While the focus of much of my work has been, thus far, on the northern continent, and quite often the Nornsan kingdoms, one should not forget that a mighty Empire arose in the south who's influence upon Haven was surely as vast as that of the Nornsan's,  if not more.

To understand Tenebria, one must understand her History. Tenebria is not one culture, but dozens mashed together over the long ages, pressed flat into a single layer by the weight of years and the tread of countless soldier's boots.

Urtesh is held across the world by human kingdoms to be a mythic ancient land, the "First City of Men", and her King was held as the First of All Men, Bovard.   The location of Urtesh was said to be upon a hill near a mighty plains, with nine great kingdoms to the West that forever fought and oppressed the people.  From that limited description the people of Haven have long claimed that any given land might have held mythic Urtesh.

The Tenebrians, ironically, are not in on the 'game' of guessing the location of Urtesh.  Ironic because their ancient histories hold up the 'King in Scarlet' as the mythic first ruler, annointed of the Gods, yadda yadda... and can be accurately called a mythic history of Bovard, said to be born directly of Uisuisa, the Mother Goddess, the Womb of the Earth.  

What was once Urtesh is now Tenejok, the Palace City, the capital of Tenebria.

Bovard, who through politics and war defeated the nine princes of the West and formed a great kingdom in his lifetime, one that lasted for many years, a time of great prosperity and cultural enlightenment, formed the idea that kings were appointed by the Gods. His heirs ruled, and misruled, as if divinely appointed, unchallenged, and those who can claim descent from the time of the King in Scarlet are held to be the true occupants of the land.

But thousands of years ago, as strife and upheaval threatened the peace of Urtesh, the Tenebrian Horde rode out of the South. Fearsome men, dark of skin and eyes, tall and heavy set, riding great beasts that looked like horses but had fangs and hooves with claws, and ate the flesh of the fallen, arrived.. .their numbers so great that they blackened the horizon from sea to sea... and conquered without mercy all the lands, naming them after themselves.  When the last of the Scarlet Kings was dragged from his palace and fed to the beasts of the Horde, his Sister-Wife cunningly offered to marry the finest warrior of the horde, giving all her wealth and power as her bride price.  It is said they slaughtered themselves for over a year until only a few remained, the finest warriors in the Horde, the Unbroken Thousand, and each acknowledged one among them, Tenebras as he named himself, as the finest of them.  

Thus by cunning were the people saved from the Horde, and thus did Tenebras and his Thousand, prove that the Gods smiled upon him as he took his bride and his throne.

History and mythology grow muddled at this point. Tenebras much expanded the size of the Kingdom named for him, but did he do it by adding already conqured lands or did he ride forth with his thousand men and the tattered remains of an ineffectual army of a newly conquered land and expand his borders?   It can be said that Tenebria expanded primarly southward, to the lands previously occupied only by nomads, such as the Horde had been.

Regardless, Tenebras and his Queen, known affectionately as one of the Seven Timeless Beauties, and by her burial name 'Petal of the Snows', proved to be wise rulers, though there relationship was forever tempestuous... and to mention 'Tenebras's Wife' is to allude to a rocky relationship even today.

The Reve were a major threat to the young Empire during the Tenebrian Dynasty, a factor absent in histories of Nornsa for geographic reasons, and it is said that one of their captains, who adopted after the Tenebrian fashion, a name for his kingship 'The Water King', or Uikot Ma, after his Reavers defeated the depleted armies of the seventh son of Tenebras.  It was the Water King who built a proper navy for Tenebria, who had long since conqured all the civilized lands surrounding her, and it was his Son, Uij Hke, the Storm of the Heavens, who first landed his armies on the southern shores of Haven's northern Continent.

