Turmish

Turmish was a democratic republic located northwest of the Vilhon Reach on the Sea of Fallen Stars. It was a densely populated nation, famous for its mercenary companies and fair-dealing merchants that traded across all of Faerûn. Despite the fame of its hireswords, the country itself was peaceful, prosperous, and civilized. Turmish had a good reputation, with its warriors, and merchants especially, being respected and well-liked. Its welcoming people, peaceful nature, fertile countryside, and focus on commerce over warfare earned it the nickname of the "heartland of the Reach" across the Inner Sea. While Turmish suffered many hardships in the Wailing Years after the Spellplague, it recovered admirably following the Second Sundering and the ending of the Great Rain in the late 15 century DR.

Geography
"Turmish? Make sure ye take a map—or a hire a guide ye can trust... or ten winters from now, ye'll still be trying to find yer way out o' that land. Most folk give up, I hear, 'an just settle down. Ye can find worse places in the Realms."

- Mirt the Moneylender

Turmish was shaped like an arrowhead, with the Orsraun Mountains on one side, the Aphrunn Mountains on another, and the Sea of Fallen Stars on the third. The Aphrunn Mountains ranged on Turmish's southeastern border and served as a defensive barrier between the kingdom and the warlike city-states along the northern shore of the Vilhon Reach. One mountain pass—Lilit Pass—crossed through the Aphrunn and allowed direct access to the Vilhon.

The mountains surrounding Turmish had many active volcanoes. The Aphrunn contained Mount Kolimnis, the Orsraun contained Mount Andrus, and to the southwest was Mount Ugruth. Their periodic eruptions would play decisive roles in the history of Turmish, with Kolimnis burying the city of Gildenglade in, after threatening to in the early 1360s; Andrus destroying the fearsome Candlekairn clan of orcs in ; and Ugruth causing the downfall of house Gestin in Hlondeth in the.

Running through the center of Turmish was an ancient road called the Halondar. The road began at Alaghôn, the capital of Turmish, and continued southwestwards through the country until reaching the City of Serpents. Besides the Halondar, however, there were very few roads in Turmish. Instead, the country was covered in a maze of small and meandering country lanes, making Turmish a country that was easy to get lost in, even for invading armies.

Turmish itself was a verdant, fertile,  pastoral, and beautiful country, full of vineyards, gardens, orchards, picturesque villages, and well-tended farmland. The rolling fields were separated by hedges and dense rows of trees, which left plenty of space for wild animals. In the mid–14 century, there were only two or three cities in the whole country: Alaghôn, Gildenglade, and Nonthal. Cities were so rare in Turmish because people preferred to live close to the land. Most Turmishans lived in small villages in their beautiful countryside, enjoying their proximity to nature though they sat clear of the mountains for fear of raids. There were dozens of towns and hundreds of villages, most too small to be marked on maps.

While it was sometimes said there were no large rivers in Turmish, in fact the Alaoreum River ran from the Alaoreum Mountains to Evenstar Lake. There was also an abundance of small streams in the country.

After the Spellplague lowered the sea level and reshaped the coastline, Turmish was left with a wild and rugged coast.

Climate
The weather of Turmish was the same as that around the Vilhon Reach, namely sub-tropical and humid. While temperatures could drop in winter months, snow was rare; instead winter would come with heavy rains. Summer months were often very hot and humid, and spring came early. The humidity abated somewhat in autumn. The Turmishans described the climate as "one with the Reach", that is, as humid as the sea.

Notable Geographical Locations

 * Hills & Mountains
 * Aphrunn Mountains • Bare Bones Hill • Mountains of the Alaoreum • Orsraun Mountains • the Orbrekh


 * Passes
 * Lilit Pass


 * Cliffs
 * Cliffs of Atin


 * Lakes
 * Lake of Drifting Stars • Starfall Stream Pool


 * Valleys
 * Evenstar Vale

People
"The hordes of Turmish are as numerous as the waves upon the Inner Sea."

