Traveler's Guide to the Turamzzyrian Empire: Difference between revisions

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Some of the citizens of Gallardshold wear either a single hawk feather braided into the right side of their hair or a white leather bracelet on their left wrist. The display of the feather indicates that the person feels that the elves of the Wyrdeep should be exempt from Chaston's Edict, while the display of the bracelet indicates that the person supports Chaston's Edict in the case of the elves. The tension between supporters of the edict and supporters of the elves is subtle but distinct, though it has rarely erupted into violence. As long as no humans, braceleted or feathered, bring harm to the elves when they trade, the elves are largely uncaring regarding the humans' beliefs.
Some of the citizens of Gallardshold wear either a single hawk feather braided into the right side of their hair or a white leather bracelet on their left wrist. The display of the feather indicates that the person feels that the elves of the Wyrdeep should be exempt from Chaston's Edict, while the display of the bracelet indicates that the person supports Chaston's Edict in the case of the elves. The tension between supporters of the edict and supporters of the elves is subtle but distinct, though it has rarely erupted into violence. As long as no humans, braceleted or feathered, bring harm to the elves when they trade, the elves are largely uncaring regarding the humans' beliefs.
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=== Chastonia ===
Chastonia is bordered by low mountains to the west, which block out the severe storms that move in from the coast. The moderate climate makes for many large farms and vineyards. The southern borders of Chastonia are often raided, making that area less settled than most of the rest of the Empire.

Due to the great love that many of the people of Ubl hold for animal companions, it is unsurprising that one of their native birds was chosen to represent them and the county as a whole. Local legend holds that a seagull led a fisherman lost at sea in the midst of a tempest to the safety of a harbor, which later became the port of Ubl. The field of dark blue represents the sea, from which many of the county's residents draw their trade and support their families. The mountain peak is a recent addition following the Battle of Skyreach in 5020, an event considered a benchmark in Allace's modern history.


====Major Towns and Cities====
*The Swale

The Swale is a center for trade, as many of the regional trade routes intersect at the great caravan hub in this city. Though The Swale is not famous for any particular product, almost anything wanted can be found here. The people in The Swale are suspicious of strangers because so many traders make their way through the city, many with ill intentions. The Swale also hosts a satellite college of the Hall of Mages in Tamzyrr.

Numerous trading and caravan companies are based in The Swale, including the powerful Company of the Three Maidens and the Ulterlain Traders.

*Toullaire

[[Toullaire]] was once a center for magic and prominent Mage Households within the Empire. Toullaire was utterly destroyed in 4593 in a magical catastrophe, creating the magically-ravaged wasteland known as Ba'Lathon. The destruction of Toullaire supported the Empire adopting a more rigid stance regarding arcane instruction.


====Resources====
Chastonia produces considerable amounts of food, and fair quality wine. Though land-locked, Chastonia enjoys frequent trade with Selanthia. Due to the heavy trade traffic in this duchy, Chastonia has a great number of wagon and wheelwrights to build and repair caravan wagons.

The most prominent Chastonian wines include Chastonia clarets and a rosy Chastonia blush.
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{| style="border-collapse:collapse; border-width:1px; border-style:solid; border-color:#000; width:100%; text-align:center;"
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! style="color:#00aeef; background-color:#3e3f41;" | Exports
! style="color:#00aeef; background-color:#3e3f41;" | Imports
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| Meats || Wood
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| Cotton || Iron
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| Hides || Gems
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| Wine || Coal
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| Produce ||
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| Grain ||
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| Cloth ||
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====Local Lore and Customs====
The inhabitants of Chastonia have been known to keep a bit of dirt inside a small pouch around their necks or to fasten some turf to their hatbands in order to protect themselves from magic and possession. Similarly, it is common to hold a small handful of earth to one's forehead when swearing an oath.

