Hailov

History

A settlement in the far east, Hailov is surrounded on nearly all sides by Deep Forests and is located several days away from the nearest town. Originally several ore mines were located in the surrounding area, making Hailov a processing hub frequently visited by traders. However, as the ores ran out, the mines became abandoned over time.   Without the income from the ore mines, Hailov began to lose population. Where originally it was 'that place in the middle of nowhere, but there's still profit to be made', it now had become 'that place in the middle of nowhere with nothing to go for'. Originally a prospering town with a population over 12.000, in the past six decades it has decayed into a village with a mere eight hundred people left.

---

Recent History

People still came to Hailov, but most of them because they were wanted elsewhere and needed a place to hide. This has led to distrust of strangers, where before they were welcomed. Traders have become less and less frequent, to the point where traders now visit the village less than once a year. The only reason the population loss has stagnated, is that the roads have become too dangerous for most of the young to dare leave.   For the past two decades, the village has been held together by Father Tueller, who gives various classes to children from age eight to eighteen. Teaching them two days a week, he teaches them enough skills to widen their options, without costing their parents too much assistance. He has treaded this careful balance for a long time, being rightfully considered one of the people keeping the village alive.   In recent years, people seem to disappear at a higher rate, and stories about monsters in the woods have become more frequent. Disappearances are nothing new, as strangers decide to leave again and some of the young adults secretly decide to make a living elsewhere. But these disappearances have increased over time, and now even locals from farms have gone missing.

---

Relevant Characters

Hailov is where The Academy recruited Random Chenag, Alexander, and Maera Red. The precise events that led to their recruitment, are strictly classified. Even Hailov's involvement and their real names are kept a secret. The only publicly known detail is that while the three were recruited together, Random and Alexander were simply passing through when that happened.   The classified records do not mention much more. They mention that Maera Red was the adopted daughter of Father Tueller; that Random and Alexander independently came to Hailov to investigate Tarot Monsters; and that during a monster attack Father Tueller died as his church burned down.