Taurtofna

Summary

Taurtofna is an Elvish Queendom in Southeast Rhovra. The majority of the land is covered by dense rainforest where Wood Elves predominate. In the slim coastal region in the south, they are joined by the descendants of Gnomes who fled the spread of the Mycelian Collective, as well as Tortles and Tabaxi from the island of Meotyi.

Adventuring

While Taurtofna attracts few outsiders due to its humid, insect-ridden climate, it does boast a strong tradition of producing adventurers. Merely surviving in the jungles of Taurtofna requires many of the skills adventurers require, and as a result, Rangers from Taurtofna are unparalleled in their abilities. Okikerin Clerics and Paladins are also common, as are Wayfinders and Druids.

Geography

The heavy rains of the Aldinga Rainforest collect in two large rivers. The Anambril, the larger of the two, runs through the center of the confederation. The Aiso forms the northern border of Nurtawar and merges with the Anambril just north of it. Taurtofna is a flat, low-lying land whose highest hills rise little more than one-thousand feet. The weather in Taurtofna is wet and warm, and typhoons are a constant threat. Taurtofna controls the nearby islands of Nonas, Atioma, and Mariloma as well as the faraway Bulettes island chain. In addition, it controls a few settlements along the southern coast of Meotyi, the largest of which is Ubintel.

Society

Though Taurtofna is a young country, Elves and others have called this area home for generations. In that time, they have adapted to a life lived in the dense forests and jungles of the land. Elvish is the most commonly spoken language in Taurtofna to the point that few Elves from the interior forest region are fluent in Common. In the northern plains region and in major cities, Common and Elvish are spoken in equal frequency. Many Taurtofnans today wear clothes made of pingwë, a versatile fabric made of silk and a chitinous material that can be harvested from the giant mushrooms in the Mycelian Collective and giant ants. The fabric can be crafted into soft formal wear or even the equivalent of leather armor depending on the mixture of its two main components and is highly durable in all configurations. Taurtofnans have a much more casual approach to sex than Laivran Elves. Though marriage-like partnerships exist, they are not seen as mandatory, and communities play a large role in raising children. Taurtofnans have no third-gender tradition and find non-binary expression confusing, but they do not enforce the binary legally or religiously.

Politics

At less than a century old, Taurtofna is the youngest of the large Rhovran countries. The region has a strong tradition of local, democratic rule in the form of elders' councils. At higher levels of power, the government is theocratic. The Aboë, the highest position in Taurtofna, is elected from a council of Okikerin Priests and serves as both a religious and political leader. The land has suffered a number of civil wars, including one that resulted in the region of Nurtawar breaking away in 3125 AK. After her father's disastrous attempt to conquer the Deepwood, Sadaeze, the current Aboë, made peace with the Nurtawari. Taurtofna also has a strained relationship with Siligond, its northern neighbor. Though currently distracted with the war in Xepesme, Siligond has repeatedly invaded western Taurtofna to control the religiously-significant site of Lake Okike.

Economics

The interior of Taurtofna is insular, not interacting much with outsiders economically or otherwise. However, the coastal cities and towns in Taurtofna have grown in the past century with the increase in trade with the Larmashi Islands. It competes with the independent island of Toltalqea in this trade, and operates a few trade outposts in The Bulettes to facilitate their route. Though they eat a lot more meat than their neighbors, Taurtofnan Elves and Gnomes have adopted a higher-grain diet over the last few generations and rely on Siligond and the Shifting Kingdoms for nearly their entire supply of grain.

Religion

Taurtofna is one of the two centers of Okikerin worship and controls most of Lake Okike, the site where their religion holds the world was created. Taurtofna's political rivalry with Siligond is tied up with religion, as Siligond has repeatedly invaded the western Taurtofna to control Lake Okike. Both lands have settlements along the lake that share its name, one styled "the right Okike" and the other "the true Okike" when translated into common.

History

In the time immediately after The Cataclysm, most life in what would become Taurtofna was destroyed. A grove of giant trees near the village of Yáralda known to be the oldest in forest date to the Cataclysm, suggesting that a forest began growing in the area quickly. Satyr history recounts that their kind spread across the plane regrowing forests with magic, though others dismiss this as pure self-aggrandizement due to a lack of proof. Elves existed in the region before The Cataclysm but nothing is known of how they lived. The earliest histories of the region date to the 9th century AK. By that time, a kingdom named Varanwë ruled what is now the eastern coast of Taurtofna and Siligond. With no other large powers to stop it, Varanwë grew significantly during the following centuries, reaching across the center of the continent at its height before collapsing in 1313 AK. Over the following centuries, various kingdoms rose and fell in the plains north of modern Taurtofna, but only two managed to bring significant areas of the Aldinga Rainforest under their control. The first was Tarnafas between the 19th and 21st centuries AK and the second was Pirumoda for an impressive five-century stretch beginning in the 24th century. For all other periods of its history, the area's indigenous Wood Elves successfully fought off outside incursions, continuously forming and breaking small coalitions too numerous to name. A confederacy named Taurtofna was established out of a larger alliance that drove out Tarnafas, and it united the northern Aldinga for over a century. After the similar defeat of Pirumoda, various attempts were made to re-establish this old government. An agreement between representatives of the various forest communities was made in 3084 AK,nd the confederation quickly brought lands to its north and south under its rule as well. Despite various internal conflicts over its history, only one resulted in a region permanently leaving the confederation. In 3125 AK, the area now known as the Deepwood fought a brutal war to gain independence. The conflict destroyed tens of thousands of acres of forest that have yet to significantly recover.

Ancestries: Elf

Languages: Elvish (South), Elvish+Common (North)

Religions: Okikirin

Government: Theocratic Confederation

Leader: Sadaeze, Aboë of Taurtofna

Demonym: Taurtofnan

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Used for travel and a reference for placenames.