The Reign of the Water Kings was brief, despite the expansion and renewal they brought to Tenebria the third of the Water Dynasty was a hapless fool who  allowed the new provincial governors too much power, and it was a northern Banner Lord who took power, and while he named his Kingship the 'Kings of Bridges', his Dynasty has forever been known as the Banner Kings.  The Banner Kings ruled for nearly 500 years, and the Empire expanded as far as it ever did, to the North where Spada fought and died for every inch of rocky ground, to the west where the Elves went to war as a people for the only time in recorded history, even seigeing glorious Paravail for fifety years.

The toll of long years of war, and ruling an Empire as large as the world had ever seen drained the Banner Kings, and the Tenebrian Empire fell into decadence and corruption. When the distant Governors rebelled there was no one with the will to stop them.  The last Banner King was murdered in his bed by a petty beaurocrat, who sat upon the throne for a single hour.

For a time, a generation or more, no Kings could truly claim Tenebria.  The throne would sit empty for a time, or some usurper would hold it for a few months, a year or two before the next claimant murdered him or defeated his followers in some petty battle.  A few wise men lamented that the Empire of Heaven was lost, that the Gods had turned their faces away, while the farmers in their feilds shrugged and hoped that no bandits set up shop locally.  

For a time it was the beaurocrats and appointed officials that kept the Empire running, though badly.  Some say they attempted to destroy the powers of the noble families that remained, to make Tenebria not a Kingdom or Empire, but a Beaurocrasy.

It is said that a lone hero, a wandering warrior with no family gathered about him a group of men and women who wished an end to the petty fighting, the chaos.  The tales told of his adventures are varied and often contradictory, but at the last he and his band, now swollen into a ragged army filled with farmers and petty lords who had lost their homes, walked through the gates of Tenejok, bearing a scroll of Gold, a divine gift marking him the true inheretor of Tenebria. They slew the beaurocrats and Eunuchs, the petty lords of the Palace that could not even rule themselves, throwing the bodies over the wall.  The Golden Scroll was hung behind the throne, a simple reminded to all who would follow, for when it was unfurled it read 'The King and the Land are One'.  Thus began the Landian Dynasty, and Kokes Po, the Scroll King is held as a perfect example of a Humble Ruler.

The Empress of Tenebria, She who sits beneath the Scroll is the first of a new Dynasty, and as is tradition with all new Dynasts she promises a new, invigorated era of prosperity.  While there are dark whispers about how she came to power, she is much beloved of her people and by popular acclaim is held as one of the Seven Timeless Beauties, replacing an older, mostly forgotten mythic woman.   To an outsider this may seem odd, for she is never seen in public, and even in private she hides behind heavy veils.  Due to the extreme intruiges of the Tenebrian courts, she has forbidden anyone from approaching within ten paces of her person on pain of death, with the only exception being her primary Herald.   The great hall of the palace is a largely empty place, as even the Ten Paces law is but the closest one may approach, and like many Tenebrian Kings of old, she does not see petitioners, not even amongst the nobility.  Still, her rare public appearances are notable, her voice distinct, her oratory considered impeccable and impassioned and the people love her, and Tenebria's armies once more prepare to march, for the first time in centuries.

The geopolitical landscape is worthy of note. Tenejok, the City of Palaces, built upon old Urtesh, which itself was built over the ruins of Gomepileste, has been the seat of Tenebria for thousands of years.  

Its name should be taken quite literally.  Tenejok could be viewed, in all honesty, as a dozen or more smaller walled cities all sharing a single outer wall. The entire Eastern half of the city is the Imperial Palace compound, a single massive building with an equally impressive courtyard, capeable of hosting an entire army, or two.  The Imperial Palace, home to the Empress and her family (currently just her, though in the past the Imperial family has been as large as a hundred or more, from wives and concubines, sons and daughters, dowagers and cousins... though as you might imagine the intruiges and infighting in such times is appalling), with thousands of servants and support staff, and their families, and thousands more in the Empress's personal bodyguard/army.