- A common saying in Starmantle

Turmish had a reputation for being populous—the "hordes of Turmish" was a byword in other lands for a large gathering of people. In 1372 DR, it had a population of 1,693,440 people, with 78% humans, 9% dwarves, 5% halflings, 3% elves, and 2% gnomes, as well as 1% half-elves and 1% half-orcs. The Turmishan humans were primarily (95%) of the Turami ethnicity, with the remainder (4%) being largely Chondathan. The Turami typically had curly black hair and dark-brown, mahogany-colored skin. They grew tall and muscular, had flattish faces, and were commonly considered beautiful and graceful. A male Turmishan was typically tall and weighed, with slender builder and well-defined musculature. Some thought they had elven heritage.

While most dwarves in the land remained independent in Ironfang in the Alaoreum Mountains and were suspicious of the humans after past wars, some lived in Gildenglade and Ravilar's Cloak. Shield dwarves and gold dwarves also lived in the Aphrunn and Orsraun Mountains. Elves lived in Xorhun, gnomes in Xorhun and Nonthal, and halflings in Alaghôn and Gildenglade. Half-elves avoided Xorhun but lived peacefully in Gildenglade.

In the 1400s DR, Turmish was regularly visited by those making scar pilgrimages to the Plaguewrought Land to obtain a spellscar. Moreover, a community of kobolds settled in Xorhun, joining the elves, half-elves, and gnomes, while lizardfolk resettled Morningstar Hollows before moving on to the Wetwoods in the Shining Plains.

Language
The common tongue was the Turmic language, which used the Thorass script.

Government
By the mid-to-late 14 century DR, Turmish was a confederation of three city-states, each of them a democratic republic. The capital, Alaghôn was governed by the Assembly of Stars, also known as the Free Council. Members were chosen in free elections and every citizen, whatever their race, sex, or standing, had a single vote and was in turn eligible for election. In turn, the council would elect from their number a chief speaker, titled the Lord of Turmish    or the Marcrowne of Turmish. The position included a palace and was aided by a Court Wizard. As of, the position had been filled by Lord Herengar for nine years. In elections, candidates were nominated by their peers, rather than putting themselves forward, and terms lasted only three years. This limited, but did not eliminate, the ranks of professional politicians and their political maneuverings. The councilors, known as 'assemblymen', often had to work long hours and travel around the Vilhon Reach. As a result, it was not uncommon for a merchant to nominate and lobby for a rival to get them out of business for a few years and elected to a position they did not really want. Hence, for a few months prior to each election, politicians spent a lot of time praising one another in a reverse popularity contest. It was commonly considered the oddest political system in the Realms.

The other city-states had similar democratic systems and the country as a whole was well-managed and politically stable. Despite the central rule of the Assembly of Stars, as of the, Turmish was somewhat politically fragmented. The other cities of Turmish were free to govern themselves however they liked, so long as they paid their share of taxes and followed the laws of the Assembly, but in practice they were left alone to deal with their own issues, with the Assembly focusing on national concerns, namely the economy and defense. The Lord of Turmish had few specific duties; their primary responsibilities were maintaining local and mercenary militias for defense of the realm against pirates and rival nations, keeping the waterways free of pirates, and generally ensuring Turmish's continued prosperity. After the catastrophe of Spellplague, however, by the late 15 century, the country was driven to the brink of chaos by the competitive and desperate merchant costers. In practice the country was ruled by wealthy merchants, albeit under the watchful eye of the druids of the Church of Silvanus and the Emerald Enclave. The head of the Assembly of Stars served as a chief administrator. At times, the Emerald Enclave seemed to wield more power. The country was a full parliamentary democracy, with each city contributing representatives to the Assembly of Stars.

Law & Order
The law of Turmish was based on the Code of Enlil. According to the letter of these laws, both piracy and smuggling were severe crimes. However, the enforcement of the law was lax and punishment was unlikely. Furthermore, there were no extensive customs patrols in Turmish, allowing smugglers to operate widely.

Well-organized mercenary companies and adventuring bands operated as local militias in Turmish. These watched and patrolled the borders and scout out the wildernesses, and so discouraged raids and monster attacks from the mountains. Meanwhile, the navy patrolled the Vilhon Reach and kept safe local trade routes.

