Lore

T'barris, the Serpent Kingdom

The Serpent Kingdom, where people live in balance with the Arcanis — the great magical beasts of the world.

There’s no line in the ground, no change in the landscape, but you can feel it in your bones when you pass into the lands of the Arcanis.

The people of T’barris live in a balance with the Arcanis, the great magical beasts of the world. Wyverns, White Harts, Frostfire Hounds, and many more share the country of T’barris with the people of that kingdom. T’barris is a balance between the town, fields and forests of people and the nests, groves, dens and caverns of the Arcanis. However, while the Arcanis are the most amazing part of T’barris from first view, there is much more within this land than just a menagerie of arcane beasts.

T’barris looks well on the adventurous, as their focus on balance requires both defenders to protect against raging Arcanis and explorers to enter the Arcanis’ lands to fulfill the promise of the beasts’ existences. T’barris is quite civilized, as they find balance in all things, work versus play, beauty versus purpose, alchemical cures versus alcoholic and poisonous concoctions, and adventure versus infrastructure. This doesn’t mean everyone practices balance in everything they do, more-so that the country recognizes the need for a range of people with a range of pursuits. Perhaps the only area where they are a bit out of balance is in Alchemy, as a surprising number of the Arcanis promote the growth of components well beyond what is found in the rest of the world.

Geography, History, and Climate

For some, the beauty of T’barris land is in its two coastlines rocky in the north and vibrant in the south. For others, it is the small mountains that glisten with snow and ice, and look from a distance to be made of glass. Its deserts are a beauty to behold in the waning hours when the bone-white sand reflects the blue and purple sky such that one of the larger deserts has been nicknamed the Twilight Sea. For most though, the true wonder of T’bariss are the creatures that walk these enchanting landscapes, the Arcanis.

The date it occurred was lost, but the story lives on. T’barris was a kingdom like many others, with people, cities, and commerce but nothing that set it apart from others of its time. Then the Vessel of Souls opened up on the shore and everything changed. The Vessel contained the spirits of arcane beasts never before seen in the world. They were not Purposed with Aspects, but the actual beasts that had been reflected in many Aspects. The lightning-falcon and wyvern took to the skies, kraken and acid-jellyfish took to the seas, and a stampede of other beasts including the unicorn, silver wolf, and manticore trampled the lands. The people of T’barris did what any people would do; they fought, they ran, or they were lost beneath the hooves and paws of the arcane beasts.

Years uncounted passed and things were finally settled by the Diamondback, a great reptile with a thick hide and glittering scales More than size or ferocity though, it is known to be powerful and wise. It chose the first ruler, Danielle T’barris, from whom the nation takes its name. Among the great gifts given by Diamondback was the knowledge that each of the Arcanis have an innate intent. They are not like a natural wolf or other creature of Eilona. Instead they each have an arcane structure that guides their behaviors, demeanors, and ends. Some maintain and guard gardens of herbs, like the dreaming-serpents. Others exist to be hunted and give the successful hunter a boon, like the white hart. Each one has a purpose and learning the purpose of an Arcanis shows how best to honor it and live in balance with it.

It is accepted across T’bariss that sometimes that balance and honor demands a beast to destroy or be destroyed. Even more special than their existence, the arcane beasts of this land have spirits. These spirits are what arrived in the Vessel of Souls and that is where they return when they are slain. In accordance with their individual rules, each will be born again when the time and conditions are right.

With that behind us, we can return to the beauty that is the land. The northern coast is covered in rocky cliffs and hidden coves. The southern coast is a paradise of different colored sandy beaches with calm waves most suitable for swimming and fishing. A reef rests just to the south of T’barris and within that reef many of the aquatic Arcanis make their home. The inland portions of T’barris include deserts, rivers, forest, jungles, fields and even small mountains with high cliffs and snowy peaks. Some guess that the Arcanis influenced the landscape over the years changing their lairs to match their preferences.

Towns are small, but many in number as they often must fit between the Arcanis’ ranges, or are based on the symbiosis that comes from a specific Arcanis living nearby. An alchemy town might be situated near a slumbering-serpent’s herb grove. A cloth town might spring up near a field of chaos-rams. The whole economy of the country is based on these relationships with the Arcanis and the unique treasures and plenty that they provide.

There are five provinces within T’barris. each named after the attribute of their most common Arcanis. The northern coast is The Azure after the azure-eels that inhabit the coast. Azure-eels are voracious, insatiable eaters. They eat and grow and eat and grow. If they grow too big they attack the shore, looking to eat the land. At that point, they must be killed to start the cycle again.

The central forest region is known as The Nettle after the nettle-boars found in that area. Nettle-boars forests contain many precious mushrooms and other fungus which can be used in alchemy. Nettle-boars exist to find and care for mushrooms, though if they are scared they will attack using the needle-like protrusions that cover their hide.

