The Mistlands

The Tuhka are a group of nomadic people living in the mistlands of the southern hemisphere. Shrouded in mystery, they have eked out an existence in the harsh landscape of the mistlands for thousands of years.

Physical Appearance

The Tuhka appear mostly human, but their skin comes in various shades of gray. Their hair is mostly black, but can also be other shades of gray or even white. Their eyes are usually a piercing light gray, with black sclera.
Many Tuhka keep their heads shaved for practical reasons (hot climate, avoiding lice and freedom of movement in battle). Those who grow out their hair usually braid it or maintain dreadlocks bound in bundles with sinew.
The Tuhka wear simple clothing of mostly leather and fur adorned with bones and feathers.

Language

The Tuhka seem to speak an archaic form of the common tongue spoken by humans in Arlyss, with elements of Ekorosi. It is believed that their language is likely the ancient tongue spoken in Old Sydonia before the doom.

Religion and Creation Myth

The Tuhka worship a pantheon of animal gods, chief of which is the bear Karhu. Other gods include:
Ukko, eagle god of the sky and thunder (possibly related to Thunnor/Thor).
Ahti, fish god of the depths.
Ilmatar, sparrow goddess of the air.
Kuu, owl goddess of the moon.
Nyyrikki, wolf god of the hunt.
Tapio, elk god of the forest.
Tursas, boar god of war (possibly related to Tyw/Tyr)
Vellamo, shark goddess of the seas.
Surma, vulture god of violent death.
Väinämöinen, mockingbird god of storytelling.
Äkräs, aurochs god of fertility and the protector of plants, especially the turnip.
The tuhka believe the world was formed out of the egg of a mythical giant eagle named Kokko, who was slain by beings of chaos as it emerged from the egg. Its body formed the land, while its blood filled the bottom of the shell and formed the oceans. The top portion of the shell formed the skies, and was held up by a great column at the center of the world.
The movement of the stars is caused by the sky-dome's rotation around the column. This rotation around the column at the center of the world causes a great whirl. Through this whirl souls can leave the world and travel to the land of dead, Tuonela.
The world is believed to be flat. At the edges of the world is Lintukoto, "the home of the birds", a warm region in which birds live during the winter.
Birds bear special significance to the Tuhka. They bring a human's soul to the body at the moment of birth, and take it away at the moment of death. In some areas, it is necessary to have a wooden bird-figure nearby to prevent the soul from escaping during sleep. This Sielulintu, "the soul-bird", protects the soul from being lost in the paths of dreams.
Tuonela is the land of dead. It is an underground city for all the dead, not only the good or the evil. It is a dark and lifeless place, where souls lie in perpetual slumber. Shaman can sometimes travel to Tuonela in trance to ask for the forefathers' guidance. To travel to Tuonela, the soul has to cross the dark river of Tulijoki. If the shaman have a proper reason, then a boat will come to take them over. Sometimes, a shaman's soul has to trick the guards of Tuonela into believing that they are actually dead.
The killing of a bear is followed by a great feast in honour of the bear (peijaiset), where a substantial part of the celebrations consist of convincing the bear's spirit that it has died accidentally and hasn't been murdered. Afterwards, the bear's skull is hung high upon a pine tree so its spirit can re-enter the heavens.

Government and Military

The clans of the Tuhka are nomadic, moving throughout the mistlands to follow herds of aurochs called lehmä. Coastal clans follow the migrations of fish and occasionally sail across the seas to other islands. Each clan is led by a chief and a shaman, and all decisions are made after the entire clan has voted on it during the Vaaleissa (election). When necessary, the chief and shaman may override the vote of the clan. Doing so is thought to call upon the wrath of the bear god Karhu, and is rarely done.
Storytellers hold a place of importance in Tuhka culture, as they have no written word and all knowledge and history is passed on via oral tradition. The Bardi of the Tuhka are thought to weave bardic magic in support of the clans.
All Tuhka (male and female) are trained to hunt and fight from an early age. During a coming of age trial and ceremony, young Tuhka (~12 years old) are initiated into one of 3 houses: metsästäjä (hunters), tarjoaja (providers), and shamaani (shamans). The hunters hunt for the clan and protect it from monsters and rival clans. The providers are charged with growing plants to sustain the clan, including leeks, wheat, barley, turnips and hops. They also tend to the aurochs who provide dairy and meat for the clan and fish in coastal areas. The shamaani are the holy men of the Tuhka, providing spiritual services to the clan as clerics of the gods.
The Tuhka favor practical weapons such as knives, bows, spears or axes. Metallurgy is entirely foreign to the Tuhka, and their weapons are bladed with bone, flint and obsidian (in volcanic regions).

