Difference between revisions of "Ter-Fiinokth"

Revision as of 02:21, 16 August 2007

Ter-Fiinokth is an average-sized province of the Drovinian Reaches, the D'hennexian country of the undead. In its throne sits the most unusual death-conqueror of them all: Kalar Baen. In the clinging image of his living imagination, he has shaped Ter-Fiinokth, and so made it just as odd as he is.

Geography

Ter-Fiinokth is a landlocked, northeastern territory, and is one of those that border An-Yneaith. Of all the undead lands, it is perhaps the one with the most "human" influence upon the borders. Where others lurk in murky lakes, magically sundered terrains, and frozen mountain peaks, Kalar Baen's sovereignty covers the most hospitable and best preserved terrain in the country. Parts of Verdrode Koude's mountain range's northernmost reaches lie in the South, running rivers delineate much of its western and eastern borders, and a significant chunk of its northern half consists of everglades and pine forests.

For this very reason, Ter-Fiinokth often takes the brunt of Human assaults from the North. The territory is lusted after by the living for its natural resources, tactical positioning amongst other Drovinian provinces, and accessibility. Where the other Kalars have made sure to make the northern countries hesitant to settle near the borders, border raids from Ter-Fiinokth are lower than anywhere else along the line, and at least one significant keep sits just 15 miles north of it, along one of the rivers that runs straight across its eastern border. Its continued existence has been a subject of loathing upon Kalar Baen from the other Kalars, since they are forced to help him reinforce his own country against the Humans when they garrison (lest they fall with him on the attack), yet cannot make a strong move against it without risking a flanking assault from Ter-Fiinokth.

While it may be difficult, at first, to discern Ter-Fiinokthan territory from northern countries, the borderline itself is generally unmistakable; its current position is unerrantly drawn across the land in a black and red stain, where the uncomfortably united undead hordes have been less than delicate with generations of living invaders.

Leadership and Law

As previously stated, Kalar Baen rules ultimately over Ter-Fiinokth. He claims to hold regular council with several "senator generals" to discuss matters of state and strategy, but any who understand the nature of the Kalar and his territory also understand that his senate is merely a weakly veiled, undead puppet show. They are largely yes-men, and any who speak out against the Kalar's wishes in council only do so in a farce to demonstrate Baen's value of free expression. His opinion is always the only one that matters, even if it is not immediately apparent that it was his in the first place.

Such mock leadership and freedom are mirrored throughout the single, large settlement that acts as Ter-Fiinokth's capital. It's citizens speak only the praises of Kalar Baen, and everything else the demented undead knight programs them to. In such a city, there is no need for law enforcement, for Baen's will constantly, invisibly enforces their behavior, at all times.

To make things even more unusual and confusing, the Kalar often permits handfuls of living people to reside within the northernmost reaches of the country, in small hamlets and towns, alongside hopelessly larger numbers of his own undead citizens. As living creatures, they are not bound strictly by the magical whims of the knight-lord, but instead, they must live by several cheery, yet suffocatingly creepy laws that work nearly as well:

1. You shall be happy.
2. You shall be happy that Kalar Baen is your lord.
3. You shall be happy to do exactly as the Kalar wishes.
4. You shall be happy that Kalar Baen has allowed you to live free.
5. You shall be happy to know all fellow Ter-Fiinokthans as comrades.
6. You shall be happy to stay in Ter-Fiinokth forever.
7. And if, for any reason, you are unhappy, you shall be happy to lay down your life for land and lord, that you might be happy again.

Oddly enough, there are several (admittedly odd) living people in the country who honestly enjoy the "life" they have been "given" there. Regardless, some of the living who dwell in Ter-Fiinokth are even sometimes forced into defending the land, cunningly confounding the invaders, who usually drive south with some sort of "zombie hunting" mindset. Defectors in battle are detected quickly, and treated with greater malice and murderous intent than the true enemy.

Constituency and Culture

90% of Ter-Fiinokth's populace is undead: not a surprising statistic. What does tend to surprise outsiders is that the vast majority of the undead constituents are not only perfectly preserved and completely whole, but intricately animated, such that blood seems to pump in their veins, bringing color to their skin again. They even usually have lively and warm "personalities", but when one stays in their company for very long, one begins to realize that their minds are dead, their souls departed, and their animations are nothing but a long cycle of patterened, programmed behavior. They do not recognize people they have met before, and by proxy, they never build friendships or relationships. Although they become mildly cross if someone tries to hurt them, abuse them, or say mean things to them, their responses to such are practically robotic and almost never turn to retaliation, except in extreme circumstances. They also seem to actively discourage shameful acts, regardless of the subject -- though this is more verbal than anything. Of course, Kalar Baen is above any programmed moral, as all that he does is automatically right. He can cleave one of his own people in twain, in public, and the rest of them will give him a rousing round of applause, for it was obviously somehow well-deserved, and done masterfully, to boot.

The only thing that can truly incense them is to act out against the Kalar or his "people", either verbally or otherwise. To destroy one of them is to incite its entire village to arms. To say that the Kalar is a tyrant is to form your own lynch mob. Attack a town, and the entire region responds, quicker than it would seem possible. Attack the Kalar himself, and you permanently and spitefully forge yourself into the minds of every undead creature in Baen's province, becoming one of the very, very few who they remember with a passion -- that is, if you manage to survive the ordeal.

Other than verbally, both undead and living residents perform routine busy-work, tending to the land, and maintaining farce utopias. There is no currency in the land, but neither are there businesses, except for farce ones that exist only for show. The living are directly and hesitantly provided for with the least conditions available that can keep them healthy and alive, sometimes meaning they must eat rats and bugs for sustenance, and drink from wild streams. Their shelters are often the smallest buildings in the towns, as the undead do not require such maintenance and care. Instead, they stay up and perform their duties day and night, sometimes performing entire programmed plays in houses and plazas for nobody at all but the distant Kalar. In the capital itself, and especially close to the enormous castle where Baen keeps his throne, thralls labor to keep things spotless for their lord. They sweep roads free of dirt, clean windows until one cannot see them for the air, paint walls every other week, and buff his weapons and armor to a brilliant shine, whispering pre-planned whinnies of elation for the "priveledge" of serving their lord directly.

To summarize, briefly: Ter-Fiinokth is Kalar Baen's personal, hobby-like fantasy world.

Cities and Landmarks

Under construction.

Army

Under construction.

Foreign Policy

Under construction.

History

Under construction.