sábado, 10 de março de 2012

Duchy of Tenh. Ducado de Tenh.


The fertile uplands between the Artonsamay River and the Griff Mountains provided a homeland to the Flan since before the Great Migrations, more than one thousand years past. The diverse groups of Flan who found shelter here learned new methods of warfare during their early conflicts with the Oerid and Suel invaders of the Flanaess. They organized their armies, and later their state, on the Oeridian model, forming the duchy of Tenh in the early years of Aerdi expansion in the eastern Flanaess. As one of the few remaining pockets of nearly pure Flan culture left, the Tenha worship the old Flannish gods – Pelor, St Cuthbert, Beory, Obad-hai, Berei, and Allitur are the primary foci of their religious lives. Their language and writing system are based on Flannic glyphs. Society is based on the old tribal system adapted to modern needs.
"Os férteis planaltos entre o rio Artonsamay e as Montanhas Griff providenciaram um lar para os Flan desde antes das Grandes Migrações, mais de mil anos passados. Os diversos grupos de Flan que encontraram abrigo aqui aprenderam novos métodos de guerrear durante os conflitos iniciais com os invasores Oerid e Suel do Flanaess. Eles organizaram seus exércitos, e depois seu Estado, no modelo Oeridiano, constituindo o Ducado de Tenh nos anos iniciais da expansão Aerdi no Flanaess Oriental. Como um dos poucos bolsões remanescentes da primeira cultura Flan pura restante, a adoração Tenh dos deuses Flannisianos - Pelor, St. Cuthbert, Beory, Obad-hai, Berei, e Allitur são o foco primário de sua vida religiosa. Sua língua e sistema de escrita são baseados nos glifos Flannicos. A Sociedade é baseada em um velho sistema tribal adaptado as necessidades modernas". 
History
The Duchy of Tenh is a melding of many different Flan tribes who retreated to the lands of the North in the wake of the invasion and spread of the Occluded Empire. Legend says there were originally ten nations who came together at Nevond Nevnend, during the darkest days of the spread of the Empire of Vecna Tenh became the beginning of the rally of the resistance forces. After centuries of spreading the word about resistance and of hope the Churches of Pelor and jca (known as Skrellingshad by the Suel barbarians) and the Coltens or Kelten Feodality, the small nation that existed to the duchy’s north until it was invaded by the hordes of the wicked Rover Vlek. It is thought that this root means simply “town” or “home.”

"História

O Ducado de Tenh é um amalgama de muitas diversas tribos Flan que retiraram-se das terras do norte na sequencia de invasões e propagação do 'Império Retraído'. As lendas dizem que houve dez nações originais que vieram juntas a Nevond Nevnend, durante os dias mais sombrios da propagação do Império de Vecna, Tenh tornou-se o ponto de encontro inicial das forças de resistência. Depois de séculos de pregação de palavras sobre resistência e esperança das Igrejas de Pelor e jca (conhecido como Skrellingshad pelos bárbaros Suel) e os Coltens ou Kelten Feudais, a pequena nação que existia do ducado do norte até que fora invadida pelas hordas do perverso Rover Vlek. Acredita-se que essa raiz possa significa simplesmente 'vila' ou 'lar'".
Later, as the privileges of the Pelor priesthood in Aerdy were eroded by the rise of the warrior-cult of Heironeous among the nobility, missionaries began to come to the northern Flan nations. These clerics primarily belonged to the Tdon, an order of dervish-priests said to have been founded by the prophet Arnd himself. Many towns and cities were founded around villages that contained Tdon missions, including Wintershiven, Redspan, Atherstone, Oxton, Ogburg, Eltison, and Wotton. Oxton in particular was the home of an early seminary where many of the frontier evangelists were trained.

"Posteriormente, como os privilégios dos clericato de Pelor em Aerdy foram erodindo-se pelo surgimento do Culto do guerreiro Heironeous entre a nobreza, missionários começaram a vir para as nações Flan do norte. Esses clérigos inicialmente pertenciam a Tdon, uma ordem de clérigos-dervixes ditos que tenham sidos fundados pelo próprio profeta Arnd. Muitas vilas e cidades foram fundadas ao redor das vilas que tinham missões Tdon, incluindo Wintershiven, Redspan, Atherstone, Oxton, Ogburg, Eltison, e Wotton. Oxton em particular tornou-se o lar de um primitivo seminário onde muitos evangelistas da fronteira foram treinados".
Offering the natives a potent combination of healing spells, literacy, ecstatic dance-rites, prophesies of future times, and the promise of the Blinding Light to see them through the world’s chaos and turmoil, the Tdon came to dominate a large portion of the northlands. They made little progress, however, in the resolutely pagan lands north of the Artonsamay River, until a few gained the confidence of the land’s Duke. Duke Uri I (known as the Confider) valued the Tdon for their scholarship and clerical magic, especially when healers saved the life of his son in the name of the Light. He banished the druids from his presence, and they began to skulk in caves. It was at this time that the Duke gained the title of Radiant or His Radiance.