The province known as The Scaled includes the western deserts, mountains and plateaus which the Scaled Eagles fly over and treat as their range. Scaled Eagles each have a golden scale upon them which can grant power to the person who picks the scale off. The eagles fly notoriously high and make their aeries on distant hidden clifftops, making this acquisition very difficult.

The Sloth refers to the eastern jungles and swamps. The sloth-lizards of those areas have the gift of encouraging growth with their every step. Unfortunately they only ever take a step every few days or so.

The southern coasts are known as The Golden, for the golden-turtles sleep along the vibrant sandy beaches. The golden-turtles live to collect items touched by the arcane and bury them in the sea bed, resulting in the bloom of many aquatic components.

Politics, Government, and Economy

Since the return of the Lattice, T’barris has found a ready market for their Arcanis sourced goods. They have started strong trade relationships with Myos, since T’barris has two long shores to send their goods on their way to Myos, where-as land bound thresholds are often found in the lands of the Arcanis. T’barris alchemy is sought in all the lands as it provides easy to apply healing and cures. T’barris poisons have an equally strong, but more clandestine clientele that create a ready market.

The most unique aspect of the T’barris people is the way in which the rulers are selected. Once every 5-10 years, someone in one of the five provinces will find the shed skin of the great Diamondback, a huge reptilian beast with diamond-like scales. No one ever sees the creature, but for hundreds of years its scales have picked the future rulers. When someone finds the skin of the Diamondback, they have been selected to join the Council That Will Be. This council contains five people, one from each province. When a new member joins the council That Will Be, the old member from that province becomes the new monarch. The previous monarch joins the second council, the Council That Was. The two councils and the monarch run the kingdom and T’bariss has had prosperity and peace for many years.

Most citizens have a direct connection with their province’s representative to the Council that Will be. Relative to the Council that Was, they are newcomers to governing and have the closest connection to their province of origin. They often answer letters from the towns or people of their region and can raise issues impacting their regions to the Monarch and the councils.

Having set down the crown, the members from the Council that Was looks to widescale or external interactions. They act as the treasurers, ambassadors and judges. They no longer see themselves as from a specific province, instead thinking of T’barris as a whole.

Everyday Life

Every town in T’barris has a slightly different way of life. A town near unicorns could drink its blessed water and live a simple life of health. Where-as a town near a crystal-mammoth live a warriors life, fighting off the rampaging beast and then taking all the crystals back for their crafters to turn into exports or grind them up into alchemical dust. The people of T’barris also respect warriors and adventurers. More often than not it requires an adventurer to provide the solution of an Arcanis versus a peaceful solution.

All the people of T’barris have a habit of “looking into the reason why” if they can before jumping into action. This quest for meaning is the core lesson taught by the learning and honoring the individual purpose of each Arcanis. It has served the kingdom well as they look to understand the motivation behind deals and other people’s actions.

Current Events

The current monarch of T’barris is King Y’vain Pelle. There are concerns amongst the citizenry of late as it has been 11 years since the last skin was found and there has been no sign of the Diamondback. Y’vain was a good ruler early on in his career, but in the past few years he’s shown more and more desire to retire and less and less to care for the needs of the kingdom. This has allowed outside forces to unduly influence the King as he continues to set his hopes on the delayed transition. While the situation has not grown unfixable yet thanks to the influence of the other councils, it is not heading in the right direction.

One of the bad influences that the king has allowed entry into the kingdom is the Wyld Hunters. They are a group of hunters who are said to hunt some of the greatest game in the world. They do not have a strong presence in T’barris yet, but their unthinking hunts of Arcanis are causing issues with the carefully cultivated relationships with the beasts. This has caused many towns to reach out for additional adventurers to help them resolve their Arcanis-fueled crisis.

The current Council that Will Be is made up of Pierce Kenbow of the Nettle; Nuane Le’tor of the Azure; Caul Arix of the Sloth; Myra Rimane of the Scaled; and Wixyra Harper of the Golden. Each of them focuses on the issues of their provinces as they should and are easy to reach out to for their citizens.

Ilene Gieger, of the Council that Was, represents the Alchemists of T’barris. They have created many new or rediscovered alchemical substances and are always looking for assistants in acquiring components to fuel new discoveries.

One last rumor is that the lost location of the Vessel of Souls was discovered. This is a rumor that has resurfaced multiple times in the past so no one gives it much attention.

A Tale of Recent Events

Ah, weary travelers and seekers of truth, gather 'round! For I, your humble bard, bring you tales spun from the threads of T’barris—tales of kings, councils, and mysterious Arcanis, set against the backdrop of a kingdom caught betwixt the known and the unknown. Allow me to regale thee with the latest whispers and murmurings from the year-end of 124, a time when the land, though outwardly rich and vibrant, hides the weight of unseen troubles.

