An orc state in the north-central Wildwood, controlling a strategic stretch of the Grand Tolkarsus river where it passes through the Plenjorn Swamp. The Tarni are spirit warriors—orcs whose souls are so firmly anchored to their bodies that death struggles to claim them.
Geography
Tarn occupies river valley territory along the middle Tolkarsus—roughly 60 miles of river and the surrounding flood plains. The terrain is wet: marshes, seasonally flooded meadows, and the edges of Plenjorn Swamp.
Tarns-Hollow: The capital, built where the Tolkarsus widens into a series of lakes. The boundary between the living world and the spirit realm is thin here; the Tarni consider these waters sacred.
The Spirit Gates: Stone pillars along the river where ancestors are said to enter the mortal world. Major ritual sites where the spirit-seers commune with the dead.
The Contested Shore: The stretch of Plenjorn Swamp that Tarn and Glivornax both claim. Fighting happens here regularly.
Borders
- North: Grieb (the lakemen; minimal contact)
- Northwest: Uhionai (occasional friction)
- West: Glivornax (hostile; the Water War)
- South: Hedroscobb (neutral)
- East: Shazuihn (hostile; raids)
Climate
Continental temperate with significant flooding during spring melt. The river valley is humid and misty—local legend says the mist is spirits moving between worlds.
Why It Matters
Tarn controls the river and the healing waters of Plenjorn Swamp. River passage, river trade, and most importantly, access to the miraculous waters all flow through Tarni territory. Their spirit warriors are individually formidable, and their spirit-seers can detect lies and see things conventional scouts cannot.