There is a single massive boulevard that leads from the Palace gates to the exterior gates of the City, with dozens of lesser palaces along either side more or less haphazardly, and still more farther back.  Some of these palaces traditionally belonged to the dukes of Tenebria, their summer homes if you will, and other, lesser palaces belonged to particularly valuable servants of the Emperor. Many are 'unoccupied' except by the permanent staff, often hundreds of families, the rest are currently home to minor nobles who officially rule the lands around Tenejok in the Empresses name.

It is important to realize that the Empress only rules two cities, Tenejok, and the small, but strategically important port city of Hui Gane.  However, as the vast numbers of farmers and peasants throughout the lands all consider the Empress their rightful, Heavenly Annointed ruler.

The remaining cities of Tenebria proper are primarily ruled by their local lords, dukes. A few have sworn a tentative alliance with the Empress, while others have openly defied her. The rest have yet to commit, though many have traveled to Tenejok to woo the Empress. This is fraught with danger, as Duke Jumon, the previous lord of Hui Gane was executed, his bodyguards slain for some slight. His son and heir, still holding three other cities is a powerful opponent of the Empress.

Of course, the Empress is the only one who commands The Thousand, the crack cavalry who rides the only examples of the old Tenebrian Steeds known in the world, so though her armies may be smaller and weaker than those of many of her enemies they are not to be underestimated.  Of course, were her various enemies to band together under a single banner...

It is possible that mighty Heroes might gain and audience with the Empress, and if they are ambitious might even seek her hand in marriage. As a central figure in the current state of the world, it would be remiss of me, your chronicler, to neglect her.

As with all rulers of Tenebria from time immemorial, she has abandoned her birth name and her common name. While she may have retained a familial name for use among intimates, she has none who might whisper it to her in the dark, so it is unknown.  The name of her Reign and her Dynasty will have to wait until after her death, and ancient traditions and laws, not to mention the great love of formality the Tenebrians have keep her people from calling  her anything but what she is: The Empress.  

It is said she was a concubine of the old king, one of hundreds.  As easily imagined she is said to be quite beautiful... in the Tenebrian fashion she is tall, broad of shoulder and hip, with dark skin, or dusky anyway.  Her figure is somewhat well known, she often takes her throne draped only in a single sheet of the finest silk, it is her face which is most unknown, and at times she shrouds the entire throne, the ten paces which no one may enter, with sheets of silk.  

Regardless: as a young woman, for she is young, she was given as sign from the Gods that she was to rule, that the last of the Landian Kings was unfit.  The events of the Nights of Blood are unknown but to a few survivors of the purging of the palace that followed, though tradition holds that she, herself, is pure, having never known the touch of a man nor spilt blood herself. It is said that she turned the wickedness of the Imperial Family upon themselves and that they turned upon each other in a week long orgy of murder and madness.  That The Thousand did not turn upon her when she first sat upon the Lily Throne speaks to the Legitmacy of her reign.

That was five years ago, and she is believed to be no more than twenty summers of age yet.

Her first edict, one that made her popular with the people, was to force the highest survivors of the Nights of Blood to clean the palace themselves, elevating unknowns to postions of power, literally and metaphorically washing away the madness and corruption of her predecessor.  She appointed a Herald, though that individual is under a death sentance that she revokes and reknews daily, who is guarded by a single member of the Thousand, said to be a new one each day, who ensures his Death is carried out if ever she dies or otherwise fails to renew the Death Sentance.  The man who has thus protected her for the last three years, the seventh to hold that position, is an elderly eunuch, Lord Refakn the Seneschal.  It is he who delivers her food or any other items she might require, and it is he alone who may enter her Ten Paces of Death, as he is already under a death Sentance, and he alone who has entered her chambers deep within the Palace, performing all the roles of a humble servant regardless of his high rank.

To be cont...

The lands of Tenebria are fairly poor in metals. There are large mountains far to the south, past the Sea of Grass, beyond the borders of Tenebria even at her height, but little within the kingdom itself.  There are some gold and silver mines, many quite ancient and nearly... but never quite fully... played out.  

