Tin’Kar
population 1 million
People here are spread out; the land is too cold for most farming.
NAMES AND LANGUAGE From Tin’Kar = Tinkari The empire has a different speech pattern, Seln and barbarians use a lesser version of it.
Ordeno empire doesn’t have the verb “to be” by itself. They say “I am being, you are being,” etc. Negation- I’m not being. Don’t use going. For I’m __ing, you’re __ing, use the present tense- I offer, you give. Tin’kar and Seln also use (This indicates that Ordeno conquered Seln once upon a time, why do they leave them alone now?) Everyone saks the common langage with this accent. Men always marry a woman from another tribe. Each tribe hits ownl language they sspeak to each other. Women speak their own langageb to men and husband’s language to kids. Man speaks own language to everyone.
HISTORY Year 3185 The mages of Tin’Kar try to group together for a big spell. It fails disasterously and creates a charred wasteland.
GEOGRAPHY Still some relics from the Oredano Empire. Some earthquakes. Lots of petrified trees, all focuses of jet. Very cold, like Greenland.
EXPORTS Some furs, don’t welcome traders or have their own. Only they have hops, makes bitter, long lasting beer. They don’t take advantage of their coast, but don’t let others do so either. They used to explore in boats but stopped to fight Ordno. A little shipping from Everhome. They hunt shaggy buffalo, mostly. Also deer, bear, mountain cats. Eat big animals, only wimps eat little ones.
Hops (are "the ripe dried pistillate catkins of a hop" added to malt liquors, especially beer. The hop plant is a twining vine Humulus lupulus which grows in many locations in Europe. The plant is a member of the mulberry family and has three or five lobbed leaves and very small flowers. The pistillate flowers are in glandular cone-shaped catkins. Hops provide a bitter taste to beer, as opposed to the "fruity" taste of beer brewed without hops. The importance of hops lay primarily in its ability to stabilize and preserve beer, thus allowing it to both "keep" and "travel")
JUSTICE Frontier law. Harsh and decisive. Everyone has the right to protest their innocence before the queen but this could result in torture not just death. Theft of trophies is worst crime.
POLITICAL Have Queen, but usurpers often take throne, perfectly legit. Whoever is strong enough to hold the throne rules. They have no alliances, but don’t actively seek war. Wary of strangers, harsh and challenging but warm up quickly if strangers are worthy.
CLASS Get respect from most jewelry and decorations. It’s assumed you took them from people you defeated (killing optional). Taking slaves is popular,if slaves display honorable behavior enough to stand oiut, they’re free. All people are warriors, all people earn status through battle and trophies, owning land doesn’t matter. King wears lots of gold and gives it to friends. He’s addressed informally much of the time. No titles, just fame of name. No last names. No “honor” in titles.
CURRENT ISSUES Women’s rights, astrology predicts an ancient evil resurfacing, bad omens.
RELIGION Little known about religion but involves many gods with different amounts of power, depends on phrase of stars, etc. Superstitious and afraid of ghosts
CITIES Everhome is an obvious target, so it has hidden defenses.
FOLK TRADITIONS Warlike barbarians, try to raid whoever they can whenever they can (rumored at least). Noted horse trainers and breeders, magic horses, flying, etc? Ride griffins? Speak to animals? “Blessings on your table” after burping. “The rider has a longer reach than the walker” “The rider sees over the walker’s head.” Epic acrostics like Beowulf very popular, very low literacy. Each speaks a bunch of languages, sees it as nothing unusual. Primative, warlike heroes. They build giant long houses/halls wherever they wish. Some fishing and mining. More than half the population live in tents and follow deer. Often, men do this and women stay in houses.
HOLIDAYS/CALENDAR: new year in middle of winter, called Year’s End. Big feast, lots of twisted candles. No months, just six seasons based on animal patterns. A week of feasting at the start of autumn called Triumph to recall driving Ordno away.
LIFECYCLES Both men and women carry babies strapped to backs. People learn from an actual or adopted uncle or aunt. Their first hunt is the moment of adulthood. They leave dead standing upright in caves, family crypts, sometimes underground and extensive. No birthdays, just anniversary of their first hunt (in large groups).
MEN AND WOMEN Most women stay out of men’s roles, only gain power by backing a man. Yet, within the family, women havea ggrreat deal of power. Sometimes the y steal women from Lotorinum, maybe the queen is one. But the dancing considered it immodest for women, men dance to show our off their athletic experteese. Men and women don’t touch in public, it’s considered improper.
FOOD Bitter beer, lots of meat, few vegetables. Famous spicy soup that’s an acquired taste called Feklar.
PLANTS AND ANIMALS Potatoes come from here, lots of meat. Plenty of mushroom caves. Lots of pine tree products, but they don’t do lots of herbal healing. The herds of northern deer supplt almost everything.
MAGIC Tin’Kar only uses jet for focuses, but they’re in any shape, fashions change through years. Magicians are honored and respected, especially animal ones. Now use for courtly special effects. Lots of petrified trees, all focuses of jet.
CLOTHING Long hair and beard traditional. Don’t mind smell of sweat. Lots of jewelry as battle trophies. capes popular. Mostly wear furs and scraped hides. Nudity not a big issue for men or kids. Neither sex is dressed without weapons and concealed weapons. Women wear long wool dresses to stay home or dress like men for traveling. Long hair tied back. Tend to be very blond.
MONEY They decorate with other peoples’ and don’t make their own. They barter a lot.
The Tinkar national animal is a griffon; their banner is black with a brown griffon.
Read Henry Potty and the Pet Rock: The Unauthorized Harry Potter Parody