.

CONSUMPTION RITUAL OF GHADRA – The consumption ritual of Ghadra is a ritual that doesn't often because of the circumstances that it happens under. The ritual is a ritualistic sacrifice that takes place in front of the shrine of Ghadra, but not just anyone is sacrificed. Someone is only sacrificed if they are a truly awful person that has been taken prisoner as a result of a Halls raid. This includes tyrants, murderers, rapists, and slavers. They are sacrificed by Ghadra followers to be condemned to eternal torture at Ghadra's hand. After the ritual, a five day festival is held, similar to the Festival of Bertille, except each day is used to celebrate one of the dark under gods, or Ghadra.

BLESSED WEDDINGS – A Halls wedding is quite similar to a traditional wedding ceremony, except for the fact that if the two engaged parties are followers of the same god, or different gods, there is an extra layer of ceremony. The two spouses, if they are followers, exchange holy symbols with each other. From that day forward, both spouses are connected to both of the gods they worship – or have strengthened their bond with that god if they both worship the same god – and will wear both the holy symbols of theirs and their spouse's god. If the two have any children, the child isn't forced to be a follower of either parents' god or a follower at all, but the parents may teach their child about their gods to try and convince them to be a follower.

HALL FUNERALS – Whether for a god follower or not, Halls funerals are a very spiritual affair. The fallen members are carefully wrapped in sweet smelling herbs and flowers, and are then given goodbyes by their families or those close to them. The priest then blesses their body, bidding them a peaceful transition to wherever they wished to be. If they were a follower, they are then buried near the shrine of the god they worshipped. If they were not a follower, they are buried near the main building of the Halls, so that they may eternally be with the rest of the group.

THE RELATIONS

Because of their devotion to their gods, the Halls of Hiraeth has some difficulty with making allies, since they see those who don't worship their gods as slightly lesser. They also need to see that a group is actively making an effort to defend against the villains of the world before they will even consider that group for allyship. It is also relatively easy to make enemies of them, since they investigate pretty much every group that they come across, and if they see something wrong happening, they will be quick to make an example of that group.

ALLIES – None
NEUTRALS – The Typhoon, Tanglewood
ENEMIES – The Pitt