Tuchea

The furthest north of the "civilized" nations, Tuchea is half on a large island and half on the nearby mainland. Its people have a long tradition of sailing, mostly as either fishermen or pirates. Tuchea was defeated in an embarrassingly short war by the Republic about thirty years ago. Its soldiers are considered the worst of all warriors; a mercenary from Tuchea can't get hired if he's honest about where he comes from.

The exact borders of Tuchea are not very well defined. Ask a Tuchean and he will say as far as the Safelands to the south, the Cantasir mountains to the east and the whole of Kingsheart Island. In practice the Kingdom controls little more than the western coast of the mainland, the eastern coast of the island and the banks of the river Amen. A societal trait of Tuchea is a dislike to being far from water for any extended period of time. For this reason, the heart of the kingdom is generally wild and uninhabited. Almost all major settlements are on the coast, with one along the Amen River.

On the other hand, the population of Tuchea thrives, all of their cities are dynamic, busy centers. In fact, the kingdom’s cities are overpopulated. In the past this was remedied by great campaigns bent on domination and acquisition. Because of their reputation as skilled sailors, Tuchean pirate ships, as well as ships of the royal kingdom, are a feared sight. A leaning toward a horde mentality has had as a consequence that Tucheans have little regard for human life, their own as well as that of their foes. This has cost them dearly in the past. When the Tuchean plundering forces met with the superbly trained and well organized legions of the Republic of Iridine, the result was an incredibly lopsided and short war. Defeat soon turned into a rout as the kingdom's forces were left leaderless with no knowledge of how to recoup their losses.

As a result of the war with Iridine, Tuchea was forced to concede the island of Selm to the Republic; it has since been renamed Windward.

Geography

The exact borders of Tuchea are not very well defined. Ask a Tuchean and he will say as far as the Safelands to the south, the Cantasir mountains to the east and the whole of Kingsheart Island. In practice the Kingdom controls little more then the western coast of the mainland, the eastern coast of the island and the banks of the river Amen.

Appearance

Tucheans favor flowing garb of uniform color, though the cut of their clothing is often intricate and tends to reveal or suggest much more then it hides. Men and women alike wear numerous articles of jewelery to add glitter to their ensemble. Both sexes tend to keep their hair long and loose. A common alternative is to wear it loosely braided. Tucheans are taller then most other people, their skin is paler than that of Iridinians. Most have blond hair, though red and black are not too uncommon. Steel gray eyes or ice blue are the most commonly seen.

Culture

Tucheans value wealth, beauty, and power. Tuchea is an immensely rich kingdom, or at least its King is. In the past, tributes and plunder have filled the royal coffers. All things beautiful hold a strong allure to this people. They are known to have ‘sticky’ hands whenever they see something that pleases them. More then that, they are just arrogant enough to believe they should own the object in question. The inner fire that makes them lust for wealth, has pushed many of them to band together in pirate organizations. They are temperamental and relish a good fist-fight. Ironically, even though bar brawling is a national past time in their ports, they are not better warriors for it. Disregarding death, they only show grudging respect to individuals that exude power. Once on a state visit, an Iridine senator was ridiculed publicly by an audacious woman who thought he was cute. Even with the pomp of state, this senator could not escape their taunts. Tuchean men and women are also great scholars of human anatomy. Some of the worlds best sculptors come from Tuchea. The most popular festival of the kingdom celebrates physical prowess and perfection. They are quick to laugh and quicker to drink. A thoroughly reckless people.

Rumours & Word of Mouth

• "Tuchea is home to many sailors, and their fighting ability is the butt of jokes, but the stereotype does not hold up to scrutiny."
• "Tuchea controlled the island of Windward until they lost it in a war against Iridine in the 31st Year of the Republic. They called the island Selm."
• "A lot of pirates come from Tuchea."
• "The Tuchean King is protected by a bodyguard of elite Altene soldiers."