Hasmal

Location and geography
Hasmal is a Nevarran occupied town which lies on the North bank of Minanter River, west of the last Free city in the marches "Tantervale", far east from all other Nevarran cities, far south of the Tevinter city "Perivantium" and the eastern part of The Silent Plains, And north of the wilds of "Wildervale"..

To the north east lies a Veridium ore mine, It's at the the start of a series of connected mountains that go far north forming the natural borders between Tevinter and Antiva.

Being besieged by the dangerous Wildervale and the silent plains from both North and South, makes the town only accessible from west and east through the Minanter river and roads beside it, the travelers have to take the east and west directions first before thinking of going anywhere else. Thus makes Hasmal very river dependent, even much more than its marches sister cities.

Beside the mountain in the north east, Hasmal is formed mostly of plains and cultivable lands.

As all marches cities Hasmal has large countryside. True it has the smallest one compared to other marches cities, but still bigger than any single Ferelden countryside for example.. The whole marches are known as the breadbasket of Thedas, And Hasmal never ceased to act as a marcher, even when occupied by Nevarran.

Iconography
The Nine tailed Fox

Demography
Most of Hasmal population are native marchers, with the main Nevarran people being the military force occupying Hasmal and their families, in addition to few noble families who emerged over the seven decades of occupation.

Most of the population is Humans, but the increase in dwarven population is noteworthy, they still few but has higher numbers than most marcher and Nevarran cities.. It's rumored that Hasmal had a nearby entrance to the Deeproads that brought all these dwarfs a century or two ago but it got closed over the years and forgotten. (No one could prove if this is true of not)

The majority of Hasmal people are devoted Andrastians, and most of the commoners still burn their dead and don't send them to the Necropolis.

Tantervale
Being the nearest city and the only close one, Tantervale and Hasmal has great historical, social, and commercial relationships. But the fact of the occupation of Hasmal make it very bad on the political aspect, and It's known that Tantervale people support Hasmal rebels.

Nevarra
The political relationship with the capital is very strong, the trade flow is fine as well, but on the social level the people of Hasmal has no love for Nevarran people, treating them as tyrants and oppressors.

Starkhaven
The distance between Hasmal and Starkhaven and the fact that the lords of Starkhaven not support the rebels in Hasmal publicly makes the political affairs between the two cities more stable. On the other hand the trade and social connections are perfect.

Wildervale
The wilderness are a dangerous place, inhabited by some wild tribes like Ferelden chasind, they were natural with Hasmal people as long as they stayed away from them, the wilds here provided them with everything they needed so raiding on the civil lands weren't necessary. But the Nevarran army in Hasmal decided this long peace has to end and they led an campaign to clear the northern part of the wilds and secure it and start to cut the trees for the woods. Though the campaign was success but Nevarran lost many men, and the actions started an open conflict. There are rumors that the wilder people are helping the rebels now.

Economy

 * Main Economy in Hasmal is Agriculture, converting industry, and trade .. Then comes The mining, blacksmithing, armorsmithing, Animal breeding, fishing, and recently the new woodcutting.


 * Hasmal Planting with rain, and Floodwater. Some Irrigation canals were made from the lake and swamps west of Hasmal to provide a larger countryside on the west.

Cotton, corn, peanut, wheat, potato, rice, sorghum, and fruit gardens are the most common Plant species in Hasmal.
 * Hasmal temperature is a bit higher than most of free marches, that makes it fit better for planting wider variety of crops.

Hasmal isn't major town in animal breeding, but it has it's good share of cattle and birds.
 * The Manufacturing industry involve making textiles, oils, sugar, paper. And the common sight of big Mills and Breweries.


 * Being a border town with a strategic location on the Minanter river made the Trade flow better, and the dangerous lands around force all trade routes to pass by Hasmal, all goods going in or out of The Free Marches pass from here, most of Nevarra trade with the Eastern countries pass by as well. So the town has a bigger market than some of the larger cities. But the occupation harm the trade with increased taxes and the unrest between people and the usurpers.

Based on the fine metal from the mine, many smiths established their profession in Hasmal, making some of the high quality pieces in free marches.
 * The Veridium Mine to the north east is controlled by an independent company of dwarfs, and they answer to no one and pay no taxes to anybody. So they always tempts people with higher wages for the harder work.


 * The river always provided a source for fishes, and many families lived and died as fishermen.