"Oferecendo aos nativos uma potente combinação de magias de cura, literatura, danças-rituais enlevada, profecias de tempos futuros, e a promessa da Luz Cegante para ver através do caos e convulsão do mundo, os Tdon tornaram-se dominantes em uma vasta porção das terras do norte. Eles fizeram pequenos progressos, todavia, nas resolutas terras pagãs ao norte do Rio Artonsamay, até aos poucos obterem a confiança das terras do Duque. Duque Uri I (Conhecido como o Confidente) estimava os Tdon por sua ilustração e magia clerical, especialmente quando os curandeiros salvaram a vida de seu filho em nome da Luz. Ele baniu os druidas de sua presença, e eles se esconderam nas cavernas. Este foi o tempo que o Duque obteve o Título de Radiante ou Sua Radiância".
Within a decade, the Tdon in Tenh began to die out in what is remembered as the Bane Purge. Details of the plague are sketchy, but bards sing about the clerics’ bones moving with their own will and their flesh growing hard and mummylike as their organs atrophied. The survivors hid in their missions, eventually severing their ties with their founding church and in some cases even becoming druidic initiates. As the church of the Blinding Light became more conservative across the lands of Aerdy, the Tdon order passed into fable. Most clerics of Pholtus today are a stern, conservative lot; the ecstatic dances and prophetic ability of the Tdon are lost, although it is thought that some of Tenh’s druids still retain the knowledge of these talents in the collection of ancient lore they pass through the generations.

"Dentro de uma década, os Tdon em Tenh começaram a morrer no que é lembrado como Purgação da Perdição. Detalhes da praga estão incompletos, mas músicas dos bardos sobre os ossos dos clérigos se movendo por conta própria e suas carne crescendo em demasia e mumificando seus orgãos atrofiados. Os sobrevivente esconderam-se em suas missões, eventualmente rompendo os laços com a igreja que fundaram e em muitos casos tornando-se iniciados druidas. Então a igreja da Luz Ofuscante tornou-se mais conservadora através das terras de Aerdy, a Ordem de Tdon passou a história. A maioria dos clérigos de Pholtus hoje são rígidos, e bastante conservadores; as danças extáticas e habilidades proféticas dos Tdon fora perdida, embora se pense que alguns druidas de Tenh ainda retenham o conhecimento desses talentos na coleção de conhecimentos antigos passados através das gerações".
The entire realm of Tenh was declared anathema by the Pholtusian church, even though the people of Tenh still revered the Guide of the Light in their way.
Life proceeded from there, with relatively minor downturns and upturns, like the Battle of a Fortnight’s Length and the Battle of Redspan, until the invasion of the Coltens by Vlek, called Stonefist. The Coltens were claimed as vassals of the duke of Tenh, though they mainly managed their own affairs. Stonefist founded a hostile nation on the other end of Thunder Pass, which threatened Tenh for over a century before invading it during the confusion of the savage Wars of the Great Kingdom, the Scarlet Brotherhood, and Iuz.

"O reino inteiro de Tenh fora declarado anátema pela Igreja de Pholtus, apesar do povo de Tenh continuar a reverenciar a Orientação da Luz à sua maneira.


A vida continuou desde então, com relativas pequenas retrações e retomadas, como a Batalha da 'Quinzena' e a Batalha de Redspan, até a invasão dos Coltens por Vlek, conhecido como Punho de Pedra (Stonefist). Os Coltens foram reclamados como vassalos do Duque de Tenh, embora tenham permanecido gerindo seus próprios interesses. O Punho de Pedra fundou uma nação hostil no outro lado do Passo do Trovão, qual ameaçava Tenh por séculos antes da invasão durante a confusão da selvagem Guerra do Grande Reino, Irmandade Escarlate, e Iuz".


Social structure
The society of Tenh is strictly divided among male and female spheres, corollating with Allitur and Berei’s spheres of influence. Women control the households and own and run the farms, while the men are valued for their wisdom and ability to make laws and coordinate military activities. Daughters remain within the household all of their lives; the oldest daughter inherits control from her mother and jealously hoards it. Younger daughters are left caring for the children and producing household goods. The decisions in matters between households and in the village or town as a whole are left to a council of male elders. The village constabulary and the Duke himself are also always male. The only social rank where both males and females comingle is the druidic priesthood, and even there women generally gravitate towards Beory, acting as advocates for humanity, while men feel drawn toward Obad-hai, and act as advocates for the wilderness.

