Tethyr
Tethyr is a feudal realm ruled by Queen Anais from its capital of Darromar. The queen commands her dukes, who in turn receive homage from the counts and countesses of the realm, appoint sheriffs over their counties, and generally maintain order. The farmlands of Tethyr are abundant, and its markets flow freely with trade from the Western Heartlands.
Tethyr has seen more than its share of noble intrigue and royal murder, and adventurers who are native to Tethyr or merely passing through that land are often drawn into such plots, either as unwitting accomplices or as easy scapegoats.
Structure
Tethyr is traditionally a hereditary monarchy, with the monarch ruling with the assent and assistance of a governing council.
The Royal Council of Tethyr has been established, representing the realm’s dukes, premier warriors and noteworthies. The elves of Tethir and the halflings of the Purple Hills have voices on the Council, as do the Druids of the Wealdath. In order to retain their position, the dukes and counts must rule responsibly and sensibly, and failure to do so may result in their removal.
Tethyr has complex internal boundaries. The nation is centred on the Crown Lands, the areas adjacent to the capital city at Darromar. Around this region, the nation is divided into three principalities: the Principality of the Corsairs’ Sea in the north-west, the Principality of Ankramir in the south-west and the Principality of the Iltkazar Highlands in the east. The Principality of the Corsairs’ Sea is divided into the duchies of Cape Velen and the Wealdath; Ankramir is divided between the duchies of the Purple Marches, Kamlann and Ankaram; the Iltkazar Highlands are divided into the duchies of the Golden Marches and Suretmarch. Each duchy is sub-divided into smaller counties.
Demography and Population
Population: 3,771,360
Demographics: Humans (76%), halflings (20%), elves (3%), other (1%)
Tethyr is Faerûn’s second-largest nation, behind only Halruaa (and only if you include all Halruaa’s vast, mountainous and lightly-settled borders), and one of its more populous.
Tethyr has a notable internal division between the human-controlled plains and mountains, and elf-controlled lands in the Wealdath (the Forest of Tethir). The elven lands within the Wealdath are effectively autonomous but fully integrated into the Tethyrian political system, with elven military and noble ranks acknowledged across the entire kingdom and the rulers of the forest acknowledged members of the Royal Council. In this way, Tethyr strives to avoid internal, racial strife. Tethyr has a large halfling population in the Purple Hills and along the northern slopes of the Marching Mountains, and a smaller dwarven population mostly located in the eastern mountains.
Territories
Tethyr is a large country located south of the Sword Coast, between the nations of Amn to the north and Calimshan to the south. Its western coast is on the Sea of Swords, and pirates of the Nelanther Isles had long harried the kingdom's maritime commerce, especially as trade vessels bound for or returning from far-off Maztica. Finally, the Omlarandin Mountains stand to the east.
The kingdom’s borders are defined as the River Agis and Marching Mountains to the south; the Omlarandin Peaks, Kuldin Peaks and Snowflake Mountains to the east; and the Tethir Road to the north, as far east as Trailstone, where the border moves north to the Tejarn Hills and runs east to Shilmista, the Forest of Shadows (this region is disputed by Am). The Trackless Sea forms the border to the west, and the southern end of the Sea of Swords to the far north-west. Tethyr incorporates all of the Dragon’s Neck (sometimes called the Tethyr Peninsula) and the entire, vast forest known as the Wealdath, or Forest of Tethir, as well as the northern part of the Forest of Mir.
Much of Tethyr’s civilisation is clustered along the banks of its two great rivers, the Sulduskoon in the north and the Ith (once called the Wurlur) in the south. The plains between the two rivers are well-watered and are home to vast numbers of farms and dairies. The Purple Hills along the coast are home to vineyards and wineries. The lands to the east are hilly and mountainous, where Tethyr’s borders meet those of its former vassal of Erlkazar.
Geographical Features
Inland Tethyr was relatively flat, though not without hills.
The Spires of Mir covered the southern highlands of Tethyr.
