Tanûleng

The Tanûvelhenae

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## Geography

The **Tanûleng**, or the **Tanûvelhenae** is a transcontinental country located mainly in eastern Arenica and western Sylvica. It's capital and largest city is Tanûrasa, located within the Green Dragon Path and the eastern Yiang Valley and along the western coast of the Golden Dragon Bay, with the Qingyan Lagoon serving as an outlet. The Tanûleng shares a border with Luang to the south and varying tribes surrounding the area.

## Etymology

The Tanûleng literally means “the Matron’s Domain”, referring to The Tanûlreth, and the fact that she rules the land over the area that she reigns. The Tanûvelhenae means “the Matron’s Empire”, which is what is usually written on official documents when addressing itself formally. The Tanûleng is one of the few examples of a nation that refers to itself as a plural, as it refers to itself as a country ruled by the power of the Tanûleth, therefore, making it by her divine blood, a land for her and her descendants.

## History

### Indigenous peoples and pre-Shûxieci settlement

The original inhabitants of the land were settled by human groups known as the Dai-Xiu peoples at an undetermined amount of time ago. It is unknown at this time if they share any relation to the people of the Luang, which is located much further away from the settlement in which the Dai-Xiu traveled. These events are largely thought to have been before 2000PE (Prehistoric Era).

An indeterminate amount of time later, and the people which are currently known as the Nanyankipo, arrived into the region. Unlike the humans, these people groups were a fox people which shapeshifted into a fox and back into a more furrier fox form, standing up right. It is unknown how these foxes gained magical sentience as well as shapeshifting abilities, but modern theologians believe that they are descendants of the Fox Dragon. These fox people would settle down within the forests, however, many of these tribes would fight among each other, and were said to have been cannibalistic, often slaving and causing trouble for a few of the Dai-Xiu tribes that were around. However, the more powerful Dai-Xiu tribes would trade with them.

The Dai-Xiu people would later divide among themselves. The hill people known as the Huangyan, who were known to have built magnificent hill forts and had terrace farms, the Yiang, horse-riders who settled near the Huangyan, and would regularly trade with them, and the Tu-enxi, who were known as the brave sailors of the high seas, and were hardy fishermen. The fox people would also be divided among the varying Nanyankipo peoples, the Kianpo, by far the largest group known for an ancient bow and blade technique known as the Huaewasa, the Tupo, who were known as fisher foxes, who weaved magnificent mats, and the Yunyapo, the ones who were known to utilize blood and cannibalistic sacrifices to summon natural creatures.

The Huangyan and Kianpo were widely known to have been matriarchal societies, though, according to oral and later written accounts, the early Huangyan were said to be more matrilineal, with men settling disputes and served fighting and hunting. The Kianpo was recorded to have been unambiguously matriarchal, as many societal roles, norms and military positions were held by females, while men served more traditional societal norms as a woman in a patriarchal society.

### Early Shûxieci Settlements

The Shûxieci for many years, lived in the mountains beyond where the Dai-Xu and Nanyankipo peoples would originate from. It is unclear where the Shûxieci originated from, or if they are related to any other species of elf, due to their features being seemingly different, especially evident with their larger lungs to breath in higher altitude or the fact that some of them even have more rougher feet to survive the jaggedness of rocks.

At around the dawn of 2000QE (Qingyan Era), multiple tribes of Shûxieci, notably the Melwanya, Inyo, Mohang and the Aro’a would migrate away from their mountainous home, and would settle the area near where the Huangyan lived. Trade would begin to flow between the newly formed Confederation of Yu’samparo and the Huangyan city-states. The biggest of them, Qingyan, would introduce the elves to parts of their culture, including wares, architectural styles, and the secrets of bronze-shaping and crafting.

Around the year 1605TE (Thiphandoric Era), the confederation discovered the secrets to the arts of Kanqi, a particular energy that surrounds the elements of the world. This new found knowledge would see the formation of the Kingdom of Thiphandor, led under their first monarch, King Yanxenmji. However, as a consequence of the ambition that would grow within Thiphandor, King Yanxenmji would become ambitious to subjugate the squabbling city-states and the tribes of fox people, so that he may ensure a future home for his people for decades to come.