Iron, however, is in short supply.   Even to this day bronze is quite common for weaponry and tools among the common men.  The finest warriors use swords that combine the rare iron with the more common bronze, the sword smiths who can craft such items are unparralled masters of their craft. Such blades are neither alloyed metal nor folded blades, and the secrets to their creation are jealously guarded even within the Empire.  

A common weapon found in the hands of soldiers is the 'Helmet Breaker' a simple device consisting of a octogonal rod of bronze, slightly tapered with a handle on the fat end.  The rod is as long as a sword, and can smash apart common weapons, sheilds, and of course, even iron helms.

What Tenebria has in abundance is grasslands... suitable for all manner of beasts to graze, and the Tenebrians can be rightly said to eat more meat than any other nation, even the lowliest beggar can sup on meat several times a week.  The bones of animals hold powerful ritual significance, and are frequently used for divinatory purposes, or to appease the Gods as ritual implements, though they are remarkable common in everyday implements, such as the ribs of a fan, carved into buttons or stays of a garment.  

Leather goods are frequent as well, and most armors, barring only the fantastic suits of the highest nobles, and the ancient relics of The Thousand, are made of layers of lacqured, or even raw, leather.   Such armors are frequently embellished with bright patterns and colors and bas relief murals and a thousand other ways.  Perhaps due to the prevelance of cavelry, the armor tends to highly flexible, often consisting of light, overlapping plates rather than singular solid peices.  It is quite different in appearance to the heavy armors of the North, and far more prevelant...one advantage the Tenebrians had over their opponents to the north was that every soldier, from the lowliest infantryman to the highest noble was well armored and well trained.

It is a stunning contrast to the often crude and even pathetic quality of their weapons.  It is said that when a Tenebrian Army returns from a battle half the men will be unarmed. An exaggeration, but one advantage to holding the field after a battle is that one may retrieve weapons from the fallen, and the broken shards that litter the battlefield can fuel the forges for weeks after.

The cavalry and archers are another matter all together.

The singular unit of heavy cavalry known as The Thousand are the heirs of the ancient Horde.  Most of them are hereditary inheritors of their place in the ranks, though over time great heroes have filled gaps in their ranks. They alone have the secret to breeding the bloodthirsty steeds they ride, more... they alone have the wills to tame the beasts, which are said to be as intelligent and cunning as they are evil.  The armor of The Thousand, handed down for generations, is black iron, heavy, said to be impervious to mortal blades, and their favored weapons are bladed spears and heavy short bows.  It is said they feed their tongues to their mounts, both so they do not betray the secrets of their monastic order and to bind their mounts to them spiritually, thus they are silent at war, only the screams of their mounts betray them.

All armies will have a significant cavalry presence, and halberds and shortbows are the typical weapons.

Infantrymen never use bows by ancient law, broken only in the time of the Water King... who was, as stated earlier, a Reve.  Instead they use massive crossbows, some so large as to require two men to operate, having tripods that can be set up. These crossbows are used to lob massive heavy bolts high into the air in massed waves, counting on momentum to drive their tips through armor.

Much has been said already on the strategies and tactics of the Tenebrian Empire, and I do not wish to hash over old ground except to expand on what is already written.

It must be noted that the Tenebrians put great stock into the valor and courage, as well as skill, of their leaders.  A general can not merely sit back and direct troops, he is actually expected to lead his elite bodyguard into battle to exploit an opening in the enemy lines, or reinforce a weakness within his own.   Thus personal skill at arms is vitally important to even the highest ranks, and war colleges spend as much time teaching their charges to fight as they do teaching strategy or leadership.  Of course, by some standards, the Tenebrians are terrible leaders, relying far too much on the personal loyalty and honor of their officers.  The history of Tenebria is filled with examples of troops betraying their generals on the battlefields, or simply walking away at the behest of their officers.   Despite this, and despite the attitude that a great general should be able to win a battle single handedly by virtue of his great skill at arms, they have produced many excellent strategists due to their long standing 'professional armies', rather than their reliance on troop levies.  Of course, historically their professional soldiers were farmers two seasons out of the year, something that is less true today... though it is still uncommon to find a noble or officer that views himself as a professional soldier rather than, say, a poet or artist who occasionally uses a blade... or some other civilized pursuit.

