Hollenberg

Flag of Danouvia-Scneimunt (outdated)

Hollenberg, officially known as the Revolutionary State of Hollenberg, formerly as the Grand Duchy of Danouvia-Scneimunt, is a state located in the deep south of the continent of Cinder. The capital is Scneimunt city in the north-east of the country below the highest peak on the continent of Cinder, Scneimunt mountain. It is bordered by the Commonwealth of Sanéa to the north-east, Loire to the east and north and Kurutuk and Durnath to the south.

Hollenberg first emerged as a state after being granted independence as the County of Scneimunt during the fall of the Grand Duchy of Danouvia, later on it was raised to a Duchy itself and proclaimed to be Danouvia-Scneimunt, to the anger of Messenia and Dirynum. During March of 2024 the country experienced a revolution, which succeeded in creating a revolutionary government and toppling the Grand Duke. Later on Danouvia-Scneimunt became a member of the revintern which it left after a monarchist coup. After the establisment of a democratic government the nation was renamed to Hollenberg. In February of 2025 Hollenberg briefly became a part of the HPE till the empire's dissolution. After the fall of the empire revolutionist forces have once again taken charge of Hollenberg.

Etymology

The name Danouvia-Scneimunt comes from the lands of Danouvia and Scneimunt, the former part has caused some contreversy among the residents of the Commonwealth of Sanéa as the area of Danouvia proper was not in the revolutionary state of Danouvia-Scneimunt. Despite this, the name was chosen as the then head of house Kazymir tolerated Count Stefan Sagadyn to elevate himself to Grand duke and also because the area was settled by residents of the former Grand Duchy of Danouvia and because the County of Scneimunt itself was a vassal of the Grand Duchy.

The name Scneimunt is taken from the region of Scneimunt, which recieves it's name from the mountain of Scneimunt, which is the highest peak on continental Cinder and was for a while the highest known peak in the world. It was first written down as Scnémut translating roughly to Snowy peak in the Pannun language. Later on it was changed to Scnémunt and then finally to Scneimunt.

The name Hollenberg comes from the mountain and massif of Hollenberg in the north of the country, meaning Mountain of caves. This mountain was the first to be discovered by Danouvian explorers and is also favoured by the current grand duke Stefan II who himself resides in the Hollenberg valley. The name itself was voted by the citizens as the most suitable for the name of the country when the short-lived democratic government set up a referendum on the name. Notably there was much opposition to the referendum as the name Scneimunt was not even an available option.

History

Settlement

The first documented settlers of the region came in November of 2023 from Danouvia. These settlers were mountaineers, among them being Stefan Sagadyn, the later Grand Duke of Danouvia-Scneimunt. After falling in love with the natural beauty of the area, Stefan Sagadyn almost immediately proclaimed it a part of the Grand Duchy of Danouvia, which caused some tensions between Stefan Sagadyn and the Danouvian government, specifically Frankos Kazymir. After long talks it was decided that the newly discovered land would be a vassal of the Grand Duchy of Danouvia, the new land was henceforth known as the County of Scneimunt. The area first settled was on the western side of Scneimunt mountain, the original cottages remain standing to this day.

Scneimunt mountain, the country's highest peak

Fall of Danouvia and statehood

On January 4th 2024, the dissolution of the Grand Duchy of Danouvia was announced, this came as a shock to the Scneimuntinian population, who are known as fierce patriots. One of the last orders of the old Danouvian state was to set free the County of Scneimunt, who's first and only count was Stefan Sagadyn. During this period the construction of Scneimunt city began with the northern facade of the Egjenist church, it is considered one of the greatest architectural monuements in Danouvia-Scneimunt. Even though Stefan Sagadyn was granted independence, he was dissatisfied with the dissolution of Danouvia, and yearned for a new Danouvian state. After recieveing permission from the head of house Kazymir, Stefan Sagadyn proclaimed himself Grand Duke Stefan I. of Danouvia-Scneimunt. The news was met with backlash from the states of Messenia and Dyrinum, as the core Danouvian territories lay on their land.