Relations
Turmish had a strong commercial partnership and alliance with the city-state of Hlondeth and Dediana Extaminos of the City of Serpents maintained good relationships. Circa 1372 DR, Turmish was peaceable with its neighbors, but wary. While concerned about the rise of Chondath, it was hesitant to provide aid to Sespech out of worry of provoking Chondath. Turmish did not start wars, feeling that, if nothing else, it was bad for business. For their fair-dealing reputation, Turmishans were welcomed all around the Sea of Fallen Stars.

While the wild western mountains of the Orsraun were home to goblinoids, kobolds, orcs, red dragons, and others, raids into Turmish were rare, owing to defense by the Turmishan militias.

Trade
A strongly mercantile realm, trade and commerce dominated matters in Turmish, but this was balanced by the dictates of the druids of the Emerald Enclave. These limited the cities from growing past a certain size, yet kept the people affluent and only a few being especially rich. Nevertheless, there was friction—the Enclave allowed logging only in certain areas deemed healthy to the forest, but this could make work more difficult and costly.

Circa 1372 DR, the nation exported salt and glass, mostly to Procampur and Tsurlagol, respectively, in the southern Vast. Its mercenaries usually traveled to Chessenta via Chondath. Grains and timber were produced and traded locally within the Reach. Trade and luxury goods were imported from the Dragon Coast. Metals were also imported. Dwarves of the Alaoreum Mountains traded their metals and minerals to Turmish in exchange for Turmishan goods.

Major sea routes ran from the Dragon Coast and Sembia to near the coast of Turmish, where they either proceeded on to the Alamber Sea or turned more sharply to enter the Vilhon Reach. The strategic location of Turmish gave it the saying "Turmish is the gateguard of the Vilhon."

Turmish was unique in the Vilhon Reach for outlawing the slave trade. Whenever Turmish won the Southsand Games, it freed the slaves it won.

Classless Society
The people of Turmish were generally unconcerned with wealth or status, instead judging an individual's character based on their merits and deeds, and ensuring they had good merits and deeds to be judged by in turn. Accordingly, Turmishans rejected any sense of social classes and special privileges.

Fashions were not followed in Turmish, and they laughed at those who wore something inappropriate or impractical for the sake of fashion in other realms, such as adventurers wearing silk finery in the sewers or bright clothing when trying to be stealthy, or anything gaudy, frilly, or silly. Hence, basic fashions were slow to evolve in Turmish. Yet they had a love of beauty that they displayed in the clothes and armors they wore and in their tattoos. For the people of Turmish, standards of beauty arose from nature, not art, so they studied the natural world. They, especially the warriors, had a knack for telling the time just by looking up at the sky and out at the environment.

As Turmish was a republic, the citizens often took pride in their pragmatism, their lack of elaborate ceremony, and general absence of aristocratic pretensions. They could be a serious and business-minded people unconcerned with the luxuries of social niceties. They were usually well-educated, particularly in the areas of agriculture and business. Learned folk were respected and even somewhat admired.

Inheritance Practices
Turmishans in the countryside had unusual inheritance practices. It was common for farmers around the age of forty to leave their farms to their inheritors and leave to go pursue the life of a merchant or soldier. Some stayed near their farm and tended to a nearby wood, and others joined the farmland monasteries that were common across Turmish. These 'retirees' tended to be patient, calm, and confident in battle, with their bodies strong from a life of hard work but not broken by overwork. It's likely that the Turmishans' reputation as brave warriors and fair-minded traders came from this unusual inheritance practice.

Merchants
Turmish was famous for its merchants. They were known to be fair-dealing, close-mouthed, and well-armed, Turmishan merchants often emigrated to Battledale in the Dalelands, settling there and contributing to its diversity.

Mercenaries & Warriors
"The hordes of Turmish are as numerous as the waves upon the Inner Sea."

- Common saying in Starmantle

Turmish was famous for its mercenaries and warriors, who were known to be courageous, honorable, impartial, articulate, and battle-skilled,  and generally intelligent and charismatic. They aided the weak against oppressors, they never backed down from a good cause, and their word was their bond, and they were also excellent hosts and guests according to Turmishan custom. Being so well-respected and liked, Turmishan warriors enjoyed favorable reactions from those they met. They were also skilled in the ways of etiquette. Turmishan warriors were often conspicuous and stood out in a crowd, and were remembered by those they met—discretion or subterfuge were not their forte.