The Tenebrian Navy is... adequat. Larger and more organized than the Nornsan fleets ever became, but it has failed to adapt over the years.  The Tenebrians do not think of 'naval dominance' but rather 'troop movement'... ships are meant to carry men to battle.  Thus Tenebria lacks proper combat vessels, and their entire Navy operates very similarly to their army. Some ships will carry huge blocks of "archers", while others are boarding vessels.  While the art of sailing, that is the technology behind sails, is as developed as any other nations, the Tenebrians still make use of massive banks of oars to maneuver, particularly in battle.

As you might imagine, their vessels tend to be quite large and sturdily built, often with unimaginable levels of armor.  Like most Tenebrian things, they tend to be built with a keen eye to aesthetics, making them quite fanciful.  While Tenebria lacks airships, Tenejok does have a suitable dock, recently built allowing for one such vessel to 'land', the Empress is said to be quite fond of the idea and has, it is said, purchased at unimaginable expense a single Drake from Renbluve as her personal flying mount.  By tradition, if the Empress were to appear on the battlefields she would be expected to be the finest warrior in the entire Empire... if the beliefs of the Tenebrians are right, the Gods will ensure she has the skill.

Curiously, the Tenebrians, or at least the Imperial Tenebrians view the invention of the Gun, also from Renbluve, as little more than a dangerous toy. A few are imported, with some locally manufactured examples being made, along with a small quantity of Cake, but no serious efforts have been made to turn it to military use, or to decipher the secrets.   Rumors abound that one of the local dukes may be creating a secret army however.

It is notable, however, that while the Gun's ability to peirce armor is well documented, it appears that the many layers of leather, and the underpadding of silk robes common in the South are rather more resiliant, possibly explaining the lack of popularity. Another suggested reason is that the Tenebrians find the loud noise and the pungent odor a nuisance.

It must be noted that the Tenebrian fuedal structure is quite different than the Nornsan fuedal structure.  One is tempted to suggest that it isn't a proper fuedal society at all.

First of all, there is a distinct lack of official hierarchy. There is the Empress and then you have the local lords around her, the most powerful of which we call Dukes, the rest are just lords or knights... there is no real codification at this level, and even the 'rank' of Duke might be viewed as somewhat unofficial, it is simply that the Honorific 'Lof' is given to a lord who is significantly more powerful than others.  A sufficently powerful noble can chose to omit the honorific when speaking to someone, even if that person is traditionally considered a Duke by others, though he risks offending.

The Lords and Dukes do not pay taxes or owe service to the Emperor, though they collect them from their own lands (which they must hold against the predations of other nobles), the Emperor, or Empress, typically has the largest Lands and expects a level of deference, even tributary gifts from lesser nobles, earned by military dominance.

Tenebria then might be thought of as a large group of petty kingdoms, with the Emperor being the most arrogant of the lot, unified by a single social structure and traditional class of administrators between the nobility and the commoners.  There are, arguably, more classes in Tenebria than elsewhere. Even by traditional count you have the Nobility, including the Imperials, then the Adminstrators, then the 'middle class' of merchants and artisans, and then the peasant farmers and simple laborers.  Of course, the Tenebrians break it down farther, where certain classes of laborers are better than others, but that is of little import.  However, it must be noted that while classes tend to hereditary, there is quite a bit of movement within them, and one's birth is considerably less important than one's deeds, far more so than in traditional Nornsan cultures.   The Nobility is largely closed, but there is a long tradition of 'knighting' heroes, and in fact simply controlling a large swath of farmland is all the justification one needs to call oneself a 'lord'.  Contrast that to the Nornsan habit of comparing bloodlines and ages of various noble titles, the tendancy to disdain or even criminalize 'jumped up' titles.   Due to the traditional requirements, including education, the Administrator class is actually the hardest to achieve, yet the most open.  Corruption, in Tenebria, is actually found here most, where sons and daughters of existing Administrators are feted regardless of their qualifications, or they abuse their power for their own gain, as they are technically in the employ of whatever noble they serve.  It is said that while a noble might lose the favor of heaven, they can not ever be considered corrupt...given the social and economic structure, this is strictly speaking true.  Anything a noble does is legal and good until another noble goes to war over it...