Revolution and fall of the monarchy

On March 10th 2024, a revolution broke out in the town of Smilets By in the west of the country. The initial revolt was quickly suppressed, but it inspired further revolutionary activity across the nation. Soon the Ducal army could not control the situation and the revolutionaries siezed the capital. After an intense struggle, the revolutionaries even managed to break into Duke's castle, where they promptly defenstrated him.

Colonialisation and expansion

Following the collapse of neighboring Beira at the hands of a plague, its leader decided to give its lands to Scneimunt, increasing its landmass. The state also established colonies in the South-eastern continent of the world. Later on it also became one of the signatories of the Southern border treaty, which divided the south eastern continent between Danouvia-Scneimunt, Sprusia, Firgaards and Castelania. According to the treaty Danouvia-Scneimunt's colonial claims were recognised and an exploration zone was added in which the state may have colonised further without any interactions or obstacles from treaty signatories. In this exploration zone was the highest peak in the entire world Hohenstrmivrh (y:256) and the province of Landsberg.

Counter-revolution and restoration of the monarchy

In mid June 2024, the monarchist remnants from the colonies toppled the revolutionary regime and restored the Grand Duchy of Danouvia-Scneimunt. It was found out that the line of the Sagadyn grand dukes had in fact not gone extinct and the last surviving member was living in the colonies. He and his supporters first siezed the revolutionist stronghold of Pičkovškovo (named after the chairman of the party Josef Pičkovšek himself) and from there sailed to the mainland. The monarchists were warmly welcomed as the Revolutionary government had become unpopular due to bringing the country into a war with Ashannar. With the public's support the monarchists now overpowered the Revolutionists and Josef Pičkovšek had no alternative but to step down but to disband the revolutionist party and welcome the monarchists into Scneimunt city.

Democracy and dwarven issues

After his trial in Barbacena, Khanstantin Linetti of Tintorini and his supporters fled Ritannia and found refuge on the southern frontier of Danouvia-Scneimunt. There they soon came into contact with Danouvian cartographers and geographers who were mapping the region and making sure it was suitable for settlementation. Soon an agreement was reached and the Ritannian refugees were warmly welcomed into Danouvia-Scneimunt. They soon began building their own city near where they had landed, that city becoming known as Brück an der Kan or Kansbrücke as it's most iconic feature is the bridge over the Kan river. But the Ritannians did not come to stay and after a short stay, they decided to return to their native land. At this point in time another group came to the region, these being the Dwarves. Eventually the Dwarves grew so much in number that they outnumbered the Danouvians and forced upon them a democratic system. Soon the name of the nation itself was changed, to the relief of the Danouvians a dwarven name was not chosen. Nonetheless the Danouvians still heavily invested in the southern regions and helped the dwarves, but the dwarves felt that their and the Danouvian culture were not remotely similair and so they held their own referndum on indepenendence which resulted in a tie, notwithstanding the result of the referendum and the advice of his closest companions the Grand Duke still decided to let the Dwarves go, which greatly angered Josef Pičkovšek, who had come back into favour with the monarchy and even became Grand Vizier. The land and population loss of Durnath gaining independence was severe, Hollenberg lost more than half it's population and a massive chunk of it's territory. Despite this Dwarven-Hollenberger relations remain good, as was the only condition of the Grand Duke.

Absolute Reign of Stefan II. and the Empire

Following the independence of Durnath, the population of Hollenberg felt like it had no more need of a democratic government, and so did the Grand Duke, who was always in opposition to it. From his winter residence west of Alfama he issued a decree that dissolved parliament, invalidated the constitution and gave all power to himself. The populace greatly rejoiced after hearing this news. Alas Stefan II. would not remain a popular monarch in Hollenberg for long as together with Josef Pičkovšek he lost the beloved colony of Pičkovškovo, the final outpost of mainland Cinder of the eastern continent, besides Mont Teaghran. After the humiliating capitulation of Pičkovškovo, Josef Pičkovšek knew that Hollenberg alone was powerless.