 * Hasmal people has no profession of woodcutting or hunting, they have always avoided the wilds to not offend the wild tribes and avoided their wrath, When the Nevarran expansion occurred and they opened up jobs for woodcutting very few common people signed for it. So they were forced to bring Nevarran labors to get the lumber mill working.

Nevarra Army

 * After the first rebellion Nevarra sent a bigger army to watch over the city instead of the small garrison it had before.


 * They have established a full functional fortress with its own walls and battlements on the eyeshot from Hasmal to the east. It was built after the second rebellion, they shipped the stones by the river and brought their own Nevarran builders and labors as well, all in sake to deny Hasmal people any knowledge about it.


 * The fortress has a big barracks and work as the first shield on the eastern borders of Nevarra, It's made to stand against organized armies not just commoners rebels.


 * The soldiers are outfitted with fine Green Veridium armor, weapon, and heavy shield, crafted specifically for them in fortress smithies.


 * The high ranked officers has their armor enchanted by the dwarfs company (that was a very expensive deal they did with the dwarfs after few failed attempts to take over the mine by force), and their weapons are made from dragonbones, shipped to them from Nevarra.


 * All shields and cloaks have the Nevarra death mask heraldry.

The town Militia

 * The Militia is only local armed unit allowed, led by Nevarran officers.


 * It's supposed to enforce law (Nevarran law) within town, collect taxes, and arrest criminals.


 * It's stationed in a small barracks in the middle of the town, run by agents of the Nevarran army who are watching it closely.


 * Nevarrans forced Conscription into the militia as a way to control the youth of Hasmal, and as a punishment sometimes. When they suspect someone


 * They use simple Iron weapons and armors.


 * The militia is forced to do all the dirty work for the army, and any mutiny in the militia is punished by death.

The Rebels
Since the first rebellion, people never ceased to plot for the liberation of their city, and so there was always rebels. Sometimes they gain greater numbers and could do some open fights with a unit or two of the army, but most of the time they using play war of attrition. The rebels suffered greatly after the fail of the second rebellion in 927 DA, they couldn't recover from it for long time, the Nevarran fortress were built and people were afraid to help them again. For full two decades many many people lost their hope for a liberation, and thought that everything will be settled for Nevarra forever.

After the sign of the Weisshaupt Accord the rebels raised again, for the last fewyears a mysterious leader appeared to be building up armies in the shadows, rumored to have assistant of the wilder people.

Rebels has many hiding spots north east in the mountain, south in the wilds, and east within Tantervale borders. And recently they have looted a big Nevarran weapons shipment which allowed them access to the fine metals for the first time.

It's proven that the rebels use the old house Hofer heraldry of the nine-tailed fox, and some people call the vague leader with the same name.

The rebels used to hit and run, setting traps for the tax collectors, kidnapping minor officers to extract information, forcing tolls on Nevarran traders if they catch them on the road or river, and manipulating the Nevarran officers to turn into each others.

The town of Hasmal
Though it's a large town, It's structure not advanced enough to be a city, homes are simple, and the streets is flattened but not paved. With no walls but few wooden barricades.

Engvale
(the narrow eastern countryside) smaller and poorer part, the farms is watered mainly by Floodwater. The rebels have taken over the far east fields and enforced their protection on them, the Militia can't come nearby easily to collect taxes or they get slaughtered. Few times the army had to make a campaign to get rid of the rebels but always the rebels could flee in time and return few weeks later, though the poor farmers paid the price by getting their crops burnt.

Wasservale
(the west countryside near the lake) bigger, more stable and extend further south. Is watered mainly from the cannels excavated from the west lakes. Here's where most of the farms and richest gardens lies, nobles and wealthy merchants has their country estates here.

Ebenenvale
(The plain countryside on north bank of the river, extends to the borders of the Silent plain) all the surroundings of main town, it doesn't have only farms, but most of the town's industrial facilities lies north of the river. The lumber mill: (South to city, on the borders of wilderness) ) Is a bigger facility on its own. Run by Nevarran labors and protected by a full unit of the army, the lumber mill stands on the north west border of Wildervale. There are always tensions with the wilder people who try to remove the mill, get their revenge, and restore this part of the wilds.