Turmishan warriors were known to wear beautiful, ornate, and intricately crafted armor. This armor blended both human and elven styles and was adorned with spires, embossing, and raised and fluted curves on the joints and shoulder plates     and often had a pointed helm. Often suits of splint armor with heavy steel shields, each set of armor, helm, and shield was decorated in Turmishan style and hence tended to be worth some 20% more than standard. All Turmishan warriors, regardless of their means or rank, kept their armor in excellent condition and adorned with embellishments. Armor was a status symbol in Turmish, and expensive gold inlays or gem adornments were not uncommon. Armor was valued as much as one's beard. Such resplendent armor also aided Turmishan warriors in being well-received.

Turmishan sellswords were so common throughout Faerûn that many people believed that Turmish must be overpopulated, or a place people wanted to escape from. The real reason for their ubiquity was that Turmishans were good soldiers and enjoyed adventure and travel in foreign lands.

Turmishan warriors were carefully groomed and often wore perfumes to cover up the smells of travel, fighting, and general soldiering and armor polish. Despite their pleasing fragrance and ornate armor, Turmishan warriors, like their countrymen generally, were unconcerned with fashion.

Adventurers
Turmish was a country known for producing heroes, with adventurers arising from the militias and mercantile families. Restless young Turmishans seeking adventure would often leave home for seven years before returning, often after serving as a mercenary in foreign lands. In turn, Turmish was a popular place to seek adventure in, regardless—or maybe because—of the scarcity of monsters to fight. Instead, ruins and wildernesses to explore and bard tales of lost treasures to seek drew them in.

Wizards
Turmishan wizards tattooed their bodies with images of animals of different kinds. These were thought to give them power and as they glowed brightly when the wizard cast a spell, this might be true. In addition, they had a customary dress of high-quality green-and-black light cloth robes, often tied with sashes weaved with elaborate designs. They also commonly wore gold jewelry, particularly earrings and chokers.

Wizards, like other educated folk, were respected and admired in Turmish, so Turmishan wizards did their best to earn this respect and admiration from their countrymen, upholding high ethical and moral standards and tending to be of good nature. Turmishan wizards also gave much advice and their free time to their country. Turmishan wizards, like Turmishan merchants, were famous throughout the Vilhon Reach for being fair and honest, as well as wise, peaceful, and noble. They used their intelligence and magic to collect information to protect their friends and allies and keep away enemies.

As a result, Turmishan wizards tended to be diviners. They were talented in using divination spells to gather information, at 50% greater ranges, areas, and durations. They also excelled in the use of scrying magical items such as crystal balls, being also able to use clairaudience to listen through them.. However, the peaceful nature of Turmishan wizards meant they were even worse at close combat than other wizards, typically not undertaking any weapons training.

Culture
The people of Turmish had a rich history and developed culture, with many influences from neighboring countries, peoples, and religions. Turmishan culture had strong early influences from ancient Jhaamdath, the nomadic tribes of the Shining Plains, Chondath, so they were fairly cosmopolitan. Later in the history of Turmish, the Church of Silvanus and the Emerald Enclave played an important role in the development of Turmish culture, especially its veneration and respect for nature. Turmishans dealt harshly with those that despoiled their land. Turmishans were welcoming and friendly and readily aided their countrymen, even strangers. However, visitors such as merchants were expected to develop a basic understanding of local culture and customs, of which there were many that were comparatively unusual.

However, after the devastation of the Spellplague left Turmish isolated and struggling in the 1400s DR, the people grew xenophobic, becoming wary and suspicious of strangers. Many of them were restrained and serious and they focused on business while neglecting social pleasantries, seeming gruff and ill-mannered. Fortunately, Turmish was enjoying a restoration by 1489 DR.

Like much of the Vilhon Reach, all Turmishans shared the custom of painting small dots on their foreheads in colored ink or chalk to mark whether an individual could read (one dot), write (two dots), or use magic (three dots). This custom originated with the founding of Academia Vilhonus in Chondath in the. Visitors without these markings were often thought to be illiterate, even of low intelligence, and folk suspected of wearing them fraudulently might be stopped and tested by guards (who'd ask firmly) and even some civilians, particularly nobles (who'd at least ask politely), and neither accepted refusals. People found guilty of false representation in this way could be swiftly executed.