A curious yearly custom known as "lifting" is followed by the peasantry of this region, wherein a person sitting on a chair or stool is lifted from the ground three times in succession. In the morning of the Festival of Oleani the men lift the women, and in the evening the women lift the men. The person being lifted is expected to give a few silvers to all those who exalt him in the name of good luck.
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Revision as of 13:21, 6 May 2015

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Traveler's Guide to the Turamzzyrian Empire is an Official GemStone IV Document, and it is protected from editing.

Map of the Turamzzyrian Empire

The human cultures are as diverse as those of any other race, though perhaps they fall more completely along geographical and political lines than any other. While all human groups are agrarian in nature, many are known for specialization in various crafts (shipbuilding, weaving, carving, scrivening, armoring and weaponsmithing, gemcutting, mining, woodcutting, etc.) In general, the resources available in each location played a large part in each culture's specialization.

The following guide should provide invaluable to the casual traveller, and it is my hope that the reader will come away from this text with a taste for each region's unique flavor.

Deinirius Antroydes
Sage, M. H. S., of the Lost Tower
Nydds
10, 16, CE 5102

The Imperial Territories

Aldora

Aldora is dominated by the Gattrof mountains, a wide, low range which occupies the eastern half of the Duchy. The west of the Duchy is inhospitable hills, broken by an occasional oasis-like valley, the largest of which is the Valley of Hourouth. Aldora is land-locked.

Aldora has very little farm land, but the hilly terrain provides exceptional grazing for the mountain goats and sheep that are abundant there. The storms that sweep up from the southwest have made the hills rocky and barren, while the protected valleys flourish and produce some rare plant life. The climate is hot and harsh.

Major Cities and Towns

  • Elstreth

Elstreth is situated in the Valley of Hourouth between the Gattrof mountains to the east, and a range of hills to the west. It is the garden spot of Aldora, and is rich compared to the rest of the Duchy. Elstreth has high walls and strong fortifications. Miles of shanties have sprung up outside the walls, full of people making their living on the vast amount of trade coming through the Duchy's hub. Elstreth also hosts a satellite college of the Hall of Mages in Tamzyrr.

The House of the Paladin, a temple built in honor of Voln, was founded in Elstreth as Voln's faithful surged in the face of numerous conflicts with the Horned Cabal. Unlike many of the more influential families within the Empire, the Chandrennins, led by the aging Duke Bannon Chandrennin, are devout followers of Voln. Here, more than any other of the southern territories, ordlyn and hathlyn are considered equals, or nearly so, to the human majority, as Voln's brotherhood finds worth in any who would take their endless cause against the undead.

Resources

Weaving houses are found throughout Aldora, and the Duchy is well known for its skilled crafters of brocade cloth. Dyes for the cloth are imported from the Duchy's coastal neighbors, and the cloths are traded throughout the Empire, bringing much needed iron in return.

Aldora is famed for its magnificent wineries, as the Duchy is perfect for grape-growing. The region has become most renown for its riesling and champagne.

Exports Imports
Meats Silks
Cotton Iron
Hides Produce
Gems Grain
Silver Dyes
Wool
Rare Herbs
Coal
Cloth
Perfumes
Wine


Local Lore and Customs

As well as the traditional methods of empathy and herbal remedy, some of the healers of Aldora practice an art called stone-tending to care for the sick. This complex belief holds that illnesses are caused by a division between the waters and the airs in a person's body, and that proper application of aspects of the earth can reunite these two forces. A stone-tender will give instructions as to how certain gems must be placed on a person's body and for what periods of time to relieve the illness. The most expensive stone-tenders use emeralds, sapphires, and diamonds, while less skilled (and affluent) stone-tenders treat illnesses with quartz, peridot, and spinels and tourmalines of various hues.

Allace

Allace is a smaller territory than most of those in the Empire, but is strategically significant, as it comprises a vast expanse of coastline, supporting many major ports and a very lucrative fishing industry. The shoreline faces northwest, meaning that the strong storms that sweep up the coastline usually lose much of their power before they reach Allace. Estoria also serves as a natural buffer for Allace. The terrain is largely hilly, with the major city Ubl being located on a massive delta. The climate is moderate.

