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Taemar
Capital: Vallen
Ruling House: House Grunewald
Taemar is a kingdom that borders on Northwind, Azarya, and Ibethiel. Its more Northern location is apparent in its weather, proving to be colder than Feyshore. Much of its geography is comprised of great forests and plains. The capital is called Vallen and stays slightly to the west.
The Witherlands is comprised of six main regions, all ruled by respective Great Houses, which are families even more powerful than traditional noble houses.
THE DRYGRASS STEPPES
GEOGRAPHY
Near the frontier with the Witherlands, the forests of Taemar fade into vast plains of drygrass. The soil in this region is poor in nutrients, but rich in minerals, and many across Marin are lured to these steppes by the promise of rare minerals and quick fortunes. Unfortunately for them, said fortunes will more often than not trickle into Vallen's coffers. And yet the dream lives: small outposts and boom towns lie scattered across the vast steppes, often embedded in the few hills that haven't been flattened by erosion. But while the region may have no shortage of riches, it happens to have a shortage of everything else: water, goods, and especially food for winter, are prized commodities. As a result; life in the frontier is fast, lawless, and often violent... as long as the drygrass lasts, that is. Because when winter comes, snow will bury the pastures, starving and all horses and livestock. In due time, the towns will become prisons for it's inhabitants: and the cold and the hunger shall be the only law.
The Church of Black and White
The northern reaches of Taemar, the Drygrass Steppes, are the most remote place the Southern Pantheon touches. Harsh winters, poor soil, and the constant threat of bandits make it hard to survive. The towns there are sparse, usually consisting of a single road with houses on either side and at the end a steeple.
People that roll through the Drygrass Steppes do so in summer, when the horses are around. They naturally thrive off of the drygrass that grows there, and over the course of the spring, summer and fall, they multiply, bringing a wealth of meat and mobility to the region. During this time, the church of white and black wears white robes with black collars, and preaches the newest order in the Southern Pantheon (and contemporary religion of Taemar), the Hog God. The town drapes its buildings in pristine white cloth.
In the winter, however, snow covers the drygrass, the horses die and life comes to a halt. Sparse amounts of tubers, berries, and dried horse meat sometimes lasts through the winter, but due to food taxes given to the Starred Errants (the lone protectors of the towns) and bandit raids, the people in the Drygrass Steppes go hungry. This is when the preachers switch to black robes with white collars, and preach the word of the Frozen Gods. When the preaches put on black robes, the town removes the white banners and replaces them with black ones. No one is supposed to enter a steppe town in the when black banners fly. Come springtime, when food is restocked, life returns to normal.
The Melsoh
Taemar is also known for its bog lands, the home of the hog god faith. They are inhabited by insular communities of scattered huts. If an outsider should decide to visit, he would be wise to find a guide, or else a wrong step could lead to another soul lost to the bog. No need to worry about your corpse lying there forever. It is practically a sport in the boglands for people like the Maus siblings to track down the latest dead body. Melsi culture is quirky and characterised by oddities like its traditional food, such as boiled rat.
The following document contains more in-depth information about the bog lands called The Melsoh in Southern Taemar and the Melsi people that live there, if you are interested.
CUSTOMS
The Piggy Post
Ever heard of messenger pigeons? Perhaps even messenger ravens? In Vallen, Taemar you'll find The Piggy Post, a collection of hogs that deliver notes, letters, and even packages around the city. In many businesses, the doors will be left perpetually open with a bucket of oats and a bucket of water near the entrance to sustain any pig that makes a delivery.
The Hog Dangle
It is Taemish tradition at feasts to have a Hog Dangle, the practice of hoisting a live hog in the air and having guests take turns throwing knives in an attempt to land the killing blow. It is considered rude to kill the hog right away, so the most skilled knife throwers often wait until others have thrown before making their attempt.