However, the Halean notion of Halea is not exactly the same as the Agrikan notion of her. When the Empire annexed Karejia during its first wave of expansion, quite a few Agrikans settled in the islands, but for a variety of reasons the islands were not allowed to come under Agrikan control, not even to the same halfway degree that was the case in the northwest of Azeryan and in Zonara. In fact, Karejia was one of the provinces which had it easiest under Azeryani rule, probably because of the close relationship between the Karejian and the Azeryan people, and its proximity to the cosmopolitan northeast provinces -- contact between Karejia and Meokolis had been heavy for centuries before the Empire was founded, anyway. But the Agrikan presence in Karejia was significantly strengthened, and Agrikan ideas came into contact with "pagan" Karejian ideas. The modern Halean concept of Halea is a merger of the orthodox Agrikan demigoddess, and of a variety of "older" concepts which had been retained by the Karejians (eager traders who had always attached significance to a goddess of wealth).
Even today, Karejia remains a hotbed of polytheism, and worship of many of the ur-Azeri gods continues in archaic forms on the smaller islands. But the only one which has grown in international scope and appeal is Halea, and the main reason for her international appeal has to do with the trading boom which followed the first expansion of the Empire. Azeryani dominion made almost the entire Venarian sea safer for trade than it had ever been, and among the first to take advantage of this were the Karejians, who had long traditions for seaborne trade anyway. Soon, they were going places they had never been before -- for instance, their ships frequently reached Hârn, and unlike most other Imperial traders they weren't content with trading with the Corani, either; they eagerly sailed to Melderyni ports, and even to points in Shorkyne and Ivinia on occasion. Even before the birth of modern Haleanism, most of these traders used to give offerings to the Lady of Profit; later, practically all became devout Haleans.
Pretty soon, Karejian traders established trading colonies, or enclaves, within the ports of other nations. A port without a few families of Karejians wasn't really a proper port at all, or so it seemed; it would certainly miss out on a lot of the action. As the years passed, many of these Karejians became more or less assimilated in the general population, since they'd often marry locals and settle down, but they tended to keep their religion (not least of all because it has none of the restrictions on usury that are common to Triadism and Agrikanism, thus giving them a valuable edge in the mercantyling business). Locals sometimes converted to Haleanism as well, generally because it was evident that Halean merchants tended to be successful, so if one wanted to be a successful merchant it might be a good idea to be Halean. After the Empire's fortunes began to decline around the turn of the sixth century, regional trade experienced a disastrous slump, and many trade routes have been "down" ever since, but the Karejian/Halean minorities were mostly stuck wherever they were, and in many nations (especially in the Triadic north) they had become inextricably linked with the financial professions.
And so the situation remains today across Hârn and in the Triadic nations of Lythia; Haleans generally speak the local language and don't look much different from the locals after generations of intermarriage (although darker complexion and hair, and brown eyes, are still somewhat more common among them than among their neighbours in most places), although the Karejian language (a somewhat archaic and stilted dialect thereof, to be more precise) is still used as the main ceremonial language with Haleanism. In a way, their position in society is somewhat similar to that of the Jews in medieval Europe, although they're not subjected to nearly as much persecution (but their situation isn't entirely rosy, either; often, being different in any way whatsoever is sufficient to be singled out for abuse). They are almost exclusively found in urban environments, and probably have the highest literacy rate of any religion (provided that Save-K'nor's followers get lumped in with the other Triadists).