"Estrutura Social

A Sociedade de Tenh é estritamente dividida entre as esferas masculinas e femininas, acentuada com as esferas de influência de Allitur e Berei. Mulheres controlam a Casa e a se próprias e administram as fazendas, enquanto os homens estimados por sua sabedoria e habilidade de fazer leis e coordenar atividades militares. As filhas permanecem dentro da casa por toda suas vidas; a filha mais velha herda controle de suas mães e zelosamente o colhe. As filhas jovens são deixadas cuidando das crianças e produção de bens ao lar. As decisões em coisas entre a casa e o povoado ou vila como um todo são deixadas a um conselho de anciões. Os condestáveis dos povoados e o Duque são sempre masculinos. Há somente uma hierarquia em que ambos masculinos e femininos comungam que é o rito sacerdotal dos druidas, e mesmo lá as mulheres geralmente gravitam para Beory, atuando como advogados para a humanidade, enquanto os homens são atraídos para Obad-hai, e atuando como advogados da natureza."
The Duke of Tenh has ultimate say over the administration of his realm. He appoints the reeves who control the village militias, though in practice he usually ratifies the decision of the village grandfathers. The Duke himself belongs to one of a few ancient families who have ruled the duchy since its founding; Ehyeh’s house is exceptionally dark-skinned Flan, almost black despite Tenh’s cloudy weather. A legend speaks of Duke Caleb I riding with his small band of hillmen into the thick of the Aerdi legions and demanding audience with the general who initially demanded the land submit to the Great Kingdom, and that his eyes and personality were so magnetic that the general’s guards had no choice but to comply. Caleb told the general that only the Flan would ever rule Tenh, and that if the (then) king of Aerdy would not recognize him as a duke equal to those in lands like Urnst he would drive the king’s entire army into the Great Rift. The general took him at his word, appointed Caleb duke, and left. The Aerdi claim that they only selected the most powerful of Tenh’s several squabbling tribal leaders, and some suspect some collision between the rulers of Tenh and the priesthood of Pholtus even then.

"O Duque de Tenh tem a ultima palavra sobre a administração de seu reino. Ele aponta os "alcaides" que controlam as milicias dos povoados, porém na prática ele geralmente ratifique a decisão dos anciões do povoado. O próprio Duque pertence a uma das poucas e antigas famílias que tem governado o ducado desde sua fundação; A Casa de Ehyeh é de Flan excepcionalmente de pele escura, quase pretos como as Nuvens de chuva de Tenh. Uma lenda fala do Duque Caleb I cavalgando com seu pequeno bando de homens das colinas nos flancos das legiões Aerdi e demandam audiência com o general que inicialmente demandou que a terra se submetesse ao Grande Reino, e aqueles olhos  e personalidades eram tão magnéticos que o general das Guardas não teve escolhe exceto cumprir. Caleb contou ao general que somente os Flan poderia governar Tenh, e que se o (então) rei de Aerdy não o reconhece-se como um duque igual a aqueles das terras de Urnst ele iria mandar todo o exercito do rei para a Grande Fenda. O general considerou aquelas palavras, nomeando Caleb Duque, e o deixando. Os Aerdi clamaram que somente eles selecionaram o mais poderoso dos vários lideres tribais querelantes, e alguns suspeitam de alguma colisão entre os governantes de Tenh e o clero de Pholtus de então".
Marriages are prearranged by the women of the bride’s household bargaining with the women of the groom’s. Since men do not own property, husbands are chosen based on skill in battle and play, wisdom, education and strength. The more wealthy and powerful households are able to attract more qualified men, of course. Sometimes a young man will be sent abroad to prove himself worthy of a certain bride.
Tenh supports several orders very similar to the Oeridian idea of knights. These grim riders are selected from each militia to engage in preemptive assaults against the Bandit Kingdoms, Stonefist, and raiders from the mountains, as well as the restless dead. Special ranger divisions help defend against giants and humanoids, as they have for centuries.

"Casamentos são pre-arranjados pelas mulheres da Casa da noiva que barganham com as mulheres da casa do noivo. Desde que os homens não possuem propriedades, maridos são escolhidos baseando-se na perícia em batalha e jogos, sabedoria, educação e força. As casas mais ricas e poderosas estão habilitadas a atrair homens mais qualificados, certamente. Algumas vezes um jovem homem será mandado ao exterior para provar seu valor para uma certa noiva.

Tenh suporta várias ordens muito similares ao ideal dos Cavaleiros Oeridianos. Esses Austeros cavaleiros são selecionados de cada milícia para engajar-se em assalto preventivo contra os Reinos dos Bandidos, Punhos de Pedra, e incursores das montanhas, bem como o morto incansável. Divisões especiais de Rangers ajudam a defender contra gigantes e humanoides, como eles  tem feito por séculos". 
Geography
Tenh is characterized by fertile fields and dense forests (the most notable being the enigmatic glowing Phostwood). Much of it is highland terrain, with heather etc. growing wild. The land gets very low and soggy near the Troll Fens, until it rises back into the tall Griff Mountains.

