Tharggy

Farmers and hunters of mixed Fhokki and Defy heritage who traded with the Dejy clans to the north and east originally settled Tharggy (population 750,000). Feudal barons who ruled independently of one another divided the land. When Kalamaran expansion troops reached them, the unorganized barons and their people were driven eastward. They fled far enough east that the Kalamaran troops became occupied with the more dangerous barbarians to the north and abandoned their attempts to conquer them. Realizing that they must unite in order to retake their land, but unable to peacefully choose a leader, each baron fought for the right to be king. After almost two centuries of displacement and civil war, a king was chosen and the land was united under King Tharggy the Greater. Game in the Fyban Forest was plentiful and the country soon began to prosper. When the King died, his son vowed to retake the Tharggy homeland. The new King assaulted the Duke of Dodera's troops and drove them back to the Katagas Rise. The Duke pleaded with the Emperor for troops, but the aid never arrived. He opted for peace and conceded the eastern half of the Shynako Hills to Tharggy. After almost 40 years of peace, Kalamar (under a new Emperor) attacked. The war lasted the entire campaign season and finally ended with the annihilation of the Tharggy army during a bitter last stand amidst an unseasonably early blizzard. The King and his son. Prince Arykk, were slain along with almost all of their troops. The surviving Kalamaran troops withdrew, and Tharggy was saved, at least until spring. The country was left in disarray. Since almost every male from the age of twelve to fifty-five was slain in the war, the women were forced to do all the duties of state. For the first time Tharggy was ruled by a woman, Queen Defyn, who was the widowed wife of Prince Arykk. The Queen knew that spring would bring a fresh Imperial Legion, and the predominantly female population chose to fight rather than surrender. Defyn commissioned elderly veterans to train female warriors for battle. Nakkary, a retired general, worked day and night for the whole winter on strategies, but contracted the plague only a week before the impending battle. Yet, the general miraculously recovered the very morning that it appeared he would die. He awoke, full of vigor, and led his army of undertrained troops to meet the Kalamaran army. Though outnumbered four to one, the general directed battles of tactical brilliance. After a three-month campaign, the Thars defeated the Imperial troops. When news of the victory was brought to the general's tent, he was found dead of plague and his body half-decomposed. In his dead hands, he clenched a symbol of The Old Man. Today, Tharggy borders Dodera and O'Par in the west and Thybaj to the east. Their northern border extends uncontested (and unenforced) to the Shyf Hills. Tharggy allows free worship of almost all religions, but the Temple of Armed Conflict has the largest following. The Church of Life's Fire, Church of the Night's Beauty, the Home Foundation, the Church of Endless Nights and the Temple of Sleepless Nights also have sizable followings here. Tharggy is on good terms with O'Par and Thybaf, but Queen Defyn still considers the country to he at war with Dodera. Tharggy merchants trade textiles and foodstuffs to Thybaj and the demi-humans of the Kakidela Mountains for precious metals and gems. These goods are then commonly traded to Drhokker merchants for war-horses. Thars have become famous For their textiles. The sheep they raise in the Shynako Hills produce the world's finest wool. Thars spin and dye the wool to produce brightly colored clothes that they sell and trade worldwide. lb this day, women run Tharggy. Women hold almost all positions of power, except that of general, which is held by a learned, male veteran. The country has a large army of female soldiers numbering 2200 infantry, 500 archers, and 1400 cavalry.

Alternative Name(s)

Queendom of Tharggy

Type

State

Location under

Wild Lands