The Tamaran Islands

TAMARA (Empire of the Decider)
MAIN MAP NEXT REGION PREVIOUS REGION HOME

Capital:
Population:
Majority:
Government:
Religions:
Exports:

Sin
90 000 (70% slaves)
Human
Autocracy
None (banned)
Burned-out slaves

Off the western coast of Midland lies the Tamaran Empire, a chain sub-tropical islands ruled by the nefarious Decider. She is supposedly a Creator, the last of her kind, who took over the islands during the Spiral occupation and has since forged her own kingdom of of corruption and gluttonous depravity. What was once a major stronghold of Believers is now a breeding ground for pirates, slavers, and assassins, not to mention the location of one of the dreaded Spiral collectors. Tamara is guarded by a powerful fleet of ships which defends not from invaders but from the multitudes of common folk trying to reach the fabled shores of Pleasure Beach. You see, passage to Tamara is by invitation only.

Only those who win the Decider's favor are invited to Tamara. It's sort of like a huge, non-stop party, thrown by the most popular, most powerful woman on all of Rym. To gain an invitation, one must first win the Decider's favor. This could involve bribery, services, even an amusing trick or two. These invitations can even be forged, but woe be it to anyone caught sneaking into Tamara without the Decider's concent. Anyone caught without their papers is sent to the slave mines of Nirn, the arena, or other less pleasant places. It's also very important not to get on the Decider's bad side. Every time someone annoys her, she has something horrible done to them, usually in public, or else she has them stripped of everything they own and thrown out into exile (or into the arena).

The southern portion of the main island is controlled by the Spiral, in specific, the forces of lord Strythus, and the dark citadel of Nirn. The causeway connecting the north and south of the island is blocked by a massive gate, to the south of which the land grows steadily colder and grayer. Gradually, the terrain descends into a great valley of dead vegetation and a desert of powdery, shifting ash. At the heart of this desert lies Nirn itself, pouring its endless clouds of smoke into the atmosphere. Lord Strythus and the Decider have an uneasy pact. Neither knows the other's full potential. Many of the slaves brought to the island kingdom are sold to the Spiral for 'conversion' or sacrifice. Strythus finds the Decider's slave markets very useful, and thus he has no immediate plans of betraying her. On the other hand, the Decider knows what the Spiral is attempting to do in the long run. She just thinks it's impossible.

BLACKLIGHT JUNGLE
The cepn have covered their islands with shadow-casting monoliths that draw darkness from the netherplane, concealing the jungles of Noctae in a cloak of perpetual shade. Only ultraviolet light truly penetrates this dark matrix, an environmental change which warped and twisted the rainforest into a nightmarish landscape of shifting shadows and phosphorescent plants, many of which are now carnivorous without pure sunlight to feed them.

CINDERPLAINS
Surrounding the citadel of Nirn is a vast desert of smouldering ash - fallout from the Collector. This ash grows hotter as one nears the center of the region, until the ground literally burns under one's feet. Added to the poisonous vapors released by the combustion, the Cinderplains make the Ashworks immune to conventional siege, and allows its own undead troops to function with little difficulty.

REGIONAL ARCHITECTURE

Largely inspired by the architectural maginificance of the old Creator empire, Tamaran structres are generally elaborate and larger than absolutely necessary. Sponsored by the wealthy gorgs and the Tamaran queen herself, few cities can even begin to rival the splendors of Sin and Vice. White marble, highly-polished, is the chief material used in these constrictions - everything must meet strict codes of aesthetic design. Constrasting sharply with these lavish structures are the ramshackle slums of the slave population that keeps the rest of the empire comfortable. These are often nothing more than walled-in masses of pitiful shacks, inhabited by a gaunt, starved population that the free citizens rarely ever see over the walls that keep the two classes apart.

Industrial: Tamaran industry is invisible, for the most part, undertaken by slaves of the empire far from the sight of the general populace. Under the most miserable of conditions, these slaves manufacture all the lavish goods consumed by the rest of the population, confined to shoddy, unsanitary sweatshops and crude labor camps. Most of the industrial work takes place in walled-in areas attatched to the towns themselves, and are overseen by cruel taskmasters such as czath and Machines. Most industrial areas are barely maintained at all by the stingy gorgs, who keep living conditions at the absoloute threshold of 'bare minimum'.

Residential: For citizens of the empire, housing conditions are excellent. Most of the cities are equipped for a static population, and thus most of the buildings are grand manors that have remained relativfely unchanged for decades. Anyone who burns out or is expelled opens up living space for new potential citizens. Great marble villas, oceanside manors, and ivy-laden mansions are but a few examples of residential architecture - one is hard pressed to find a house that isn't steeped in luxury. Most of these areas are well protected, too, often lit by enchanted lamps furnished by the Arcanar guild, and patrolled by the usual array of attractive Tamaran soldiers.

Commercial: Tamara is well-known for its marketplaces and bazaars, from which flow the most rare and exotic of commodities obtained by gorg traders throughout Penduk. Most of these marketplaces are composed of permanent and semi-permanent vending stations, most brightly-colored to attract the maximum amount of attention. The more permanent businesses tend to be run by the gorg merchant leagues, including the high-end slave markets, banks, and costers. Most of these are located in the wealthier quarters, while the brightly-colored stalls and cart-vendors crowd the docks to trade for goods coming in by boat. Prices are surprisingly low, though the highly-skilled merchants will use this to ambush the unwary customer into buying far more than necessary; just the way the gorgs like it.

Military: As with the rest of the Tamaran infrastructure, no expense is spared in the construction of fortifications, barracks, and gaols. In order to maintain the illusion of power, these structures are placed in prominant locations, resplendant with military parades and bright banners. In truth, most of these fortifications don't hold up under stress, being as packed with luxuries and aesthetics as they are. Security is sacrificed for lavish windows, gold instead of iron, and marble walls that look pretty but would quickly crumble under siege. The appearance of power is generally more than enough, however, and few would even begin to consider attacking the Decider's army.

Arena: One of the most common large structures found throughout the empire is the arena. From the greatest colloseum, to the lowliest fighting pit, arena combat is the core of Tamaran entertainment. Most of these arenas are very obvious, public buildings, though some of the dirtier combat takes place out of sight, in underground conditions. The largest of these colosseums seat thousands, with self-contained markets and entertainers to accent the main performances. Most have distinct themes, though the general motif is one of brutality and bloodlust, with plenty of spikes and bladed wire to go around.

Back...