Each of the Clans of Tarkima are ruled by their respective Chieftains and their inner circle of lieutenants, the Chieftain's rule is absolute, their word and blade law. If the current-sitting Chieftain were to meet an unfortunate fate, the selection process of succession often is done so in two ways. If the Chieftain was slain in a duel of honor against his opponent, the challenger would then by right, become the new chieftain. If the Chieftain was to die of natural causes, or slain in battle, the new ruling chieftain would then be decided in a grand fighting tournament, the best warriors of the Clan would gather to battle in fierce arena combat for the right to rule the Clan.
Geography
The Lands of Tarkima are frigid, rugged, and harsh, ranging from tundra plains, snow-covered forests, highlands and mountainous regions as far as the eye can see. These Mountains have been refereed to by the Tarkimans as Jotanu's Gate, Followers of the God of Earth revere it as his magnum opus and those who lack respect for the mountains and are ill prepared will no doubt perish in the Gate's perilous jagged labyrinth. Jotanu's Gate has a quite obvious strategic purpose as well, forming a natural border wall between Tarkima and the rest of the Continent.
Mountain Sabertooth
Dire Sabertooth
Yeti
Rhidon
Culture
The many peoples of Tarkima are one of battle, honor, family, and for the select, pure savagery. Strength and skill above all else is highly valued to the People of Tarkiam, with only the strongest of them all being able to lead the Clans or die. Religion in Tarkima had a rather strange beginning, before the Great Pantheon, the Drimuc, Grogar and Exiles all had their respective Gods. The Grogar and much later new converts worship Fennirik, God of War. The Human Exiles in their exodus had imported their homeland's Church of Ursya, Goddess of Life and Death, while the Drimuc revere Jotanu, God of Earth. Once these three religions had clashed violently for nearly two deacdes after the arrival of the Human exiles. Little details are known regarding what had caused the Great Unification, some say the Gods themselves, angishing in the senseless death of their children, sent events in motion to cease the fighting for good, and as mentioned, little is known, but now all three Gods are revered peacefully in Tarkima.
In recent years, a number of Tarkimans of Clan Ardir have adopted the Sakabanatu Religion centering around the Sondoper Ghosts, some see them Gods themselves or as Agents of the Gods, other see them as Divine Messengers, Higher Beings.
Mages are quite a rare sight in Tarkima, those found are often deemed blessed by the Gods, and will find themselves in high positions in Tarkiman Society, either as members of the respective Priesthoods of the Gods or as close Advisors to the Chieftains.
Crime is wide spread like in any other region, how it is handled in Tarkima is rather unorthodox. In determining one's innocence or crime, the Tarkiman Clans will have the accused go through the Judgment, Trial by combat. The Accused will be made to fight the fiercest beasts or warriors in Tarkima, if they survive, their innocence is guaranteed.
The Land of Tarkima is ruled by dozens of Clans, but in actuality, the land is ruled by Four powerful Clans, Ardir, Fervari, Craitan and Brakor.
The Human Population of Tarkima are descendants of Mycaen Exiles from a Long lost kingdom, now a part of the Mycaen Empire. Even in exile, the old culture and traditions stood strong and persevered through those harsh times. Today, humans now stand side by side as brothers and sisters, and as enemies with the Drimuc and Grogar.
Grogar Male
Grogar Female
Military
The Armies of the Clans are a rather disorganized rabble compared to the ordered and structured armies of more civilized kingdoms, rank beyond Chieftain is meaningless. Tarkiman warriors of any race typically are organized into Warbands, said Warbands vastly differ depending on function, a Warband making up up a dozen or so warriors, to hundreds of warriors. Leaders of these Warbands are often hand-picked by the Chieftain himself or members of his Inner Circle.
Warbands of the Four Clans quite differ from one another, each Clan adopting their own style and tactics. The Fervari for one, are by far the most militaristic of the Clans, favoring swarm tactics out the four. The Craitan are a more maritime focused clan, their warriors part-time pirates and slavers as they wreak havoc on merchant vessels traveling around their shores and the strait, and as such, the Craitan possess the largest fleet in Tarkima.
The Brakor do not have the luxury of owning a coastline, the Brakor are the only major clan that is landlocked, and as such, put more of a heavily emphasis on infantry and finely-crated weapons, thanks in part in their partnership with the Eisen Confederacy, Clan Brakor are considered the richest of the Four, their warriors equipped with Eisen-forged weaponry and armor. Clan Ardir places its focus on light infantry supported by cavalry.
The Different races of Tarkima offer different advantages for the Clans, Grogar women for example, due to their sheer size, make excellent hulking shock troops, charging and shrieking like mad, breaking enemy lines through fear. This has formed a sort of tradition among women of all races as human and drimuc women had soon joined their Grogar sisters into their fury charge. Tarkiman Women that participate in Warbands are now often grouped into units, often called War Maidens.
In addition, the Warbands will employ a select few of loyal beasts of burden native to Tarkima, the most faithful of all these companions to be found are the Tarkiman Sabertooth, large and ferocious feline beasts, first tamed by the Ancient Grogar and soon all the Clans, Sabertooths serve several roles, the smaller, yet still formidable Mountain Saber fulfilling their role as hunting companions, and as terror weapons, often sent out in packs to break enemy lines. The much larger cousins of the Mountain Sabers, the Dire Sabertooth, serve as cavalry beasts similar in function to the horse, but are more difficult to tame, their presence rather uncommon on the battlefield.
