This is actually the third attempt to post this... I've decided to break it into chunks so that I can both get something actually posted, and so that I stop wasting work by getting too deep in and then... not posting.  Also: this is actually going to be the overview I intended the first time, rather than the focus on a single kingdom that it evolved into...



The Region known at the Tenebrian Kingdoms stretchs along the Eastern Coast of the Northern Continent, stretching south from Spada to the southern coast and stretching West to the Pepper Savannahs.  

Following the Banality this was a motley collection of small kingdoms and city-states, a dozen or more cultures, each unique.  A bit over a thousand years ago, the Tenebrian Horde swept north, conquering all in the name of the Empire. The native kingdoms were destroyed or absorbed. Only the unsleeping fury of the Siti elves, and the undying will of the Bronze Caste of Paravail seemed to equal the might of the Horde, and while the Spada were never conquered, they were profoundly changed by the Horde none the less.

It surprises many that the Tenebrian Kingdoms are not a monolithic collection of Empire clones, but the Horde did not commit genocide, or not very often, and the frequently allowed elements of the native cultures to survive, even their nobility and general social structures, as long as they paid tribute to the Empire and supported the conquest.

Most of the Kingdoms region is flat and fertile, and of course coastal. It was always a rich region, and frequently targeted by the Reavers.  

The Kingdoms can be divided into more managable chunks into three main lobes, the North, the South and the West. It may seem somewhat confusing, but the Western Lobe is, in fact the most southern, extending along the southern coast almost to Paravail itself, and consequently to the Nornsan "Empire" once unified under Versilimatu.

Around the time that the Horde was at last meeting its match in the West, the Empire was collapsing from within, and some argue that the two are related. The generations long war of conquest had seen the end of the unstoppable warriors of the Horde, replaced by softer, fatter children and levies taken from soft northern territories, and this weaker Horde, unable to extend the borders caused a weakening of the Empire itself... or perhaps the weakness of the Emperor meant that the Empire was no longer favored by the Ten Thousand Gods, and so they withdrew their blessing from the Horde...

Regardless, the collapse was not unlike an avalanche, and its effect on the vast military machine known as the Horde, left its own distinct imprint on the kingdoms.

For this post I will limit myself to the Northernmost Lobe of the Kingdoms.  Geographically, this region lies between Spada and the Salt Marshes extending from the Sea almost to the Savannahs. The Northernmost Kingdom is Kra, which despite a millenium to develop, still shapes itself after the seiging army of the Horde tasked with destroying Spada... and lacks the cavalry that was the signature of the Horde itself. The southernmost, claiming the Marsh People as citizens, is the lands of Ventimigla, with the 'Landless City', said by some to the be the finest port in the world, vying with Renbluve for the honor.  The Captains of Venti, half pirate themselves, fight an endless war against the Reve, and are the only men on the seas who do not do honors to the Sea herself.  The vast, and somewhat sparse, grasslands that border the Savannahs themselves are home to the nomadic Huron people, fierce and, it is rumored, cannibals.  The Huron are a fixture of the northern and southern lobes of the Kingdoms.  Not counting the Huron or the Marsh Folk, there are Eight distinct kingdoms in the northern lobe, though their borders are somewhat less fixed than those of the West.

Kra: Militaristic, mountains, strongly regimented society, coastal and engaged in near eternal war with the Spada.
Doushl: landlocked, borders Hesh, only 'Tenebrian Kingdom' that uses chariots at all.
Endel: Almost an 'ideal' Tenebrian Kingdom, a sort of 'Mini-Empire' in the north.
Bouni: Smallest Kingdom in this list, coastal, trapped between Endel and Kra.
Kuvx: Truly landlocked (not even a major river border).  Relatively peaceful and bucolic
Goua: Trapped between Doushl and the Huron, frequently raided by both. Culturally identical to Kuvx, but shapped by the frequent raiding (suspicious and defensive).
Bentasai: Large coastal kingdom.  Sort of a 'poor cousin' to its neighbor to the south (Ventimigla) in terms of coastal and naval matters and a poor cousin to Kuvx in terms of land based power (farming, herding, horses, etc), and a poor second cousin to Endel (to its north) in terms of culture.
Ventimigla: The least Tenebrian of the Kingdoms (in terms of culture and ethnic makeup), politcally the weakest kingdom, but wealthy and strongly linked by the native (pre-existing) Migla heritage. Powerfully wealthy and proud.  Thanks to geography (the southern border being vast and somewhat dangerous marsh, populated by a strange, fey people who are not aggressive or expansionistic), they've only got to worry about the Huron to the West, and to a much lesser extent the Bentasai to the north.

Notable fact: Every Kingdom listed has fought with the Kra at some point. Doushl, Bouni and Engel most frequently (due to shared borders).  However, the Huron, despite having more shared borders than the Kra almost never push through foriegn nations successfully, and have only fought the Goua, teh Kuvx, the Bentasai and the Ventimiglans.  Though they could directly raid the marshes, they have a superstitious dread of the Marsh Folk, and only fight them if they encounter them out of the Marsh.

Religion:

Each Kingdom is actually quite distinct, relgiously. THe Horde brought the Ten Thousand Gods of teh Empire with them, but aside from Engel, none of the Northern Kingdoms pay more than lip service to them.  A 'Horde Specific' god, Teneb, is popular with the Kra, the Doushl, the Guoa, the Kuvx and the Bentasai, to one extent or another.  This region is unique in that they, as a general rule, do not 'worship' death. The Kra actually despise Death, viewing him as an Enemy, and the Ventimigla are the closest to actual worship from the Duellist Culture.  The exception to this is the Huron, who actually worship a demonic being as the real Death, and view the normal Death as an imposter.

Gunnes:  Aside from the city of Venti itself, nowhere in the Northern Kingdoms (or the Southern Kingdoms for that matter) are Gunnes in regular use.  Even in Venti they are a curio, a status symbol more than a popular weapon (the Migla people favored, and still use, short powerful crossbows). Bows, particularly short compound bows are favored by most of the Northern Kingdoms, though the Doushl do use light javalins and heavy darts from their chariots.  The Huron prefer to close to fight, and use heavy throwing blades (hatchets, essentially) to create carnage during their charges, and bolos to capture slaves/food.

Ethnic breakdowns:

Ventimigla is home to an almost pure strain Migla peoples (short, saturnine with curly hair).  The Huron are almost purely half orcish, a strong component of the original Horde, though the Huron are even more so (with some bands that are pure orc, or close too it). The Kra most closely resemble the original Horde, being a tall, strong human race (with a few throwback traits, such as the very rare occurance of tusks), dark skinned with heavy black hair. The Doushl, not surprisingly, are somewhat more golden, having absorbed some of the traits of their neighbors of Hesh and the coppery coloring of the Savannah people, while the Guoa have even more copper, less gold, and more orcish traits (second only to the Huron for Orcish traits), with the Kuvx lacking the gold or copper accents (mostly), but with the unique (for the region) expression of blue eyes (a hold over from the original natives), and the darkest overall coloring.  The Bouni and the Engel tend to resemble the Kuvx, but with strong indications of cross breeding with the Kra.  The Bentasai are second to the Migla in showing hte least Tenebrian traits, but are a seperate ethinic group (Taller and paler, though not surprisingly having much in common with the Reve. The Bentasai are known for their broad shoulders and sparse hair (both traits associated with the Reve), and if not for the Tenebrian Horde would undoubtedly still be fighting the Migla to their south over ancient racial hatreds...