The forest of the Aelvinnwode covers the kingdom of Talinie almost entirely. Though most of its provinces have only sparse populations, this kingdom maintains sizable lumbering and mining industries for export. These efforts bring substantial coin into the domain, but they harm the land and resistance to the guilds is significant. The woods slowly give way before human occupation, and they don't grow back. The Thane, Thuriene Donalls, believes the land is here for humans to use, but her chosen heir, Siobhan Riedhie, considers the health of the land and the health of the realm to be connected.
The temptations of wealth have begun to change Talinie and the old motto, "enjoy without grasping" seems quaint, as most people embrace the new thinking. After all, they have to make a living, why should they move away from the lands they know best to do it? The druids of Aeric and some priests of Haelyn, like Siobhie, encourage foresters and miners to have a care for the wounds of the land, but too few take such advice to make any noticeable difference. The prevailing sentiment is that the land holds plenty of wealth, and that it can afford to give some up. Even so, the guilds are not well liked, and their political cunning and back-alley tricks earn them little respect among the people. Talinie is in the balance.

The locals, a practical and religious people, offer stern devotion to Haelyn. They are proud and independent folk who rely only on themselves and the blessings of Haelyn. This pleases the temples, who often share duties with the state. More than in many realms, the lawpriests of Haelyn serve as magistrates and justices in the courts, and the fact that Thuriene Donalls is both Thane of Talinie and Supreme Hierarch of the Northern Imperial Temple only encourages a blurring of holdings between law and temple. Because of their expertise in matters of law and state, priests of Haelyn serve in every realm as officials, but here in Talinie, they predominate and the nobility is less influential here than in other Anuirean realms.
Fewer than two hundred nobles houses dot the countryside in Talinie, mostly knightly, with a few titled nobles in every province. They are wealthy and own perhaps a quarter of the land in the realm, slightly less than the temples and the Thane. Only a few powerful families share political power with the temples and crown, the rest either serve their lord or cultivate their extensive and luxuriant gardens. The aristocracy is clearly divided between those houses like Broweleit, Edrandson, Deadwater, and Riedhie, who excercise political power, and the many lordly and knightly families that can only find service through one of the great magnates or through the Imperial Temple. The great families hold power as representatives of the whole nobility, which is too important to be ignored, as well as through their own great wealth and influence, and finally through blood connections to the crown.
The Northern Imperial Temple is the only sanctioned temple in Talinie. The Supreme Hierarch is intolerant of dissent or heterodoxy and moves to keep other sects in check. Other priests dwell in Talinie, but all must swear support for and join the Imperial Temple. Two main schools dominate the temple, one based on Fitzalan's spiritual message, and one based on Fitzalan's teachings on personal conduct. Fitzalan was a great reformer who attacked the Imperial Temple based in Diemed for focusing too much on the material world and ignoring Haelyn's spiritual message. Today Fitzalan's teachings on personal conduct are understood through a very traditional understanding of Haelyn which would not raise objections in Diemed. A distinct minority in the temple emphasize Fitzalan's spiritual message which has drawn this sect closer, in recent years, to the druids of Aeric as natural ideological allies. Fitzalan's spiritual message was based on moral order and stewardship as a model for relations with dependents, neighbors, and the land. Not only did Fitzalan appreciate stewardship of the land as a vital resource, but he often drew his analogies from the world of farmers and foresters, and the druids both appreciate Fitzalan's principles of stewardship, but his analogies as well.
Fitzalan's teachings on discipline as a path to moral action is often applied as a simple work ethic, and as such is especially useful to the aristocracy and the guilds who profit by the labors of their devout workers. The guilds seem to be a necessary evil. One the one hand they provide considerable coin to the realm and keep the people content in their material plenty. On the other hand, they chaff under the rigorous law of the courts and seek to operate as they please, without oversight of law or temple. They scheme to weaken any power able to restrict their actions. The guilds are controlled by foreign masters who have no concern for the welfare of Talinie, and though laws have been erected to permit only local guilders, the canny Storm Holtson and Bannier Andien have gotten past these limitations by the use of local puppets and the pretense of native guilds. While the guilds struggle against the crown and the temples, they also fight with one another. This conflict is exacerbated by the personal rivalry of the two puppets selected to run the guilds for Holtson and Andien. Bannier's puppet, the Earl of Ice Haven, Murdoc Sanford Myles, is a constant rival of Holtson's puppet, Anphelan Hallorovant. Violence between the guilds is commonplace.

Talinie is on the frontier of Anuire, and is much more rustic than the Heartlands, let alone the Southern Coast. Traditional crafts production is carried on, simply for everyday practical use, in the agricultural countryside. Baskets are made, blankets woven, and fences built. Among these are some gifted craftsmen working in a tradition that is distinctly Talinien. Woodcarvings are especially noted, showing sophisticated treatments of the animals that populate the farms and fields. Doors are a special item of attention for the woodcarver. Doors are often symbolically endowed with ritual purposes for the rural folk of Talinie. Every village has some woodcarver who makes doors carved with a given animal associated with each family, and some notable events in family history. A well made door is a symbol of pride for a family and the door to a family's house is often worth several years of savings.

