The Flietch-ta Empire - Geography of Tarien

Introduction

...and as the doors to the council chamber swung open, a hush went over all assembled therein. All eyes swung to the great ornamental doors as one after another Flind poured into the room in neat, ordered rows.

"Two by two they came, and the silence deepened, for these were no ordinary Flind, they were Justicar, they were the law embodied, and none dared stand to oppose them."

Two by two, they came, and the silence deepened, for these were no ordinary Flind, they were Justicar, they were the law embodied, and none dared stand to oppose them. As the last of the fifty entered, and the doors shut and locked with a decisive click of bars sliding home, the silence was broken. "We have come in accordance to your 'summoning,'" the lead Flind said, barely audible. "State your business with The Law."

A smile came over the emperor's lips as he stood, dressed head to toe in imperial white. "Yes, I have called you, Justicar," he almost spit the word, "I have called you here today to declare you all anathema. Your archaic methods are no longer needed. The Imperial House will now handle all matters of the Law."

The room went into chaos. Flind shouting at Flind, House leaders screaming in acceptance or denial... But the room lapsed back into silence as every Justicar pulled their weapons, the wicked Grishatu [editor's note: the word Grishatu roughly translates as "Bars of the Flind"; these weapons are similar to the Elynthi nunchaku, and are the symbol of the Justicar's office], and slammed them against their chests.

The silence continued for long minutes, and just as the Emperor looked about to speak, one Justicar stepped forward, and spoke the ancient words "I am the Law! The Law is dispensed through me. I find you, Emperor Cher'bit of House Harnot, guilty of defying me. Your life shall be forfeit as shall all who stand with you!"

With these words, the emperor's lips again curled into a smile, as he took one step backwards, and disappeared...

- The Histories of Justice, by Scribe Okama Jartin

History

The histories of the Flind are long, filled with social and political intrigue, and violence.

As Flind history goes, civilized society sprouted from the first Emperor, who beget five sons. These sons were quarrelsome, and took the warlike Flind under their wings to plot against each other. After years of warring, the first emperor took his sons to council, along with their finest lieutenants. He pleaded with them to lay down their arms, and pledged to show them a peaceful way to settle their differences. He sent them home, to ponder on his words, and bade them return in a full phase of the moon to meet again. Nevertheless, at the second meeting things still were not to his liking, so the emperor commanded them to meet for a full three days at every full moon until their differences were resolved. This was the beginning of the Flind Council, and the Five Major Houses. For generations, the Council met to discuss their differences, and as they forgot the war, soon the council meetings became a place to talk of trade, gossip, and the future.

As society grew, so did the idea of the Flind as the epitome of civilization. As the major Houses flourished, many of the more barbaric Flind set up their own minor Houses, putting down their arms, and embracing the feudal system. Houses governed themselves, and the Council governed the Houses. However, as society grew, so did unrest and crime, and if a house did not choose to discipline an offender, then nothing short of a house war could resolve it. The emperor Chith Harnot [editor's note: Chith Harnot reigned from 1825 BC - 1793 BC and was called "the Great Mediator"] devised and answer. On the first full moon of the year 1800 BC he had 50 young boys from various backgrounds brought to the Council Chambers, where he declared them the upholders of the common law. He titled them the Justicar, the living embodiment of the law. The Justicar were to police the people, and no one was exempt.

A full millennia passed in this way before the event known as the Schism. A minor house, known as House Chrita, somehow gained eight seats on the council, enough to rival the Major houses. With the war eminent, the Emperor called the Council. The Council met for a full month before the situation was resolved to anyone's satisfaction; House Chrita was to become a Major House in all but name. The seats were theirs to distribute as they saw fit. This moment began the clan wars, which would rage for a full five generations.

The next notable event occurred in 400 AC. The corrupt emperor Cher'bit, in an attempt to attribute more power to the imperial seat, and rid himself of the crusading Justicar, declared the Justicar no more. The imperial house would handle all facets of the law. But, the Justicar came to Council, for the first time since their inception, to defend themselves. They foiled the emperor's plans by trying and sentencing the emperor to death, but the emperor escaped.

