======T====== ===Tabiti, Empire of=== An empire of dark-skinned humans centred on the continent to the north. There have been two Tabiti Empires. The first existed some two hundred years ago and occupied lands on this continent, to the east of Valliore, but it disintegrated shortly after. The new empire has risen over the last sixty years and has quickly reoccupied much of what was ruled by the old empire. The Tabiti are ruled by an individual who calls himself "the God Emperor", who has a cult devoted to his worship. ===Tafaszes, Plains of=== The Plains of Tafaszes are an arid and unforgiving region lying between Karakiraz in the west, Valliore to the north and the Orclands and Montour to the south. Little more than a rocky desert, parties venturing across the Plains must rest during the hottest part of the day or else risk dehydration or death in the heat. There are also reasonably frequent dust storms. Water is hard to come by. The Plains are home to the Keska peoples. ===Tarastia=== Goddess of Justice. The twin sister of Kandarian, Tarastia in her youth spied the Old Man plotting against Her Mother. Caught, She was blinded by the Old Man as punishment for spying. Tarastia appears much like her Mother, but with a bandage or veil covering her eyes. She always carries a staff. Tarastia has no independent clergy, but there is always a shrine to her in every church of the Mother, and all trials are preceded by an invocation to Tarastia. Small orders of knights dedicated to her service have been created from time to time. ===Tatinj=== (b.335) The young wife of King Muchbled of the Blooddrinker Voors. Once a simple shepherd girl, Tatinj was taken captive by the Montese garrison of Castle Maine during the Restitution. Released in 352 by men in the service of Sir Mordoc Torsilley and handed back to the Blooddrinkers, Tatinj won the heart (or at least loin) of Muchbled shortly thereafter. She is a hard woman prepared to go to great lengths to get her own way. ===Taxation=== There is normally no taxation on either land or the population. The Crown's usual revenues come only from the monies garnered from the Royal demesne, supplemented by customs dues, tolls on travellers upon the King's Roads, and the selling of licences for a small number of registered crafts, as well as the occasional gift (bribe) from nobles or civic boroughs interested in gaining a favour or greater influence. These funds usually suffice to maintain the Royal Household, pay a small number of civil servants and provide upkeep for the Royal Castles and their garrisons, and the small navy. The King may, however, request a grant of taxation from the Great Council. This is usually only granted in times of war, and then usually for only one year, very occasionally for two. Such taxations are traditionally for a tenth of the incomes of all the King's subjects for the period in question. Collection of such taxes is another task for the already hard working sheriffs to undertake. Many individuals, groups and localities have partial or complete exemption from taxation ===Tesh, River=== The southernmost of the Kingdom's three great rivers, the Tesh flows from the heart of Voorland south to the Sardeth falls and thence into the Sharn, where it breaks up into a number of channels that flow sluggishly into the Sea of Unease. The Tesh forms the southwestern border of the Warlands. At Sardeth it is about 200 metres wide. The Tesh is navigable by river boat between Sardeth and Requer, and by sea ships along several of the major channels in the Sharn. ===Tharkad=== The largest town and major port of Thestria. ===Theophilos=== An alchemist. He lives beyond Clisson village on the outskirts of the Grey Wastes in a squat stone tower with a peaked, thatched roof and an attached shed-like building. Theophilos is a round little man with a cherubic face and big tufts of white hair above his ears. A man who does not have too many visitors, he is always telling people to keep their hands off his equipment, for their own safety. ===Thestria, Grand Duchy of=== Settled as a province of the Empire of Castrovia, Thestria was a flourishing region for two hundred years, even managing to rule over a large area of Voorland. This situation changed in the aftermath of the Orcwar, which saw the land connection with the empire cut by orcs and pesties, and several of the Thestrian towns sacked and abandoned. The Grand Duchy was thereafter a fragment of its former self, and resisted Montese attacks with increasing frailty. Thestria finally fell to Montour during the reign of Michael II, who succeeded in detaching Sardeth from its allegiance. Thestria has been a Montese dominion for nearly seventy years. Much of the native nobility has been stripped of its holdings and replaced by Montese lords, and the Grand Duchy is still governed by a Vicar on behalf of the Montese King. Several rebellions have been put down, but the Montese are slowly succeeding in "Montourising" the inhabitants, especially along the coast. Thestrians are becoming increasingly common in the Royal service and in the ranks of the loyal nobility. ===Thestria, Conquest of (286-293)=== Military campaign. Good Queen Flo' died in 275, after a reign of 57 years. She was succeeded, briefly, by her sister Seladir and then, in 279, by her nephew Michael II. Michael had gained, through a dynastic marriage, title to the duchy of Urle, part of the Kingdom of Valliore to the north of Montour. Michael was a warlike prince, and after long preparation he launched a mighty campaign of conquest against Thestria in 286. Like many a would-be conqueror before him, Michael's attack was blunted at by the walls of Sardeth, the mighty-fortress town dominating the Tesh River. While Montour had gained the disputed Warlands, Michael could not gain access into Thestria proper. While his armies sat before Sardeth, the Megaduke formed a league with the Voorking, and in 291 a combined Thestrian-Voor army descended into Breakingdale, sacking and burning as it went. Krother's Ring was razed, and the allied army marched south to the town of Upper Raracas. Michael II, upon hearing of this, marched to relieve the city. A great battle was fought near the