As a marcher town
Hasmal was a farmers' peaceful free village that was part of Tantervale sovereignty for centuries, ruled by simple chief like most villages. Two centuries ago, among the ranks of peasants there were the most intelligent individual who could create two of the great inventions in world by that time, Mark of poor Hofer family. His first creation was a cotton harvest device that peasants could use easily to triple the speed of harvesting, and save half the labor required to do. That helped the whole village that relied on the cotton as main yield, and soon it attracted the attention of Tantervale nobility that could admire the invention and started to ask him to create such device for their farms as well. The success was exceptional and the device spread to most of free marches cities within a decade, bringing wealth and honor to the poor peasant who became one of the most important civilians in the region.

But the successes of Hofer didn't stop at that, he could with the help of his cousin Sam figure a way to graft Orange branch into a lemon tree in his newly planted garden to avoid a deadly plant disease that were killing the orange trees in these years .. The success this time were far beyond Free Marches, within few months the news of the simple way to save the dying orange gardens went through most of northern countries, considering such gardens were the favorite of the rich nobles around Thedas. One day a magister from Tevinter came all the way long to Tantervale and requested to meet the man who saved his whole business by the great innovation, and to grant him and his family a proper reward. The ruler if Tantervale was so disconcerting to introduce their great inventor to a magister as a simple peasant man from common family in a small village, and his court advised to grant him a noble title and to recognize Hofer family as nobles, and so did the ruler.

The magister reward revealed, and it was a big caravan carrying very big shipments of orange seedlings, enough to plant good numbers of fruit gardens.. It was nice surprise for Hofer to get the title, and the reward at the same day. And when returned to his village that he became its noble he ordered the distribution of the seedlings among the whole village with the condition that they all get planted in a newly reclaimed land to the west near the lakes, and that every man who get his share from seedlings to pay its price as a some hours of digging tunnels from the lake to the planned fruit gardens to provide it with water, and the more people dig the more they get land and seedlings.. And with this great strategy Hofer won people hearts, and founded a whole new stable area for planting easily without the need to wait for the rains or the flood, it was obvious that Hofer would be a great ruler who will lead the village through its most important turn in history.

Within other two decades the village grow from all directions, with the genius leadership it became no longer village, but a big town. And people could celebrate the official announcement of the town of Hasmal in 791 SA. they were no longer part of Tantervale sovereignty, but a new sovereignty of their own

The occupation : 882
The Hofer's ruled Hasmal over the next generations, the nine tailed fox the family used was flying over the Free town for other century, a symbol of welfare and prosperity. Until the day Nevarran king decided to make a campaign towards the free marches, Hasmal as the first town near Nevarra borders have fallen within hours with no real resistance. It was a hopeless fight as the town had no army, and so the Hofers yielded and declared surrender to save the bloodshed people would see. Not like it saved them much anyway!

Nevarra bloody expansion didn't wasn't planned to end at Hasmal, it was just the start. The king emboldened by the easy victory made in Hasmal he continued with his armies further east to take the bigger city of Tantervale. But against all odds, a champion raised from ashes, Cade Arvale of Rivain managed to stop the Nevarran dream so early, and Tantervale stayed a free city after much cuts and blood. But sadly, Hasmal was a lost cause already, and thus began a long bloody occupation that stayed till today.

First rebellion and the termination of the last Celebrant: 900
Upon hearing about the return of the dragons a rebellion erupted in Hasmal, people saw this as a sign of fall of the Nevarran Dragon hunters. Farmers raised their hatchets, wives used their kitchen knives, and children used slings against the occupying Nevarran units.. Taken by surprise the Nevarran fell so fast, and the town was free for the first time in the last two decades.

But the celebrations didn't last long, as new armies marched from Nevarra city to restore it, and the untrained people fell like flies on the feet of the army, hundreds have been slaughtered within few hours for the order to be restored, and few more hundreds hanged to be made an example. The last Hasmal champion of the tourney (who rallied the people in the rebellion) tied and left to die from thirst in biggest town square, while his whole family torn apart in front of him and the whole town by his own Celebrant blade (that he had won on the tourney), then the blade melted down and poured the hot metal on his vanishing flesh.. And when he died his cropse left to the bird of preys, that way he was not honored in marchers nor Nevarran ways.

Second rebellion : 927
Hasmal people learned their lesson from their first liberation attempt, the rebels kept operating secretly for few months, gaining allies and rallying people to their cause before any action taken, getting proper weapons and training in secret. Making a coherent plan to distract the occupying army with people riots in the markets while the armed rebels overwhelm the barracks and securing it using the chance, then use all the weapons and armors from the barracks to finish off the unit, while sending the word to Tantervale army to start its move to Hasmal before any Nevarran reinforcements arrive, they would do that then ask for negotiations when Nevarra send its army again. They had even plotted the terms that they would offer for keeping their freedom, a tribute of Hasmal crops paid yearly for Nevarra, and they was sure the presence of Tantervale army would enforce a compromise.