Two turns of the seasons have passed since last this guide was penned, and yet the heart of T’barris beats heavy with uncertainty. To the casual eye, all appears well: the fields still bloom with the bounty of Arcanis, and the people, in their merry gatherings, still raise their cups to the sky, honoring festivals and cherished moments. But ah! Beneath the glittering surface, shadows lengthen, and the kingdom stirs restlessly.

The heart of these troubles lies with none other than the king himself, Y’vain, who once waited expectantly for the rise of a new king to take his place. But now, dear friends, the king’s hope has withered like autumn leaves upon the wind. He mutters to his courtiers, casting doubts upon his very reign, fearing, perhaps, that he may be the last of his kind—the final King Who Is. “The Diamondback is gone,” he whispers, and with those words, the very soul of the kingdom shudders. His counselors, wise though they be, offer their advice—patient, steady advice—telling him to tend the land and hear the people’s needs. But oh, dear listener, it seems the king’s ears are stuffed with wax, deaf to their pleas.

More troubling still, foreign folk now roam the land, scouring every hill and vale in search of the missing Diamondback, the sacred artifact tied to the fate of the realm. And rather than guard the kingdom’s secrets, King Y’vain has thrown open the gates! “Come,” he beckons, “let any who dare and are worthy take their place in council, for the throne awaits its heir.”

Ah, but not all is well within the councils of T’barris. The Council That Will Be, those who stand next in line, tremble at the king’s words. Each member wonders in their heart—could they, should they, don the mantle of kingship? None are certain. Rumor has it that this council may soon seek to bend the laws of the land itself, to name their own king and raise a new member to their ranks. But such whispers are fraught with peril, for who knows what fate such changes may bring?

Meanwhile, the Council That Was, those who have already served their time upon the throne, scurry about the kingdom like ants before a storm, fixing all that has been neglected in these troubled days. Take note, dear audience, of the Guild of Heroics! Never have they been more active, striving to right the wrongs left unattended by the faltering hands of government. Yet even their noble deeds can only tip the scales so far, as they find themselves caught between the king’s inaction and the whispers of rebellion.

But hark! Not all news is dreary in T’barris. Two glimmers of hope pierce the kingdom’s clouded sky. The first, a most intriguing endeavor: a rumor spreads of one who has taken up the mighty task of crafting an Arcanolograph! Now, you may ask, what is such a thing? Why, it is none other than a grand compendium, a tome that would catalogue every Arcanis known to the world, revealing their powers and purposes. Imagine, my friends! Communities far and wide, able to understand the Arcanis that shape their lives! And it is said that this noble venture is backed by none other than the Heroes of Fortune’s Bend, renowned champions of Purpose. If any are to succeed in this monumental task, surely, it is they.

And now, for the second spark of hope: the dreaded Wyld Hunt has gone silent these past six months. No longer do they hunt the Arcanis that support the common folk. They have turned their gaze elsewhere, and wherever they tread, this humble bard wishes them well, for their absence has been a boon to the kingdom.

As we stand on the cusp of the year 125, hearts across T’barris turn to the future, with hopes—oh, fervent hopes—that this new year may bring with it the return of the Diamondback, and with it, the changes so desperately needed to mend this fractured realm.

So raise your tankards, my friends, and toast to T’barris! May the year ahead shine bright with promise and may the land find the strength it needs to face the trials yet to come.

Notes for Players

T’barris is a culture based on a symbiosis with the Arcanis, the magical creatures. There will be strange magical creatures involved in the plots and there will be adventures to fulfill the existence of different Arcanis.

Alchemy will be a plot element you will see as T’barris is a leader in the way of potions, poisons and elixirs.

T’barris exists on the world stage and has come to engage in trade with many nations, using Myos as a hub. Expect trading and political plot related to the interactions between nations.

Cultural Plot and Themes

The general feel of T’barris is “everyone has their own balance” and to respect that. They know that each town has its own story and its own way of operating and they sort of expect that every new place they go or see will be this way too.

Adventures in T’barris will often require discovering what is going on behind what you see through research, adventure, or experimentation and this doesn’t just apply to interactions with the Arcanis.

Costume and RP Themes

In general the folks from T’barris dress in traditional fantasy Larp clothing. Each person will have a highlight or an entire costume that highlights the region of T’barris they hail from. Those from The Scale may wear scale armor or adornments, reptile leather, or fabric with snake, alligator or other lizard skin patterns. Those from Azure have blue gems that adorn their clothing. The Nettle often have toggles of wood or bone that pass through their clothing. The Gold have golden clothing or have turtles adorning their clothing. Where-as those from The Sloth have a piece of clothing or a whole outfit that appears a complete mismatch, as if they weren’t totally awake when they put their outfit together.