Tamasia
To the south of the Kingdom of Mandia lies a great Grass Sea. Dominating this plain is another kingdom, a kingdom of masterful riders. This is Tamasia, a proud land of hardworking people.
Structure
Tamasia is a monarchy, where the ruling monarch has a vast majority of the power. The succession traditionally passes to the the eldest daughter of the monarch. As such, there have been far more queens than kings.
Apart from this, the most important aspect of Tamasian government is the feudal system in place. This creates a very organized structure of nobility, although their power is very limited as opposed to the queen. Commoners are allowed a surprising amount of mobility by this system, although their crimes are still punished extremely harshly.
History
The spread of humanity was slow before the Second Imperial War, but it did occur. Primitive humans migrated to the south and quickly tamed the local horses. They lived off the land in nomadic tribes, and they thrived.
Their lack of settlement proved difficult for the mind flayers, thus they survived both the First Rising and the Second Rising relatively unscathed. This led to a certain prosperity that attracted settlement from the halflings of the north.
It was mostly the arrival of the sedentary halflings that gradually changed the culture of their human neighbors. They began creating villages of their own, but humans never do things halfway. It didn't take long before these settlements grew larger.
The first of these was Tamas, and so it grew to become the largest. Each of the southern towns were completely independent, and ruled by a noble family. Each noble had desires to rule all others and raised troops to do so. The violence lasted for decades, and nowhere in the Grass Sea was safe from the war.
It was one person that ended this war. This was a young woman named Visalia Leonsen who tired of the violence that claimed her family and swore to stop it. Peaceful methods failed, so she raised an army of the common folk and fought against the nobles.
She proved to be a charismatic leader, and a masterful tactician. After a relatively short campaign, the other contenders were either defeated or bowed to her. She was crowned the first queen of Tamasia, and the kingdom has traditionally been ruled by women ever since.
The first invasions of the mind flayers were easy for the early Tamasians due to their mobility, but the Third Rising was different. Many villages were simply wiped from the map and whole packs of gnolls were eradicated or enslaved in days. Tamas was besieged in the early days of the invasion.
It was a company of wizards that kept the mind flayers at bay. They capitalized on the creatures' lack of magical understanding and used carefully-placed wards to turn the city into a killing ground. When the battle was done these wizards were rewarded with special privileges in exchange for service to the throne. They became the Alabaster Brotherhood.
Shortly after the Battle of Tamas, Tamasia allied with Mandia to drive the beasts and their thralls back to the underground. Even with their combined might, they were still slowly losing ground. Luckily, Larrison and Avela Darkwood defeated the Overbrain shortly after, sending the mind flayers into full retreat.
The alliance of necessity between Tamasia and Mandia soon disolved, and they returned to their former rivalry. Their history since has been mostly stable, with the kindom's power waxing and waning. They have mostly kept to themselves, however.
The only event of note was the invasion of Ansarien Ill'conter. The Tamasians received warning of the attack when Whiteriver fell, so they prepared themselves for war. In response, Ansarien chose to march north instead to enslave Eroch before attacking Tamasia. This decision would lead to his defeat at the hands of Eldain Mal'atre.
Demography and Population
As with their neighbors to the north, the majority of the Tamasian population is human with a minority being halflings. Unlike Mandia, the population lacks the diversity, meaning that these demographics are more pronounced.
The raiders common in most places also lack the Mandian diversity. A vast majority are gnolls, with some being hobgoblins. Most of the latter are encountered going to and from the Gnollmarket. Not all gnoll packs are raiders, but none are granted citizenship by the Tamasian throne.
Military
The Tamasian army is an organized force of full-time professionals. Generally, they are very well-trained, although they are not numerous. The pride of Tamasia is their cavalry, as they are known to have the best riders in all the Twin Worlds.
Each noble has knights sworn to their service. These are largely taken from the most elite of the army's cavalrymen, but some were squires chosen from the local population at a young age. Knights are considered to be of the nobility, and some are eventually rewarded for their service with a true noble title.
The army's martial might is supplemented by the Alabaster Brotherhood, an order of wizards in service to the queen. While they aren't affiliated with the army, they still primarily serve in a military capacity as warmages.
Foreign Relations
For most of its history, Tamasia has had a longstanding rivalry with its neighbor to the north, the kingdom of Mandia. This rivalry rarely leads to open hostility, but instead a cold war of influence. Individual citizens only hold to this rivalry far from the borders, however.
Due to both the high population and mercantile importance of Mandia, Tamasia has almost no chance of getting the best of this rivalry. It is very ill-advised to mention this to any member of the Tamasian nobility at any level.
Agriculture & Industry
One of the most important crops produced by Tamasia is grain. While much of it is used for food, most is used in the creation of ale and whiskey. The nation is the largest producer of such beverages in the whole of the Twin Worlds.
They also pasture many livestock, primarily sheep. This allows for the production of a great deal of wool. Tamasia is also just as well-known for its horses as it is for its riders. The Tamasian Charger is widely considered to be among the finest breeds of horses in the Twin Worlds.
Trade & Transport
Despite their rivalry with their nearest neighbor, much of the trade into and out of Tamasia is with Mandia. This is something of a point of contention with the nobility, and especially the royalty that rules the nation. Still, merchants make this profitable journey.
For the most part trade is overland, with merchants bringing wagons over the gently rolling hills. This is often dangerous, as gnoll attacks are common. Regular patrols, and nobles offering protection in exchange for a share of the profits do mitigate this risk somewhat.
Due to the way Tamasian civilization developed, sea trade is a surprising rarity. Most of it flows through the predominantly halfling city of Seahome, and often goes to Port Vald, Qandaq City, or even as far afield as Kokyoto. The pastoral nature of the halflings prevents rapid development, however.
Tamasia is a major exporter of ale, whiskey, and wool. The most famous of such exports is horses, as those bred here are the best warhorses in the Twin Worlds. They usually import raw materials, such as metal, or especially lumber.
Infrastructure
Large cities are a rarity in Tamasia. The capital, Tamas, and Seahome are rare exceptions to this. Still, for the most part communities here are small agricultural communities of humans and halflings.
Most buildings in such villages are of earthen construction with dirt walls and sod roofs. Because of the lack of other building materials, imported timber is extremely valued, and often reserved for things such as inns and the dwellings of the wealthy.
Most nobles have a castle from which they rule their fiefdoms. Those of the obscenely wealthy are made from imported stone, although such things are becoming increasingly common due to their longevity. Most, however, are wooden, with high wood walls surrounding large manor house.
Founding Date
9 Helianos, 87 2R
Type
Geopolitical, Kingdom
Capital
Demonym
Tamasian
Government System
Monarchy, Absolute
Power Structure
Feudal state
Economic System
Traditional
Subsidiary Organizations
Location
Neighboring Nations
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