### The rise of the Kingdom of Thiphandor

Almost after five years of buildup, the Kingdom of Thiphandor would begin to start and pressure the local city-states that would be neutral, or aligned with Qingyan’s influence. At this time, Qingyan was going through a decline, where it would see its Queens become fat and lazy with their rulership. As such, infighting had begun. This would mark the time when the Thiphandorians would march into the former vassals.

Some of the earliest recordings of magic in warfare in the region came from a ceramic vase that was from the later Qingyan period, which portrayed the use of light magic being used by King Yanxenmji’s forces on the varying hill forts of their weaker subjects. Qingyan itself was taken by King Yanxenmji, and saw the subsequent ending of said civilization. With this conquest, many of the weaker city-states that were once adversaries with Qingyan or allied with them, surrendered and paid tribute to Thiphandor.

Years after the death of King Yanxenmji, the expansion of Thiphandor would see the taking of the fox people lands, namely the Kianpo in the 1400TEs under King Hianyanon. The years of 1350-830TE saw a golden age of the Kingdom, namely in the scholarly arts, architecture, pottery, military and economics. The larger cities, namely on top of the ruins of Qingyan, were said to have been glittered in marble, gold, and copper roofs. Mural paintings of the nobility showed that there were even aspects of Huangyan styles in the traditional Melwanya outfits, which dominated the courts.

It was also during this time that many humans, namely Huangyan and Yiang, traded with neighboring kingdoms, city-states and tribes. Humans were among the most popular commodities on the market due to their handiness, sturdiness, spirit and work ethic. However, the ruling Melwanya didn’t shy away from trading elven slaves either, most noteably the Inyo and Aro’a, which they saw as lesser than them. Sometimes, the occasional Yunyapo would be captured and sold when they were captured during one of their raids of Thiphandoric settlements.

The golden age would end in 830TE, where the Kingdom would experience a decline, following the death of King Yanxenmji III from an assassination, putting his wife, Queen-Consort Inshacha in charge while raising her son, Shantawa II. During both their reigns, the economy would experience turmoil following the fall of multiple kingdoms and city-states from repeated attacks from raiders, and, just as the very city-states that Thiphandor conquered before, would see the reign following the Golden Era Kings, growing decadence, laziness and debauchery. Many of the Kings would use up the country’s resources to throw lavish feasts, corruption from court eunuchs being paid in bribes, rewards and titles. Peasants around the country would begin to starve, the slaves starting to grow more bolder, with small scale slave revolts occuring, and becoming more successful. Multiple states would break away from Thiphandor, with it coming to a complete collapse of social order in 645EB (Era of Blackness).

### The World Stops Making Sense

A mass scale peasant revolt would be the catalyst of destruction for the Kingdom of Thiphandor. A once powerful Kingdom in it’s own right, would see former allies turn enemies, governors turn warlords, and slaves, turn folk heroes, though some would go on to have their own slaves as well. In addition, outside invaders would start taking advantage of the once prosperous Elven empire, and torn it asunder. This period would be known as the Era of Blackness, as many records, nations and catastrophes would strike this time.

Only until recently, it has been uncovered that civilization has begun to slowly rebuild from the ruining of the old Thiphandor, and that scholars would begin to start to write about their former Kingdom that they broke free from. Eventually, warlords would start reducing their carnages, with the dust settling. Six strong kingdoms would emerge from the resulting chaos: Yando, Melwa, Aurû’ruk, Lukanda, and Quang. Yando, Melwa and Lukanda were Melwanya cultured, while  Aurû’ruk was Aro’a, and Quang was Mohang.

These Kingdoms would see a stalemate for about ten years, until 230EB, where Yando and Melwa would clash. Aided by Lukanda, Melwa would take over Yando, which would gain a foothold against Lukanda. However, in 226EB, Melwa and Lukanda would dissolve their alliance, namely due to Lukanda’s King, killing his wife, who was the sister of Melwa, who exposed a plot about Lukanda wanting to align itself with Quang. Melwa would conquer Lukanda, and execute their line.

### Rise of the Tanûvelhenae

By the end of 199EB, there were only three kingdoms that stood. The Melwa, Quang and Aurû’ruk. Strangely enough, this is where records end, as there is very little that has been written between this period, and until the rise of the Tanûvelhenae. To make matters even stranger, all records that have been written about this particular period were blanked, with even the etchings and mural arts blanking themselves out. Any sort of re-creation, was met with failure, and it was said that when a scholar attempted to write anything related to this period, if one opened the scrolls, they would appear as blank.