Such a fine plan but it got to a halt very early! When the people started their riots and rebels emerged from the shadows to stealth into barracks, A high dragon suddenly appeared from nowhere. Spreading its flames and chaos among the rebels ranks.. The Nevarran unit was in confusion for few minutes, but they realized the plan and saw the dragon was working for their favor. They used the chance and rallied their ranks again and counter attacked the rebels who were trembling in fear and disappointment. The morale of the rebels went below the earth and they got crushed on the streets of the town.. And people said in panic said the dragon gods were fighting with the Nevarran this day, a total fail the people got that day. And when the news reached Tantervale army they ordered a retreat, there was no leader willing to risk his troops into a failed plan and a DRAGON!

The consequences were terrifying, the Nevarran were even more brutal than before. They slaughtered random people on the streets, and burned half of Hasmal farms in revenge which caused starvation later that year. And when the word reached Nevarra capital, they decided to put an end of the continues rebels and riots. they started an assignment to build a fearsome castle that can have a part of the main Nevarra army to protect the eastern borders, and even enforce an expansion around Hasmal to take the mine off the dwarfs hand and also invade the wilds. The building of the castle took 3 years of constant work, and when it was done most people lost faith in their chance to liberate their home. And the rebels ceased to show for long years after, it seemed that Nevarra forced stability at last on the rogue town.

The Blight in Ferelden : 930
The town never took a great notice of the blight, it was the least marcher town affected by it, As Hasmal lies far from the coast, far to the west of free marches, so no refugee made it to Hasmal. And There weren't any direct trade between Ferelden and Hasmal. Though People coming from the south was carrying some news, but most things stories were vague.. And the fast termination of the blight on the hand of The hero of Ferelden ceased the refuges waves sooner than they think of going further and reach Hasmal.

The eruption of Mage-Templar war : 937
The events in Kirkwall made by the apostate mage Anders caused panic in whole Free marches. The war stroke Kirkwall, Ansburg, and Starkhaven first.. That had direct effect on Hasmal, the trade routes became so dangerous, refugees started to come from south and east, the terrifying stories about the demons brought by mages spread everywhere. People had new enemy to fear, the destruction of the chantry made panic among the faithful, but the pity for mages were still there.. And Hasmal worked as a refugee haven for the people escaping the claws of war, just like it worked before as haven for the slaves on the run from Tevinter.

Full circles, and templars rebellion : 9:40
The situation weren't getting any better, and the rebellion turned into a worldwide war over all Thedas, Refugees weren't coming from one or two direction anymore.. They were coming from everywhere, not only commoners, but also mages who knew Hasmal as a place far from all circles, Nevarran's and Marchers' .. The economy got more lethal hits and even Dwarfs sealed their mine for few years. No one starved to death, thanks to the rich farming Hasmal has.. But they were dying for every other reason. To lie dead by epidemics or swords or demons was something common.

The dire situation in Nevarra City : 9:44
Nevarra city became clearly one place that does not settle into the hands of either templars or magi. The situation was even more dire than many other places, even the king's daughter was killed in the uprising. Thus encouraged even nobles to abandon Nevarra and seek other safer places like Hasmal, and the town got crowded with every kind of people. And chaos was striking from now and then.

The signing of Weisshaupt Accord 9:47
At last the madness have ceased, and the the war has come to an end. And things started to be recovered slowly.. Some Refugees returned, and trade routes was getting less dangerous, and people could take their breath at last. knowing that time will heal the wounds. A Merchant guild branch started to be formed to help people with business, the mine was reopened, and the trade could flow again.

The recent Rebels movement
Rebels started to get into activity again, a mysterious leader claiming to be the last descendant of Hofer family, taking up arms against the Nevarran again, with cunning tactics and strategies. The rebel forces grew and increased their operations gradually, and while Nevarran army has a great advantage by the fortress, the rebels their main focus were getting the hits on the roads, military supplies, and getting funds from people who support their cause.

They also took advantage of the increasing tensions with the wilder people, the new lumber mill and the campaign accompanied it.. And this making the hits coming from many directions, east, north-east, and south .. Making Hasmal a dangerous place once more.