Tarkhos Dominion

The Tarkhos Dominion is a land where promises burn. Here, oaths are not symbolic gestures but binding forces that shape bodies, weapons, territory, and fate. To swear is to stake one’s life and memory against the world itself. The land listens, and it remembers who kept faith and who did not.

Where other states adapt to or suppress resonance, Tarkhos forges it into obligation. Broken vows scar flesh, warp weapons, and give rise to hostile Echoes that hunt the faithless. Tarkhos is not cruel by intent, but it is unforgiving by design.

Geography

Tarkhos spans a volatile region of volcanic uplands and ash deserts, punctuated by obsidian ridges and active calderas. The ground is warm even during deepglow, and embers sometimes surface through cracks in the stone. Longbright casts harsh light across blackened terrain, while deepglow causes buried lava channels to glow like veins beneath the land.

Trade routes follow ancient lava flows that have cooled into durable black roadways. These routes are dangerous but reliable, forming the backbone of Tarkhos’s economic and political influence.

People & Culture

Tarkhos culture is oath-centric and resilient.

Humans: Caravan leaders, oath-scribes, and diplomats.
Orcs: Clan enforcers, warriors, and oath-guardians.
Earthkin: Forge-masters and stonebinders shaping vow-forged infrastructure.
Infernis: Fire-workers essential to metallurgy and heat management.
Halflings: Scouts, runners, and logistics experts.
Fauns: Ritual witnesses and resonance interpreters.

Children are taught the weight of promises early. Many wear visible oath-marks, brands, or scars earned through sworn service.

Governance & Clan Authority

Tarkhos is governed by a layered system of dominion law and clan oaths.

Hazards & Oath-Bound Threats

Tarkhos’s dangers are inseparable from its values:

Oath-Echoes: Manifestations of broken or twisted vows.
Emberquakes: Seismic events triggered by resonance stress.
Ashfall Storms: Volcanic weather carrying toxic and resonant ash.
Griefglass Brandscars: Persistent wounds from vow-bound weapons.
Molten Pass Collapses: Sudden terrain failures along lava routes.
Vow-Bound Revenants: Undead enforcers formed from unresolved promises.

Economy & Trade

Tarkhos controls key overland trade corridors. Exports include embersteel, obsidian tools, griefglass-forged weapons, and oath-sealed contracts recognized across Velthuryn. Many foreign powers rely on Tarkhos routes despite the risks, often swearing temporary passage-oaths in Skarov’s Spine before caravans are allowed to depart.

Relations & Reputation

Ohlai Steppe: Shared caravan culture, differing views on oath permanence.
Fleaspark: Frequent conflict over broken contracts and unsafe goods.
The Bastion of Aurex: Uneasy cooperation regarding containment obligations.
Velkar Spires: Trade partners through high passes and storm routes.

Tarkhos is respected for reliability and feared for the cost of betrayal.

Ancestry Distribution

Predominant
Humans, Orcs, Earthkin

Significant Minorities
Infernis, Halflings, Fauns

Transient Populations
Merchants, mercenaries, pilgrims, and oath-breakers fleeing justice

Fauna of Tarkhos

Ashhorn Runners: Herd-beasts adapted to volcanic plains.
Cinder Drakes: Fire-scaled predators nesting near calderas.
Obsidian Crawlers: Burrowing creatures that destabilize stone.
Ember Vultures: Scavengers that track battlefield heat.

Oath, Fire, and Consequence

In the Tarkhos Dominion, identity is contractual. Who you are is defined by what you have sworn and what you have endured to keep it. Fire does not forgive weakness, and the land does not forget promises. To live in Tarkhos is to walk always with the knowledge that every vow leaves a mark, and every broken word will eventually come back to claim its due.