Haxkhun was a small city in the Plain of Horses of northwestern Kara-Tur or the northeastern Hordelands. It was a home of the Fankiang tribe.[1]
Geography[]
It stood just between the dry steppelands of the Chukei Plains and the eastern edge of the Chigidi Mountains. Roads led south into the mountains and the cities of Li-Raz and Jugicha.[1][5][6] Given its position, it experienced extremes of weather, with summer temperatures rising past 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius) and winter temperatures descending below 0 degrees Fahrenheit (−18 degrees Celsius), and rarely over 1 inch (0.025 meters) of rain. It was buffeted by strong winds throughout the year, which caused sandstorms that limited visibility to about 3 feet (0.91 meters) or more.[1]
Description[]
Haxkhun was a city divided, both geographically and socially. The western section was mostly inhabited by nomad herdsmen, while the eastern section was home to professional soldiers.[1] There was also a central district, wherein horse-wrestling contests were held.[4]
Government[]
The two halves of Haxkhun were governed separately, each having their own qaghan (ruler) and their own administrators.[1] Circa Shou Year 2607 (1357 DR), one of these qaghan was Yitriq Rukku, an incompetent administrator and cruel tyrant, but easily controlled by leaders in Li-Raz.[4][note 1]
Activities[]
The city served primarily as a military outpost for Li-Raz, another Fankiang city deeper in the Chigidi Mountains. Haxkhun was the first line of defense against any attack on the Fankiang from the north or west. However, it depended entirely on Li-Raz for supplies and services.[1]
Yitriq Rukku held and competed in weekly horse-wrestling contests in the central district. In these, the aim was to wrestle one's horse to the ground before the other. However, these were blatantly fixed to eliminate opponents and dissidents, as well as fatten Rukku's ego. First, he selected his opponents, posting their names only the day before a match. If that person refused to compete, then his family was executed. If that person lost, then he was executed. And since Rukku had his horse made lame before each match, he never lost.[4]
Relations[]
As a result of its division, Haxkhun had a highly fractious society, with feuding between the eastern and western sections and even civil wars. These varied from skirmishes that lasted no more than a day to vicious conflicts drawn out over a number of weeks. Typically, the Fankiang leaders at Li-Raz let the people of Haxkhun simply fight amongst themselves, but if it got out of hand they dispatched their own soldiers to quell them.[1]
Moreover, although they were both of the Fankiang tribe, the people of Li-Raz looked down on the people of Haxkhun, who were resentful of their subordinate, second-class status.[4]
Notable Inhabitants[]
- Yitriq Rukku, tyrannical qaghan of Haxkhun[4]
Appendix[]
Notes[]
- ↑ Although Haxkhun is said to have two qaghan, only one is presented, and it is not apparent which half he leads.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 Mike Pondsmith, Jay Batista, Rick Swan, John Nephew, Deborah Christian (1988). Kara-Tur: The Eastern Realms (Volume I). (TSR, Inc), p. 81. ISBN 0-88038-608-8.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Mike Pondsmith, Jay Batista, Rick Swan, John Nephew, Deborah Christian (1988). Kara-Tur: The Eastern Realms (Volume I). (TSR, Inc), p. 84. ISBN 0-88038-608-8.
- ↑ Curtis Smith, Rick Swan (May 1990). Ronin Challenge. Edited by Jon Pickens, Steve Winter. (TSR, Inc.), p. 86. ISBN 0-88038-749-1.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Mike Pondsmith, Jay Batista, Rick Swan, John Nephew, Deborah Christian (1988). Kara-Tur: The Eastern Realms (Volume I). (TSR, Inc), p. 87. ISBN 0-88038-608-8.
- ↑ Mike Pondsmith, Jay Batista, Rick Swan, John Nephew, Deborah Christian (1988). Kara-Tur: The Eastern Realms (Maps). (TSR, Inc). ISBN 0-88038-608-8.
- ↑ Karen Wynn Fonstad (August 1990). The Forgotten Realms Atlas. (TSR, Inc), p. 14. ISBN 978-0880388573.