Priests for the most part are members of one of the existing Classes and serve primarily members of their own class... though again, those priests of rank and privilege are actually 'administrators' and serve both the admins and the nobility.   There are no formal requirements for priests, if the gods do not approve then the gods will do something about it. If the people do not approve, then the priest is out of luck, as there is no legal power conferred to priests, a result of several civil wars over the millenia that saw overly rich or political temples and monasteries destroyed by the nobles.  While several of these wars were quite hard fought, the priests have ever lost and today it is said that the Gods think holy men should not dirty their hands with the toil of leadership.  As a result most temples are quite modest, and only a few monasteries could be said to have 'men at arms' in any real sense.  

Tenebrians are masters of working in earths. Given a lack of good stone or prominant forests, they've had to be.  The impressive looking buildings of most towns and even cities tend to be crafted from straw and mud brick, overlaid with thick layers of mortar and rich men's rooves are covered in layered ceramic tiles, poor men use straw.  There is wood to be had, often carried for many miles, and stone as well for the truly wealthy.  Not surprisingly, pottery is quite common, and their arts in that field are quite advanced. Tenebrian ceramic is quite beautiful and valuable around the world. It is sometimes said that the poorest farmer eats off a plate that in Renbluve would make him a king, hyperbole but not by much.  Most farmers eat off of unglazed ceramic, but many families maintain heirloom ceramics that are valuable enough elsewhere to keep them in fine style for at least a few weeks.  

Woven grasses are very common for a variety of common implements however. There is a species of grass that can be woven so tight as to hold water without leaking, though the difficulty of such craft means that many use hollow gourds or pottery as water vessels.  Cloaks and hats, among the peasantry are commonly woven grasses, however, and the cloth used by the poor in summer, when wool is too heavy, is made from fibers pulled from grasses, though light it is said to be rough against the skin.  

Staple foods are light broth soups, with chicken and beef common for the evening meal.  Dumplings and breads stuffed with meats are typical for lunches, eaten in the field or where ever one works, and a plain porridge of boiled grain, usually cooked the night before and served cool is a common breakfast, though wealthier families will use fruits to flavor it, and more seasonings in the other meals.  The Dukes and other high nobility eat truly exotic meals, the list and descriptions for each item defy the casual list, though as an example, the Empress is said to favor the gold plated yolk of an eagle's egg, pickled in sugar for three nights until it has hardened and served in the skin of a winter apple, peeled so that it is translucent and wrapped tight around the yolk so that no seams or folds are visible.  This light snack is said to take the labor of ten chefs a week for each one. The glint of the gold through the skin of the apple is said to be so appealing that one witness believed that the Empress was consumbing fine jewels with every meal.

And that, of course, is but one portion of any given meal, for one individual. Obviously a discussion on the gustatory habits of the elite of Tenebria would require a great tome and many hours of study to truly grasp.  

On beauty in Tenebria:
It should be noted that the appearance of the Horde is held as a standard of Beauty among the population. The average Tenebrian is somewhat pale, with a tendency to take on an ashen appearence when exposed to too much sun. This is considered unattractive, and the vain and wealthy take great pains to avoid too much sunlight as a result.  Height is considered attractive for both sexes, though it is noted that among women a lack of stature is not a curse... one of the Seven Timeless Beauties, which are more akin to idealized versions of feminine beauty rather than real women (though they do include several historical luminaries, including the current empress) is the 'Child Seductress', tiny of stature and lacking strong curves. The real woman she is said to be modeled after was an assassin of some repute, using her unassuming appearance to get close to men and killing them in their sleep.  It is said that a woman of that sort of beauty brings out the noble warrior in men, stirring their hearts to protect the delicate flower of her apparent youth.

