Before the Kingdom
The area that is now Tarsh was part of the land Empire of the Wyrm’s Friends (EWF) that had its origins in Dragon Pass, which at the time was home to one of the oldest and most powerful dragonewt societies. It was wracked by internal division with entire provinces rebelling leading to civil war. The peoples of Carmania, Dara Happa and Saird created the True Golden Horde and marched into Dragon Pass with the intent of wiping it clean of all people and dragonewts. They systematically located and destroyed dragonewt cities, shrines and individuals. They even dared to destroy the dragonewt nest eggs, which became their undoing. This led to the Dragonkill War, so named because of the actions of the dragons, and not because any of them died. Over five hundred years ago the First Dream Dragons flew in, some of them in packs. Then True Dragons dropped from the sky like meteors. Hills and mountain ranges woke up as dragons and set about destroying the both the rebels and the EWF cities.
The area that would be Tarsh was ravaged by Pelorians in the Golden Horde as they assaulted the EWF but this was nothing compared to the total destruction by the dragons. Black dragons flew to and fro destroying anyone and anything, all signs of habitation were wiped out. A Red dragon flew north melting the very earth and left a trail of utter devastation behind it. It is said that a dozen dragons flew together across the land scorching everything below till the area was barren and lifeless. It became a desolate and abandoned land.
The Kingdom of Tarsh
Well over two hundred and fifty years Arim the Pauper led his followers south in to the depopulated region, they had adventurers and encounters but eventually established what would be the Kingdom of Tarsh. Others would follow Arim south and by his death, almost forty years later, he was King of Dragon Pass, which included Tarsh. His successors would go on to forge Tarsh through the following years as their lands grew and shrank.
The Lunar Heroine Hon-Eel came to Tarsh well over a century ago where she seduced and married King Pyjeensab. He disappeared on their wedding night but she bore him a son, Phoronestes, for whom she would act as regent. In the civil war that followed the Lunar faction was victorious at the Battle of Dancing Sisters with the defeated ‘exiles’ fleeing. These exiles still exist today,plotting the overthrow of Lunar Tarsh.
Since then the Kingdom of Tarsh has changed as a province of the Lunar Empire. Trade has made Tarsh wealthier and the people better off. The role of women has expanded as well with greater opportunities available. The land has become more urbanised and the large agricultural estates have led to a surplus in food production. In the north large slave plantations, called Latifundia, produce vast amounts of maize for export to the imperial heartlands. The current ruler is King Pharandros.
The Barastaros Tribe
The Barastoros were a clan within the Tremarki Tribe within the Kingdom. They were one of the richer clans within the Tremarki tribe as the Barastaros controlled lands blessed with copper reserves. Mining had been carried out for two hundred years and the Barastaros controlled it from the settlement of Baile Copair (Copper Town) on the Abhainn Quintus (Quintus River). When the Kingdom became part of the Lunar Empire the demand for copper greatly increased and the Barastoros became very wealthy very quickly. Unfortunately they did not deal with their new found wealth with any degree of success. They loudly demanded leadership of the Tremarki Tribe and their arrogance angered the other clans of the Tremarki who launched a wave of raids, assassinations and even law suits against them. It did not go well for the Barastoros who suffered greatly and were on the verge of collapsing as a clan; only the intervention of the King saved them.
The surviving Barastoros were allowed to leave the Tremarki Tribe in exchange for agreeing to pay the King a generous tribute for the next half century. Unfortunately there were too few Barastoros to be an effective strong tribe and culturally similar settlers from Holay and Aggar were brought in to join and rebuild the tribe. Fifty year later these settlers are fully assimilated as Barastoros and citizens of the King. One of the old villages that was re-settled was Rasanach on the Eastern edge of the Beanntan Iydra (Hydra Mountains).
