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Name: The Kingdom of Hagen (often nicknamed the simply as the Hagen Isles)
Capital: Sðrss
Population: 4,187,345 (as of 834)
Currency: Króndt
Government: Federal Monarchy
Current monarch: Jðrrdge the IIV
Language: Hågendorfster (Hagen name. Usually referred to by foreigners as Hagender)
Surface area: 20,345 sq miles
Geography: outer islands flat and grassy, inner central islands rocky and mountainous. Pine forests frequent.
Main exports: Coal, timber, and fish.
Main imports: steel, electronics, fruit.
Detailed History:
Located on the seas straddling between The Provéncian Republic and the Holy Lupine Empire, the Hagen Isles inhabitants first arrived in 60,000 BAW, from the cold, hostile mainland that is now The Lupine commonwealth. Historians gleaned from old scrolls and animal skin-writings that the settlers, mainly canid, feline and avian, called themselves “”Hjagskjorlden”. The old Hagenders were found from engravings and writings to be an advanced people, with archaeologists finding poetic verses, songs, and even student exam papers in old monasteries. The settlers dispersed around the islands, forming fishing and cattle communities, usually containing a longhouse (perhaps a town hall of sorts?), a grain house, and a chapel. Interestingly, it is known through the written word of monks that even at this early period, the islands had formed confederations of sorts, mainly as protection against Lupine pirates.


0 AW: The beginnings of a bloody reputation
Around 0 to 12 AW, rumours began to spread throughout the continent of fierce avian, feline and canid raiders, who stormed ashore in large ships, wielding swords, round shields, spears and longbows, burning, pillaging, and looting. The raids of these terrifying intruders spread rapidly, from the snows of northern Lupinia, to the arid plains of modern day erenmor, raiding, burning and thieving along the way.
Stories also tell of a tubular weapon that burst smoke and flame, and flung stone and arrows a great distance. Historians believe this may be describing an early type of cannon, although some argue that the islands these so called “Northmen” inhabited were unsuitable for production of explosives. It is believed that perhaps this was in fact a flame thrower. Employing bellows, lamp oil, and a brave, skilful user, the idea is feasible. It is possible that the Hagenders experimented with packing in stones with hay and sand, discovering the properties of contained propulsion.
The reason for these savage raids is open to speculation, although the most popular view is that over farming of the land had created famine and poverty. The fact that the most quickly and most commonly stolen property was grain, bread and cattle would seem to support this theory. However, especially among the Hagender’s former enemies, the image of bloodthirsty pirates hungry for women, blood and gold is still rife in many schoolbooks of dictatorships and democracies alike.

121 AW-200 AW: The start of a legacy
In 121 AW, on the fourth of Løss, the Hagen month of religious celebration, king Hmælder “battleaxe” was crowned at Sðrss, at the age of 31. Immediately, he either brought the other kingdoms under his overlordship, or conquered them savagely. Although the beginning of his rule was marked by savage oppression, he is remembered amongst other things for his suppression of the raiders, his encouragement of foreign trade, and his numerous reforms to improve the lives of the average peasant and fishermen. Hmælder famously encouraged poetry and literature, and wrote frequently himself. Some of his works, such as “the fisherman’s love” and “A warrior’s maiden” still survive in chronicles to this day.
He died at the hands of a dagger up the rear, at the age of 60, whilst sitting on the privy, at the hands of an assassin, probably sent by one of his brothers. His cruel and oppressive younger brother, Mjøld, succeeded him, and celebrated by legalising raiding once more, increasing taxing to extortionate lengths, and viciously punishing foreigners who stepped out of line. He was immensely unpopular, and died after a reign of only two years, at a feast, amidst a fit, believed to have been brought on a by an especially gross bout of heavy drinking. Legend has it that he was poisoned, most likely by his nephew, the rightful heir, who was living in exile abroad. Indeed, king Hmælder the II arrived surprisingly quickly to seize the throne. Overtime, the Jørgen dynasty, through size, influence and military power, absorbed (or wiped out) the families of the subject kings.


