Tsu-tsu

The Tsu-tsu (or "Tsu-Tsu") were a tribe of humans living on the Plain of Horses in northwestern Kara-Tur or the northeastern Hordelands. They were among the tribes mistakenly called "Tuigan" by outsiders following the Horde Wars. They were one of the three major tribes of the plain, alongside the Fankiang and the Kashghun.
==Language==
As one of the major tribes of the Plain of Horses, the Tsu-tsu spoke their own dialect of Chuchian, called "Tsu-tsu".The Horde lists "Fankiang" and "Khaghun" as languages in their own right, but the Kara-Tur sources discuss these as only dialects of the Chuchian language. The Horde does not list Tsu-tsu, but as a major tribe it must also have its own dialect.
==Territory==
Tsu-tsu territory stretched from the base of the Chigidi Mountains in the north, to the Shou Lung province of Chukei in the east, and to the Kashghun territory in the west. Its southern tip met the northern end of the Dragonwall.
==Society==
The Tsu-tsu tribe were semi-nomadic, spending most of their year on the steppes, where they herded sheep and cattle, before returning to their villages or the city of Jugicha. Thus, each Tsu-tsu family had two homes: tents in the summer and brick houses in the winter.
They were considered to be among the top hunters and fishermen of the Plain of Horses, as well as superb herders and producers of livestock. They were proficient in breeding horses, and were the only tribe in the area to breed pigs.
In Jugicha, the Tsu-tsu maintained a number of temples staffed by lamas, for the various faiths known in the Plain of Horses. At least one of the Tsu-tsu, Aghul Balai, was a follower of the Way.
==History==
The Tsu-tsu tribe were founded when a band of rebels split from the Fankiang city of Li-Raz around . They desired to settle their own community, which developed into Jugicha. This triggered a realignment of the hsing (clans) of the Plain of Horses, ultimately giving rise to the Tsu-tsu.
Later, the Tsu-tsu sought to conquer the Fankiang in Li-Raz. To this end, around , they made a treaty with the Kashghun and allied against the Fankiang, proposing they assault them from opposite sides. Although the Tsu-tsu attacked the Fankiang from the north, the Kashghun changed their mind. The Tsu-tsu were forced to withdraw.
Circa , the qaghan (ruler) of the Tsu-tsu was Shajji Ghoiji. Ghoiji's government was corrupt and fell into chaos and finally rebellion. Ghoiji's apa qaghan, his assistant and brother Shajji Hoijarek, stepped in, gathering capable advisors to his side and becoming qaghan in his place.
Over the next two decades, Hoijarek worked to reestablish order in Jugicha and revive Tsu-tsu prosperity. He welded the Tsu-tsu together by holding a strong front against the Fankiang and Li-Raz. When Fankiang raiders killed Hoijarek's own wife and children, all the Tsu-tsu swore a vow of vengeance with him. Hoijarek also conquered a number of lesser neighboring tribes by slaying their livestock and poisoning their water supplies to force them to submit to the Tsu-tsu.
Hoijarek hatched a scheme to lure the Fankiang into a trap. In , he ordered forty camels be stained white, as white camels were held to be sacred by the Fankiang, and left to graze a day's ride west of Li-Raz, where they would inevitably be spotted by Fankiang scouts or herdsmen. Tsu-tsu horsemen then lay in wait to ambush any Fankiang who came to round up these apparently valuable beasts. Fankiang herdsmen sighted these possibly valuable camels and reported them to qaghan Chuqali Shilai, who dispatched soldiers and adventurers to retrieve them. This ambush may have led to battle or all-out war between the two tribes.
In , Aghul Balai of the Tsu-Tsu was among the teachers, magical advisors, and agents of Second Empress Bayalun of the Tuigan at Quaraband. Aghul sought to convert Bayalun to the Way.
==Government==
The ruler, or qaghan, of the Tsu-tsu around was Shajji Hoijarek. The qaghan ruled from the city of Jugicha.
==Relations==
The Tsu-tsu and the Fankiang were bitter enemies since the failed conquest, but they maintained an uneasy peace.
Similarly, the treaty between the Tsu-tsu and the Kashghun was still in place after the abandoned alliance, yet had no real significance.
==Appendix==
===Notes===
===References===
===Connections===
Category:Humans
Category:Tribes
Category:Ethnicities
Category:Organizations in Jugicha
Category:Organizations in the Chigidi Mountains
Category:Organizations in the Plain of Horses
Category:Organizations in the Hordelands
Category:Organizations in Kara-Tur
Category:Organizations on Toril
Category:Organizations