However, this strange phenomenon would coincide with the rise of the Tanûvelhenae, and the subsequent appearance of a figure simply known as the Tanûlreth, or the Divine Matron in the year 0ETT (Era of the Tanûlreth). Details of her appearance vary:

One account states she appeared from the mountains, ending the warring period, taking the seat upon the ruined palace’s throne of sundered kings, and with the power invested in her by her gods, ended the period, and forced the rulers to sign a treaty through a point of a sword.

A second account states that she would appear among a flash of light in a pillaring matter through manifestations of Kanqi, in which she flowed with all five elements, in addition to two extra ones that are not known to mortal men. This would result in her rising as a warlord in her own right, taking on the other Kingdoms, in which she used her powerful magic to subjugate them.

A third account states that she was a peasant by the name of Sarakat, daughter of a peasant, and leader of a religious cult known as the “Court of Dragons”, in which she prophetically predicted the end of the period through the unification of not only elves, but humans and fox people under one banner, solidarity flying yellow, black, purple and green banners. With this, her dreams would become reality when she used an old fishing village as her base of operations, conquering the other warring kings and the ones who left, with them hailing her as Tanûlreth.

Following her appearance, the ruins of a battered people would be before her, and without a proper recalling on who she was, or what she was, the Tanûlreth would find herself bowed before as the new divine leader who would guide forth a new era into prosperity and peace. Upon her first acts as Tanûlreth, was the outlawing of slavery, the end of Court Eunuchs, a complete overhaul of the way government and bureaucracy works, and the spreading of her teachings of the Court of the Dragons, in which became the state religion, deeming all other faiths and philosophical ideals as “mundane, outdated, irrelevant and heretical”. She would also decree that due to the lack of memory of who she was, the name “Pyrahiring, house of Lelynro'a” was accepted as the official name she'd use in signatures and documents.

## Geography

The Tanûleng is situated in the the most central part of the known world, and is sometimes referred to as the "Middle Kingdom" due to it's relative location. Currently, it stands as one of the only multi-continental nations, as it stretches from eastern Arenica to western Sylvica continent-wise in it's land area.

Much of what is known as "The Tanûleng Proper" is identified from east up until hitting the Huangyan Hills. The Yaoupo Forest would give way to the Bridge of the Two Halves, which is identified as the split zone between two major continents, Sylvica and Arenica. This landmass connection is divided by the man-made Great Imperial Canal. From there, it would continue to stretch around the Tu-enxi coast, down to the Green Dragon Path, ending in the Southern Dragon Highlands. To the southeast of the Yaoupo Forest is the Yamen Jungle.

West of the region, is a region known as the Huangyan Hills. The northwest gives way to the Dragon Highlands, which the entire region could also be classified as (Including the Southern Dragon Highlands). The southwest is the Yiang Valley, which is west of Tanûrasa, which enters into the Steppes of the Yiang, and houses the source of the Yen River, one of the longest rivers in the world.

The Southern Dragon Highlands covers much of the Tanûleng's southern borders, which it refers to as it's "natural southern wall". This large expanse would stretch much of the Tanûleng and Luang borders.

Within the Golden Dragon Bay, a few outerlying islands straddle along the coastlines of the country. It is estimated that around 50-60 islands exist within the Tanûleng's waters, many of them being tiny, and the largest one being located within the city limits of Tanûrasa.

### Climate

The Tanûleng is home to multiple climate types, however, four dominate most of the Tanûleng's climate index. Although largely believed to be temperate, the Tanûleng proper is infact a Subtropical Forest, with the southern portion of the region being apart of the Western Tropical Rainforest. The Huangyan Hills, the Yiang Valley and the Dragon Highlands are an Arid Montane Forest. The Steppes of the Yiang are within the Savannah Belt of the west.

Due to much of the country bordering the Golden Dragon Bay, the Tanûleng Proper and the Huangyan Hills typically has a monsoon season that lasts three to four months, usually in the middle parts of summer until the end of fall.

