The Touv People

The Touv remain an enigmatic and powerful force within Hepmonaland, their culture deeply rooted in ancient traditions and divine influences. Though their pantheon is lesser known outside their homeland, the influence of their gods continues to shape their people’s destiny.

---

The Touv are a human people indigenous to Hepmonaland, particularly the jungles of the central region and the savannas of the south. A thousand years ago, they were united under the mighty Kingdom of Kunda, which waged war against the Olman of the northern jungles, ultimately destroying their kingdoms. However, this victory brought instability, as Kunda's vassals gradually broke away, leading to the kingdom’s collapse.

Touv people have dark brown or near-black skin, straight or wavy black hair, and blue or brown eyes, with black eyes being rare. Their facial features are generally rounded, and they tend to be shorter than the peoples of the Flanaess, with most not exceeding 5’10” in height. Touv men typically cannot grow facial hair, though some tribal groups have individuals who can grow narrow beards. Touv women are often described as having round and lush figures.

Language and Culture

The Touv people speak Touv, a complex language that is a polyglot of many tribal tongues, containing numerous synonyms for the same concepts. They use the Touv Calendar to mark time. Historically, the Touv have engaged in prolonged conflicts with the Olman Empire, opposing their practices of slavery and ritual sacrifice. Over time, the Touv have built cities both in Hepmonaland and within the Amedio Jungle.

Many Touv who migrated to the Flanaess have either assimilated into local cultures or continued to worship their traditional gods. However, the Touv Pantheon remains largely unknown outside Hepmonaland, and what little is known comes from artifacts and interviews with those who have explored the jungle continent.

The Touv Pantheon

The Touv Pantheon consists of powerful spirits that maintain a connection with their people through priests, shamans, and clerics. Some gods are benevolent, fostering prosperity and protection, while others represent darker aspects of existence, such as fear, poison, and nightmares.

Major Deities of the Touv Pantheon

• Uvot (NG, Greater God of Prosperity and Creation) – Represents the bounty of the land and prosperity through its use. Depicted as a Touv child surrounded by fruits, grains, and crafted items.
• Nola (NG, Goddess of the Sun) – Symbolizes life-giving light and revelation. Appears as a serene Touv woman with a corona of flame around her head.
• Breeka (N, Goddess of Living Things) – Governs the balance of nature, indifferent to suffering or joy. She is depicted as a middle-aged woman with dark green skin and many worry lines.
• Vogan (CG, God of Weather and Storms) – Controls rain and storms, both beneficial and destructive. Seen as a laughing Touv man with cascading water for hair.
• Katay (LN, God of Decay, Inevitability, Order, and Time) – Manifests the relentless cycle of life, death, and rebirth. He is an elderly man with youthful eyes, wearing a decaying animal pelt and carrying a copper disk with Touv runes.
• Kundo (LG, God of Building, Noise, Music, and Defense) – A boisterous guardian deity, often depicted as a laughing Touv man carrying a great shield and a bundle of saplings.
• Xanag (N, Goddess of Metals and Beauty) – Represents metalworking and physical beauty. She is depicted as a Touv woman seemingly made of gold, surrounded by radiant light.

Dark Deities of the Touv Pantheon

• Meyanok (NE, God of Serpents, Poison, Discord, Darkness, and Famine) – The progenitor of Touv evil deities, seeking to corrupt his family. Depicted as a serpent coiled around a skull.
• Vara (NE, Demipower of Nightmares and Fear) – The eldest daughter of Meyanok, she thrives on terror and deception. Often shown as a Touv woman with stars in her hair and red eyes.
• Damaran (NE, Demipower of Vermin and Cowardice) – Patron of vermin and survival instincts, depicted as a skulking Touv man surrounded by rats and insects.
• Berna (CN, Demipower of Passion and Forgiveness) – Once an agent of hatred, she was transformed into a goddess of strong emotions and redemption. Appears as a Touv woman wearing the skin of a jungle cat, with a bright red-gold heart shining from her chest.

The Touv Creation Story

"In the beginning, before the first true people, the Touv, walked the bountiful earth, the world was lonely and had no soul. The land produced green growing things, animals that walked, flew, or swam, and gifts of the earth, but there was no spirit to guide them. From the land’s bounty rose Uvot, a great noise from the earth and all upon it. He thanked the warm sun for its blessings, awakening Nola, the goddess of the Sun. Then a gentle rain fell, and from it came Vogan, the blessed storm."

"Nola and Vogan admired each other, their aspects complementing one another, enriching Uvot. From their union, Breeka, the goddess of beasts and plants, was born. In time, Breeka gave birth to Katay, the god of death, rot, and rebirth, and to Xanag, the metallic spirit whose beauty shone with her mother’s fire. Kundo, the spirit of noise and building, was later born of Xanag’s radiance."

"But from Breeka’s nightmares, birthed in pain, came a dark force: Meyanok, the diseased serpent. He hatched three foul children—Vara, the spirit of fear and nightmares; Damaran, the vermin that scuttles; and Berna, once a hateful force but later transformed into passion."

"Thus were the gods formed, and thus the world was shaped by their struggles, blessings, and betrayals."

Religious Practices and Worship

Touv deities interact with their followers through clerics, shamans, and priests, who serve as intermediaries between the spirits and mortals. Numerous lesser spirits tied to specific land features, animals, and plants also exist, and many Touv shamans focus on these spirits for guidance rather than the greater gods.

The gods of the Touv Pantheon offer various domains to their followers, including Life, Nature, Forge, Tempest, and Trickery. Priests are responsible for recording births, deaths, and major events, preserving traditions, maintaining balance in nature, and protecting their communities from supernatural and mundane threats alike.