In January of 2025 the Testifikans (Villagers) rose up under a common leader, Ben Hurr who declared war on all nations which were in his eyes commited crimes against Testfikans. Among these nations was Hollenberg, which rose to be the most prominent in commiting crimes against Testifikans, culminating in the Testifikan genocide in February of 2025, the largest genocide ever on the server. Many of the heads were also put on display in the Herzogsplatz in Scneimunt, a large number were sent to Danouvia proper and some were even sent to Ben Hurr himself. The Testifikan threat was too great so Hollenberg and a number of other countries formed a coalition against Ben Hurr and his war against Cinder, Hollenberger troops despite having a poor reputation in combat performed extremely well and it was a Hollenberger soldier who killed and decapitated Ben Hurr, his head is now on display at the Hollenberg national museum.

Despite the success in the Testifikan war Hollenberg was militarily very weak and after the death of Durnathi leader the HPE controversially annexed the country which left Hollenberg practically encircled by the Empire. After long talks it was decided that Hollenberg would become a part of the Holy Pyrannic Empire, uniting with Durnath and Laia to form the Kingdom of the Tauern which was ruled by the prominent Pyrannic Zabel dynasty of Arannese roots. The Egjenist population of Hollenberg who's share of the population dropped heavily but still remained significant at around a third was heavily opposed to Zabel overlordship, fueled mostly by religious prejudice and the newspaper of Fawn the Farmer and Dregate of Adraria. The Egjenists formed together into the Tauernwehr a political party with a strong paramilitary wing. Troubles also arose at the newly built castle of Kebratsburg which declared independence following Hollenbergs entry into the Empire. Hollenberg alone had to repel these rebels and sent Ignaz Almdudler, a young, then inexperienced but devoted and pious man to besiege the castle. The Hollenberger forces suffered immense losses during the engagment, with the siege ultimately becoming a stalemate finally resolved with an agreement between the Queen of the Tauern and Herman Ailbos, leader of the Kebratsburg rebels.

After the siege Ignaz Almdudler was formally raised to the position of Archbishop of the Tauern, which he still holds today despite the dissolution of the Kingdom. After the abdication of Emperor Aureate, Almdudler, ran for Emperor and won, being the obvious choice as the only candidate of the Pyrannic faith. The new emperor began styling himself Ignatius I. and moved in to the ostentatious Schönquelle palace, the largest palace and most glamorous building on the server, a bold move since the Emperor's official residence was the Castle of Seret, which Ignatius found to be unfit for the Emperor and in dire need of renovations. Ignatius was (and still remains) vastly popular in Hollenberg, from which he recieved his base of power as Emperor, a contrast from the scheming realms of Loire and Ashenstrand who conspired against the Empire. As the Emperor was about to announce elections for the position of chancellor the conspirators from Ashenstrand and Loire, these being K.F. Hohenburg, Princess Adelaide of Ashenstrand and Queen Aria Zabel of the Tauern rose up and demanded the resignation of the Emperor and dissolution of the empire. The conspirators, having already diluted the senses of the common people with their plot were now more powerful than the Emperor, so Ignatius who seeked peace and wanted to avoid the cruel bloodshed the conspirators wanted, had to give in to their outrageous demands. The conspirators mocked and ridiculed Ignatius, a good, pious, honest and kind man and said that he was powerhungry yet also did not do much in merely 2 weeks of rule, a far too short time to judge his reign.

Post-Empire Revolutionist revival and the war with Valverde

Alas despite agreeing to the demands the conspirators were not finished with their criminal acts and unlawfully gave away large parts of Hollenberg to Durnath, something the Hollenbergers could never agree on. In the west Valverde, lead by the disciples of Herman Ailbos also declared independence, the new regime brainwashing the good Beiran population against Hollenberg, previous good relations notwithstanding. These upheavals caused the Hollenberger populace to becomed very angry at the Grand Duke, Stefan II. and so they formed a revolutionary party. The revolutionist chose Ignatius, a former monarch but beloved by the people as their leader. The revolution ended with the honourable execution of the Grand Duke and the formation of a new and prosperous revolutionary state still guided by the light of Pyr.