"Geografia

Tenh é caracterizada por campos férteis e florestas densas (a mais notável iniciou o enigmático crescimento de Phostwood). Muitas destas são terras altas, com urzes etc. crescendo selvagemente. A terra fica muito baixa e encharcada próxima ao Pântano dos Troll, até ressurgir em meio as altas Montanhas Griff". 
Economy
The Tenha grow barley and maize, they herd sheep and goats, and they hunt stags and elk (including the rare and enormous Tenhese Elk). Platinum mines in the mountains employ workers as well (marble, granite, and lime are also mined). While not as efficient as dwarf-run mines, they do supply most of the platinum in the Northeast (in the form of raw ore, or sometimes bricks, which are guarded by mercenaries hired by the mining households). Tenha brew fine beers and corn liquors, and they breed horses. Much of Tenh’s food products go to the Bandit Kingdoms, Stonefist, Ratik, Bone March, and the Barrens, but the quality is prized elsewhere. Iron in the Griffs suffices for Tenh’s needs, but there isn’t enough to export.
Many Tenha are fine jewelry makers, so there is a demand for precious metals from the Duchy of Urnst. Brightly colored clothing comes from Furyondy, Dyvers, Greyhawk, Nyrond and the County of Urnst to tempt wealthy Tenha. A limited amount of trade occurs with the Pale, who they depend on for certain metals. Spices from Hepmonaland are in high demand, but very difficult to come by. Due to the dangerous nature and militant druids of Tenh’s woodlands, most wood used for fuel or building must be imported.

"Economia

A economia Tenhi é baseada no crescimento da cevada e milho, eles arrebanham ovelhas e bodes, e eles caçam veados e alces (incluindo o raro e enorme Alce Tenhese). Minas de Platina nas montanhas empregam trabalhadores também (mármore, granito, e cal também são minerados). Todavia não tão eficientes quanto uma mineradora anã, eles abastecem de platina o Nordeste (na forma de minério bruto, ou algumas vezes barras, quais são guarnecidos por mercenários contratados pelas minas das Casas). Tenh faz finas cervejas e liquores de milho, e criam cavalos de raça. Muito da comida produzida em Tenh vai para os Reinos dos Bandidos, Punho de Pedra, Ratik, Marquesado dos Ossos, e o Desolado, mas a qualidade é reconhecida em qualquer lugar. O Ferro nas Montanhas Griff é suficiente para as necessidades Tenh, mas não o suficiente para exportar.


Muitos Tenhi são joalheiros de qualidade, assim há uma demanda de metais preciosos do Ducado de Urnst. Roupas coloridas e brilhantes vem de Furyondy, Dyvers, Greyhawk, Nyrond e do Condado de Urnst para atender o comércio Tenhi. Um limitado apanhado de comercio acontece com o Pale, que eles dependem de certos metais. Especiarias de Hepmonaland tem alta demanda, mas são muito difíceis de se obter. Devido aos perigos naturais e de militantes druidas das florestas Tenhi, muita da madeira para combustível ou construções devem ser importadas". 
Religion
The Tenha are obsessed with life and death. Their elaborate tombs and burial mounds date back millennia and their priests (especially of Beory, Pelor, Nerull and Allitur) keep elaborate records of the path of the soul based on the movement of the stars and planets and of the flux of nature. The spirits of nature and the departed seem more alive here, and brief rites to them are common.
Druidic priesthoods, dedicated to Obad-hai and Beory, are present but not all-controlling. They lead their flocks across ley-lines and into ancient groves and circles to commune with the wilderness and perform their rites in isolation. The archdruid of Tenh is also the nominal protector of the Pale; because druidism is outlawed there, druids must do their work there in secret.

"Religião

Os Tenhi são obcecados com vida e morte. Suas elaboradas tumbas e montes funerários datam de milênios e seus clérigos (especialmente Beory, Pelor, Nerull e Allitur) guardam elaborados registros de fé de sua alma baseados no movimento das estrelas e planetas e do fluxo da natureza. Os espíritos da natureza e parecem mais vividos aqui, e breves rituais para eles são comuns. 