The Forest of Tethir was also known as the Wealdath and was located along the Trade Way, south of the Small Teeth Mountains. In addition to the Suldusk and Elmanesse elven tribes, the Wealdath was home to a variety of fey creatures and other dangers, including dragons, wyverns, and lycanthropes. Rumors also claimed the forest hid portals to the world of the lythari, a species of shapechanging elves, though only the lythari knew the portals's locations and how to activate them.
Barely considered mountains, the foothill area of the Omlarandin Mountains was known for its rare and prized omlar gems. These gems were useful in the arcane arts and could be worth large sums.
The Snowflake Mountains laid at the far eastern edge of Tethyr. The range held some of the tallest mountains in Faerûn and formed a natural border between Tethyr, Amn, the Shining Plains, and the Lake of Steam. The area was once the barony of Impresk within Erlkazar. The best known locations in the Mountains were the Edificant Library, a place of worship of Deneir and Oghma, and the childhood home of Cadderly Bonaduce, later called Spirit Soaring.
Lower than the Snowflake Mountains, but no less treacherous, the Starspire Mountains laid in central Tethyr. It is in this range, near the inactive volcano, Mount Thargill, that the few remaining dwarf clans of Tethyr lived.
Climate
Summers in Tethyr are long and temperate. Inland regions typically experience a wet season of about two weeks with heavy rain.
Military
The Royal Army of Tethyr, the Royal Navy of Tethyr, various mercenary companies
Because Tethyr has spent more than twenty years in a state of constant conflict, enormous numbers of Tethyr’s population have recent combat experience, giving them a large pool of well-trained soldiers to call upon. As with kingdoms like Cormyr and Impiltur, Tethyr is also developing its own cadre of magic users to reinforce the conventional armies in battle.
Religion
The traditional, most-favoured gods of Tethyr are Helm, Ilmater, Torm and Tyr. The nature gods (Chauntea, Silvanus, Eldath) are also heavily worshipped, especially in and around the Forest of Tethir. Sune and Lliira are also growing in popularity. The elves of Tethir worship the Seldarine, the elven pantheon, whilst the halfling pantheon is worshipped amongst the halfling communities of the Purple Hills and the northern slopes of the Marching Mountains.
Talos, Bane and Cyric are especially unpopular in Tethyr, and the worship of Beshaba is particularly despised since her clergy’s activities are blamed for the worst excesses of the Ten Black Days of Eleint. Mystra was formerly popular before the civil war, but her worship has been associated with the decadence and corruption of that time and many of her temples in Tethyr were destroyed during the civil war. King-Consort Haedrak, in particular, is trying to encourage the return of Mystra worshippers to Tethyr.
Foreign Relations
Tethyr has re-established diplomatic ties with its neighbours. Syl-Pasha Ralan el Persarkhal of Calimshan, a wily operator if there ever was one, has welcomed Tethyr’s return to stability and offered military support to Tethyr in its struggle with Kzelter (though some ponder if he has done so with the intent of capturing Mintar, providing a springboard for a Calishite resurgence around the Lake of Steam). His full ambitions are unclear, but his good faith is being taken as genuine for the moment.
Relations with Amn are much more complex: the Council of Six has welcomed the end of the war but is deeply unhappy with Riatavin’s defection to Tethyr. War between Amn and Tethyr was only averted by the advent of the Sythillisian War instead. Tethyr has offered Amn assistance in exchange for recognising Riatavin’s annexation, a decision that Amn is agonising over (as without Tethyrian reinforcements, Amn is unlikely to be able to retake Murann from the ogres). The situation remains fluid.
Tethyr is technically in a state of war with the city-state of Mintar on the Lake of Steam, after the latter captured Tethyr’s frontier town of Kzelter. Mintar currently has 23,000 troops around Kzelter whilst Tethyr has reinforced Ithal Pass to the north-west with some 15,000 troops. Calimshan has also moved an unknown number of troops into the area. Tethyr has demanded that Mintar withdraw from Kzelter immediately, but Mintar has refused. Mintar lacks the strength to invade further into Tethyr, but Tethyr does not have enough firepower to retake Kzelter without Calishite aid, and is wary of the cost of such assistance. The situation remains tense.
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