Music, dancing, singing, lyric poetry, and the telling of tales are also art forms in the rural country. Winter affords much time to spend on these diversions, for little work can be done during this season. As well during the feast days of the rest of the year, the best songs and dances make such occasions special times for the rural folk. Some lovestruck youths follow the example of Kennan the Blind bard and compose lyrical verse about flowered hillsides and springtimes passions. Sheepskin drums, wood pipes, and the flotsay are principle instruments. The flotsay is Talinien variant of the lute, played on the lap, working the frets with the left hand while plucking catgut strings with the right.

The towns, and the lowlands areas around the towns has a noticeably different culture. Trade and shipping keeps the port towns, including the capital, Nowelton, connected with the southern cities of the Western Coast and ports beyond. Towns have markets with goods come from afar, libraries, theaters, and the luxuries which the guilders and nobility enjoy are made here. Craftsmen make special goods not made in the rural villages, such as glass, ceramics, bells, dyes, and the like. Merchants trade in books, perfumes, wines and other goods from the south, and strange goods from farther afield. Professions exist that do not exist upcountry, or are only found in the courts of the Earls, such as historians, lawyers, engineers and architects, alchemists, astrologers, and cartographers.
Contacts with other other cities brings ideas and practices to Talinie, but the most important influence is that of Boeruine. It is nearby, a great power in Anuire, and shares a coastline with Talinie. Visitors bring music, poetry, learning, and culture from Boeruine. The university of Tariene, just across the Black River from Seaport is a great source of learning and culture. As one of several leaders in fashion, the court of Seaharrow has a tremendous influence on the styles of the West Coast. Shops selling Boeruinean finished cloth do a brisk business and local weavers, seamstresses, and tailors imitate the styles that come north.

Emerald hills decked in fog, flowers, and the forest full of lakes provide Talinie with many vistas of great beauty. The vast Aelvinnwode blanket most of the provinces, although human settlement now crowds the coast, an the forest picks up away from the rocky shores and islands of the water's edge.

Freestead is an upland county where the foothills of Thurazor and the Five Peaks begin. Towns include Clashness, Talladale, and Kincardine. Torele Anviras is the Earl of Freestead. He resides at Misskill Tower.

Greensward is a heavily wooded province on the coast of the Tael Firth. Daliburgh and Grimsay are the major settlements. Leith Riedhie is the Earl of Greensward.

Ice Haven is the county where the capital sits. Nowelton is the second largest town in Talinie. Royal cousin, Murdoc Sanford Myles is the Earl of Ice Haven.

Lindholme is the center of population in Talinie. Benbecubla, Balvanish, Flodday, and Newcayne are the major settlements. Cunningham is a lordship without a town. Niall Deadwater is the Earl of Lindhoime

Seaport is a coatal province in which much of the land is inundated. Erskine Murdoc is the Earl of Seaport.

Serimset is an upland province. Strathcarron and Ardvreck are major settlements. Duncan Dalmelling is the Earl of Serimset.

Winter's Deep is the northern coastal province of Talinie. Culkein and Stromness are major settlements. Alister Matheson is the Earl of Winter's Deep.

Thalia Armara united Talinie and the Northern Imperial Temple, but the realm has not found real unity. Unfortunately, this is the long term history of Talinie, and old factons die hard. Jarod Dannis ended the waring between the factions, but not the conflict.

In theory, Thuriene Donalls is the Thane of Talinie and the Supreme Hierarch of the Northern Imperial Temple and should be able to rule them as one united domain. However, the influence of Hierarch Torias Griene is overbearing and divisive. Thuriene's decision to make Torias the Hierarch of the temple made him second only to Thuriene in the temple and law holdings, and he used this authority to ban all other temples in the name of the Supreme Hierarch's holy zeal. Torias now controls the workings of the temple and law holdings, though he can never be regent because he lacks a bloodline. He has nevertheless developed a tremendous powerbase.
Though there is no single figure who can match his power, a coallition of nobles has formed to oppose Griene. Most notable of these is Torele Anviras, who now claims to be the mage of Talinie. Lord Harrin Stalban and Chancellor Landen Edrandson are other leading figures. Along with an important minority of opponants to Torias in the Northern Imperial Temple, most importantly Siobhan Riedhie, Torias seems to be stalemated. The nobility, lead by Torele, Harrin, Landen, and Siobhan form one faction in the realm, and the temple controlled by Torias constitute another.
There is a more obvious conflict, however with the guilds. For a long time the guilds had been unprofitable and weak, and had little effect on the barony. Thuriene Donalls looked to elevate her people and supposed that the development of economic prosperity would benefit everyone. Storm Holtson and Bannier Andien were given a five year lisence to modernize and improve the guilds, during which time they could draw their profit in exchange for training local Taliniens to run the guilds. However, the cunning guilders simply selected useful Taliniens as puppets and made them lieutenants to act as front men in Talinie, while the guilders retained ultimate control. Torias Griene supports the guilders and the noble faction oppose them.