As ordens druídicas, dedicadas a Obad-hai e Beory, estão presentes mas não controlam tudo. Eles lideram seus cultivos através linhas de energia mágica e em antigos bosques e círculos para comunhão com a natureza e realizar seus ritos em lugar isolado. O Arquidruida de Tenh é também o protetor nominal de Pale; porque o druidismo é ilegal lá, druidas deve realizar seus ritos em segredo". 
The church of Allitur is perhaps the most powerful in Tenh; they maintain and interpret the laws and customs of the land, and thus form an important part of the legal system. Tenha bardic traditions are usually associated with Allitur as well. Finally, Allitur is considered to be the judge of the dead.
Berei is Allitur’s counterpart in the feminine sphere: she rules the households, crafts, agriculture, and the order of the home, and Her priestesses are much in demand as nurses and tutors.
Pelor is certainly a very visible god in the Duchy, though he is confused at times with Pholtus. Sunlight is essential for such an agricultural people, and the Tenha do Him honor. Warriors, too, are thought to be blessed by the Flan god of strength.
Still, their function is largely ceremonial and they have little political influence. Worship of Pelor includes healing affirmations and walking through the halls of the church into the light. Red wine is poured to celebrate the sunrise.
The traditional worship of Pholtus is often alongside Pelor, sometimes as a messenger or champion sent by Pelor from his house within the Blinding Light. As true priests of Pholtus become common again after the Wars, this idea is being sternly stamped out. In a few decades, Pholtus may replace Pelor in Tenh entirely, unless the sun god remains as a subordinate saint. They make life increasingly difficult for the clerics of Saint Cuthbert which have traditionally gone to Tenh’s rural areas to escape prosecution in the Pale.
The shifty cults of Nerull occasionally plague the countryside and the riverport dives in Redspan. Almost universially hated, the cult offers enough power to its sin-torn devotees that it is difficult to wipe out.
Tombs are dedicated not to Nerull (unless the departed was a worshipper, or particularly feared going to His domain) but to Beory, whose womb all must return to on their way to their next destination. Shrines to the All Mother are found in cave mouths, crossroads, in druidic circles and on nearly every farm. Robed Beoric priestesses are a common sight in most towns.
Especially since Stonehold’s invasion, the Restorer cult of the Triune Mother has become increasingly popular among Beoric worshippers who hope that Restorer creed can help bring back the balance that has so sorely been lost. The resulting infusion of Istusian and Wee Jasian theology has already begun to change Tenha society; women are beginning to blatantly influence the councils of elders. It is thought only a matter of time before some frustrated junior daughter tries to become a reeve herself. The changes in traditional Tenha culture have yet to fully resolve themselves.
Other gods have only a minor influence in Tenh.

"A Igreja de Allitur é talvez a mais poderosa em Tenh; ele mantem e interpretam as leis e costumes da terra, e assim formam uma parte importante do sistema legal. As tradições dos Bardos Tenhi geralmente são também associadas a Allitur. Finalmente, Allitur é considerado o juiz dos mortos. 

Berei é a contraparte de Allitur na esfera feminina: ela governa as Casas, ofícios, agricultura, e a ordem do lar, e Suas Sacerdotisas são muito requeridas como enfermeiras e tutoras.

Pelor é de certo um deus bastante visível no Ducado, embora ele seja confundido as vezes com Pholtus. A luz solar é essencial para os agricultores, e os Tenhi o Honra. Guerreiros, também, acreditam nas bençãos do deus Flan da força.


Ainda, que suas funções sejam amplamente cerimoniais e eles tenha pouca influencia política. O culto de Pelor incluem celebrações de cura e caminhadas através dos salões da igreja em direção a luz. Vinho vermelho é vertido para celebrar o nascer do sol.



O culto tradicional de Pholtus é muitas vezes realizado juntamente ao de Pelor, algumas vezes como um mensageiro ou campeão enviado por Pelor de sua Casa dentro da luz cegante. Como verdadeiros clérigos de Pholtus tornaram-se comum depois das Guerras, está ideia começou a ser severamente reprimida. Em poucas décadas, Pholtus pode desbancar Pelor em Tenh inteira (NT. A ocupada), a menos que o deus do sol permaneça como santo subordinado. Eles fazem cada vez mais difícil a vida para os clérigos de São Cuthbert que tradicionalmente tem ido para as áreas rurais de Tenh para escapar a perseguição no Pale.

Os astutos cultos de Nerull ocasionalmente infestam o interior e os portos fluviais em Redspan. Quase universalmente odiados, o culto oferece bastante poder para seus devotos pecadores que são difíceis de eliminar. 


Tumbas são dedicadas não a Nerull (a menos que o falecido tenha sido adorador, ou particularmente tema ir para os domínios Dele) mas a Beory, ao qual ventre todos devem retornar no seus caminhos para a próxima destinação. Capelas a Mãe de Todos são encontradas em entradas de cavernas, cruzamentos, em círculos druídicos e próximos de cada fazenda. Sacerdotisas ordenadas de Beory são uma visão comum nos vilarejos. 

Especialmente desde a invasão dos Punhos de Pedra, o culto restaurador da Trina Mãe se torna crescentemente popular entre os adoradores de Beory que tem esperança que o credo Restaurador os ajudem a trazer de volta o equilíbrio que então fora dolorosamente perdido. O resultado da infusão da teologia de Istu e Wee Jas já começou a a mudar a sociedade Tenhi; mulheres estão começando a abertamente influenciar o conselho de anciões. É apenas uma questão de tempo antes que alguma filha frustrada tente se tornar uma Xerife (NT.em equivalente de português moderno). As mudanças na cultura tradicional Tenhi ainda tem que se resolver totalmente.

Outros deuses tem pouca influência em Tenh."