More common, of course, and far more popular especially in the current era is the 'Tenebrian Princess', tall, dark of skin and hair, with powerful bones and seductive curves... the very image of the Empress, and frequently referred to now as a 'Regal Beauty'.

Dark skin, as noted, is very popular among men and women, though it is noted that too much sun is still avoided.  The Tenebrians find it facinating that many northerners darken rather attractively in the sun rather than having their skin become chalky and ashen. Those who must spend time in the sun often spend a comparative fortune on ungents to preserve their skin.

While broad shoulders are appreciated, thickness of the body and limbs is not, again appearing to be the sign of a common laborer. Recall that the Tenebrian diet is quite rich and, barring war or draught, starvation is uncommon even among the poor.  Thus the wealthy cultivate a slender appearence, avoiding rich or heavy foods.

A note to the traveller: how one wears ones hair is quite important. Certain styles are essentially reserved for certain classes, and wearing an inappropriate hairstyle can send quite the wrong message.  Unkempt hair is the provinence of the very poor alone, while hair worn very long signals that one appreciates the attentions of men, regardless of ones own gender.  Roughly translated 'To let ones hair down' is to signal that one is available. As an unmarried woman the Empress should, and occasionally does, wear her hair thus, signalling that it is appropriate to woo her, or seduce her.

A woman who wishes the attention of a woman puts her hair into a single thick braid, often over the shoulder.  Down the back would indicate she is looking for a partner, the left shoulder typically signifies that she is married and looking for a lover, while the right shoulder indicates she is single and looking for a lover.

Regardless of tastes, however, all men and women are expected to marry and produce children. Marriages at all levels are arranged and there is no expectation of love or fidelity.  It is considered uncouth for a married woman to get pregnant from a man not her husband until she has produced several children for her Husband, but all children born into a marriage are considered the children of the husband regardless of any and all evidence to the contrary.  Likewise, a husband is expected to keep his bastards out of sight, or his wife should pretend they are hers if born under her roof.   Large families are the norm, and there is only a weak tradition of primogeniture. The sex of the last parent to die tends to determine the sex of the primary heir, though wills can change this dramatically. Adoption of heirs is quite common, and there is no shame is being passed over for inheritance.  Hurt feelings, certainly, but no shame.   However, it is quite common for the inheriting generation to work out the details of inheritance amongst themselves, even long before a will is known.   If the designated heir breaks those deals, duels and murder are not unheard of, and are even expected.  

To understand Tenebrian law, and the culture surrounding it, you must realize that the Warrior class is the dominant class in their society, and the ability to fight is held in very high esteem. While murder and other crimes are held as reprehensible as they must be in any civilization, if the act is committed openly and brazenly enough many will not consider it a crime at all.  If two grown men chose to fight with swords to the death over a woman, or inheritance or what have you, then it isn't treated as murder but an honest dispute.  Soldiers working to keep the peace may stop such fights before they get out of hand, arresting combatants for disturbing the peace... or for any destruction or accidental injury to bystanders, but the right of a man to fight another is held as sacrosanct it seems.  Banditry is a notable exception, but then typically bandits seek to outnumber their opponents, or at least have superior weaponry and skills.  Vengence killings are much beloved, both in every day life and in the great tales and dramas.  There are even certain legal obligations and traditions governing such acts, even allowing for circumstances where the kill may be done in such a fashion that is usually considered murder... such as a knife in the dark, or by poison.  The common factor is that the killer typically announces the act as soon as possible, stating cause more, in the drama's the victim always manages to live long enough to understand why they are dying.  Still, it is considered bad form to use underhanded methods if a good fight is in the offerings.

