| Tuhiland | |
|---|---|
| |
| Region Number | 126 |
| Realm | Kingdom of the Carmine Sea |
| Population | 66,000 |
| Resources | Sparkfellow Icicles, Coal |
| Imports | Wood |
| Religion | Pagan sun worship |
Tuhiland is the name given by the Jarrs to the region to the south of the Farridon-Tempestia border. It was either the origin of the wildling invasion of those regions in 437 or was crossed by the wildlings en route.
Following the incursion, Carmine troops were stationed in the region and, despite initial reports following the region's discovery in the 420s having reported a population of over sixty thousand, found it deathly empty. Signs of great carnage and destruction marked the land, whether done by the wildlings or something else is unclear. The troops met no resistance and only occasionally founnd survivors who refused to speak of anything and seemed to avoid the Carmine regiments. The detatchment established a forward outpost but the officers wrote back to the King of a great unease about the land and an uncertainty of their safety in the region.[1]
Geography[]
Tuhiland is a rather vague area between the eastern ocean and the Black Sea, comprising a variety of islands, peninsulae and causeways surrounding fjords and freshwater lakes. Much of the land and water to the south is frozen for most of the year, and much of the land is covered in glaciers. Towards the north, near the border with Farridon and Tempestia, the land is more temperate, and this area provides all the region's arable land.
The Field of Stars is an ice field, nearly completely flat, resembles a frozen body of water. During the long nights it is a particularly favourable spot for stargazing.
The Glowing Cavern lies at the centre of the largest glacier in the south. It is full of the Sparkfellow icicles so prized by the humans, and particularly intrepid ones have been known to venture there as a form of pilgrimage, though such adventures are largely the stuff of legend. It also lies at the heart of the domain of the Liusti elves, although the cavern itself is not inhabited. It is said that on midwinter's eve the light from the cavern is visible even from outside the glacier.
The Black Lakes are a series of large lakes which collectively make up much of the south of the region. They are dark, apparently deep, and many of them bereft of any perceptible life. In winter some of them freeze over, which allows easier passage from the south – it is believed this is how the wildlings entered the region – although even before this they were regarded as ill-omened by the human population, and few would venture out onto them.
People[]
The majority of the people are humans, previously divided into a number of loosely-organised tribes which have all but disintegrated in recent years. The remainder, a very small minority, are elves.
Most of the humans now live in small communities based around family units. They are generally small and dark of skin; some groups bear slight evidence of fae blood, probably due to interbreeding with the local elven clans.
There was limited contact between the elves and humans prior to the arrival of the wildlings and then the Carmine army. The humans refused to venture into the elven caverns, but traded with them for coal and icicles as sources of light and heat. Some of the humans recount legends of elven ancestry, although no humans seem to have ventured to live among the elves, and they have remained relatively pure faeblood strains, albeit altered by centuries of isolation.
There is a very small minority of fae folk, in three separate communities. The first, known as the Kriïti, live in caves in the chalk cliffs in the north. Colloquially called the Chalk Elves, they are very fair of skin with hair that ranges from green through brown to red. Further south, on one of the islands, live the Liusti, or Glacier Elves. Like the Kriïti they are cave dwellers, living in often elaborate caverns carved from the ice. Their skin is alabaster with a bluish tinge, and their hair tends to be white or blue.
The third group are the Susi, or Coal Elves, who live near the seams that give them their name. Their skin is ebony, with hair ranging from brown to the same deep black as their skin Combined, the elves number no more than a few thousand, although their secluded locations meant they were relatively unaffected by the wildling invasion.
History and Government[]
The region had not previously had any known government. Most of the native leadership structures among the human population broke down during wildling incursions in the 430s. It is believed that the humans were previously governed on a tribal level, but that their leaders were lost, or that the people turned away from them after they proved unable to deal with the wildlings. After the defeat of the wildlings in the north by King Khyne and Duke Clovis, the Carmine army advanced into the region to establish a buffer against further incursions. Meeting with no resistance from the natives, the army established a frontier in the south and west and sent out scouts to find and deal with the local population.
Some of the humans put their faith in their religion, and specifically in a person who came to be known as the Defier of the Dark, who would appear in their hour of need to end their suffering. When word of this reached King Alfmark, joining his troops in securing the frontier in the region, he summoned his cousin Elwyr, who, thanks to the glowing circle on his forehead, was widely recognised as the prophesied individual. The humans eventually agreed to follow Elwyr, who in turn owes allegiance to the king.
The king privately met with the leaders of the elven clans and convinced them to accept his protection as part of a reunited old elven kingdom, with the assistance of copious quantities of vodka and large numbers of troops. A singular leader was nominated by each clan to take up the earldom, with Alfmark recognised as king of all the clans. The region then became a fully incorporated part of the Kingdom of the Carmine Sea.
Resources[]
On the ice fields to the south, a curious form of icicles grow, called Sparkfellows. Although they visually appear indistinguishable from normal icicles, they are unusually hard and heat-resistant, and when struck with a flint they are known to produce sparks. When struck together they not only spark but produce a blue-white glow which lasts until the icicle melts away, a process which can take several days or even weeks depending on the ambient temperature and the size of the icicle. The icicles are highly valued by the humans of the region, especially during the long months of winter when the sun never rises.
The Coal Elves, as their name suggests, specialise in the mining and distribution of coal, with which the region is generously provisioned in the south.
Religion[]
The elves are largely pagan animists. The human population follow a cult devoted to light and the sun. There is no central organisation of the cult and there are some differences in practice between communities, but all share a deeply rooted fear of the dark: both the caves in which the elves reside, and the dark of night, which at this latitude can last for many months at a time during the winter. Also common to all followers is the belief that a chosen one will appear to deliver the people in their hour of need, known as the Defier of the Dark.