The emperor escaped to the Elynthi capitol of Nosferius, where he bartered assistance in the upcoming war with Soulmeliti in exchange for the return of his station. He returned one month later with a contingent of Elynthi soldiers and conjurers to take back his throne. The Justicar went underground, and fought the emperor and his pawns in secret. A full 48 of them were captured and put to death. Upon Cher'bit's death in 419 AC his first son was challenged, and killed just before his enthronement, and the second son, Kerto, ascended to the throne. Kerto bore the markings of the Justicar, and reinstated them in their former position. Since then only 49 have existed at a time.

In the following years, Kerto remained true to his fathers deal with the Elynthi, and leant 300,000 Flind troops in the Elynthi/Soulmeliti war. After the war, the Flind remained on decent terms with the Elynthi.

The current Emperor is Harnot Kerto III.

Religion

Flind are not religious, per se. They believe in no gods, but instead worship the Kai, or spirit found within each person. Their religion borders on ancestor worship, or Zen.

Politics

Flind Government begins with the emperor, and the five major Houses. House Char'lot. House Grrt'ch, House Ak'uma, House Curthot, and House Gorich. These five houses, along with the emperor and the House Chith (the Imperial House), make up the Flind Council, from which all forms of governing and trade spring [editor's note: the Flind Council is kind of like a combination of a parliament and a commodities exchange]. The Council governs the houses, which in turn govern their respective members. Each Major household historically holds 10 seats on the council; One for the Head of the House, one for the Heir to the House, and 8 seats to be distributed as the Head sees fit [editor's note: these seats are often used as bargaining chips, and are good ways for Houses to form alliances; most major Houses hold as many as five Minor Houses under their sway in this way; after three generations a Seat becomes hereditary, and can only be taken away by vote; so in all actuality, many Major houses do not really "hold" all of their seats]. The Imperial House holds 10 seats as well, and the Emperor himself holds a seat. This arrangement lasted for well over 1000 years, until the First major schism of council (in 806 BC), when, through careful maneuvering, House Chrita (then a minor house) gained a full 8 seats and with the help of the emperor, became the 6th major house.

Flind politics is full of careful alliances, agreements, trades, and lies. All Flind nobles vie evenly for status and power, for in Flind society, they are one in the same.

Laws

Flind society is a Feudal system, likened to the Italian or Japanese feudal systems. Most Flind belong to a house, whether they are born into it (such as nobles) or bred into it (such as the servants, warriors, and working class). Those who are born into a house are noble born and can carry weapons, own property or slaves, ride mounts, and are eligible to speak or hold a seat at council. Those bred into a house cannot own property, but are indentured to the house itself. The house must provide shelter, food, clothing, and work for them. They also receive an allowance, which can be spent on material goods [editor's note: these goods are theirs to keep, but technically belong to the house itself]. The only time a peasant may leave the house is at birth, marriage out of house, or by dispensation from the houses head or heir.

The common class is houseless, and as such can own a limited amount of property. They may own as much material goods as they can carry on their backs (editor's note: this system dates back to when the feudal system was new and commoners were plentiful). They can also own one beast of burden, but may not saddle it. They may rent, or lease living quarters as well as shop space and materials.

Only those that are House born may use weapons in combat. It is illegal for a commoner to own, or carry a weapon. This offence is punishable by death. Because of this law, it is common for the lower classes to learn martial arts.

Economics

Flind are accomplished in many crafts, from fine silks, to gem cutting and metal work. Trade ranges from agriculture and livestock, to the service industry and slave trade. Flind are not, however, very accomplished at stone masonry or mining. They often trade agricultural products with the Khadric for both.

The primary monetary unit is the Imperial mint gold Drak. (A bar of gold, worth one platinum) and cash strings are used for smaller denominations. The Flind lower class uses cash strings and barter.

Cities

The Flind Capitol is Pashti (the Imperial Arm) and is located at the heart of the Flietch-ta Empire. It is a large city housing some 18,000 Flinds. It also holds the Imperial Palace, and the Council Chambers, as well as homes owned, or rented, by many of the Major and Minor Houses.

Justicars

"They were to be set apart from society, they were to be the living embodiment of the Law. He anointed each with ash, and armed them each with only a threshing chain, to symbolize their ties with the earth. He presented each with a scroll containing the precepts of the law, and each was immersed in oil, to signify their purity."

- The Histories of Justice, Chapter 4

The Flind Justicar are the physical embodiment of the Law. Their history dates back well over a thousand years, and in recent times they have become almost mystical beings.

