Tigue
Tigue is a small nation in the west of Fennengath. It is south of Yeon, southwest of Yangjuguk, and west of Erinia.
The capital city of Tigue, An'alem, sits at the mouth of the Cladran River and has 19,000 residents. It is the largest city on the continent’s northern coast. Tigue is known for their well made trade goods, skilled artisans, and talented inventors. Many aspiring craftspeople have traveled to Tigue in the hopes of finding apprenticeships.
Demographics
Tigue is fairly diverse, though humans and dwarves make up the majority of the nation's population. Most Dwarves live in the mountainous areas to the north, while humans are evenly distributed throughout the country.
Dwarf: 14%
Elf: 2%
Gnome: 9%
Halfling: 5%
Human: 42%
Mixed Race: 19%
Orc: 4%
The remaining 5% are mostly Birdfolk, Dragonborn, Firbolg, Goliath, and Tiefling, though there are other races present, especially in the capital city of An'alem.
There are remote Birdfolk and Firbolg villages in the forests and mountains, though some travel with the nomadic Goliath tribes. Most Dragonborn and Tiefling citizens live in An'alem or northern industrial towns.
Government
As of 897 AT, Tigue is a Principality, a vassal state to the Erinian Empire. It is ruled by Prince Kiernan, who serves Emperor Zinaeus II of Erinia. Zinaeus II gave Kiernan his name. Some say this change was to signify Kiernan’s rise from lesser nobility to royalty, though many believe it was done to protect his family from the retribution of their outraged countrymen. It is rumored that he is a distant cousin of the late Queen Etna’s, but most Tiguish citizens believe that he is a puppet of Zinaeus II at best, and a brutish traitor at worst. He rarely appears in public.
Historically, Tigue was a Queendom, ruled by the women of the Quinn royal family. When a monarch died or abdicated, the eldest daughter would take the throne. If there were no daughters, a queen could choose a sister, cousin, or niece to be her heir. Only once did a queen choose her son to rule the country as King. Most princes became great craftsmen or artisans and rose within the ranks of their respective guilds to hold positions within The Assembly.
The Assembly was, traditionally, the Queen’s council. Each member is a noble leader of one of the guilds approved of by the Queen. Only one queen needed to approve of a guild for its leader to be added to The Assembly, but two consecutive queens’ disapproval was needed to remove a guild. The Assembly, in its former role as the Queen's council, has had as few as three members, and as many as twelve. During Queen Etna’s reign, there were nine members.
Since the change in government, The Assembly has changed roles, and no longer serves as the Prince’s council. Instead, The Assembly now includes the leaders of every guild in the country, functioning as a union of guild leaders. It acts as a regulatory body for the economy and serves to protect the nation’s citizens. The Assembly submits its concerns to the Prince’s new council, made up of Erinian-born generals and nobles.
Nobility in Tigue was traditionally predicated on skilled craftsmanship, the most skilled families gaining the most wealth and holding the most power within their respective guilds. The wealthiest guilds often held the most power in government. While many Tiguish nobles are still respected guild members, their place in the political hierarchy is now turbulent, as many noble houses left empty have been filled by Erinian nobility.
In the past, taxes were paid directly to one’s guild. For those not a member of a guild, taxes were paid by employers, not employees, to the most relevant guild or otherwise directly to the local noble. Most of that money was put towards local community improvements, and the rest was sent on to An’alem where the Queen would put it towards improving the nation as a whole.
Since the Erinian takeover, taxes are now paid not only by business owners and employers, but by employees as well. Taxes are no longer paid primarily to guilds, but exclusively to the local noble houses. The majority of that money is sent on to the Prince in An’alem, who sends much of it back to Erinia.
Industry & Trade
Each guild has a hall in every town where that guild has members. Though, in smaller villages or where there is little guild presence, that hall is often simply the home of the most prominent local member. In a town with only one cobbler, for example, the Cobbler’s Hall is likely to be a spare room in the local cobbler’s home or shop, where traveling cobblers can spend the night and share a meal.
There are larger guild halls in major cities, like An’alem. New, grand guild halls were built in the city of Q'oimir to host members from throughout the country. These halls serve as official meeting places for the guilds where members may share new discoveries and techniques, or simply rest as they travel across the country. While some guilds are international, and foreign members are welcome, the needs of Tiguish members are given priority.
Tigue is a more industrious nation than the others in Fennengath. Most guilds have moved their headquarters to Q’oimir to be more centrally located and protected, though few people live in that city full time. Many aspiring apprentices go there seeking opportunities to learn, knowing that great masters of their crafts are always passing through. One of the few industries to remain firmly centered in An’alem is the textile industry because so many of the raw materials are imported and so much of the end product is exported.
History
When The Tempest wrecked ships along the Tiguish coast, few captains survived. Most went down with their ships or died diving back into the stormy seas to save drowning shipmates. Most of the seaside villages that formed in the aftermath were led by surviving first mates, bosuns, and ship doctors. One such leader, the doctor of a ship that crashed near the mouth of the Cladran River, a half-elf named Orla Quinn, became the mayor of the town that would quickly grow into the city of An’alem. Orla Quinn became the first Queen of Tigue.
During the First Age of Fennengath, Tigue was closely allied with both Yeon and Yangjuguk, despite the lack of any pre-storm relationship with those countries’ culture. Between Yangjuguk’s superior soil and farming practices, Yeon’s naval strength, and Tigue’s industrious nature, the three made up a nearly unstoppable trade block. During the Second Age, however, after Yeon closed itself off and no longer sent naval aid, Tigue had to work harder to defend itself from outside forces. Tigue and Yangjuguk both struggled against the imperial expansion efforts of Erinia.
In the year 893 AT, Queen Etna, at the behest of her heir Princess Fia, began construction of a second capital further inland, to be more defensible than An’alem. This second capital, Q’oimir, was meant to house The Assembly, the nation’s guild halls, and a home for the heir, in case An’alem was ever taken in battle. Construction was still ongoing when the fears that prompted this project came true. Q’oimir now sits unfinished. The Assembly does call the new, barely populated, city home, though under much different circumstances than they expected.
In the year 895 AT, as An’alem was preparing for the festival of Grimfyr, the city was attacked by Erinian forces. Assassins snuck through the city, killing politically active guild members and heads of noble houses. Torquinn Palace was infiltrated, Queen Etna was killed, and Princess Fia was declared dead by the Erinian Emperor, though he was not present. A new so-called heir was chosen by the Erinian forces from the few surviving relatives of the Queen. Prince Kiernan, was crowned on Baelfyr of 896 AT.
The half year between the assassination of Queen Etna and the crowning of Prince Kiernan was a bloody stain on Tiguish history. Erinian forces brought a mass purging of Tiguish aristocracy. Some Tiguish nobles were bribed or coerced to side with the new Erinian authorities. Those who refused were killed, and their homes were filled with the second sons of Erinian noble families who would otherwise have little to inherit in their own country. Some young nobles were spared this fate by virtue of studying abroad in Dunwichia, Yangjuguk, or Yeon when the Erinian takeover happened. Few of those have returned, preferring to continue their education behind the safety of foreign university gates.
Geography
Much of Tigue’s landscape is rolling meadows and forests. Most of the coast is rocky and hilly. There are wetlands and bogs in the west, along the border with Yeon. The border with Yangjuguk is dotted with low mountains and foothills. The Erinian border is mostly held by the Q'ushli River in the east, though the lands north of Lake Q'anuil, and the lake itself have been contested for nearly three hundred years.
Founding Date
The Tempest
Type
National Territory
Population
Approximately 1,500,000
Inhabitant Demonym
Tiguish
Location under
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