Here is an area where I hope I haven’t caused you too much confusion – what is the difference between an Hadarotian and an Alasthian? It’s an important question. Sometimes these two terms can seem practically interchangeable, but there’s an important distinction to be made.
I’ll put it in short to begin. Hadarotia is a religion. Alasthia is a nation.
The term Alasthia comes from the legend of the four original peoples of Itar, one of whom are called the Alast. While I’ve seen plenty of versions of this story, I’ve never found one which attempts to explain what that word actually means, but it hardly matters. Whenever you read of someone described as Alasthian, think sturdy, dark-haired, and freckled. That’s all it really means in the end.
Geographically speaking, the Alasthians live on the southeastern half of Derstret, the northern continent. They’re very jealous about their homeland, seeing as they’re said to have lived there since the beginning of time, and, while they’ll probably feud with one another until the end of time, nothing draws them together more surely than a foreign invader.
Of course, there’s an exception to the Alasthians’ jealousy which we can’t possibly ignore. The House of Leros, the family which brought us Lord Telostra, who unified most of Alasthia and founded its modern faith, bears a lineage which is majority Artuttan, not Alasthian. Indeed, the common tongue of Alasthia and many of its customs bear an unmistakable Artuttan influence, thanks to a near-ancient migration of Artuttan people into the area. Oddly, this influx appears to have mixed itself cleanly in with the local population with no record of a major struggle. It’s so inconsistent with the Alasthians’ normal behavior that I once considered it a historical misconception, but it turns out there are surviving records attesting to the event. Plus, the presence of Artuttan in the Hadarotian language is unmistakable. That’s as much as I can say about it at this time.
And that brings us to the second term, Hadarotia. If you’ve already spent time perusing this archive, you’ve probably already encountered this term repeatedly, because much of my research on Itar thus far has focused on its meaning. Most Alasthians speak some form of Hadarotian, most worship under some form of Hadarotianism, and most use the Hadarotian calendar and system of measurements.
Hadarotianism is one of the three major religions, the others being Descial-Horostrianism and Hos-Rosda (those being Hadarotian terms themselves, of course). Hadarotianism was founded by Lord Telostra, who was both a conqueror and a theologian (he combined the two, really). Hadarotians see themselves as servants to a single, all-powerful God (though some also believe in a pantheon of minor deities, especially Iria, God’s daughter), and they view life as a trial to appease their God. These trials never end, even after death, but Hadarotians are assured that privilege follows righteousness. Religious leaders in Hadarotianism are tasked with guiding the people through their trials and helping them to uncover their roles in the greater, spiritual world.
In the Hadarotian language, Hadarot means ‘knowledge.’ Thus, the term Hadarotia translates literally as ‘Knowledge-People.’ This refers to the ancient Stone of Knowledge (the Hadarotas Filac), which anchors the minds of all people to the world and is meant to be under the protection of the people of – you guessed it, Alasthia. So you see why the two terms tend to be interchangeable. In fact, if you read my longer work, you’ll find that I generally avoid the term ‘Hadarotia’ altogether and use ‘Alasthia’ exclusively. I’d rather not confuse people who aren’t browsing this archive, you understand.
Tales from the Thornlands 