Tournen - The Land
Tuornen is a large realm whose value lies in its location and excellent agricultural base. Were it not for the dangers, both political and martial, of its precarious position between rivals and among foes, Tuornen would be an agrarian's paradise. As it is, Tuornen's greatest treasures are the land itself and the people who tend it.
Climate
Like its neighbors, Tuornen is a land of spring and autumn mists, especially at the base of the Seamists, along the banks of the Tuor River, and among the soft sedges of Croaker Norge . Its summers are mild and long—excellent for growing crops. The winters are relatively mild, as the land is sheltered from the Miere Rhuann by the Seamists.
The Tuor river creates the natural border between Tuornen and Alamie. The land on either side of the river is excellent for agriculture, except where ruined by past battles. The population of both domains is especially high along the Tuor.
The vast majority of Tuornen consists of farmland: rich, fertile black soil. The gently rolling plains of Tuornen's heart extend past the source of the Tuor to meet rugged hills at the base of the Seamist Mountains. Those mountains are shunned by most Tuor, who fear the wrath of Rhuobhe Manslayer.
But Tuornen's scouts make frequent patrols of the area, despite occasional losses. After 100 years of healing, Tuornen still bears the scars of its war with Alamie. Ancient battlefields dot the land, especially along the eastern border. While the thick, green grass of the plains slowly recovers some of the battlefields, others remain dark, ragged expanses of churned and poisoned soil. No crops grow in this barren earth; even wildflowers and the strongest weeds appear only in sparse patches.
flora and fauna In some desperate battlefields grows the weeping lily, its lush petals heavy with a crimson hue. People say its color comes from the blood of those who died fighting their own brothers and sisters. In Tuornen, no flower is more precious—nor more poisonous. The most ardent of admirers sometimes haunt battlefields for months hoping to find this rarest of love tokens; others pay exorbitant sums to procure the blossom. The lily must be presented in glass lest the object of one's affection perish more quickly than the plucked flower.
Less virtuous individuals use the flower for darker purposes. The common folk of Monsedge whisper that Mad Maeve lurks around old battlefields at night, collecting the crimson blossoms. When someone dies of mysterious causes, many say, "Maeve sent him a lily."
The more typical flora of Tuornen includes infrequent copses of hardwoods and fruit trees. Along the Tuor grow a variety of deciduous trees, including great willows which drape their locks into the cool bath of the river. In the northern provinces of Ghonallison and Monsedge, coniferous forests blanket the foothills of the Seamist Mountains.
The most common grain crops of Tuornen include barley, wheat, and oats, which are used in brewing Tuornen's renowned beers as well as in baking breads and other foods. Virtually every farmer also tends a small vegetable garden, but it is grain that sells to the southern domains.
Opossum, squirrels, hares, and other small game (or pests) are common in the domain. Incursions of wolf packs or a stray black bear are common in Elevesnemiere and other provinces near the mountains. Monstrous creatures are almost unheard of, except near Croaker Norge where a lone troll or small band of goblins may appear. Once or twice a generation, a reckless band of gnolls or goblins will cross the border from the Five Peaks, only to learn that Tuornen's army is watchful.
Climate
Like its neighbors, Tuornen is a land of spring and autumn mists, especially at the base of the Seamists, along the banks of the Tuor River, and among the soft sedges of Croaker Norge . Its summers are mild and long—excellent for growing crops. The winters are relatively mild, as the land is sheltered from the Miere Rhuann by the Seamists.
The Tuor river creates the natural border between Tuornen and Alamie. The land on either side of the river is excellent for agriculture, except where ruined by past battles. The population of both domains is especially high along the Tuor.
The vast majority of Tuornen consists of farmland: rich, fertile black soil. The gently rolling plains of Tuornen's heart extend past the source of the Tuor to meet rugged hills at the base of the Seamist Mountains. Those mountains are shunned by most Tuor, who fear the wrath of Rhuobhe Manslayer.
But Tuornen's scouts make frequent patrols of the area, despite occasional losses. After 100 years of healing, Tuornen still bears the scars of its war with Alamie. Ancient battlefields dot the land, especially along the eastern border. While the thick, green grass of the plains slowly recovers some of the battlefields, others remain dark, ragged expanses of churned and poisoned soil. No crops grow in this barren earth; even wildflowers and the strongest weeds appear only in sparse patches.
flora and fauna In some desperate battlefields grows the weeping lily, its lush petals heavy with a crimson hue. People say its color comes from the blood of those who died fighting their own brothers and sisters. In Tuornen, no flower is more precious—nor more poisonous. The most ardent of admirers sometimes haunt battlefields for months hoping to find this rarest of love tokens; others pay exorbitant sums to procure the blossom. The lily must be presented in glass lest the object of one's affection perish more quickly than the plucked flower.
Less virtuous individuals use the flower for darker purposes. The common folk of Monsedge whisper that Mad Maeve lurks around old battlefields at night, collecting the crimson blossoms. When someone dies of mysterious causes, many say, "Maeve sent him a lily."
The more typical flora of Tuornen includes infrequent copses of hardwoods and fruit trees. Along the Tuor grow a variety of deciduous trees, including great willows which drape their locks into the cool bath of the river. In the northern provinces of Ghonallison and Monsedge, coniferous forests blanket the foothills of the Seamist Mountains.
The most common grain crops of Tuornen include barley, wheat, and oats, which are used in brewing Tuornen's renowned beers as well as in baking breads and other foods. Virtually every farmer also tends a small vegetable garden, but it is grain that sells to the southern domains.
Opossum, squirrels, hares, and other small game (or pests) are common in the domain. Incursions of wolf packs or a stray black bear are common in Elevesnemiere and other provinces near the mountains. Monstrous creatures are almost unheard of, except near Croaker Norge where a lone troll or small band of goblins may appear. Once or twice a generation, a reckless band of gnolls or goblins will cross the border from the Five Peaks, only to learn that Tuornen's army is watchful.