Language
The pure Flannic language spoken in Tenh is stagnant and unsuited to many modern terms and concepts. Highly stilted and codified, it references long-forgotten myths and is difficult for outsiders to learn; it’s based on a small number of glyphs supposed to represent every concept in the universe, including Earth, Fire, Water, Air, Underworld, Upperworld, Styx, Earth-womb, Law, Male, Female, Daughter, Son, Blood, Breath, Beast, Chaos-Evil, Tree, Corn, Mountain, Troll, Elf, Dwarf, Giant, Man, Halfling, and Sorcery. Newer things are harder for the Tenha to talk about; orcs are referred to as “troll-men,” while hobgoblins are “troll-elves,” for example. Aerdi loan-words are common, though discouraged by the bards and wise men of Allitur.
Dress
Tenha prefer clothing with solid colors: yellow robes for clerics of Pelor, black for Nerull, green for Beory, russet for Obad-hai, cranberry for Allitur, and orange for Berei. Secular garments are brightly colored, consisting of woolen hose and long sleeved tunics.
Art
Tapestries, pottery, frescos, stucco, tile, woodcarving, poetry and wind instruments all have their place in Tenha society; the poetry of Tenh is justly famous abroad, and a significant market exists for translated versions. Songs of hope and loss and epics of national heroes begun here grace the lips of bards far and wide.
Architecture
Houses are usually round and thatched, with holes in their peaks for letting light in and smoke out. They tend to accumulate in clusters, with new buildings quickly built against the old as the families expand. The matriarchs direct construction, with every able body in the house doing the work.
Religious architecture is made of stone whenever possible, and normally includes many obelisks or poles surrounding a pyramidical peak.
Weapons
Spears, javelins and pole-arms are used by all sorts of warriors, as are short bows and traditional short swords. Tenha medium calvary, the legendary Tenha Host, is feared by its enemies, and along with the staunch infantry it is primarily responsible for the land’s long freedom. While many weapons are made domestically, there is a strong market for foreign weapons of high quality.
Sports
Everyone in Tenh plays sports, which range from a simple ball game similar to football or soccer, except with no restrictions or referees, to spear-throwing and archery contests testing distance and aim, to a game involving throwing leather rings into specific branches of a tree. A simple form of chess played on a five-sided board is popular among elders. Sports provide entertainment, help train warriors, and help the women choose well when matchmaking.
Character classes
Fighters: Foreign warriors are initially distrusted in Tenh, as most of those they meet are raiders from the surrounding lands. Once a stranger gives aid in battle, however, trust is immediately extended in all but the more unusual circumstances.
Wizards and sorcerers: The Tenha are deeply suspicious of magic-users, who exist for them mainly in ancient legends of foul necromancers and infernalists raping the land or leading warriors to doom at the hands of elven lords. The rise of Iuz has confirmed this view for many Tenha, appearing as a wicked demiurge of the scale of old Asberdies. Individuals can often get through this prejudice in time if the mage proves herself in battle (as Nystal has), but it takes time.
Clerics: Foreign clergy are neither welcomed nor shunned; they have no place in Tenh, and are treated as any other foreigner, their religious orientation ignored. An exception is the priests of Pholtus, who are associated with the ancient Tdon and later with the hateful Pale. After the wars the Pholtusians have regained many converts among the desperate Tenha people. The Triune Mother cult, with its promise of universal harmony, has also gained some converts of late as well.
Rogues: The punishments for thievery in Tenh are harsh, involving stocks, pillories, beatings, branding and exile, depending on the severity and frequency of the crime. Although thieves may work together, there are no formal thieves’ guilds in the Duchy.
Organized crime as a whole is rare except in Redspan, where it is primarily controlled by the Rhennee.
Bards: Bards in Tenh are heralds, scholars, archivists and collectors of lore. They trade and even tutor foreign bards readily, considering themselves part of one great fraternity.
Species
Nonhumans in Tenh are uncommon and looked on superstitiously with a mixture of awe and fear. Of the Griffian dwur and noniz, the city of Gwiz-Tokarast is the most likely source of visitors. Gwiz-Tokarast has an almost hivelike structure with its populace divided into rigid, unbreakable castes. Soldiers, miners, smiths, artisans, farmers, priests, and nobles do not mix, even socially, although the dwur and noniz nobility sit in a joint council. Soldiers are typically armed with short swords, spears and plate mail, although the noniz prefer hammers.
Natives of Gwiz-Tokarast are easy to recognize when they come to Calbut and other towns to trade, if not so easy to tell apart. They normally speak to strangers in pre-memorized phrases, often with several of them chanting at once. They dress identically in the garb of the trader’s caste, and tend to look alike as well.
Some believe that the peculiar culture of Gwiz-Tokarast is a result of the influence of the mysterious inhabitants of Lake Abanfyl, but some simply credit it to isolation and inbreeding.
