The Thenol frontier

Thenol is human-run, the most powerful such concern in Taladas. It has a (ceremonial) monarch. It also sports a state church - of Hith, elsewhere known as Hiteh and Usa. Hith is revered as protector of man, against the invading minotaurs and Armach-nesti. Hith is not considered "evil" or "dark" in Thenol, and none know the name Hiddukel. Hith is a god of light and fire if anything.

Erestem, by contrast, as of 350 AC is considered the great Satan here. The Usurpation of 317 AC is commemorated with fasting and self-flagellation.

The Hith church is gothic for our tastes. The Mishakal heresy in particular considers its necromancy unnatural. Thenol remains feudal enough that, if one barony (say, Mallarchus') persecutes Mishakal; another, like Markeides', integrates her sect deep into the local social safety system. Remember that even here Hith is not openly called evil.

Also, although this isn't stated outright in the box, humans inhabited the Southern Hosk for thousands of years before Hiteh's Night. Armach conquered some of them but not all; the Cataclysm killed a lot of humans near the Steamwall but not all. Hith and Mishlaxa, I expect, are worshipped by the common farmer where the aristocracy - an import from Styrllia - is by tradition agnostic.

We own maps for northern Thenol, as an afterthought to the DLA1-2 maps of that southeastern MinoLeeg.

Castle Staab heads Thenol’s most hazardous frontier. The town Hurdis is on the way to Staab and keeps the road safe from raids by way of the New Mountains. Armach has a presence in those mountains, where the elves aid bands of disgruntled Thenolite citizens. This is the border upon which Thenol has built its forward keeps; this is Thenol’s Maginot Line.

Hussuran and Yrmiral are not native Thenolite, but Steamwall villages. DLA2 details they protect themselves with a militia of at least 30 F1’s: AC8, MV12, hp 9, THAC0 20, D 1-8, AL N. But they have accepted Thenolite protection, so Trandamere has built Castle Vorgel. Arnulf, Stormfall, Grimwold are off the Minotaurs’ border, and therefore understaffed. They might even be not wholly on Trandamere’s side. But they do have to put up with the New Mountains, Dark Wood, Grimm Wood, Steamwalls and so forth. Urmville and Ivar, on the western side, guard against the League’s new Drungar Frontier and so Trandamere ensures that they are well-supplied.

Augsburk is the only “town” in North Thenol, and it owes its status entirely to the war. It is the size of Faroen and Maraktown. It is still smaller than Vinlans and so forth. The castles Gregor and Beornvulf guard its back against Huldre Elves, Marak Kender, and any other horrors that might tear out of the Steamwall.

Augsburk used to trade with the Marak kender. Now it supplies the Conquered Lands frontier, which is admittedly less arduous than keeping up Castle Staab.