Teramzyn

**Teramzyn** is the court of deceptive beauty. One of the newer courts in Sumarfold, Teramzyn’s history is still undoubtedly rich with tales of cunning archons and political rumour, paired with heartstopping architecture and gardens that even causes Esudel-Astra to turn green with envy. Teramzyn hosts and oversees the safeguard of a verdant rift, that’s comparably calm to the others across Sumarfold; however, one would be wise to note mistake the petal for the thorn or see the trees for the forest.

## Description

Teramzyn is reputable within Sumarfold as the garden teeming with snakes as they covet the most beautiful natural lands within Sumarfold while maintaining a reputation for having some of the most cunning and duplicitous archons in national history. Years of political intrigue and betrayal are steeped beneath the scenery built and grown to entice and calm. Teramzyn has suffered numerous archons in their time due to the constant plotting of lords vying for power and inner circles conspiring against allies. When they've been under the rule of a knowledgeable leader, they've seen great prosperity, as their land has much to offer in terms of agriculture and medicinal reagents, but the nature of such a witty court rarely stays so fixed.

Teramzyn would burden a fair expectation of naturally grounding, considering they're surrounded by lush deep forests, an easy-to-contend rift, impressive gardenscapes, and nature-reflecting architecture. Still, it would be a mistake to trust appearances. Despite being even the most structurally appealing courts, although similar to its sister courts, Teramzyn is still set apart by expertise and ingenuity in crafting structures meant for beauty and utility combined.

Teramzyn is a historically intelligent, cunning, and deceptive court, even going so far as to start embarrassing national conflicts by disseminating rumours and allowing other courts or countries to take the fall. Regardless of opinion on the style of rule, Teramzyn has undoubtedly made up for size and modernity by learning how to sway the court of public opinion, knowing it is all they need to draw social weapons against political and powerful foes.

## Geography

Teramzyn sits in the northeast of Sumarfold, making it the closest court to the Veldt of Mania, a large swath of forest that sweeps across the nation's top corner and is reputably treacherous in crossing. The green depths of Teramzyn are a notable obstruction that fades into beautiful architecture entwined with nature and hanging gardens as the heart of the court was built with impressive attention to detail. The climate tends to be tepid, seeing less heat than the capital and enjoying consistent spring-like weather year-round.

Due to the strange malleable powers of their rift, Teramzyn has what's considered the most impressive architecture in Sumarfold, as they've figured out how to carve their habitation cohesively with nature. The rift gifted the court with an incredible ability to shape earth and stone while calling upon the strengths and capabilities of plant life.

## Government

Teramzyn doesn't stray from the typical form of government in Sumarfold; currently, their Archon has been in power for the most extended amount of time in contrast to the others, being crowned for nearly 280 years now. Ornthalas Rosys has brought peace to a court traditionally known for political and social ire, causing much confusion among the aristocrats. In his reign as Archon, it seems far too easy to have settled the consistent bickering and quiet plotting of lords with no broad system overhaul. Realistically, he was able to guide and channel the venomous duplicity of his people towards common targets, reassuring them that there was power to be shared within and sought from without.

### Law and Order

The laws of Teramzyn fall in line with the nation of Sumarfold; however, the culture to upkeep and respect the boundaries of the earth around them has brought about stricter laws when it comes to trespassing on their territory and the territories they protect. Teramzyn has a vigilante border guard of rangers who keep watch for any wanderers and does not take kindly to intruders. Notably, this has left quite a few adventurers in hostile situations that don't always end with them leaving Sumarfold.

### Crime

Theft and grand larceny tend to worry the upper echelons of Teramzyn as their wealth compliments the ease of access to luxury items and goods the court has to offer. This, of course, leaves room for insecurity and a space for those looking to get rich quick. In the depths of the city's heart, one should be wise to carry only the most expensive jewels they don't mind going missing.

Political and social crime is similar in Teramzyn as in other courts; however, the sting of their betrayal often lasts as Teramzyn has always had a reputation of quietness and amiability on the surface. Blackmail, extortion, forgery, and financial crimes are amongst the most common, while violent crimes are rarer than in other parts of Sumarfold.

The Archon and his advisors also concern themselves with whispers of espionage.

## Trade

Annual offerings of energy for the fields to yield full harvests, reshaping pieces of earth or constructing roads, bridges and buildings are among the collaborative efforts Teramzyn offers. These kinds of services often demand large scales of energy be used, and the value of these abilities is too grand to let slip beyond the hold of Teramzyn; thus are never offered to nations beyond Sumarfold. Instead, goods crafted with the magic of the rift often prove very profitable in domestic and foreign regions; these items include set jewels, small trinkets valuable for their material and artistic display, carved furniture, amphoras, and jugs, pots, and building stones. Teramzyn notably has a particular demand to craft musical instruments. The quality of any musical device guided into shape with the help of a rift is said to be a perfect piece, sought out by the most dedicated musicians across the continent.

## Culture

Geomancy is prevalent in Teramzinite culture. To the untrained eye, their court is a beautiful city, thriving with rich gardens and cared for by the quiet, wise people who call it home. The truth of the court is in each divine detail they have carved and shaped from the earth. Teramzyn is a place of incomparable magnificence that seems as though the land was happy to accept its new warden, opening to accommodate the sprawling people. Teramzyn's culture has always been concerned with the foresight of the earth, and they grew their domicile in communion with what they understand as the earth's truth. This mentality dates back to the origin of the court but was indeed emboldened by the gift of the elemental rift that responded to them kindly and fruitfully.