Due to the great love that many of the people of Ubl hold for animal companions, it is unsurprising that one of their native birds was chosen to represent them and the county as a whole. Local legend holds that a seagull led a fisherman lost at sea in the midst of a tempest to the safety of a harbor, which later became the port of Ubl. The field of dark blue represents the sea, from which many of the county's residents draw their trade and support their families. The mountain peak is a recent addition following the Battle of Skyreach in 5020, an event considered a benchmark in Allace's modern history.

Major Towns and Cities

  • Ubl

Ubl is a port city, though not as large as Tamzyrr or Fairport to the north. The people of the city are friendly and easy-going. The military presence there is just enough to defend the city and patrol the surrounding wilds. The people exhibit a love of nature and a fondness for shoreline dwellings.

Resources

The sea's bounty is the focus of trade in Allace, from fish, to lamp oil, to fine dyes extracted from mollusks.

The wines of Allace are quite good, and the most popular exports include the dry, plummy Allace syrah and the golden Allace muscat.

Exports Imports
Fish Wood
Ships Grain
Produce Silver
Dyes Hides


Local Lore and Customs

In 5020, two thousand men from Ubl died at the mountain of Skyreach in a terrible battle against the Horned Cabal. Word of the terrible defeat took only two hours to return home, leaving the city heartstruck and grieving for its loss. Allace has ever after been particularly wary of the Horned Cabal. On the Eve of the Reunion, the citizens of Allace honor the dead of Skyreach by arming and guarding their cities throughout the night as if they were besieged, and they thank the dead for protecting them and promise that their sacrifice will never be in vain.

In Allace, people with eyes of a particular shade of clear, bright sky-blue are said to have Niima's Eyes. Women and girls with Niima's Eyes are often found aboard ships that set sail from Allace, for they say in Allace that Charl will not harm a woman who reminds him of his daughter.

Visitors to the city of Ubl often remark upon the incredible fondness that the Ublites have for their pets and upon the wide variety of pets kept in the city. Rangers visiting Ubl feel particularly at home, for every courtesy is extended to a ranger's companion. The Ublites feel that a person without a pet is not properly balancing the impulses of nature with the impulses of civilization, and a newly born baby is presented with its first pet on the seventh day after its birth. The character of the animal, whatever it might be, is said to shape the child's personality forever.

Bourth

Bourth is covered with lush woodlands, including the vast Wyrdeep forest in the northeast, and veined with plentiful, free-flowing rivers and streams. This provides for a most lucrative wood trade. Bourth has grown the reputation for generating the finest wood in the Empire, and also produces the most, supplying the shipwrights of Tamzyrr with their much-needed timber. Beyond the Wyrdeep forest, to the north and east, the region is protected by the great DragonSpine mountain range.

The Caulfields originally built their wealth and power on the wood of the barony and pay tribute to this resource, as well the mysterious Wyrdeep Forest, with the placement of trees upon the barony's crest. While black and white were the original colors of the crest, these colors had been replaced with red and white until fairly recently, when Aurmont Chandrennin Anodheles was made emperor. The young Emperor's favorable disposition toward Voln led the baron to return the original colors to the crest.


Major Towns and Cities

  • Gallardshold

Named for the baron who built this stronghold on the edge of the vast Wyrdeep Forest, Gallardshold boasts a stout military garrison to protect the woodcutters, trappers, and huntsmen who comprise the majority of its populace. The recent renewal of racial antipathy within the Turamzzyrian Empire has not significantly affected Gallardshold, and the largely independent elven communities within the Wyrdeep are on good, though reserved, terms with their baron. After centuries of cycling conflict and peace, Gallardshold has gained some aspects of elven culture and lore, and tales of elven witches and warlocks in the surrounding woods are common folklore when regaling the battles that captured this region of Bourth.

