Dagger-Smile's Guide to

The Temislis Sea 

About the Author

If you don't know my name, Dagger-Smile, count yourself lucky.  I have hunted bounties in the region for decades, from the Warring Principalities to the Halidom of Stars.  As I head into an uncomfortable retirement, I intend this text to be a collection of wisdom and experience for the novice traveler of the Temislis Sea.

Countries of the Temislis Sea

The Warring Principalities

The Warring Principalities - a collection of small countries on the northwest of the Sea - are where the Humans of the region call home.  Bordering on the Elven Forest and Oznig, the Principalities have also expanded to include Gnomish enclaves and Halfling communities as well.


As uniquely open and accepting as the Humans are of the different races of the region, they are less tolerant of anyone who swears oaths to other royalty.  The Warring Principalities have been in one level of conflict or another for at least a few hundred years.  It's not much to the neighboring peoples, but multiple Human generations have been born and died during these conflicts.

A few centuries back, one of the Human countries had the idea - probably taken from the Dwarves - of giving their people inherited last names.  It was meant to be a tool the country could use to keep track of who was who and who paid what taxes.  But now, most Humans carry a name that their ancestor got from their job a couple hundred years ago.  So you'll meet Humans who have clever last names like "Farmer", "Smith", "Dogfucker", and the like.  Most Humans, though, go by their given name.  Many men have names like Eligius, Hywel, and Wymond.  Common names for women in the Warring Principalities are Eydis, Ginevra, or Osyth.

The Church of Wyyr finds its strongest adherents and support in the Warring Principalities.  The Church is closely tied to the nobles of every nation and rules over the lives of the peasants as much as the local barons do.  Normally I would spend time here telling you why they're dumb and aren't to be trusted.  Surprisingly though, that's not the case.  Sure, you'll find the occasional corrupt bishop you'll need to watch out for, but by and large Wyyr's clergy are good folk.  They serve the communities they are a part of, as well as granting protection to the occasional idiot who's running from the wrong people.


Travelers in the Warring Principalities should also be aware of the dangers.  Given the frequent wars and lack of post-military employment, banditry is common.  Some local nobles employ a force to keep bandits in check, but they never seem to be enough.  Militaries are also frequently used to close or police borders that travelers would normally use - and they're not as understanding about people who may need to cross those borders.


Something else about the Warring Principalities bears mention:  it's the most diverse region on the Temislis Sea.  The visiting Humans of other lands are also found here, as are the shadow-touched Human variants, the Lerara and Skulk.  But there are also small communities of beastfolk, greenkith, and even the occasional individual of rarer races of people.  So long as you pay taxes and can be conscripted, you're welcome.

Money is a mess in the Warring Principalities.  Each principality has its own coinage and nobody will let you use money from another principality.  Formal and informal money changers work at the borders and outside city walls.  The money changers themselves can be a big help to travelers in other ways; if you can build up a trusting relationship, they will often pay for news from foreign lands that would help them understand how they can better manage their trade.  My best recommendation is to never take payment in any Human currency.  You never know when an internal conflict will collapse a currency, or some Principality will be caught counterfeiting a rival's coins, leading to chaos.


The Elven Forest

Let me just get this out of the way now - my mother is an elf.  I fucking hate elves.  They're pretentious, head-up-their-ass, arrogant sons of bitches.


With that out of the way, the Elven Forest is north of the Warring Principalities and northwest of the Dwarven Colonies.  For the sake of space and reader patience, I'm just going to refer to it as the "Elven Forest" rather than its full name, which would take about five pages for the short version.

It's not just the forest that has an annoying name, it's all of the Elves too.  An Elf gets their full name two weeks after birth, during a naming ceremony that lasts days.  The ceremony includes the reading of a poem - in a style called Oiwië - that is the new Elf's full name.  Elves take these names seriously and will use at least the first full line of a name-poem to refer to other Elves.  Outside the Elven Forest, they deign to only use the first three to four words as their name.  So regardless of gender or family, you'll find Elves who go by Thel Tol Eilia Nosta, Hest Groga Lind Methin, or Emair Methin Uir.


Religion is a casual affair in the forest.  The Church of Wyyr is present and respected, because the memory of Elves is long and the horrors of the Age of Shadow still remain.  But alongside the Elven churches, you'll find ancient groves where druids and shamans of the Old Faith perform their rites and the same participants can be seen in both.


The Elves are particular about who is allowed in their forest.  There are a few half-elf Naityana, Gnomish enclaves, Halfling communities, wandering Voadkyn, and that's it.  Trespassers into the forest are given plenty of warning that they're not welcome, until eventually, they're not seen again.  Even merchants and other "welcome" travelers are greeted and dealt with in border communities just outside the forest.  Only those few who have friends on the inside, or have a politically necessary invitation, find their way in.  Even then, it can take a decade for the access to be granted.