Of all the courts, Teramzyn is the most preoccupied with handling their resources and how they source from the earth. People of Teramzyn are more prone to agree with environmental preservations and strict boundaries of where Sumarfold's people should be allowed to meander and utilize. Living so close to the Veldt of Mania, it is only natural that preservation and warning are often crossed, and the tales told by the elders often serve as suspenseful tales bolstering the young adventurer to conquer mystery instead of heed grave warning.

Even with a rich and suspenseful history, Teramzyn is still a more quiet and grounded court for everyday life compared to the others.

### Fashion

Fashion in Teramzyn is relatively uniform to the rest of Sumarfold, consisting of flowing gowns, open cloaks, expensive fabrics, silver and gold embellishing, and dramatized aesthetics are always prevalent. However, due to their natural landscape being utilized in their fashion industry and particularly lush surroundings, popular dyes within Teramzyn are more consistently green from the forests, deep purples and reds from the vineyards, and blues and mauves from the extensive gardens.

Teramzyn doesn't recognize bangles and anklets as formally as the capital does, but they're still very absorbed with the need to accessorize. The people of Teramzyn are more likely to involve motifs of nature that have importance to them in their clothes, going so far as to ensure a specific symbol is woven through their entire wardrobe somehow. A vineyard lord would likely have grapevines embellished throughout their outfits, or a lady dedicated to Byrphine would lavishly accessorize with moon symbology.

### Religion

Still relatively uniform with the rest of Sumarfold, Teramzyn tends to attribute the miracle of their natural world and the magic of the rifts to the Tresceian deities seeing as their court is one of the closest to human lands and social influence over the years. This is much to the dismay of serious arcanists, scholars, and scientists who call Teramzyn home, as they believe they could be even further at the forefront of technological and arcane advancement if religious integrity and, even more so, Teramzian peoples fancy with folklore and fashionable myth wasn't so commonplace in the culture.

### Festivals and Holidays

Teramzyn follows all of Sumarfold's national holidays and a few of their own making**.**

Veldtnight is an ancient holiday associated with making an offering to the beings of the Veldt of Mania in hopes they would leave the court's inhabitants in peace. This is a single night where candles and lanterns are lit across the forest line, sometimes left in decorated jars or other holders as gifts to light the last summer night before the evenings become cold. Other offerings included hanging decorations from the branches, writing letters and notes to leave, and offering certain wines and libations. The most common offering for children is writing riddles and jokes on parchment to go in the trees. In an archaic day, sacrificing the self or being sacrificed by the town was an acceptable practice. However, this holiday has softened into a time of fun and trickery instead of outright fear.

The Four Pillars are a set of holidays, with four days representing the turn of the season. Various holidays exist in Sumarfold of similar nature, but in Teramzyn, the Four Pillars takes time to group the Tresceian deities in 4 days and celebrate their patronage alongside the changing season. Each day occurs in a quarter of the year, often aligning with the moons phasing alongside one another. The Four Pillars are celebrated in typical Sumarfold fashion, with the addition of symbols and activities that would most suit the deities being revered.

## Defenses

Teramzyn has utilized its rifts abilities to create nature sentinels who sit dormant in the forests outside populated areas and blend in with the court's natural landscape until their rift commands the energy needed to give them sentience for a battle.

The rift has also proved helpful in creating enormous natural thorn growth on titanic scales that are not found in nature alone. These thorny vines can encapsulate the entire capital city in dire situations, though they're more ideal for ensnaring large machinery and beasts in times of war.

## Transportation

Standard to Sumarfold's shared technology, Teramzyn utilizes well-fashioned paths,  carts and foot traffic. Portals, carriages, and lifts are common along the court landscape. A more exciting and typical view of Teramzyn is that of the golems shaped and given faux-sentience to help pull and carry large stockpiles of goods and materials. Constructed of large boulders that float in vague humanoid forms, these beings glow in between joints with the unmistakable green energy of Teramzyn's life-giving rift.

## Notable Locations

**Composer's Conservatory** is a specific square in Teramzyn's central city that any musician worth their salt would dream of visiting. This square is not meant to entertain but appeals to what goes into the magic of performance where one could find any instrument of decent craft or even the rarest and most valuable sheet music. Composer's Conservatory earned its name over a hundred years ago due to the constant hum of practice that claimed the alleys. A discordant hum, reminiscent of the moments before a show, hung over the square as students of the arts tested out prospective instruments and camaraderie was formed over improvised music sessions. Many musicians from across the continent seek the Conservatory when luck's found them in possession of enough money to afford the tinkerers' and technicians' services.

**The Glasshouse** is the largest greenhouse in Sumarfold, spanning a whole 3 acres and built with handcrafted glass tiles; it's open for tours and visitors in off-seasons when the Archon is not using it as a summer home. The Glasshouse encompasses many notoriously hard-to-grow floras, groups of foreign plants, and year-round blooming gardens. Aside from the ability to expertly craft, The Glasshouse is a pride of Teramzyn.