town. Known as the Field of Blood, the fight resulted in a massive defeat for the Megaduke and the Voors. Michael returned to Sardeth. The Margrave of the place was now prepared to treat with the King. In return for a nominal submission to Michael, and the hand of the King's sister, widowed at the Field of Blood, the gates of Sardeth were opened to the Montese army. The result was almost foregone. One by one the Thestrian holds and towns submitted or were taken by force, and eventually Tharkad, the capital on the coast, was betrayed by a contingent of Gel's sent as belated reinforcement by the emperor. The Megaduke was killed, and King Michael celebrated by marrying the sister of the Megaduke and taking the title for himself. Thestria's fall was made inevitable through lack of imperial support. The emperor was busy elsewhere. Since the 250's the nomadic Gel had been pressing ever harder on the imperial borders, and the emperor was stretched to the limit trying to keep them at bay. Thus he was unable to send much help to his beleaguered province. What help he did send, the Gel mercenaries despatched to Tharkad, were the ultimate cause of the fall of that town. ===Thestrian=== An inhabitant of Thestria. Most of the population are of Castrovian stock, but many also have Voorish ancestry. There is a sizable Montese population in and around the town of Tharkad. * **Appearance** They are shorter than Montese but not as short as Voor. They have skin tones that range from pale through to quite tan and hair that is usually blond. Their eyes are most often blue, and some have the Gel almond shape to them (most often those of purer Castrovian blood). * **Thestrian Warfare** Hisorically, the Castrovian Empire relied upon a professional soldiery, and Thestria was no different. There is no equivalent in Thestrian society to the Montese culture of skilled amateur soldier". Mercenaries and full-time soldiers were the backbone of the imperial forces, and as a consequence quality was of more importance that quantity. In the heyday of the empire large infantry formations were emphasised, but in the later years, after the Orcwar, Thestria's primary arm were small bodies of medium cavalry that could move from trouble-spot to trouble-spot quickly. The Black Knights of Sardeth are reminders of this tradition." * **Thestrian Society** ===Thesuril=== When Richard of Montour became the first King he was given this magical blade by the King of the Fairies, to serve him in battle and to act as a symbol of his authority. Thesuril remained in the Royal line for one hundred and fifty years or so, but was lost when King Gregory was slain by trolls and demons during the Orcwar. Thesuril was a large blade of Fairy construction, made from some silvery metal with etchings along the blade in gold. The hilt was largely unadorned, but a large sapphire served as its pommel. Thesuril was reputed to have had some mental connection with its wielder. ===Tolls=== ===Torsilley, Madeleine=== (b.337) Mistress Madeleine Torsilley is the only child of Sir Mordoc Torsilley, and his first wife, Lady Imogen Fromont (d.343), and is thus the heiress to the lands of Bodwin's Howe. Madeleine was born on June 3, 337. She is intelligent but doesn't really like to mentally challenge herself. Madeleine stands a shade over 5 feet tall, has a medium build, gingery-blonde hair, brown eyes and freckles. Madeleine was believed slain by Vesan sadists during the Fair of Aguillion, on the night of November 21, 352. Her body was buried in the Torsilley crypt in the Bodwin's Howe graveyard. It in fact turned out that she had been kidnapped by an individual who identified himself as the Archpriest. Sir Mordoc eventually heard that she was being held in the Karakirazi city of Atabash, and he sent a rescue party in August 353. The party succeeded in bringing her back that October. Formerly an exuberant, bouncy individual, since her kidnapping she became more sullen and less friendly, constantly chafing at her father's increased protectiveness. Some questions were asked about her possible involvement in the brutal murder of her father's former retainer Sebastian, but nothing could be proved against her. ===Torsilley, Sir Mordoc=== (315-358) ===Tor-Sart Mine=== A joint venture between Sir Mordoc Torsilley and Lord Gerard Robsart, this was a small silver mine set up in the hills east of Cottlestone. In the winter of 353 it was subject to a series of attacks by a small group of renegade orcs and their pestie minions. In this instance the orcs were driven off or captured at some small cost, but the mine (but not the claim) was abandoned during the larger orcic offensive in the autumn of 358. ===Towns (incorporated)=== Many of the towns and cities of old Montour are autonomous entities, outside of the system of sheriffs. They have received royal warrants granting self-government through councils of burghers or aldermen headed by mayors, limited rights of taxation over the citizens of the town, and their own magistrates to oversee the king's laws. Independent towns do not exist in Thestria. ===Treasurer=== One of the great Offices of State. ===Trikesia=== (b.320?) Tabitian courtesan. Mistress of Prince-Regent Erling. Along with her brother Konnradin, Trikesia attached herself to the exiled court of Erling in Valliore and accompanied him in the Restitution. She remained one of his inner circle. Beautiful and exotic, Trikesia is also a mage of some small power. ===Troll=== ===Twins, The=== the Trickster Gods of Luck and Chance. They are the children of Solana and Rhork, and have a combination of their father's crafty intelligence, and their mother's sense of luxury, indolence and pettiness. She is friendly and helpful, on the whole, while He is more mischievous and has a fair does of schadenfreude. Their visages are traditionally used on opposite sides of tokens used in betting games. The Twins are shown as a pair of children, about eight years old or so. They look very similar, and wear masks to hide their faces. The Twins have the major following among city folk, but worship is chaotic and informal. There is a saying- Do not trust someone who claims to be a priest of the Twins, for he may be lying.