This whole time I've been referring to "the Elven Forest" but not treated it as a country in the way I've described it.  That's pretty much true.  There's little interest in courtly structure and politics and everybody has had plenty of time to figure out what needs to be done.  The further you get from the city-dwelling Elves into wild Elven territory, the more true that is.


As bad as Human money is, at least they have it.  Elves haven't used currency in ages and consider such a base and material thing offensive and beneath them.  You might find antique Elven currency here or there, but today's Elves would consider it a curiosity at best.  If you're welcome in their communities and need something, you would take it from a stockpile or request one of the border traders acquire some.  And let me tell you, border traders dealing with the Elves love their job, given the complete inability of Elves to keep to a schedule.


The Elven Forest does touch on the Temislis Sea and so is considered part of the region, but lands further north are completely unknown to folk who live on the Sea.  Whatever the Elves know, they're not telling anybody else.

Oznig

The Dwarves got it hard in the Age of Shadow.  Now denied the underground life they prefer, and with their numbers greatly reduced, the Dwarves are centered around the fortress-city of Oznig.  Colonies throughout the mountain valleys pay tribute to the city, and thousands upon thousands of slaves labor to support the remaining Dwarves.


Oznig and its colonies are northeast of the Warring Principalities, and east of the Elven Forest.

Mul and many other outsiders are forced to labor in tasks the Dwarves themselves do not wish to do: farming, forestry (under supervision), and sailing (again, under supervision).  Some few Humans, Gnomes, and Halflings live freely as second-class citizens in Oznig and its colonies.  


All Dwarven names have three parts.  The first part, the inherited name, is given at birth by the mother.  Male Dwarves get names like Brondumi, Gulkahm, or Thalbek.  Female Dwarves get names like Krosgrugit, Brallesora, or Rynselle.  The second part of a Dwarf's name is their family name, inherited from the mother at birth.  Some examples of family names are Okdizgaml, Ingeithiem, or Damamzurlu.  Before the Age of Shadow, there were sixteen ancestral clans.  Now, seven remain.  A Dwarf's clan name is critical to their identity as a survivor and is the third part of their name.  The seven surviving Dwarven clan names are:


Religion in Oznig and the colonies is a serious matter.  Advancement in the Church of Wyyr is a path to power and security for any Dwarf able to outmaneuver their competitors.  The church and its message has also changed a lot since the Age of Shadow.  Dwarven clergy preach Wyyr's message of service, sure, but now it's a justification for why the Dwarves' slaves must serve Oznig.  The Church of Wyyr is now totally intertwined with the government and clans of Oznig, but there are a few traditional followers of the Old Faith here and there as well.


Travellers in Dwarven territories need to be aware of the dangers they face.  Non-Dwarven freepersons in their lands are given papers to prove their status as non-slaves.  The papers will not always save you, though, because their are unscrupulous slave-catchers that will take advantage of any foreigners they can.  Some of the slave-catchers are brave enough to roam into nearby Human territories, and the Warring Principalities are too busy fighting each other to care.


Dwarven currency is the most stable you'll find on the Sea.  From the humble Gusil to the rare Plabel, merchants will happily take Dwarven coin.  Even in the Halidom of Stars and the lands of the Greenkith Clans, Dwarven currency is accepted by wealthy merchants.

The Halidom of Stars

The western continent of Cretac is home to a massive empire known as the Halidom of Stars.  Spanning jungles, plains, steppes, and more, the Halidom is led by a priestly caste of saurials who have slowly expanded their influence over dozens of distinct peoples.  While not all of Cretac is under their control, saurial leadership within their borders is unquestioned.  The only real challenge to the Halidom's power is the Kercpa Dominion, which rules through brutal military domination.


Millions upon millions of beastfolk live in the Halidom of Stars, including Lizardfolk on the rivers and swamps, savannas home to Giff and Gnoll, and many others as well..  Most live their lives relatively untouched by the priesthood; every so often, though, a saurial priest comes to a community to pick someone (or someones) and brings them into a new life to serve the church.  These recruits are far more capable than the usual servants the church employs.  Usually their lives are rough and rewarding, trained by the Halidom's elite to serve in special capacities.


People in the Halidom bear multiple names.  Church custom allows for the various beastfolk to have names within their own communities.  Once a young member completes a coming-of-age ritual though, they earn a "deed name" that is used in the Church and with anybody outside their community they run across.  Deed names are descriptive and generally follow the same format, something along the lines of Fears-No-Fire, Swims-Deep, or Towers-Above-All.