## Government and politics

### Structure

The Tanûvelhenae is an Absolute Monarchy, which also coincides with a theocratic structure. The Tanûlreth is viewed as, by the will of the Divine Court of Lûthrana, the rightful ruler that was chosen to lead. Due to the current belief the Tanûlreth is immortal, and therefore, unkillable, the seat has no legal succession clauses. There are no provisions of which are fervently explained in events of the death of the Tanûlreth as of this time.

The Imperial Court of the Tanûvelhenae is divided into two parts, the Court of the Immortals and the Council of Ministers. For simplicity's sake, the Court of the Immortals is referred to as the High Council, while the Council of Ministers is called the Low Council.

Below the Tanûlreth is a High Council known as the Court of the Immortals. These people are said to have been the highest possible cultivation, and are rumored to be immortal themselves much like the Tanûlreth. Although, they have not stated if they are that sort. The Court of the Immortals are personally handpicked by the Tanûlreth, and are thus, the most loyal of the Tanûvelhenae. Many of the Aristocrats are on this council.

Below the Court of the Immortals is the Council of Ministers. These people are more or less representatives of varying civilians who had shown a significant amount of merit, and scored  high in the Imperial Exams. This lower court represents more or less the everyday lives of the citizens and minorities of the empire, where nation-wide laws, petitions and other things of the sort are written.

Each region has a regional governor with their own separate laws and bureaucracy that subordinates imperial law. When called into the capital, the Governors share the same rights as the Council of Ministers. In order to prevent power struggle, a regional governor is required to relinquish their position should they become a member of the Court of the Immortals or run to be a member of the Council of Ministers.

## Economy

The Tanûleng runs off a mixed economy. Much of the Tanûleng's market is a Free Market capitalist economy, which depends on supply and demand, in which trade is conducted from the individual who has the wealth. Some peoples wealth can surpass multiple families throughout the country. However, much of this wealth is heavily taxed by the government in order to redistribute to public works such as maintenance, health care, education, military and varying other factors that keep the beating heart of the empire alive.

In addition to this, the Tanûleng runs off of the system of it's own, which is known as Rethshui, or Divine Tax, in which is a theocratical way of economics. Although much of the citizens may own private property and have the right to competition, Rethshui controls the way of how much of this can transact depending on the social status, racial status and the religious status of ones being, based off the will of the Prosperity Dragon. Certain limits can be placed upon the different classes depending on what they are, such as owning only one stall, but can't own a building is usually reserved for the ones who are considered barbaric, and not religious, as well as being a certain race. For citizen races, the limits are lessened, but are still rather limiting on their society status, so if one can seemingly not afford to upkeep multiple stalls or stores, they are not allowed to open anymore. This usually helps keep the market in check, and to ensure that foreigners and heretics do not outcompete locals.

## Demographics

### Religion

The Tanûleng's official religion is known as the Court of the Dragons. By Imperial Law, and dictated by the Great Hanûlant, other faiths are deemed to be heretical within the Empire unless they pass a certain test known as the "Test of Reality". If said faith passes said test, as well as substantial evidence, it is deemed to be legal by the state to be freely worshipped, and temples being erected in said honor. This appears to only apply to Fundamentalist faiths that are organized. Pagan, Animist or Shamanist faiths are allowed to function, for as long as they syncretize with the Court of the Dragons. This process known as "Harmonization" is a major key factor into winning the minority population into the Imperials grasp.

Enforcers of the Court of the Dragons are known as the Harmonizers, a special division of the Constabulary, and ensure that the code and tenants of the Court's will is enforced. The Harmonizers are known to have harsh punishments when a violator is discovered to have heretical connections. As a result, many who worship other faiths do it so in deep secret or out in the countryside.

Heretics to religious laws are usually fined, but for those who preach or open a religious establishment that is not allowed by the law, are punished through lashing. Depending on how many times they did it, the lashes are calculated to the total amount. However, they are capped at 100 unless the crime included more violent or rebellious ones. Heretical residents are forced to pay taxes.

### Language

Aro'ak is the official language of the courts of Tanûleng used in all documents, papers, signs and speech, while the de facto language of many others in regular speech is Thiphandoric, and is often called the "Common Tongue" by many of the inhabitants of the country. Other languages around the country vary, with many of them being a minority language or within certain regions only.