  • Krestle

The city of Krestle was founded in 4332 near the site of the destroyed Kedshold, a surviving city from the Kannalan Empire. Krestle is a center of commerce for the woodsmen who make their trade in Gallardshold. It is a hub of travel and known as a place where one can contract for goods and services cheaply. The people are open to strangers, although largely intolerant of humanoids, due to the region's bloody past.

The first of Voln's monasteries was founded not far from this city over a millennium ago by a giantman manor lord, Fasthr K'Tafali's. While not as large as the brotherhoods in Nydds and Elstreth, this monastery is still active in the region, and Voln's pilgrims often come here to walk the battlefield where their patron was first revealed.

  • Wyrdeep Forest

Deep and foreboding, the Wyrdeep Forest is the greatest wood within the Turamzzyrian Empire. While the Wyrdeep Forest is claimed by the Barony of Bourth, only the fringes of the forest are settled. Elven, sylvan, and half-elven refugees fled into the forest centuries ago to avoid oppressive imperial edicts, and still have villages hidden within the strange wood, though even they are unwilling to risk the mysterious and dangerous depths of the forest. Disappearances among the woodland communities are most often attributed to legends of fey magic in the wood itself, immortal faeriekin come to steal innocents for their wretched amusement, or the Wyrdeep Huntsman, a regional bogeyman of sorts.

Resources

Exports Imports
Wood Grain
Fish Iron
Gold Coal
Marble Horses
Hides Wine
Oil


Local Lore and Customs

Local lore holds that the Wyrdeep Huntsman was once a great ranger whose heart was twisted by the fey forest. Now but a shade, the Huntsman haunts the Wyrdeep with his pack of direwolves, preying on those who wander too far from the guarded villages. Some claim that even the ghostly Huntsman fears entering the heart of the forest and risking the dread denizens therein.

Some of the citizens of Gallardshold wear either a single hawk feather braided into the right side of their hair or a white leather bracelet on their left wrist. The display of the feather indicates that the person feels that the elves of the Wyrdeep should be exempt from Chaston's Edict, while the display of the bracelet indicates that the person supports Chaston's Edict in the case of the elves. The tension between supporters of the edict and supporters of the elves is subtle but distinct, though it has rarely erupted into violence. As long as no humans, braceleted or feathered, bring harm to the elves when they trade, the elves are largely uncaring regarding the humans' beliefs.

Chastonia

Chastonia is bordered by low mountains to the west, which block out the severe storms that move in from the coast. The moderate climate makes for many large farms and vineyards. The southern borders of Chastonia are often raided, making that area less settled than most of the rest of the Empire.

Due to the great love that many of the people of Ubl hold for animal companions, it is unsurprising that one of their native birds was chosen to represent them and the county as a whole. Local legend holds that a seagull led a fisherman lost at sea in the midst of a tempest to the safety of a harbor, which later became the port of Ubl. The field of dark blue represents the sea, from which many of the county's residents draw their trade and support their families. The mountain peak is a recent addition following the Battle of Skyreach in 5020, an event considered a benchmark in Allace's modern history.


Major Towns and Cities

  • The Swale

The Swale is a center for trade, as many of the regional trade routes intersect at the great caravan hub in this city. Though The Swale is not famous for any particular product, almost anything wanted can be found here. The people in The Swale are suspicious of strangers because so many traders make their way through the city, many with ill intentions. The Swale also hosts a satellite college of the Hall of Mages in Tamzyrr.

Numerous trading and caravan companies are based in The Swale, including the powerful Company of the Three Maidens and the Ulterlain Traders.

  • Toullaire

Toullaire was once a center for magic and prominent Mage Households within the Empire. Toullaire was utterly destroyed in 4593 in a magical catastrophe, creating the magically-ravaged wasteland known as Ba'Lathon. The destruction of Toullaire supported the Empire adopting a more rigid stance regarding arcane instruction.