The people of Talinie have gained substantial prosperity since the temples of Haelyn began to support interpretations of Fitzalan's doctrines in such a way that the guilds were able to really begin to exploit the forests and hills of the country. However, while the people prospered, the land suffered. The land is still healthy, but the druids of Talinie report that without restraint the land will be ruined. Some in the upland provinces lament abandoned quarries, eroded hillsides, and poisoned streams and lakes. The lowlands find a shrinking forest. The druids and their friends speak about the costs that our children and our children's children will bear for the benefits we receive today.
The druids of the Rjurik lands across the Tael Firth do more than warn the Thane. They seem to be preaching war against Talinie, and we have found raiders crossing the sea to attack the guilds here, bringing battles to protect the forests of Talinie.
Meanwhile the elves too raise objections. Prince Fhileraene wrote to us, "The forest is all of a piece, a living thing that knows no borders, laying waste to the forest in Talinie endangers the forest in Tuarhievel, as a wound to the limb endangers the heart." Torias Griene advised preperations for war with the elves, but this crisis was averted when Torele Anviras appeared and rested concessions from the Thane. Thuriene Donalls continues to allow guilds, but only local guilders. However, strong evidence suggests that the local guilders, Murdoc Sanford Myles and Anphelan Halloravant are only front men for foreign guilders.

Thuriene Donalls, Thane of Talinie

Brulan Broweleit, Steward of Talinie

Landen Edrandson, Lord Balvanish, Chancellor of Talinie

Murdoc Sanford Myles, Earl of Ice Haven, Master of the Fine Crafters of Timber & Minerals

Torele Anviras, Earl of Freestead

Leith Riedhie, Earl of Greensward

Harrin Stalban, Viscount of Grimsay

Erskine Murdoc, Earl of Seaport

Duncan Dalmelling, Earl of Serimset

Alister Matheson, Earl of Winter's Deep

Siobhan Riedhie, Presbyter of Newcayne, daughter of Leith Riedhie and heir of Thuriene Donalls

The Order of the Chequered Shield is the fighting order of Paladins and Knights supported by the Northern Imperial Temple of Haelyn.
The Order of the Rose comprises the Regent's personal Guard.

Hard decisions await the player Regent of Talinie as he takes the Oak Seat. Whether he is a paladin or cleric of the Haelynite theocracy; or the regent of a newer, more secular government there are problems with the realm to strike a balance between progress and preservation of the Wilderness.

When the player regent takes the Oak Seat, it is assumed that Thuriene Donalls met a mysterious accident while inspecting the wilderness around Nowelton. After the PC's coronation, the PC will receive a note from a peasant -- probably a villein (or serf). The villein claims that he has knowledge of how Thuriene actually died. However, there is no hard evidence or any way to investigate how Thuriene Donalls met her fate.

A goblin raid from Thurazor into Winter's Deep was too precise against the border patrols. Could there be a spy in Newcayne Outpost working with the goblins of Thurazor? The only way to find out is to do an investigation. The investigations lead to Harden Halloravant, the PC regent's distant cousin. Is he a traitor to the realm or is he innocent?

A family of allotheres (dire boars, see above) has been terrorizing the forest village of Tarbet. The Thane can arrange to have these boars killed, but the village's real problems is deforestation of the ancient forest around Tarbet. Perhaps the Thane can arrange to import some druids from Stjordvik in to help restore the village and to find new ways of improving its economy.

Domain Table: Talinie

Province	Law	Temple	Guild	Source
Freestead (2/5)	TD (1)	TD (2)	SH (2)	TA (5)
Greensward (2/5)	TD (2)	TD (2)	BA (2)	TA (5)
Ice Haven (3/4)	TD (2)	TD (3)	BA (2)	TA (4)
			SH (0)
Lindholme (5/2)	TD (3)	TD (4)	BA (3)	TA (2)
	AB (2)		SH (2)
Seaport (1/4)	AB (1)	TD (0)	SH (1)	TA (3)
Serimset (2/5)	TD (1)	TD (2)	BA (2)	TA (5)
Winter's Deep (3/4)	TD (2)	TD (2)	SH (3)	TA (4)
Abbreviations: TD=Thuriene Donalls (Talinie) (Northern Imperial Temple; SH=Storm Holtson (Fellowship of Miners and Sawyers); BA=Bannier Andien (Andien and Sons); AB=Aeric Boeruine (Boeruine); TA=Torele Anviras.