Fear and Paranoia
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The domain of Tepest (TEP-est) is a land of dark, menacing forests where the folk are beset by malicious, creeping evils and paranoid hysteria. These woodlands are eerie, preternatural places where shadows persist throughout the day and wisps of fog cling to the ground. The ancient trees are gnarled and grotesque, their branches and roots seeming to grasp at interlopers. Toadstools and mosses carpet the muddy ground, and weird sounds echo through the thickets. The forests seem sinister even by the light of day, and at night, they teem with flickering shadows, glinting yellows eyes, and the eerie glow of St. Elmo's fire. Travelers sometimes stumble upon unnatural copses of trees that are perpetually wrapped in spring bloom, autumn color, or winter snow. Rivers and the East Timori Road divide the forests, and the Tepestani have names for them all - Wytchwood, Brujamonte, Goblinwood, and so forth. The black waters of Lake Kronov, in western Tepest, provide easy fishing throughout the year, as they never freeze over completely. Fighermen must keep a watchful eye out for the water monsters known as the Avanc and avoid the haunted shores of Castle Island.
Villages are cozy little points of light amid the forest gloom. Most buildings in the domain are crudely constructed of smooth stones. The conical roofs are thatched with hay or peat, with central, wobbly chimneys. The humblest homes are merely sod huts built atop shallow pits. Nobles, meanwhile, dwell in grim keeps that are little more than featureless monoliths of stone surrounded by wicked palisades. The domain's most beautiful structures are small stone temples dedicated to Belenus. The splendid chapels are open to the sky, as if anticipating a glimpse of the god's face through the ashen sky. Stylized stone images of Belenus's solar disc adorn villages throughout the domain.
Tepest's climate is temperate but moderate; truly brutal winters or scorching summers are unusual. Most days are overcast and foggy, the sun shining weakly through the gray haze.
Major Settlements
Briggdarrow (pop. 300), Kellee (pop. 3,700), Viktal (pop. 3,600).
The People
Population: Humans (99%), Other (1%), Unknown goblins.
Languages: Tepestani*, Darkonese, Vaasi, Sylvan.
Religions: Belenus*, Ezra, The Lawgiver.
The Tepestani are muscular and handsome people, if slightly short in stature. Their skin is fair and frequently freckled, and eye color is green or blue. Hair color can range from strawberry blond through dark brown, but most Tepestani are true redheads, with auburn to carrot-orange hair. Men keep their hair cut to just above the shoulder, but women prefer to grow their tresses exceptionally long, especially if it's naturally curly. Many men wear full beards and mustaches, either wild and unkempt or braided. Clothing is simple and durable; trousers and baggy shirts for men, long skirts and blouses for women. Clothing is secured with cloth cords rather than fasteners or belts. Folk wrap themselves in dense, layered furs in the winter months. Earthen colors, especially browns and dark greens, predominate in local garb. Decoration or other adornment on clothing is rare. Wealthier folk stand out with their high leather boots and massive fur cloaks. The Tepestani wear little jewelry, save for the occasional bronze armband or earring.
The Tepestani take pleasure in hard work and the simple joys of life, such as family, food, and music. While they consider toil and hardship to be sacred facets of life, they're also passionate people. The Tepestani year is dotted with seasonal festivals that feature nightly singing, dancing, and drinking. Nonetheless, the Tepestani are extremely superstitious and fearful folk. They're terrified of the "little beasties" that stalk the domain's forests, seeking foolish travelers on whom to prey. These goblin bands are particularly cruel and murderous, but the forests are also home to malicious fey, cannibalistic Hags, and other horrors. The Tepestani make few distinctions between the various forest denizens, regarding them all as unholy magical beings. Although in the past the Tepestani huddled in fear from these creatures, they now respond with sword and flame to signs of supernatural activity, led in their crusade by the clerics of Belenus. Everywhere the Tepestani see signs of evil's influence, even among their families and neighbors. Fear has led to hysteria, and though creatures of darkness have indeed been destroyed by the vigilance, an untold number of innocents have also been slain.
The Law
Tepest is aristocratic and theocratic independent settlements. It's culture, rather than formal government, that unites the Tepestani. A council of senior wealth males administers each settlement independently. These elders govern with relative impunity, though they act only when in unanimous agreement. In larger settlements, petty magistrates and warriors are appointed by the elder council to oversee day-to-day law and order. The clerics of Belenus have significant influence over the elders in most settlements. This influence has grown in recent years, as Belenus's clerics maintain that only their god's cleansing fire can protect the innocent from the forest's denizens. To that end, the clerics root out suspected evildoers and then quickly convene tribunals to interrogate and sentence them. Such hasty justice often leads to a cascade of accusations as the guilty attempt to divert the cleric's attention to others. Wyan of Viktal is at the front of the church's expanding power. He is a severe man who unflinchingly takes drastic measures when purging a settlement of evil's taint.
Trade and Diplomacy
Resources: Barley, wheat, oats, turnips, potatoes, pears, sheep, goats, hogs, dairy, sturgeon, pike, peat, timber, gypsum, beer.
Coinage: None. Tepest conducts trade through barter, though some currency from Darkon and Nova Vaasa moves through the domain.
Isolated as it is, Tepest has never enjoyed extensive contact with other domains. The East TImor Road and South Dnar River, both leading into Nova Vaasa, are Tepest's only conduits to the outside world. The evil reputation of the domain's forests is enough to dissuade travelers from even a broad highway such as the East Timor. The recent hysteria that has gripped Tepest further discourages the few outsiders interested in political or economic ties with the domain. Nonetheless, limited trade persist with settlements in northern Nova Vaasa.
Magic
The Tepestani are extremely suspicious of any non-cleric casting magic. Sorcerers aren't unheard of but they'd best tread carefully or they'll find themselves answering for their "crimes' by fire.
Characters
Tepestani heroes are usually bards, clerics, fighters, rangers, or sorcerers.
Elves, gnomes, and sorcerers captured in Tepest are at very real risk of execution.