I am still working on the details of a campaign set in the Teshnos
region and I have been looking at a number of things as inspiration for the
culture of the people of Teshnos. I appreciate and am very fond of the
Indian feel that the kingdom has, but I would like to try out a few ideas on
people and see what you think:
- The solar cults so prevalent in Teshnos were introduced by
Sheng Seleris when he invaded the region. I believe that there is a strong
parallel between these cults tand those of the Egyptians. The Egyptians
maintained a set of Sun gods (Ra, Amun, Horus, Osiris, Aten) which served
different functions and were primary as different groups controlled the
government.
- The current culture is a development out of a reaction to
Sheng's conquest (how extensive that was is a matter for contention) and I
see that it might be similar to the development of the New Kingdom in Egypt
after the Hyksos invasion. This invasion had introduced many elements that
we now view as thoroughly Egyptian (the chariot, the kopesh, the composite bow).
- The Hyksos did not destroy and rebuild the Egyptian culture
rather they infiltrated their ideas and beliefs into it. I think that this
is the case with Teshnos. The Pentans carried conquest into the kingdom and
probably supplanted the rulers, introducing their own gods along with them.
They did not change a social system that they did not understand and that
seemed to work well with them at the top.
- After they were gone the Teshnans maintained the cults that
had been introduced because they gave greater power and prestige to the
nobility. This may have been accompanied by a period of expansion which was
curtailed by the Lethargy that enveloped the land. As a result many cities
that had been founded to the east were abandoned and eventually reclaimed by
the forest.
Basically what I am considering in a caste based culture which has a
more Egyptian style religious structure than a Vedic one. This allows for
some tension between the cults and allows for the many different varieties
of Solar worship that are prevalent in Teshnos.
Lastly, a question. Can anybody give me some information on the
place of a Yelmalio style cult in Teshnos. I currently see it as a subcult
of the Somash cult.
Anthony
PS; I would like to appologise if this has been received twice, but
we are having difficulties with our server coonections.