Queendom of Taldeurtotun
The Queendom of Taldeurtotun is one of the few nations who holds its heritage to the calissae so dearly to its values. Ever since The Withering, and its controversial rise through the geopolitical scene, Taldeurtotun has been subjected to unfair demands and prejudiced jurisdiction within its alliances. The Taldeur people have become restless with their subjugation, and the queen herself has promised to usher in a new era of prosperity for her country.
Culture
Taldeurtotun has a unique problem as many of its residents are constantly on the watch for their very souls.
Thousands of years ago, humans and halflings served giants in the region. As giants experimented with their runic magic that affected the soul in different ways, it caused permanent changes to flora, fauna, and even the earth around them. Some creatures feed on the energy of souls, either quickly or even over years if left unnoticed. Plantlife that locals must learn to identify at an early age will attempt to combine with shards and attach to living beings like a parasite. Crystals and geodes will sap strength, or even attempt to steal shards from victims.
To ward off many of these soul-leeching entities, Taldeur locals practice protective giant magic passed down through generations. A person is given tattoos with giant warding runes as soon as they can bear it, placed at the based of the neck and down the spine. A ritual is performed by the local Runetaler to strengthen and renew the tattoo's power every year. Outsiders are not given these tattoos, and can instead pay exorbitant prices for temporary wards sold by Runetalers. Anyone who has immigrated to Taldeurtotun must first live there for a year and perform a rite of citizenship before they will be eligible for them.
History
The Taldeur people served the Oben clan of giants for thousands of years in the Age of Ash and Ruin, first as slaves as humans typically did, and then later as elite warriors. After the fall of Eibenveste and the Withering, the Taldeur people would be a loose collection of peoples fighting for control of the remnants of Eibenveste for over a hundred years. In 203 DC, the Queendom of Taldeurtotun was formed when Elena-Sophie Kress solidified power and conquered all of Eibenveste and the nearby island of Walsbrunn, where she would establish the capital of Taldeurhafen.
Much of the emerging society was based on the culture of the Oben clan, including the matriarchal rule, a focus on structure and military power, and an expansionist mindset that has seen Taldeurtotun wage war with all of its neighbors at some point in its history.
Holidays
Wergentag is celebrated primarily in Nieheim on Solcon 50th in reverence to Ortasmos and all his children. The origins of the holiday stretch back thousands of years into the Age of Ash and Ruin. Back then, the Taldeur people were a loose collection of clans around southeastern Khil. The Oben clan of giants would occasionally return to the region in their flyteholdes and take some of the Taldeur peoples, who believed at the time that this was a blessing. To be taken onto their flyteholdes was seen as being saved, and some even thought it was necessary to pass on after death. The remaining peoples would celebrate their selected kin by drinking, dancing, and singing late into the night. These festive affairs, then called weiterfests, could have happened multiple times a year or only once every few years depending on how frequently the Oben clan returned to the region. Towards the end of the Age of Ash and Ruin, weiterfests became more associated with good service to the Oben clan, celebrating victories, or a bountiful harvest. After the Withering, weiterfests became much less common and nearly stopped entirely among the Taldeur people, but they remained consistent near Nieheim. There, the people began having their celebrations on the same day each year as an attempt to please the giants, hoping that they would return to them. Around the turn of the 2nd century DC, when faith in giants' return had essentially disappeared entirely, the day became instead one of celebrating Taldeur culture, and honouring Ortasmos, whom they began to credit for keeping them hopeful. The day was first called Wergentag in 207 DC, and has been celebrated annually ever since, with observance of the holiday varying by region in Taldeurtotun.
Type
Geopolitical, Queendom
Capital
Alternative Names
Taldeur
Demonym
Taldeur
Controlled Territories
Comments