1500AW: The start of the empire
On the eighteenth of Fúrss, 1500AW, king Skjöld the IV signed an important paper handed to him by the Lord Chancellor. The paper was a letter of consent and condonement, lending the funds of the Royal Treasuries coffers to the expedition of one Slørgercapitonten (Lord Captain) Hjalmmar Søgderbundtsson, a puffin, heading southwards, commanding two 34 gun galleys of the Hagen Royal Naval Service, and an additional 3 armed supply tenders, with a total crew of 967 men. His objective was to explore the south continent, bring back examples of the findings there, and, if possible, to establish relations with the inhabitants. On the twenty-eighth, the flotilla sailed from Sðrssens bay. Captain Hjalmmar decided to hug the coast, avoiding storms and gales, fighting off pirates on more than one occasion, stopping off for food and water at friendly ports along the way (which were sparse and few, the memory of the raiders still fresh in the minds of many). On the nineteenth of Jøgd, 1503AW, the crew of Hjalmmars flagship, the Styrkød, set foot on the shores of the south continent. Upon landing, they were immediately met by the spears and shields of the Watusi tribe of the south coasts. Many of the landing party, who were mostly unarmed, were slaughtered in seconds. The crewmen who remained aboard the Styrkød returned fire with arrows and Harquebus’s, killing many southerners and scaring the rest away. Captain Hjalmmar, who was wounded in the brief engagement, refused to leave, and returned, bringing with him the crews of the rest of the flotilla. What captain Hjalmmar did next has been used as a prime example of imperial war crimes, and has further enhanced the bloody reputation of the Hagenders. On the ruins of the watusi capital, Hjalmmar built a stockade, built by the hands of his sailors, and then manned by his soldiers. Sending one of the schooners back, laden with guns, food, provisions and even captives from the massacre, and to send for more people, women being on the list this time. In the meantime, Hjalmmar ordered his men to make use of the local women. After the south’s independence, the half breed descendents of many of these couples were expelled by the government, who derogatorily referred to them as “North bastards”. Finding no refuge in other nations, most left for the Holy Lupine Empire. Some, if fortunate enough to obtain a boat ticket or bribe a fisherman, were able to even reach Hagen itself, were they received a surprisingly warm welcome.

Captain Hjalmmar died, reputedly at the hands of his own crew, guilty at the massacre of the families of so many of their wives. His remains were boiled so as to remove the flesh and feathers, and his bones sent back to Hagen. He was replaced as governor by his eminence the earl of Brugðdt, Lord Kjappen Jorgssen, who turned out to be a more relaxed and fair minded man, and a just, if harsh, governor. As the influence of the Vulpine Kingdom grew, the Hagenders restricted and fortified their possessions, confining them to the coast. Although there was never an official conflict between the Provence and The Hagen Kingdoms, skirmishes between the frontier Chasseurs of the Provence frontier, and the Konstabels of the Hagen concessions. As conditions in the Hagen territories were considerably more liberal, the governor had to deal yearly with influxes of escaping g refugees. Despite numerous Vulpine threats and attempts at bribing, the majority of the refugees were allowed to stay, those who weren’t usually being sent on to the Hagen isles, or to other nations accommodating for enemies of the vulpinians.

At 4 A.M, the fourteenth of Møgde, 651, the advance century of a Holy Lupine force arrived on the sands of Bæ beach. The objective was to take the two 68 gun batteries defending Sðrss bay. The column however, was intercepted by a Jågkormpvet (Skirmisher Company) of elite Jågers, supported by mounted hussars, and was defeated. The highlander admiral, unaware of this setback, sailed his fleet of 12 ironclad men o’ war and frigates into the harbour to begin landing troops…right under the fortress guns. The fleet was further delayed by a training squadron of naval students piloting semi-submersible monitor -esque craft. Despite the battery fire, and the antics of naval cadets, the Lupine troops managed to get ashore in flat bottomed barges. Numbering about 2,000, they stormed the waterfront, despite confrontation by civilian and law enforcement sharpshooters, and being assailed by yeoman cavalry. By this time, the Hagender authorities had managed to organise a ramshackle defence, in the form of 600 mounted yeomanry, armed night watchmen (many of whom were former soldiers), and large numbers (about 1,200) of armed naval and merchant sailors, as well as armed civilian volunteers. The townspeople and sailors fought bravely, but were soon overwhelmed by weight of numbers and ship gunfire.

