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Overview
The war-ravaged lands between the Griff Mountains and the Artonsamay River, north of the Yol, hold the duchy of Tenh. Tenh has always been under the rule of the Flannae, and most of its peoples are of that racial stock. The land is well-known for its medium cavalry, as well as its sturdy footmen, both of excellent repute, and typically armed with shortbow and polearms.
Tenh is currently ruled over by Duke Ehyeh III, scion of an ancient Flan lineage who, for the most part, oversees a nation that fends for its own. He has supporters, of course, including the mage Nystul of the Circle of Eight, as he has a reputation as a leader that precedes him. The duke is known to lead his armies himself when entering into battle, a fact that is reflected in the fanatical morale of his troops in Tenh.
Red Road to Rift Canyon — Independance from Aerdy
The fertile uplands between the Artonsamay River and the Griff Mountains have provided a homeland to the Flan since before the Great Migrations, more than one thousand years past. The diverse groups of Flan who found shelter here learned new methods of warfare during their early conflicts with the Oerid and Suel invaders of the Flanaess. They organized their armies, and later their state, on the Oeridian model, forming the duchy of Tenh in the early years of Aerdi expansion in the eastern Flanaess.
The duchy joined in a short-lived alliance with the Nyrondal princes until the Battle of a Fortnight’s Length. In the wake of that defeat, the duke of Tenh pledged fealty to the king of Aerdy, giving that monarch authority over the duke and his personal holdings in Tenh and the Coltens. Neither the Convocation of Knights and Marshals, nor any of the other nobles or landholders, ever endorsed the duke’s pledge. They considered Tenh to be an independent realm, though they chose not to test the Great Kingdom’s claim on the field of battle, effectively bowing to Aerdy for over four centuries.
Eventually, the Great Kingdom showed signs of decay. When the Nyrondal princes declared the end of their allegiance to the overking, the duke was persuaded to follow suit. The Battle of Redspan signaled the end of the duke’s fealty to the overking of Aerdy. The Aerdy force was routed by the Tenha cavalry and pushed down the “Red Road to Rift Canyon” in an action made famous in the ballad of the same name. The army of the Great Kingdom was not actually swept into the Rift Canyon, as the ballad proclaims, but they were so thoroughly defeated that many of the Aerdi officers and soldiers chose exile in the Bandit Kingdoms over the punishments awaiting them at home.
Duchy of Tenh — Pressured by all Neighboring States
Tenh’s independence brought with it renewed challenges. The Bandit Kings across the Artonsamay and Zumker rivers pushed at the duchy’s western borders, while the newly formed Theocracy of the Theocracy of the Pale threatened their eastern border. The Rovers of the Barrens continued to raid, as always, and with greater effectiveness after their encounters with the Baklunish nomads. The duchy maintained its sovereignty in all its holdings until the rise of the outlaw Rover called Stonefist. This infamous warrior was a menace throughout the region for several years, finally choosing to build a settlement on the border of the Coltens Feodality. The Coltens were still vassals of the duke of Tenh, though their atamans had great latitude in determining their own affairs. The leaders of the Coltens were deceived and murdered by Stonefist under the guise of a parlay. The forces of Tenh, which had never been strong in the region, were unable to dislodge him, and the Hold of Stonefist has remained a threat to Tenh for more than a century,