Resources

Chastonia produces considerable amounts of food, and fair quality wine. Though land-locked, Chastonia enjoys frequent trade with Selanthia. Due to the heavy trade traffic in this duchy, Chastonia has a great number of wagon and wheelwrights to build and repair caravan wagons.

The most prominent Chastonian wines include Chastonia clarets and a rosy Chastonia blush.

Exports Imports
Meats Wood
Cotton Iron
Hides Gems
Wine Coal
Produce
Grain
Cloth


Local Lore and Customs

The inhabitants of Chastonia have been known to keep a bit of dirt inside a small pouch around their necks or to fasten some turf to their hatbands in order to protect themselves from magic and possession. Similarly, it is common to hold a small handful of earth to one's forehead when swearing an oath.

A curious yearly custom known as "lifting" is followed by the peasantry of this region, wherein a person sitting on a chair or stool is lifted from the ground three times in succession. In the morning of the Festival of Oleani the men lift the women, and in the evening the women lift the men. The person being lifted is expected to give a few silvers to all those who exalt him in the name of good luck.

The Tehir

An extended discussion of the Tehir culture is available here.

The Tehir are a relatively primitive nomadic people of a tribal culture. They live in the Sea of Fire where they have adapted to the extremely harsh environment within the great desert, typically migrating from oasis to oasis throughout the seasons, herding their few goats and yierkas, and living off of the sparse desert bounty.

Sometimes referred to as the Veiled Men, due to their tradition of wearing veils over their noses and mouths to show that a man has reached adulthood, Tehir legend holds that this veil protects against the evil spirits of the desert. The various styles and colors of the veil have additional meaning, e.g., one color might reflect strength in combat, while an unusual cloth indicates wisdom of an elder.

Tehir women do not wear facial veils, rather they wear head-scarves once they have married. It is customary among Tehir women to have elaborate tattoos on their faces and necks, which the Tehir people find to be very attractive. Tehir men also wear tattoos, though they tend to be around the eyes and on the arms.

Goatskin and yierka-hide tents woven by the women of the tribes are the most common shelters in Tehir culture. In the southeastern desert, nearest the mountains separating the desert from Hendor, caves within desert cliffs are sometimes used for the more sedentary tribes.

While there are a handful of Tehir tribes that are on good or neutral terms with the Empire, most of the fierce Tehir are constantly in conflict with the Turamzzyrian Empire over the copper mines found within the Sea of Fire. The Tehir hit-and-run tactics coupled with the harsh environment make them a difficult enemy for the Empire to defeat. At the same token, the Tehir are unable to drive the outlanders from the mines, and often their raids are ineffective against the well-guarded imperial caravans.

Prior to the discovery of copper mines within the desert, the Tehir tribes often fought one another for control over various oases and herds. On the occasions where such conflicts led to a complete defeat, or the capture of enemies, it was not uncommon for the victors to enslave their captives. This practice is still held in a few of the Tehir tribes, and it is rumored that on rare occasions imperial soldiers have been taken as captives. By and large, however, the practice of enslaving captives has dwindled or died out in most of the Tehir tribes.

Turamzzyrian Wines

The Turamzzyrian Empire has numerous mild coastal regions that are rich in vineyards and fine wines. While each of these regions are capable of producing several varietals, they have become famous for one or two specialties.

The Aldora riesling wines are known for their floral perfume. Depending on where they're made, they can be crisp and bone-dry, full-bodied and spicy or luscious and sweet. The small, white wine grape flourishes in the hot, harsh climate of Aldora and vineyards struggle to expand production, using every bit of rocky, barren hillscape they can find with sufficient soil for rootings.

The silvery, effervescent champagne from Aldora is a result of tenacious efforts of a small group of vintners. Though the grapes seem to prefer the dry, warm climate compared to the cooler, damp weather of several other regions, finding patches of land sheltered from the extremes has proven difficult. This contributes to the pricey cost of the bubbly wine, as well as the limited quantity each harvest. In addition to its pale, silvery color, the champagne is also of the dry variety.