By now, however, the operation was an hour over time, and troops from nearby garrisons were forming up behind the city, consisting of horse, foot and cannon. The Lupine admiral was also coming under fire from artillery batteries on the shore. Having no choice, the Lupines pressed on into the town, encountering ferocious resistance along the way.
The king and a force of about 450 yeoman and sailors had barricaded themselves into the government house, and were letting off musket volleys at anyone who came to close, the king having been barricaded into a cellar, dressed as a nun. Eventually, the Lupines made it to the town edges, only to be faced by a force of 3,000 Hagender regulars and yeoman. The Lupines, having not planned on a pitched battle, were forced to withdraw, and were eventually pushed out of the town altogether. Under heavy fire from all sides, and with a squadron of frigates threatening to seal of the harbour, the admiral was forced to withdraw.
The war that ensued lasted for four months of mainly naval engagements, before a treaty was signed, with favourable terms to the Hagenders.

The Hagen people: Overview
The Hagenders are descended from refugees from what is now northern Lupinia. The main species of the Hagen islands are a slightly diminutive species of wolf, known as the northern wolf, lynx, and uniquely, puffins. They have gone by many stereotypes in the past, as stated before, including bloodthirsty pirates, hard edged but fair minded imperialists, peaceful, tough nosed fishermen, and finally, as progressive, independent minded citizens. Most Hagenders are fishermen or woodsmen by trade, with only a few being in modern employment such as computing, industry, and electronics. The majority of women decline to volunteer for the army, as many are too busy at home with young family. It should be noted that Hagen has a much higher percentage of married couples than many.


The Hagen Armed forces: Overview
Tracing their ancestry back to 121 AW, when they were founded by king Hmælder I, the Hagen armed forces have an extensive and glorious military history, adorning their barrack longhouses with numerous successful military engagements. Hagen, as an island nation, has always employed the navy as its first line of defence. Then Hagen navy is by far the largest of all the forces, comprising of one aircraft carrier, the Tønderkinst, eight MkII submarines (three of which are believed to be WMD capable), eleven Ågen class destroyers, and up to fifty torpedo and missile boats, and numerous armed speed launches. The navy is supported by the fleet air arm, consisting of fighter and helicopter squadrons assigned to the Tønderkinst , and naval land bases.

The army is second largest, numbering no more than 100,000 men. As most Hagen men are involved in jobs vital for the population, such as fishing and woodcutting, so conscription is a wartime measure. To compensate, each individual soldier undergoes a training program lasting up to 6 years, and is equipped with the best the government can afford. Into battle, he wears a feldgråu tunic and trousers. Boots are often home purchased, to allow the soldier to fit their own requirements. Over the feldgråu tunic and trousers, many wear Wødgen pattern camouflage pants and smock.
In winter, this will be replaced by a powder snow style kit. The ammunition pouches are made of dark brown, durable, rubberised canvas. Underneath the camouflage smock, he wears a Kevlar jacket, and Kevlar groin piece and shoulder, knee, and elbow pads. Tank crews and artillery gunners also often wear forearm and shin guards.

Into battle, he carries the Heskø MkIII 7.65x38 mm rifle, and up to six “potato masher” grenades. The helmet is a Kevlar variant of the old “Stølenhelmt” pattern, and is known for its distinctive, squared shape and side rivets, to allow a protective face visor to be bolted on. In addition to the regular army, the Hagen defence ministry can also call upon Yeomanry cavalry (mechanised) reservists. Amongst the army’s most distinguished units are the elite Jåger regiments, composed of only the finest and more experienced marksmen.