The second revolutionist period in Hollenberg did not last long, as the country was defeated by Valverde in the war for Beira. The war for Beira was a short war with only one battle - the battle of Alfama, when Valverdan forces stormed the city, defended by a larger garrison. Despite holding the numerical advantage the Hollenberger forces, famous for their poor performance in the field lost and endured heavy casualties, including two horses, which were brutally murdered in cold blood by the Commandante of Valverde, Antonio Astalos himself. The battle was a huge embarrassment for Hollenberg and soon the country sued for peace.

The Treaty of Schönquelle and Tauernbund

The treaty of Schönquelle was harsh on Hollenberg, Valverde directly annexed the western Grünthal and a large part of the western coastline and a new independent State of Alfama was created, seperating the city of Alfama and the Palace of Schönquelle - Hollenberg's finest building from Hollenberg. The peace treaty also dictated the end of the second revolutionary government, the main backers of the revolutionary movement were forced to step down, however Ignaz Almdudler was able to remain in power. Finally the peace treaty established the Tauernbund, an allience which works to strenghen the bonds between the member states with policies such as joint projects, unregulated borders and a respect of each state's territorial integrity. The Tauernbund initially included Hollenberg, Alfama and Valverde, currently the Tauernbund is comprised of the original 3 member states and also of Kurutuk and Durnath, with talks of expansion further throughout the deep south.

In spite of turbulent period of the war and political upheaval, this time has been marked by the beggining of the 2nd great construction phase in Scneimunt city and a great construction phase in Smilets By, both cities have already grown and are still growing at a steady rate. For the first time in since 2024 foreigners began buying property within Hollenberg and embassies have opened, most notably the Mynhardt embassy.

Geography

Hollenberg is situated in the southern tip of the continent of Cinder. It is a predominantly mountainous land, with it's highest peak being Scneimunt mountain which reaches all the way up to y: 218. Hollenberg posseses only 1 surface body of freshwater, that being the Valewood lake, which is in the far east of the country. Indigenous tree types are spruce, oak, dark oak, birch and jungle. The centre of Hollenberg is dominated by the mountains and by a cooler climate, the coasts are in comparison much warmer, the eastern coast getting a high amount of precipation during the year.

Settlements:

Scneimunt city

- Scneimunt City - The largest and most beautiful city of Hollenberg, a bustling metropolis with the finest townhouses and churches on cinder.

- Smilets by - A lovely historical town in the heart of Hollenberg

- Valewood - A charming lake town with a tragic history, today mostly abandoned

- Pičkovškovo - no longer part of Hollenberg, 2nd centre of Pyrannism in the Eastern continent

- Alfama - Capital of Beira, a great port city expanded under the reign of Stefan II, no longer part of Hollenberg.

- Valverde - Formerly a quaint town in a lush green valley, today a heavily industrialised and urbanised area and no longer part of Hollenberg

- Bisberg - A charming port hamlet with red brick buildings.

- Feiststätten im Grünthal - a town in development near the border with Valverde, the birth place of the great Hollenberger politican, Engelbert Feist.

Culture

While Hollenberg may not be rich in riches, one thing it is rich in is culture. The nation is famed for it's numerous architectural landmarks, considered some of the highest quality on Cinder. While the Danouvian buildings are high quality, they are also very expensive and time consuming to build and so there has been some contreversy as Danouvian builders did not finish the backs of these buildings. In May of 2024, a breakthrough was made, as it was decided by the Scneimunt city authorities to finish the backs of the buildings in the city something which unfortunately has not yet been fully realised as of September 2024. The finest churches of Hollenberg include the church of the Toic acolytes in Scneimunt, a former Egjenist church turned into a Pyrannic church, a notable landmark is also the Pope Swonki memorial church above Smilets By, the oldest Pyrannic church east of Loire, The Alfama Pyrannic church is also a great monuement blending local Beiran styles with the ornate Danouvian style. Hollenberg also boasts a large collection of palaces, including the largest, most beautiful palace of Cinder, the Schönquelle palace a grand building dominating the landscape and showing the divine place of Hollenberg as a true Pyrannic nation.