History

The full history of the Tuhka is unknown, but their oral history speaks of a time long ago (likely thousands of years before the coming of man into Arlyss) when a great civilization lived in the mistlands (before it came to be covered in mist) and the land was lush and fertile. The Tuhka refer to these ancients as the masters, and their ruins can be seen throughout the mistlands. While the Tuhka live in tents and mud huts, these masters constructed towering edifices of stone, sprawling cities (now ruins dotting the mistlands) and massive statues depicting strange humanoid creatures with elongated foreheads with a third eye in the center.
The masters are believed to be responsible for the mist and the monsters and corruption that came with it. A cataclysmic event destroyed their civilization and corrupted the land, shrouding it in thick mist (thickest at the equator of the world) and killing most plant life. With the mist came horrific monsters who seem to appear from it. Wherever these monsters roam, the mist is thickest. In the "mistwall" surrounding the world live hordes of these mysterious creatures that kill anyone trying to pass through it. The Tuhka have no memory of the time before the mist.
In the millenia since the fall of the masters, the Tuhka have eked out an existence in the mistlands by never staying in one place for long. Though the land is ashen and unforgiving, the Tuhka are able to grow plants in small quantities to sustain themselves. Most of their diet comes from hunting and fishing, though they avoid eating plants or animals that have been tainted by mist. Wherever monsters roam and the mist is thickest, plants and animals wither and become infected with corruption. Black pustules grow on their flesh, and they are stricken with a fury and rage unlike any beast. Occasionally, the Tuhka fight amongst themselves. Clans have been known to go to war with one another over resources or disagreements. But should the mist thicken and the monsters appear, they will always band together to drive them back.
Because of the eternal struggle for survival in the mistlands, Storytellers are some of the most important people in Tuhka society. The importance of one's deeds being told and carrying on to future generations is one of the chief tenets of Tuhka culture. As such, they take on "titles" rather than family or clan names based on their greatest deeds.
In 1773 AD, an expedition of adventurers from Sydonia passed through the mistwall. Along with the archaeologist Gaerald Murray, they explored the western island and learned about the Tuhka and the masters. Though they failed to clear the land of the mists, the few who survived returned with information about the origins of man on Arlyss and the advanced civilization known as the Mardik who lived here millenia ago.
Soon after the return of the expedition, people throughout Sydonia reported seeing a massive shimmering platinum dragon flying across the skies heading south. This dragon flew over Dragonwatch, prompting the army to begin planning for renewed draconic hostilities. It disappeared off the coast of Southport, and was not seen again. Two weeks later, ships returning to Southport from the crossing to the marble isle reported that the mistwall had suddenly disappeared. None dared venture further into uncharted waters, but the news quickly spread throughout the west. Fleets of Sydonian and Ekorosi ships converged upon the mistlands and established forward operating posts (with Sydonia on the western island and Ekoros in the east). From there, they ventured out into the mistlands (now devoid of mist and demons) and encountered the Tuhka. Interactions were tense, and misunderstandings led to open hostilities between the Sydonians and their distant cousins. Two weeks into their campaign to conquer the mistlands, the Sydonian forward group disappeared and were never heard from again. Their fleet was largely destroyed by a group of metallic dragons, save one ship that was allowed to return to Sydonia. Meanwhile, the Ekorosi outpost was mysteriously destroyed by a volcanic eruption that also sank their entire fleet. King Edmund IV of Sydonia, as well as the merchant council of Ekoros made the decision to abandon efforts to settle in the mistlands and ordered their ships to stay away.

Maps

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  The Mistlands

A Tuhka Hunter