The Position of Justicar is looked on as divine right by the Flind. They are 49 in number, and when one passes, another is born with the markings to take his place. When the Justicar were created they were immersed in oil, since that day the Justicar have possessed black fur as a mark of their divine right. The average Flind is of a slender build, but the Justicar are massive examples of the species.

A Justicar's word is law. At anytime a Justicar can try, and sentence any individual that he considers unlawful. A Justicar's first and only duty is to the Law. The only check to this absolute power is the will of the other Justicar. A corrupt Justicar is rare and dangerous, and would be quickly hunted down by his brethren. A Justicar may not hold political office.

International Relations

The City-state of Yaty	The Flietch-ta Empire has no relations with Yaty.
The Confederated States of Zennonaize	The Flietch-ta Empire may have heard of Zennonaize, but has no relationship with them.
The Duchy of Sternbalia	The Flietch-ta Empire has no relations with Sternbalia.
The Elanthai Council	The Elynthi and the Flinds have a strange relationship. They fight border skirmishes, mostly between various houses in each nation. They trade goods, mostly raw metals, gems, textiles, weapons, and other crafts. The Emperor sold the Flietch-ta Empire out to the Elanthai Council before the war, in order to protect his interests, and the Elynthi abused Flind units, using them as shock troops, during the conflict. Diplomatic relations are often tense, but a full-scale war has never erupted. The two nations have their best martial artists compete in an annual contest, the location of which moves from year to year.
The Emirates of the Dharja'shan	The Flietch-ta Empire has hard of the Dharja'shan and respect the honor of these stories, but it has now official relations with the desert people.
The Empire of Eldoria	The Flietch-ta Empire fought against Eldoria during the Great War. They respect the might of their legions, but see its people as weak. As of yet, official diplomatic relations and trade have not been opened.
The Free Township of Dalencroft	Most Flind caravans travelling west prefer to travel through the Orcish Hills, as it is more exciting. A few Flind, however, have paused here. Like all other peoples, Dalencroft tolerates the citizens of Flietch-ta. The Imperial Palace has no particular interest in the township.
The Grand Duchy of His Lord, Mennith	The Flietch-ta Empire has heard stories of Mennith. Flinds laugh at their silly religion and disdain their provincial ways.
The Kari-zaro Villages	The Flietch-ta Empire has no relations with these villages.
The Kingdom of Galencia	The Flietch-ta Empire has minor trade with Galencia, although the trade route is long and difficult. A few Flind have traveled to Geyla, and one Galencian, a man named Andra Norin, has taken up residence in Pashti. They have never clashed, except during the Great War.
The Lost Continent	The Flietch-ta Empire has no knowledge of this far-flung continent.
The Nerrid Alliance	The Flietch-ta Empire has no relations with Nerridia. Any Nerrid, however, found in the Empire is considered a spy and immediately put to death.
The Nomadic Wemics of Narmouth	Although few Flietch-ta citizens know of the Wemics, those that do seem to clash. Both cultures rely on a mighty system of honor and strength, and the two do not appear compatible. No official relations exist.
The Orc-Hill Tribes	The Flietch-ta Empire both trades and fights with the Orc-Hill tribes. Flinds find them inferior and take advantage of Orcs at every opportunity. Many western Flind houses have annual Orc hunts.
The Principality of Grennig	The Flietch-ta Empire has no official relations with Grennig, but appreciates their open-minded policy, as they have learned of it through the Elynthi.
The Soulmeliti Forests	The Flietch-ta Empire fought against the Soulmeliti people during the Great War and dislikes their culture and society. Soulmeliti, on the other hand, find the Flinds repulsive and feel a great grudge against them. Occasionally, a Flind or Soulmeliti border patrol will stray from fighting Orcs to clash with each other. Minor trade between the two does exist.
The Tribes of the Tzenchni'korack	The Flietch-ta Empire has no relations with these tribes.
The Underground Kingdom of the Children of Kharl	The Flietch-ta Empire has no official relationship with the Khadra, but many Flind have bumped into many Khadra on the battlefield, usually with Orcs in between them. They amuse each other with tales of Orc battles and find each other amicable. Only recently has trade between the two nations begun to trickle through the Orc-Hills.