Midkemia Wiki
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recruits were further limited to second or later sons.
 
recruits were further limited to second or later sons.
   
 
==Known clans and families==
==Politics==
 
For thousands of years, the Tsurani have been ruled by the High Council, which consists of the lords of Great and Lesser houses. The Lords of the Five Families, the oldest Houses in the Empire can be nominated Warlord by consensus of the [[High Council]]. The Warlord is then the leader of this council. Political machinations usually play the biggest part in the nomination of Warlord, with murder not being unheard of during the election.
 
 
Although political groups such as the Blue Wheel Party exist, houses can join and leave these parties as they wish, and affiliation to a Party is often used to gain advantage over an enemy or to rouse support for a Lords own agenda. Political parties can also join together in alliances as was the case during the Riftwar. The War Party and the Blue Wheel Party joined forces in the Alliance for War but the Blue Wheel party withdrew from the alliance when it no longer served their purpose.
 
 
Clan Affiliation is often quite loose and does not have a huge impact on voting in the High Council. If Clan Honour is called, every House in the Clan must support the agenda of the House who has called [[Clan Honour]]. As Clan Honour could potentially drag the entire Empire into War, the Great Ones can intervene and forbid any fighting between Clans or Houses, even going so far as to use their powers to enforce their will.
 
 
The [[Riftwar]] with the Midkemians heralded a sweeping change to the structure of Tsuranni politics. [[Mara of the Acoma]] became disillusioned with Tsuranni politics when a slave in her possession explained the structure of Midkemian society, which was similarly a feudal state but with a much more just leadership and no slavery. Using every political advantage at her disposal Mara managed to remove the position of Warlord from the High Council, making the Emperor the supreme leader of the council, supported by the Lords of the Five Families. In a twist of fate, Mara's own son by the barbarian slave Kevin was adopted into the Imperial Family and eventually became Light of Heaven.
 
 
===Known clans and families===
 
 
Clans and their families:
 
Clans and their families:
 
;[[Kanazawai]]: '''[[Keda]]'''† (Scarlet and grey; alt. - red and black)), '''[[Shinzawai]]''' (Blue)
 
;[[Kanazawai]]: '''[[Keda]]'''† (Scarlet and grey; alt. - red and black)), '''[[Shinzawai]]''' (Blue)
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*Tuscalora - Pale blue
 
*Tuscalora - Pale blue
 
*Washota - Green and blue
 
*Washota - Green and blue
 
===List of Known Political Parties===
 
*[[Blue Wheel]] †
 
*[[Golden Flower]]
 
*[[Jade Eye]]
 
*[[Party for Progress]]
 
*[[War Party]] †
 
*[[Party for Peace]]
 
*[[Imperialists]]
 
*[[Traditonalists]]
 
*[[Yellow Serpent Party]]
 
*[[Members of the Alliance for War]]†
 
   
 
==Rifts==
 
==Rifts==

Revision as of 19:03, 14 March 2010

Sumani

Sumani, a Tsurani who was left in Midkemia

The Tsurani are the dominant race of Kelewan.

The Tsurani compared to humans of Midkemia possess high cheekbones. They are shorter, averaging to 5'6 feet.

Culture

Life and death, and the winning of glory according to the code of honour, were a subject central to the Tsurani civilization;

The Tsurani culture is based on a feudal hierarchy. Every individual is born into a specific station with the exception of the "Great Ones", the main hereditary classes being slave, freeman and lord. Great Ones, the Master Magicians of the Greater Path, can be drawn from any class, even slaves, based on any observed talent towards magic. Social status is extremely important to the Tsurani culture and there are many fine divisions of these class distinctions.

The land of Tsurani is divided into Provinces, each province divided into many estates, the hereditary homes of the Tsurani Lords, the feudal master class. The Lords have soldiers, field workers, household staff who have sworn fealty to the Lord in return for protection and shelter as well as slaves who are considered property. A sub-class of Tsurani that falls beneath even a slave is that of the grey warrior, former soldiers of dead or disgraced Lords, who as a debt of shame to their former house, are not permitted honorable death.

The lords of the Empire are allied by Clan and by Party. Tsurani culture places a high value on tradition and family values and the Clans can be thought of as cousin Lords banding together. Lords will also ally themselves by political affiliation.

All Clans nominate a Warchief, who commands the military forces of a Clan. The Lords of the Five Families can nominate one of their members to be Warlord, the supreme military commander. The Warlord is seen as second in command only to the Emperor, though the Warlord usually has more power than the Emperor, as the Light of Heaven is more of a spiritual leader.

Any noble and soldier knows his bloodline back several generations. When two Tsurani met for the first time, an inquiry after the health of relatives began, until backgrounds and histories were exchanged and the two strangers knew who stood socially higher. First sons of soldiers served under their fathers' Lord as well, but second and third sons were allowed to join the service of any other House.

Soldiers

Tradition required that only a relative of a soldier already serving could join a household's garrison. Eldest sons tended to assume the same loyalties as their fathers, such recruits were further limited to second or later sons.

Known clans and families

Clans and their families:

Kanazawai
Keda† (Scarlet and grey; alt. - red and black)), Shinzawai (Blue)
Omechan
Oaxatucan
Shonshoni
Minwanabi† (Black and orange)
Ionani
Anasati (Scarlet and yellow; triangular sigil), Bontura (Violet and white), Jadi, Tonmargu† (Black and green), Ukudabi
Xacala
Xacatecas† (Purple and gold or yellow), Matawa, Xosai
Hadama
Acoma (Green; shatra bird sigil), Chekowara, Sutanta, Cozinchah, Poltapara, Pechta (Orange and blue), Jinguai (Yellow and red trimmed with black), Lujan (Grey and green)
Hunzan
Chichimecha, Chilapaningo, Wedewayo
Nimboni
Hanqu (Scarlet and brown)

† One of the five Great Families

With the destruction of House Minwanabi, House Acoma became one of the Five Great Families (and Clan Hadama one of the most powerful clans), although Clan Shonshoni continued to exist.

House colors

  • Ekamchi - Purple and yellow
  • Inrodaka - Red
  • Poltapara - Deep blue
  • Tuscalora - Pale blue
  • Washota - Green and blue

Rifts

A rift is a pathway between worlds, often created by magicians. The Black Robes of Tsuranuanni have discovered a method to create rifts, but only Milamber (Pug as he is called on Midkemia) and Macros the Black have thus far mastered the ability to control the size and destination of rifts. The first rift to appear on Midkemia came from Kelewan, which led to the Riftwar.

Inspiration

Tsuranuanni is a blending of pan-Asian culture. The structure of the Clans are families is Japanese, the politics of the central court is Chinese but the building are Aztec. There are some Zulu influences.[1]

References