The Moonreaver elves and the Moonreaver tallfellows dwell in the Phostwood; they’re cruel and destructive because they have to be in order to withstand the bandit and humanoid raids. They have been known to burn down sections of the forest in order to kill their enemies (Phost trees burn with semi-explosive force). The olve and hobniz groups do not get along, although they appear to have lived together sometime in the past; their customs and dress are certainly very similar.
Giant clans have been based in the Griffs since those mountains were first formed. Hill, mountain, stone, mist and cloud giants, along with trolls, ogres, ettins, verbeeg, and voadkin, have preyed on the Tenha and been attacked in turn. Kobolds and orcs are also a threat; the kobolds live in mysterious ruins said to be Flan in origin. The great icy lakes that feed the Zumker River are Giantish holy ground, where they go to experience dreams of other times, commune with the spirits of their ancestors, and bury their dead. Lake Abanfyl was once the holiest spot at all, but something happened a few centuries ago. An ancient nemesis of the giants has returned, something baneful to their primordial substance. Giants avoid the vale now, but vow one day to return and take what is theirs.
The Griffs are also said to contain ruins of ancient elven cities, but these have been lost for a thousand years and more.
Human tribes
In the early days of the Aerdi empire, the diverse groups between the Artonsamay River and the Griffs formed a confederation to maintain their independence (in fact if not in name) in the face of Oeridian expansion. The symbol they chose for their crest is a world axis between two opposing forms, symbolizing unity between the heavens and Oerth, between rival tribes, between life and death and between the male and female spheres.
It wasn’t so perfect as they pretended, however. The old tribal identities, despite centuries of interbreeding and fighting side by side, have been kept alive in the matriarchal lines. There are still many distinct peoples.
Wi: the Wi are a tribe known for their brave paladins, hot tempers, and enthusiastic worship of Pelor. Dominating the Nevond Nevnend region, they are primarily maize farmers. Duke Ehyeh is a Wi. Their symbol is the glyph for the mountain lion. After the war, the Wi are some of the quickest converts to the Palish Blinding Light.
Skaw: the Skaw are feared and hated by the more supersitious clans, for they are rumored to be controlled by the cult of Nerull. However, they dominate the town of Redspan and are thus integral to the nation’s economy and too wealthy to touch. Most of the Skaw are actually not followers of Nerull at all, but their wealth and power makes people suspicious.
The ancestors of the Skaw came from further south, and they may have been among those led by the Ur-Flannae against the City of Summer Stars.
The symbol of the Skaw suggests a red eagle.
Maka: Another agricultural tribe, the Maka are known for their druidic inclinations. They dwell in forests and wild fields and prevent farmers from other tribes from disturbing the wildlands. Priests of Obad-hai closely watch the Maka farmers to ensure their efforts are sustainable. As a result, the Maka are one of the poorest ethnic groups in all of Tenh.
Their symbol is a snake pictogram.
Inyan: the “keepers of secrets,” the Inyan are the oldest of the tribes and the founders of the nation. They predominate in Nevond Nevnend, where they collect Flannae relics and old legends. They perform rites to Beory in subterranean temples. Their symbol is the tortoise.
Hanwi: the Hanwi live near the Phostwood and are constantly fighting the bandits there. As they lose ground, the Hanwi become sadder and subtler. Sickly and wan, fewer are born every year. The Restorer cult is most popular among this tribe and it is thought that their next reeve will be a woman. Despite the damage, their villages are among the most beautiful in Tenh, filled with frescos and brightly colored decoration. Their symbol is the owl. The archmage Nystal is Hanwi.
Tate: Fierce hunters, the Tate inhabit the mountains and have little to do with the other tribes, although their reeve was Duke from CY 513 to 523. The Tate are excellent rangers and orc hunters, and often supplement their diet with raiding. Their griffin sigil decorates their homes and weapons.
Wakinyan: dwelling near the Troll Fens, the Wakinyan are notorious for their meekness and their constant readiness to flee. The Wakinyan move from village to village frequently, abandoning their dwellings to whatever raiders or monsters threaten them. It is said that the Wakinyan are almost as old as the Inyan, and that they were once among the most industrious of the early nation builders. That time is long gone. They are the first tribe to flee to the Pale, and the first converts to Palish religion, abandoning the gods of their ancestors for the sake of safety. Their symbol is the stag.
Cities and towns:
Atherstone: Atherstone was built around a holy site where the spirit of Beory first met with the gods of the sky. As a result, the cult of Beory is very powerful here, and it is here that the largest number of urban Maka dwell. When the Tdon built their mission in Atherstone, they came into immediate conflict with goddess-worshipping druids. The Night of the Red Mother convinced them to tone their proselytizing down a bit, and as a result had a low enough profile that they survived the Bane Purge to come. The successors of the Tdon slowly integrated their teachings into the local faith, and in one incarnation or another continued to recent times. After the invasion, the entire populace fled or died, and only soldiers of the Pale and Palized Tenha live here.
