Overview
The Tenari are the people of Thalcoris, a dense-jungle nation in northern Xolterra. They inherit Thalcoris's old city-states, worship its paired sun and moon gods, train aether and resonance mages, and remember the Xolterra War, the false war fought near Xalatun.
Tazarin rules the Tenari as emperor. After Cassian destroys Xoh'Metztli and frees them from her control, the Tenari remain a distinct people. Thalcoris later draws closer to Thalassai.
Society
Thalcoris was formed from city-states including Tequaltor, Xalatun, Chalxata, and Aurivallis. Tequaltor is the Tenari capital and Tazarin's seat. Aurivallis is the center of moon worship and divine-resonance clergy.
Tenari histories preserve ancestral ties to Xalmyrra, including an attempted reunion with their Xalmyrran ancestors. The long separation leaves living Xalmyrrans and Tenari recognizably similar to one another.
Tenari institutions train and use magic openly. Thalcoris's magical traditions emphasize aether and resonance magic, and Tenari mages often use multiple magic schools. Tequaltor's war school trains Tenari to fight, and Razen serves there as teacher. Razen also commands the Tenari army.
Religion and Magic
Tenari religion honors Xoh'Tenol, the sun god, and Xoh'Metztli, the moon goddess. Xoh'Tenol is revered across Thalcoris. Aurivallis is Xoh'Metztli's main seat of worship. Their sun and moon shards bind religion to political power: Tazarin carries the sun shard before Xoh'Tenol chooses Kaelion, and Meliora rules Aurivallis as the moon shard wielder.
Moon priests and priestesses travel from Aurivallis across Thalcoris, and priestesses in silver and blue robes sing with resonance magic in Tequaltor. Their songs can halt activity around them, and Xoh'Metztli uses public devotion and resonance song to maintain her hidden control.
Arinella is a moon priestess from Aurivallis: a divine and resonance mage, Meliora's Echo of Harmony, and one of the first Tenari Cassian frees from direct mental command.
False War and Liberation
Before liberation, the Tenari believe the Xolterra War is an old external war near Xalatun. In the Xolterra War, Tenari kill Tenari near the essence towers under Xoh'Metztli's resonance-based control. Tenari dead lie among the supposed enemy, and Kaelion breaks free of the spell as Tenari soldiers and mages slaughter one another.
Cassian follows the source of the control to Aurivallis. He frees Arinella, reaches the Temple of Resonance, kills Meliora, and destroys Xoh'Metztli's essence before it can continue through another vessel. The control over the Tenari breaks. Xalatun is devastated and recoverable.
Afterward, Tazarin, Razen, Amaril, Kaelion, Zayren, Splin, and others heal survivors, clear rubble, redirect water, and stabilize Xalatun. Cassian's liberation leaves the Tenari in his debt, and Tazarin later commits the Tenari to act when the darkness returns.
Tenari People
- Tazarin: Emperor of Thalcoris and sun shard wielder.
- Razen: Teacher at Tequaltor Magic School and commander of the Tenari army.
- Amaril: Respected teacher and healer at Tequaltor Magic School.
- Zayren: Powerful aether mage and Tazarin's personal guard before he follows Kaelion.
- Ziyara: One of Tazarin's guards and later a Thalcoris diplomat in dealings with Thalassai.
- Arinella: Aurivallis priestess, divine and resonance mage, and Echo of Harmony.
- Meliora: Former ruler of Aurivallis and moon shard wielder before Cassian kills her.
- Kaelion: Chosen by Xoh'Tenol; Tazarin and the Tenari name him the future emperor.