Large mirror s were outlawed in Turmish, owing to the fear of fetch, predatory creatures of the Abyss who used mirrors as portals to the Prime Material plane. An unsettling Turmite folk song about fetch was a popular explanation for the ban on mirrors.

Burying Valuables
Since Turmishans were known for respecting their land, they often buried valuables, partly as gifts to Chauntea and partly as "seeds" to grow future wealth. The burying of gold and gems was thought to make the land more fertile, yielding a more bountiful growing season  and to one day return the riches tenfold. Burying was done as a personal ritual, done at a time meaningful to the one involved, such as on a birthday (one's own or a loved one's), a wedding anniversary, or the anniversary of the first day of one's business. However, this inspired the unprincipled to become treasure hunters and it was considered theft. A stolen treasure was thought to bring misfortune for the next year. Thus, it was frowned upon to be found digging for treasure in Turmish. If the thief wasn't caught and killed by angry farmers or merchants first, then they could expect to be convicted and punished with at least a year of hard labor. For a landowner to kill such a thief wasn't a crime, but self-defense.

Square-Cut Beards
"The measure of a man's worth can be seen in the cut of his beard."

- Old Turmishan saying

Male Turmishan merchants customarily wore long, square, neatly trimmed beards. The phrase "square as a Turmishan's beard" or "square as a Turmian beard", signifying that a given deal was fair or that a deed was properly or skillfully done, was common throughout the Vilhon Reach. Warriors of Turmish tended to be clean-shaven, so as not to be mistaken as a merchant.

By the late 15 century, the Turmishan square-cut beard was worn by men in general, not only merchants and it was not ubiquitous either. Traditionalists continued to wear the beard, but it was not uncommon for men to go clean-shaven.

Guest Dish
The people of Turmish customarily brought a 'guest dish' or 'greetings gift' of good food to share when visiting another's home, whether for business or socializing, as a show of gratitude for the hospitality. The value and flair of the gift varied with the status of the guest; peasants were not expected to spend much. For the wealthy, typical greetings gifts ranged from a bottle of vintage Nimpeth wine to the always popular 'skullcap treat', namely a bowl made from an upturned skull full of snails.

Guesthouses
To give shelter and aid to travelers, the Turmishans erected small cabins along the roads and trails. Most were small buildings with space for six persons, but some included roofed hay pens in which horses could be stabled. These were free to use by anyone, but those who did were expected to restock any supplies they did use. Patrols of local militias checked these periodically and stayed in them when the weather was bad. Guesthouses were built and maintained by landowners on their properties, and they included stocks of food and firewood. They usually had friendly notices to guests out front and were as well-built, well-furnished, and well-maintained as one's own house. While vandals and careless guests were an issue, it was a point of pride to keep them in good condition—according to one guesthouse owner, "...a guest house is the sign of a man's good nature in Turmish, so I can't let it get run down."

Archery
Archery was commonly practiced in Turmish, with many farmers being quite skilled with a longbow.

Days & Festivals
One day out of every nine, Turmishans would take time off work to "chase the sun", when they would rest, spend time with family, practice or learn a new skill or magic, or do anything else of personal interest. Promising to do something "on the ninth day" usually meant "when I have time".

There were two major festivals celebrated across Turmish. On these days, all businesses and all but the most vital government offices would shut. These were:
 * The Feast of the Moon: Also known as the "Festival of Lovers", this joyous celebration was celebrated throughout all of the Vilhon Reach during Highsummer, on the first full moon after Midsummer. In the 1300s DR, it was a time of drinking, dancing, revelry, and even debauchery. Nevertheless, many couples were already married, married in the week before, or married on the night, for it was customary for newlyweds to consummate their marriages on this night too. Lovers met in new and unfamiliar locales, going there separately along different routes.  In the 1400s DR, it was more a time for Turmishans to relax and enjoy their rewards and to spend time with friends and family. Turmishan merchants made sure to return home in time. But cultists of Malar particularly used this time to kidnap people to hunt and slay, especially with wild animals. After the Time of Troubles, militia patrols increased to combat them, and the lovers armed themselves too.
 * The Reign of Misrule On Marpenoth 10, a tenday after Highharvestide, the citizens of Turmish would break their religious, guild, and mercantile vows and social restraints by engaging in destructively exuberant celebrations, minor civil unrest, breaking things such as furniture and glass, and yelling and fighting with one another in the streets, so long as they didn't kill anyone or cause serious harm or destruction. Monks might break a vow of silence to talk and laugh and paladins might be rude and get into barroom brawls. Non-natives were prohibited from joining in these revelries, and were not excused for their actions if they did; they might be held liable for damages if caught up in it.  While it lasted no longer than a day, and the memories might last a lifetime, it was a crime to even talk about what anyone did during a Reign of Misrule. Every Turmishan understood the customs of the Reign of Misrule, even children, it was so deeply ingrained in the culture.