Calbut: Calbut is a trading town built in the mouth of Thunder Pass, named Stone Egg Pass by the people of the Coltens Feodality. Calbut has always been claimed by the rulers of Tenh, but the traffic from the pass makes it almost as much Coltena as Tenha. Of course, the cultre of the Coltens is much like that of their southern neighbors. The Coltens, beyond the reach of even the resolute Tdon, are something of a relic of what Tenh might have been had Pholtusian priests never come: small agricultural buildings shepherded by druids.
Calbut is like a large, rambling Coltena village, with inns and taverns that cater to everyone from Urnstan merchants to Rhennee seers to expeditions preparing to go into the Griffs to explore or plunder. It has something of a frontier town’s atmosphere, but many of its buildings are quite old and its wealthy citizens long established. It’s a place for both adventurers and merchants, a place where the lines between the two are often indistinguishable. The buildings are mainly typical Flan huts and halls, with the occasional larger house of Oeridian design.
When Tenh was invaded by forces from Stonehold, Calbut was sacked, its women taken and treasures plundered. Yet, when it became clear that the Fists would not be returning to their homeland that season, Sevvord Redbeard ordered that his troops rebuild, erecting his base of operations in the ruins. Calbut was, in all of Tenh, the most like the homes they left behind, and it offered a convenient place of retreat should the Tenha and Palite Hosts prevail. If the war finally ends with the Fists still ensconced, business and trade will doubtless resume as usual; despite the influence of the Rovers and Wolf Barbarians and the nation’s despotic overlords, the culture of Stonehold is not so different from Tenh’s.
Redspan: Redspan is a port town that handles boats all the way from Dyvers, Furyondy and beyond. A great number of peoples from throughout the Flanaess, from half-orcs to Rhenee to Celene elves trade here, pumping money into Skaw hands. The Rhennee are frequent visitors to Redspan, handling their traditional jobs as well as those no one else will touch, and they appreciate the Skaw for their greater tolerance of them.
Redpan is named for the great red bridges built across the Artonsamay and in the town’s gutters. The bridges are built of red brick, though according to local lore they were once wood stained with the blood of Tenh’s enemies.
The wizard Nystal lives here, taking advantage of the cosmopolitan atmosphere to keep current on events and possible dangers to his nation.
After the wars, the mission founded by the Tdon has been turned into a fortress and capitol-in-exile by Ehyeh III, the current resting place for the Seat of Gold.
Nevond Nevnend: The capitol city, Nevond Nevnend is made of golden baked brick, its round keep and mixed Flan and Oerid-style temples seeming to burn in the sunlight.
Many of the buildings predate Aerdy. Foreigners are distrusted in Nevond Nevnend, but not harassed. The long, winding, closely packed streets radiate from Ehyeh’s keep like sunbeams, and the city contains an unusual amount of stone buildings. The Allituran bardic college is located here. The college is an eccentric hodgepodge of traditional Tenha designs, Ur-Flannae revival, and student innovation.
The Duke’s hall is hung with the hides of griffons and giant eagles, some slain many generations ago but still well preserved. Living mountain lions, hippogriffs, and griffons are kept as pets and hunting beasts by the Duke and his court. The ceremonial guards of the Duke’s keep wear armaments of bronze, a traditional metal retained for its symbolic significance despite the use of iron and steel elsewhere in the Tenhese militia.
Unusually deep gutters keep most of the city’s waste out of sight. This feature is also echoed in Redspan on a somewhat smaller scale, though the bridges that enable carts and pedestrians to pass are much more elaborate in the latter town.
Nevond Nevnend was originally two towns: Nevond, the holy city of the priests, and Nevnend, the secular center. With the confederation of the tribes, however, the city was ceremonially unified, and all citizens can travel freely between either part of town.
With the invasion, Nevond Nevnend is sacked and pillaged, although the Duke’s household escaped with some of Tenh’s most sacred artifacts: the Helm of Law and the Seat of Gold, which he uses to continue to inspire his people as best he can from exile.
The Fists avoided Nevond Nevnend after sacking it. The captains of Stonehold were unable to keep up their army’s morale after the havoc created by sword spirits and wights, the city’s vengeful dead.
Geography
The Troll Fens are haunted with monsters that have terrorized humanity for as long as they’ve lived in the region. Trolls of all breeds, and a number of cross-breeds, haunt the swamps, as do orcs, hobgoblins, ghouls and ghasts, various animate plants and a large and almost trollish race of lizard people who act as one of the major foils against the trolls and their kin. Wild bears and troll-hounds are also a threat.
Deep in the fens lies, half-buried in the mud, a titanic black skull. Once, it belonged to a mortal daughter of Vaprak, who was slain by an avatar of Erythnul in the late Pleistocene epoch. Whether the fell energies of the swamp have kept it in sentient, non-living state for so long or whether it has recently been inhabited as a soul receptacle by some sort of advanced trollish undead, it remains a threat to all who venture near.
The Phostwood is more eerie than deadly, though it has its share of violent spirits, elves, trolls, and fey. Will o’ wisps haunt the softly glowing trees, drifting from here across the wild as far as the swamplands and even the mountains.

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