### Race

Mountain Elves make up the majority of the races that are present in Tanûleng. The largest portion of the Mountain Elven population is the Melwanya, followed by the Aro'a, the Inyo and the Mohang. Minority groups of Mountain Elves include those from the Northern Dragon Highlands groups, with at least one Dhosa lives within the Empire.

Humans being the second most populace race within the nation, with the Huangyan being the largest group, while the Tu-enxi being the second largest, and the Yiang being the third. The Hai'anren are the largest of the sub-groups, mostly living around the empire, namely in the Huangyan Hills.

The Yaoupo are the third most populace race in the nation. The Kianpo make up the majority of the peoples, with a minority of Tupo and Yunyapo living within the borders. The Nanye and Sang are among the largest groups of Yaoupo that live in the northeast, while a minority lives in the capital.

Other minority groups live mostly within secluded settlements or the capital city of Tanûleng such as Luangese, non-ethnic Mountain Elves, and the Cong peoples, who are apart of the Huangyan peoples, but live secluded.

### Education

The establishment of the Tanûleng fundamentally changed the way education works. Education is usually provided through those who can afford it due to the upkeep of paper, though, it no longer disclosed the lower classes. Individuals are able to participate in a form of an examination known simply as the Imperial Examination. The examination determines the person's future, class and societal worth. Depending on the result, the person, and their family is able to get different opportunities. However, the examinations are usually said to be rather difficult to pass, and even those who had passed are said to have still retain jobs as a laborer, or a farmer, however, seen a substantial increase in their stiffens.

## Culture and society

### Literature

Famed works throughout the Tanûleng such as *The Struggle of the Five Kingdoms* is among one of the many classics of the Darkness Era books. Writing such as calligraphy and poetry are quite popular namely among nobility, who write it to express feelings, to display a message, or for romance to the ones they love. It may also display praise for faith and leader, or to protest it as well. It is also used in religious ceremony as charms or protection.

### Music

Varying cultures and races within the Tanûleng had bought forth many different insturments. One of the more famously known insturments is known as the jengsa, a woodwind instrument that has is in shape of a Y, and preforms dual sounds, making a rather unusual yet interesting sound. Other instruments such as the tosnag, a drum type insturment that is in a triangular shape and the sizang a ten stringed instrument that is played on a table or a flat surface, with the board being in shape of a trapezoid. The Yiang play a particular instrument known as the Yiang mandolin, which has became popularized since the subjugation of the Yiang peoples by the Tanûleng well over 200 years ago. Huangyan insturments include the Tuan, a type of vessel flute that is played in the varying hill forts, the lusheng, and the fou.

### Art

Artistry in the Tanûleng is diverse, but the most notable Tanûlengic artistry form is tapestry and decoration, as well as mural painting. The Kingdom of Thiphandor bought forth a renaissance of artistry, depicting their Kings in paintings, and is said to have been the origin of self-portraits. The tradition continued even today in which it had improved from the original artworks that had been produced years ago. Ceramic art has been an old tradition of the Huangyan people that has been present for over thousands of years. The Yiang practice artforms on wood, which resulted in varying crafted sculptured made from wood. The Kianpo has said to have made varying totems not only for religious purposes, but to represent different aspects of rulers, mostly in a positive light.

### Food

Due to the Tanûleng being rather diverse in culture, multiple cuisines from the varying ethnic groups of the country exist. One of the most famous dishes among many throughout the Tanûleng is Steamed Clams with a side of millet, spiced with Tanûlengic chili and Highlander Salt. Cheaper dishes usually compose of millet soups mixed with wheat, and bread seasoned with Green Dragon Garlic. Much of the northeast eats traditional Yaoupo foods, namely a pickled food known as Kumcheng, which is made from pickled cabbage with Kianpic vinegar. Tupo dishes are common place along the coast together with Tu-enxi dishes that usually involve the fish being flavored with varying seasonings such as parsley and saffron, which is considered a nobility dish. Fish is usually dried or steamed, and filleted differently, depending on the customer they are serving. Most Tupo will eat their fish off the bone, and cut away at the fish with their claws. Within the western steppes, much of the meat is dried or smoked, and these varying dishes are made with smaller vegetables such as Steppe Broccoli,