The Selanthia marsanne is a rich white wine imbued with an undertone resembling pears, citrus and nuts. Light in both color and feel on the tongue, this delightful dry wine is meant to compliment foods instead of overshadow them. The verdant farmland of Selanthia, blessed with cool, moist fog along the coast during the evening, makes an ideal growing zone for this delicate grape.

The Selanthia merlot is a red wine with medium to full body and herbaceous flavors. Typically softer in taste than other dry red wines, merlot can be bottled as a stand-alone wine, or blended with other red wines to create more complex varities. The foothills of Selanthia are often terraced with the vineyards that produce this wine, the lush green rows contrasting against the golden summer fields.

Chastonia claret is a light, red wine, created from a blend of local Chastonia grapes and small percentages of neighboring regional red wines, giving this soft but complex wine its unique flavor. Redolent of berry with a touch of oak and grass, the claret reflects the temperate climate that envelops the area and nourishes the vines.

Chastonia also produces a light and sweet blush wine, which gets its rosy color from a very short period of contact with the grape skins during the wine-making process. The temperate farmland of Chastonia has helped the region create a niche market for blush wines, especially with the sheltering mountains to the west, containing the area's micro-climate.

The vineyards of Estoria provide hardy grapes that produce a quality table wine for every-day use each harvest. Without quite the finesse and polish of its pricey cousins produced in other territories, the burgundy remains a local favorite. Often served with mid-day and evening meals and during festivals, the wine is particularly popular for the blessing of the fleet as the fishing season begins, and the harvesting and crushing of the grapes themselves.

The syrah grapes of Allace can produce monumental red wines with strong tannins and complex combinations of flavors including berry, plum and smoke. It makes tannic, age-worthy wines easily identified by a very characteristic floral, black pepper fragrance. Using the labor-intensive delestage, or rack-and-return method of fermenting and development, the wine develops slowly and spends a long time aging in oak barrels after delestage. Cool summer weather, often a hazard for fertile vineyards near the Allace coastline, can ruin an entire harvest or produce a winning crop.

The Allacian white muscat grape produces spicy, floral wines that often do something most other wines don't: they actually taste like grapes. Muscats can range from very dry and fresh, to sweet and syrupy. The deep golden hue of the Allace varietal distinguishes it from most white wines produced in the Imperial territories. Usually savored alone or with dessert, the perfect blend of undertones can be attributed to the close proximity to the coastline, where the damp night air lengthens the growing season.

From Vornavis comes a dark mourverde, a pleasant medium-weight wine with cherry and berry flavors. Offering earthy aromas and a pleasing palate, this luscious grape produces a good drinking wine from the rolling vineyard-striped hills of Vornavis. A reserve vintage sits in oaken barrels in the wine cellar of Baron Malwind, and is sometimes served at special celebrations.

The Vornavis chardonnay is a white wine that can range from clean and crisp with a hint of varietal flavor to rich and complex oak-aged wines. Chardonnay typically balances fruit, acidity and texture. Winegrowers in Vornavis often keep the chardonnay vines to the more level farmland areas, unlike the mourvedre vines which prefer hilly locations.

Oire grenache is a red wine with a fruity, spicy, medium body and evident tannins, that can stand up to accompanying heavy, rich foods and meats. The often rough terrain along the coast of Oire provides a challenging location for the vines, creating a flavorful grape. The hearty, peppery wine can be blended with white wine grapes, to produce a dry blush wine for lighter fare.

Often growing side by side with the grenache vineyards, Oire's production of muscat grapes creates a quality port with cherry undertones and a slight chocolatey aroma. Often served to compliment complex desserts that can stand up to the full-bodied wine, the dark port has a beautiful, brilliant ruby hue when held up to the light. Whether sipped alone or used in a sauce, this treasured port can often be found in good quantity, while other vintages aged for a good many years cost a pretty sum.