Religion is a different matter in the Halidom than the rest of the Temislis Sea - it's taken far more seriously.  The Old Faith is strong, sure, but the continent is dominated by the Church of Sun, Moon, and Stars.  The saurial clergy are also extremely vigilant when it comes to religious uprisings - so much so, they always act before any real danger threatens their hegemony.  It should also be noted that the Church of Wyyr has no official presence in the Halidom, as they are located far from the Warring Principalities.  Not only do the horrors of the Age of Shadow not hold weight here, but Wyyr's followers are allowed demonstrations of faith only in private, in the coastal cities where trading centers and diplomatic consulates bring foreigners in.

Getting to Cretac to visit the Halidom is a trial, since the continent is lined by dangerous rocky coasts, rough waters, and unstable weather from the nearby Glau Stad.  Once there though, adventurers can find forgotten ruins, vast territories, and lax oversight provided one doesn't anger the local priesthood.  It's important to know whose territory you're passing through.  Some beastfolk on Cretac welcome outsiders and engage in trade, while others are still hazy on if people are acceptable as food.

Money is hard to come by in the Halidom.  In the cities, merchants will happily use local (or Dwarven) currency in trade, but outside the cities, barter is the standard.  Traders travelling between communities usually manage a lot of cargo, and subsequently have large retinues of guards.

The Greenkith Clans

Before the Age of Shadow, the Warring Principalities and their neighbors were under assault by the fleets and armies of the Greenkith Clans.  It wasn't the mighty Human warriors or Dwarven smiths who ended the crisis, though; it was the ascension of their now-legendary warrior-queen Jundekanh.


Jundekanh unified the disparate races of the Temislis Sea's southern continent and established a political legacy that has survived to this day.  Now, the clanheads elect monarchs who prove their worth not only with physical power but also with mastery of the spoken word.  I'm not trying to say Greenkith lands are a peaceful utopia; just as many political disputes are solved by duels to the death as they are political debate.  But the transition from outright murder to formal dueling rituals did a lot to stabilize these lands.


The Old Faith dominates in Greenkith territory.  Many revered clergy guide and lead their people and maintain the traditions of the Greenkith.  The Druids, the Wardens, and the Manteis hold nearly the same power as political leadership.  Seasons are marked by ritual and ceremony.  The War of Shadow did not touch Greenkith lands, so the Church of Wyyr, like the foreign Church of Sun, Moon, and Stars, has little influence here.

Greenkith names are complex and usually difficult for outsiders to pronounce.  Everybody from the Clanholds is given a name by their birth parent and the parent's spiritual advisor.  They also have an ancestral name - with a prefix determined by their race, and the rest the name of their ancestor who swore loyalty to Jundenkanh.


The Greenkith are not known for their financial acumen.  They did get lucky, though, in finding numerous veins of precious metals in their territory.  While the gold inlay looks very impressive in their leaders' armor, the Clans' policy of minting more coins to buy their way out of problems has led to more problems than it's solved.  And as a result, Greenkith currency is some of the least valuable you'll find on the Temislis Sea.

Glau Stad, The Cursed Land

Glau Stad is a deadly mystery.  Sitting in the center of the Temislis Sea, it's surrounded by a perpetual hurricane and deadly waters.  Few have made it to the land itself and those fewer who came back report seeing hordes of undead.


No sage seems to know what happened to cause this situation, but just about everybody knows well enough to stay away.

The Dark Below

We don't talk about what goes on down there.  Pray that whatever you believe in saves you from ever finding out.


Every so often, refugees from there make their way to the surface.  Sometimes you might be able to trust them.

The Undersea

I'll admit that I never learned how to swim.  It's never cost me a bounty.  But the world beneath the waves, from what I hear, has a few pockets of civilization surrounded by vast leagues.  In the dark, cold water you may find simple sea life, hostile fish-folk, or vast leviathans bigger than you can imagine.


There is a small but reliable trade with underwater communities, managed largely by Liminals.  Sea folk offer exotic goods like coral, huge pearls, and many unusual alchemical ingredients in demand by magic users.  Wise ship captains also contract with the sea-folk to advise and guide their ships through dangerous waters.  In return, the sea folk have a constant need for weapons and other goods made of bronze or brass.  These exchanges never involve currency - nobody underwater cares about surface economics, and we don't even know if they use money.

Religions of the Temislis Sea

The Church of Wyyr

The Church of Wyyr, the most powerful organization in the Temislis Sea region, operates out of the Cathedral-Palace of Wyyr.  The massive building is a day's ride east of Wreswich, the most prosperous capitol in the Warring Principalities.  The Primus of the Church lives here, served by legions of functionaries and guarded by legions of well-armed soldiers.


The Church wields power through its churches found throughout the Warring Principalities as well as the Elven Forest and Oznig.  Wyyran bishops exist alongside princes, dukes, and colonial governors.  It's only in the Forest that power is nebulous and ephemeral and you find Wyyran beliefs mixed alongside The Old Faith.

The Church of Sun, Moon, and Stars

The Old Faith

The Hero Cult

The Arbiters