Religion
Turmishans worshiped a number of gods, including Chauntea, Lliira,  Silvanus,  Eldath, Helm, Talos, Tyr,   Loviatar, Nobanion, Selûne, and Tempus. The evil sea-goddess Umberlee was despised in Turmish and worship of Talos was outlawed in Alaghôn.

Lliira's following in Turmish grew greatly following the Time of Troubles after Waukeen went missing. The many merchants of Turmish began to switch their supplications to Lliira, Waukeen's friend and ally, making Lliira's church one of the wealthiest in Turmish and helping it become more accepted. In the mid-to-late 14 century DR, the Lliiran church had a major temple in Gildenglade.

Deep inside Turmish's rolling pastoral countryside were several large garden-monasteries dedicated to Selûne, Chauntea, and Loviatar. Worship took place at outdoor altars, often located in glades, and focused on fertility rites.

There was a great temple of Loviatar in Turmish that was destroyed during the Godswar in the.

History
Built on the ruins of ancient Jhaamdath, the beginnings of Turmish lay in the founding of Alaghôn in the. Yet it was not until the rise to power of Dempster Turmish in the and his subsequent expansions that the modern nation was founded.

Turmish alternated between being ruled by merchant families, strong lords, wizard conclaves, and even a dragon. However, following the resignation of dragonslayer-made-king Corwin Freas in the and the establishment of the Assembly of Stars, Turmish was governed as a democratic republic.

The Spellplague of the, and the ensuing Wailing Years hit Turmish hard, though they escaped the destruction that befell Chondath to the south in what became known as the Vilhon Wilds. The shrinking of the Sea of Fallen Stars harmed Turmish's trade, which was bitterly felt in a country so dependent on commerce. Constant raids from vampires or Erlkazar made Turmishans wary of outsiders.

Following the Second Sundering in the 1480s DR and the concurrent Great Rain, many crops failed in Turmish and famine was widely felt. The Emerald Enclave performed a great ritual that hastened the rains, bringing the Inner Sea to the level it was prior to the Spellplague, and magically restored the farmlands and crops of the country. With its great cities reconnected to the Inner Sea and to trade, along with an agricultural boom, Turmish enjoyed an upturn in fortunes by 1489 DR.

Notable Locations

 * Cities
 * Alaghôn • Gildenglade • Ravilar's Cloak • Xorhun


 * Towns
 * Ayakar • Banathar • Centaur Bridge • Dauntshield • Ironcloak • Jathrin's Jump • Nonthal


 * Villages
 * Illowwood • Merrydell • Morningstar Hollows • Oberiner's Well • Quorngar • Regalia • Swordslake Creek • Ulver's Lance • Velorn's Valor


 * Ruins
 * Marikor • Shaus

Notable Turmishans

 * Akabar Bel Akash, a wizard and merchant and a companion of the hero Alias.
 * Caladnei, Royal Magician of Cormyr serving Steel Regent Alusair Obarskyr

Appearances

 * Novels
 * The Jewel of Turmish
 * Azure Bonds &bull; Song of the Saurials • The Ring of Winter • Tymora's Luck • The Council of Blades
 * Organized Play & Licensed Adventures
 * Dreams of the Red Wizards (Breaking Umberlee's Resolve • Blood in the Water • Saving Silverbeard • Foreign Affairs)
 * Dreams of the Red Wizards (Breaking Umberlee's Resolve • Blood in the Water • Saving Silverbeard • Foreign Affairs)