Finally, we can attend to the air force, known as “Dur Luftsålwegen”. The Hagen air force, like the army and navy, is a historic branch, stretching back to the very start of aviation. The first Hagen air units were observation balloons. The idea was that an observation post could be established that would be invincible to bombardment (most navies using round shot muzzle loading balls at this time). As aerial technology improved, so the Hagenders advanced their force. The Hagender air force of today is divided by island in proportion to aircraft stationed there. For instance, an island of about two miles, with only 30 people there, might only warrant a small rescue helicopter, whereas an island of 30 miles, and 45,000 people, would warrant a full squadron of fighters, or more. The air force has at its disposal 12 squadrons of 170 fighter jets, 3 squadrons of 30 bombers, and single gunship squadron of 8 gunships.

Hagen industry: Overview
Hagen’s main serious industry is ship building, Hagen having a highly reputable maritime history. The most commonly produced vessel id the sturdy, diminutive, Bjørnssons class armed fishing trawler. Most Hagen made vessels are armed with a variety of weaponry for various purposes, from dealing with Verodian pirates, to protecting against light warships. Hagen has produced its own firearms in the past, the most famous being the Kjeppler M1879 bolt action repeating rifle.

Hagen foreign relations: Overview
Since the second Hagen-Lupine war of 1980, Hagen has managed to maintain relatively cordial relationships with neighbouring countries, the Highland republic, the legacy, and Jerodian caliphate being the few exceptions. Hagen, a traditionally democratic, federal monarchist nation, is vehemently opposed to the Provence, Turav, and Lupine dictatorships. As aforementioned, Hagen has had confrontations with the Holy Lupine Empire in the past, and also suffered from territorial disputes with the Provéncian kingdom, now the Legacy. As the Felinian war began, the Hagen Kingdom, hoping to end continuous pirate raids on its merchant and fishing fleets, sent a contingent of 10,000 regulars and yeomanry, including 500 Jågers, 10 fighter planes, and two gunships, with four tanks and APC’s. In addition, they also sent a destroyer, a submarine, and ten torpedo and missile boats.
The Hagenders, seizing this as an opportunity to give their men some proper combat experience and to try out their brand new equipment, circulated monthly, meaning that all personal served at some point. Highly trained, tough, and resourceful, they quickly built a reputation for steadfastness, courage and stubbornness.
They also built up a strong friendship with their allied troops particularly the Lupinian and Saiduan troops, their plumed off duty shakos and cutlass side arms causing a sensation in the media. Relations with Rynnsreachia have since the raids been mostly relaxed, even friendly, whereas the Lupines rarely will have diplomatic dealings with them. The vulpines, possessing a long history of skirmishes with the Hagen Konstabels of Hagen Akavar, not to mention falling victim to the raids of antiquity. The Democratic Republic of Provence, a dictatorship under the guise of a republic, is in direct ideological conflict with the democratic, federal monarchists of Hagen, and skirmishes between Hagen merchant vessels and the legacy coastguard are commonplace. Relations with the Xing kingdom are fairly warm, the countries having been in trade with each other for over 4 centuries, and their armed forces having frequently trained alongside and against each other.

Hagen language: Overview
The Hagen language is not so much of a language as a language family, with about each island having its own dialect. It is believed to have evolved from the harsh, barbarian languages of the northern continent. It sounds most similar to the North Germanic languages, such as Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Icelandic, and Faroese, with a small influence of German and Dutch.

Hagen politics: Overview
The Hagen kingdom is a federalised state, employing a system similar to that of Switzerland and Imperial Germany. Each one of the 30 provinces has its own representative in a national council, headed by the king. The advantage of this system being that, in times of war, should the king be assassinated or the central government being destroyed, the provinces, instead of surrendering, would be able to continue to fight on independently, or simply crown a new monarch and form a new council. The king, as a federal monarch, has relatively little authority besides being the commander in chief of the armed forces, or outside his province of residence.