Chieftain Elite
Ardir Warriors
Ardir Rangers
Bear Berserkers
Iron Legion
Forge Breakers
Fervari Stalkers
Fervari Warriors
Brakor Guardians
Brakor Warriors
Port Guard
Craitan Corsairs
Heroes
Firgus Holen Chieftain of Clan Ardir.
Undvich Krac Chieftain of Clan Fervari.
Rogi Gelen Chieftain of Clan Brakor
Gamor Tuiri Chieftain of Clan Craitan
History
The path leading to the foundation of the present day clans traces to one event, the Great Avkani Exodus two centuries ago. Avkan was once a small human kingdom along fringes of the ever growing Myaen Empire. The two nations, for a time, had lived in peace, until one day, Myaen Emissaries had arrived to the capital with a dire message, submit without incident to the authority of the empire as imperial lands, or face war, to no one's surprise, the Avkani had chosen war, the imperial emissaries returned as corpses, unfortually for the Avkani, this was their war to lose from the beginning. The conflict had waged for over a decade as the Myaens slowly, but surely had pushed the weakened Avkani armies back to their shores.
As the Myaen Imperial Legions descended upon their coastal settlements, the remaining avkani had fled enmass to their ships, hundreds of sea-worthy vessels venturing off into the unknown, evenutally touching upon the cold shores of Tarkima, a land divided between two beastly races, the Grogar and Drimuc.
The Decades between the arrival of the Avkani and the rise of the four Great Clans has been referred to as the Tarkiman Reformation. What had triggered the rise of the four Great Clans was an old enemy of the Avkani people, the Myaen Empire. The Myaens, thought to have been content with the conquest of Avkan had soon discovered the new homeland of the Exiles. The arrival of the Empire had forced the three races to band together, and push back the great threat. For five years the war went on, the both sides suffering great losses in bloody combat, until the Myaens ships had stopped landing on Tarkiman shores for months. The war seemed to have been over.
In their new found kinship, the four clans were founded, each led by the most worthy of warriors. However, once the Clans had formed, that spirit of kinship had quickly dissipated as the infighting had resumed. No longer were the conflicts racial, but political. It did not matter what your race was, ]if one were to fight under the banner of another clan, they are the enemy.
For many more decades the Clans continued their endless cycle of violence, raiding and pillaging one another. In more recent years however, the more brutal violence has begun to reside, the Clan Ardir under new, more diplomatic leadership. Clan Brakor, still the savage warriors they are, have no taken on a more enterprising approach to their warfare, selling themselves off as mercenaries. Clans Craitan and Fervari however keep the old warrior traditions alive and well, raiding and pillaging all those around them.
As of twenty years ago, Clan Fervari had adhered to the old ways, waging a bloody war again the their old enemy, the ever persistent Myaen Empire. For ten years the war waged, a war in which the Myaens for the most part, had won. The Clan's previous Chieftain had been broken and willfully surrendered to the Myaens.
The Myaen now control a small plot of land within Fervari lands, a bustling port city erected over its frigied shores. Despite cowing in defeat, the Clan's new Chieftain is ever more resentful of the Myaens for the humiliation they brought, and bids his time for their vengeance.
Relations
Sakabanatu Region: Relations with the Sakabanatu Tribes are rather mixed. While Clan Ardir has made many friends with the various Tribes of Sakabanatu, the smaller, more insignificant to the Ardir's west have been more aggressive in the region, raiding and pillaging camps and settlements. The Ardir are often at odds with these minor clans and clash in small battles throughout the region.
Ogryn Kingdom: Similar to the Sakabanatu region, relations between the Ogryn Kingdom and Tarkiman Clans is a rather strange. In one case, Clan Craitan and the Ogryn would clash in the seas, in other cases, Ogryn Mercenaries have occasionally been found under the employment of the Chieftains. However, what truly bind these two together is the Seven Nights of Blood Moon, a week-long blood-stained festival where the best warriors are tossed into pitched combat.
Eisen Confederacy: Clan Brakor enjoys a good partnership with the Eisen Confederacy, their warriors find plenty of employment and coin, working as Mercenaries for the highest bidder in the Fortress Cities. A majority of their weapons now crafted by Eisen forgemasters.
Empire of Mycae: Relations are generally cold with Mycae and all the Clans. The human portions of the Clans still holding a cultural grudge against the Empire for the loss of their Ancestral Homeland. Clan Fervari however pays such grudges no mind, and simply seeks to combat the Empire, who they see as their strongest opponent yet. Clan Ardir normally stays clear of the Mycaens, but if forced to fight, it will.
@Bright_Ops We still have some room left, if a bit small. The Island way up north is freed up, it's just hasn't been updated yet. If you wish to remain, you can take that spot and leave the old spot open for @Catchphrase and possibly @POOHEAD189 if he changes his mind.
@Bright_Ops After some consideration, I'm afraid that at the time being, the sheet can not be accepted, your claim had already been taken by @Catchphrase and @POOHEAD189, who also were in the middle of negotiations on how to divide the land and were also approved by the GM, it wouldn't exactly be fair for them, sorry.
@Darkspleen Hmm, spleen. If we're still taking in new people, perhaps we should free up some space? I'm willing to reduce my claim if necessary. And mayhaps free up the space by removing the NPC?( is it still an NPC?) Although if there's a plan concerning it, then nevermind :)
Member
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vue2026,
xVampire3go,
Scrawl Banditta,
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Damo021,
RothicusRex,
adncod,
PrinceAlexus,
AdorableSaucer