To understand fully, you must realize that the culture, and even teh laws, embrace a concept known as "Freedom of the Blade". As long as you are willing and able to fight for something it is, essentially legal, even... within certain limits... proper.  Its not a universal truth, mind you, but a good guideline.  Sufficent skill with a blade forgives a vast number of minor sins.  The number and quality of sins to be forgiven determine exactly what is 'sufficent'... though the finest swordsman in the land might even murder the Emperor and sit upon his throne... for did not the Gods grant him that skill in the first place?

Barring, of course, sufficent skill there are a bewildering array of proper and improper actions. A young unmarried man is proper to visit Brothels and Art Houses, while a married man is expected to keep a mistress in his house or among the wives (or husbands...) of his peers.  Women may serve on the battlefield, but only under woman officers, while female officers may lead men, but not mixed units.  The High Priest of a temple is accorded the respect due a local lord, but is expected to bow before an enlightened man, and serve the meals to a common monk who visits the temple.  One stands in the presence of a Duke but never in the presence of the Emperor, unless one is of The Thousand, who are forbidden to kneel or sit (excepting their steeds) and may only lie down after certain rituals are performed.  Regardless of who owns what a wife rules all under her roof, while a husband is lord and master of all outside it but within his fence or walls... this is not to even touch upon regional variations.

If one has a certain sufficency of wealth than one is expected to know how to ride a horse, and even to own one. However, horses are never ridden for travel, it is, in fact, illegal to use one for any purposes other than farming or warfare.  Aurouchs, great shaggy, horned plains buffalo are used for transporting goods and hauling wagons, though never people, and are considered unlucky to eat. To move people one must walk or hire others to carry you.  A trained messanger is expected to run, and a test of their endurance is to outpace a horse over a day... the very best can run fast enough and long enough that the horse dies before they stop, and within the ranks of messengers the appelation 'Horsekiller' is high praise indeed, though it should not be confused with the identically translated honorific applied to infantrymen who have brought down cavalry...typically applied to survivors of an entire unit that has performed the deed, or the also identically translated insult applied to anyone else.  

Speaking of Messengers, it is an evil omen to send a message without the messenger being aware of its contents. It is a long standing tradition among messenger guilds that bad news be sent only by volunteers, and that the worst news is only delivered by committing ritual suicide... though the recipeint must obviously be of high enough rank to merit that service, which is very costly.  Sending such news without such a service is a rank insult, though it is unlucky to 'kill the messenger' yourself.

By illustration, the Fourth Tenebrian Emperor received word from one of his Generals that his armies had failed to put down rebels in the East, and in fact several battalions had turned traitor, aiding the rebels. The messenger sent was a young vigorous man with no family, and had recently won the name Horsekiller for himself by outrunning rebel assassins sent to stop the message. He was not paid to kill himself. The Emperor promoted the boy to Duke, giving him the estates and wives of the General and had the General commit ritual suicide and burned with the scroll stuffed in his mouth... to this day the Dukes of Uob Fal do not use cavalry, and their infantry are famous for their ability to slay horses... and the dukes have never failed to show proper deference to the Emperor.  A darker version of the same tale, told by rivals of the Duke's family, suggest that the Messenger had been paid but pretended otherwise, either out of cowardice or to avenge some slight, with 'darkly heroic' versions of the tale suggesting the messenger's ancestors had been wrongfully stripped of their title by the General's family... there are a thousand permutations depending upon the intent of the teller. It is notable, however, that the Uob Fal nobility are not dark skinned Tenebrians, as most of the nobility, but have a pale appearance commonly attributed to the native sons of Urtesh, similar to many of the oldest servant families of the Emperor, and just so their skill at fighting cavalry.  Regardless of the version the tale is considered and apocrypal morality tale rather than historical fact.  There is no record f the General's name, nor of rebels in the East during the fourth emperor's reign. As Uob Fal is one of the tradional "Nine Kingdoms of the West" it is further doubtful that any general from there would have been sent East to fight rebels, regardless.