Kingdom of Tern
"I've never traveled so far, and met so many nice people without ever seeing the sun. I nearly went mad and when I finally saw the sun I swore I'd never go back...but this Black Ale..."The Kingdom of Tern occupies the southwestern arm of Dane and has learned to survive in the frigid, inhospitable climate that prevails on the majority of that part of Dane. From its western shores to its borders at the Blainhurst Peaks the land is densely covered in Frost Wood. The Frost Wood has plunged Tern into perpetual winter and forced the kingdom to live underground. A Terner will venture above ground to hunt for food and gather any supplies necessary then returns to the caves and complexes below. Few know exactly when the Frost wood came to Dane and many believe it was leftover from the fall of the Zevalon Dynasty but with its slow but gradual spread whole towns and villages moved underground and carved their way underground to their nearest neighbor. The majority of Tern can be crossed without ever going outside or seeing the sun.While visiting The Red Mammoth, Lewenton, in TernTaryn Wanderfoot
Structure
Tern is lead by the Dwaven Clan Ebony Bear. The Clan father is the absolute and final word in any and all matters that come before him. The provinces within tern each have their own clan leader that rules their province at the behest of the clan father. Traditionally these positions are assigned based on the purity of bloodline.
Assets
The Kingdom of Tern produces a wealth of Iron, Steel and precious stones. The finest gems and best steel comes from the depths of Tern. As well it exports a fair amount of Frost wood due to its unique color and how hard it is to acquire it is sought after by the rich and skilled craftsmen.
History
When the Dynasty fell, Clan Ebony Bear was no longer under anyone's control but their own. The Clan history indicates that when the dynasty fell the clansmen simply went about their daily lives working as if nothing changed. One day there was no Tern and the next it was there and has always been. Other histories seem to point to some amount of anarchy and rebellion as the area found stability, this stability was naturally found in the power of the Ebony Bear clan and Bloodline. They simply returned to their traditions and heritages as if they hadn't changed and weren't interrupted by the Dynasty. Over the course of 200 years the other settlements and peoples joined with the Clan and became Tern. The spread of the Frost Wood accelerated the assimilation of the free peoples of Dane as the land became more difficult to live in. If you wanted to survive you had to go underground and join the Clans. This is not to say that city and towns that didn't want to join were treated harshly by the clan, it was a matter of survival at the time and the clan would go to great lengths to protect their own. It was Clan Mother Narelsia that accepted the "Thin Bloods" or non-dwarves as members of the clan. This gesture is viewed as the foundation of the Kingdom of Tern, without it it is more than likely that only the Clan would have survived the Frost Creep. The Clan would send teams of Dwarves to towns that had chosen to swear fealty to the Clan Mother and bury the whole town to protect it from the Frost creep and show the people how to live and survive underground.
Founding Date
200
Type
Geopolitical, Kingdom
Predecessor Organization
Demonym
Terner
Leader
Leader Title
Head of Government
Government System
Monarchy, Absolute
Economic System
Traditional
Location
Related Traditions
Neighboring Nations
Notable Members
Comments