"To have but three meals a day will starve a man's body and muddy a
man's spirit."
- Grumman Proverb
Proper Name | The Federated Shires of Khen |
Ruler | His Most Worthy Greatness, Ruler of the Federated Shires of Khen, Council High Speaker, Lord Tobias Perrin, the Distinguished |
Estimated Population | 8,000,000 |
Demographics | Grum 80%, Human 10%, Dwarven 3%, Elven 3%, Saurian 1%, Baenite 1%, Ogre 1%, Orc 1% |
Adjectival/Demonym | Khendite/Khendites |
Languages | Grumman 80%, Corven 10%, Northern 10% |
Capital City | Dunlyn (Population: 29,800) |
National Colors | Green and black. |
Year Founded | 933 |
Currency | Mixed. |
Natural Resources | Various tobaccos and medicinal herbs, fruits, berries, nuts, cattle, goats, sheep, wheat, barley, corn, rice, potatoes, cotton |
Manufactured Goods and Major Exports | Foodstuffs, beef, mutton, tobacco, textiles |
Wealth | Below Average |
Government Type | Provincial |
Government Stability | Very Stable |
Allies | Jannerus, Falkir Clans |
Enemies | Coalition |
Technology Level | Dark Ages |
Primary Religion | Mireldokar |
Other Religions | Imarus, Sarreth, Daramis, Farzak |
Climate | Temperate |
Approximate Land Area | 1,200,000 square kilometers |
Arable Land | 47% |
Terrain | Grassland |
Khenshire is a peaceful land of small villages, quiet gardens and cottages with thatched rooves. Khenshire is a grumman nation, but many other races have settled here because of the quiet social atmosphere and beautiful land. Many come to retire here after a life of adventuring.
The nation of Khenshire is divided up into six "shires". A shire is a political and geographical subdivision of the nation. Each shire has one town of significant size which serves as a governmental head. The largest shire is Clanshire and is home to the capital city of Dunlyn. The other five shires are listed below.
The Khenshire is a situated in the northwest foothills of the Sentinel Mountains. It ranges from grassy fields, pastures and orchards in the north to rolling hills, small forests and grazing land in the south. Numerous rivers and streams wind their between the hills as they make they way northeastward. The Khenshire enjoys plentiful rainfall and a long growing season, but does suffer from uncomfortably warm summers. Plant and animal life are abundant including the occasional bear or cougar that ventures down from the Sentinels to snack on a goat or cow.
Khenshire has a great deal of livestock and vigilantly guard its animals from wolf packs, burrow hounds and sentinel scorpions. The grumman lands grow a variety of good tobaccos and culinary herbs. The most well known of these are firestar pollen, kelfarian red leaf and rhen wheat.
Over the centuries following the Age of Chaos, the central lands of Ithria had become rich and fertile. Farmers slowly gravitated to this perfect farmland even as they slowly changed to grum. The farmers of the central plains united to form the agrarian nation of Khenshire.
Each shire has one representative in the Dunlyn Council which is led by the Council High Speaker. Currently filling that post is Lord Tobias Perrin. The Dunlyn Council has weekly meetings.
The Council decides all laws and passes judgement on all those who violate them. Laws and punishments are fairly lenient. Fines, public service, forfeit of property, imprisonment and banishment are the norm. Weapons and armour are not restricted, but they are discouraged within city limits.
Khenshire has no military to speak of. Most cities do have small forces of watchmen who patrol the city streets. This force is composed entirely of volunteers. These watchmen operate only at night and always in pairs. In times of need, the city of Dunlyn can muster a temporary militia force of approximately 3,000 troops. Despite its large size, this force would be ill-equipped and lack formal training.
Stable, but limited in variety. The majority of the economy is agrarian based. Some materials do pass through the Khenshire due to its central location. Trade and barter is common, but most forms of coins are accepted.
The citizenry of Dunlyn is diverse, but friendly. About 70% grum, 10% human, 5% dwarven and 10% other. Festivals are common.
In Khenshire, it is a very old tradition that doors have no locks. Putting locks on the doors is rude to the neighbors (they might want to borrow something). It might seem like a thieves' paradise, but the towns and villages of Khenshire are such tight knit communities, strangers and thieves tend to stand out. Besides, there is little treasure in the average Khenshire town. What the grum value is good food and good friends.
Another very old tradition is that any guest who stays at an inn for more than seven days is considered a member of the innkeeper's family.
A common Khenshire greeting is "Good Meeting!". This is often used instead of "hello" or "good day".
Grumman butter tea is a very popular drink in Khenshire. Grumman butter tea is a mix of a very strong tea, cream, honey and butter. It has a luxurious creamy texture.
Like everything else in Khenshire, magic is tied to tradition. It is tradition that every Khenshire village have one (and only one) village wizard. This is a position usually filled by the oldest grum capable of magic. Most of these village wizards are do little more than brew a good potion or calm a wild horse. Few have any real magical power and those that do usually live in the larger towns. It's also a tradition in Khenshire that the larger towns use magic in their festivals and celebrations. It is here in these community gatherings that most common folk see any magic at all. Such displays include dancing balls of colored light, fireworks, music, flying furniture and the like.
There is an old grumman tradition of choosing a child's name based on an event of significance that occurs on the day of birth. Grumman children named in this fashion may be given odd names. This varies greatly with the event chosen. Hence, these grums have very personal names. Traditionally, the parents would choose the name of the child together. The traditional grum who follow this tradition consider the event and the chosen name to be a guiding force throughout life, especially in times of decision. It is often said that "a grum must be true to his name". This saying refers to this ancient grumman tradition. Because of this tradition, many grum names sound like nicknames to other races. There are thousands of such names, although some are used over and over.
Some examples of typical grum names based on the "day of birth event" tradition: Grumbler, Six Pipe, Rusty, Crack Jack, Brown Tom, Pepper, Treeburn, Piglet, Horseflesh, Trembler, Jinx, Flaxbin, Twofist, Jacksquire, Top Knot, Fivecoin, Sureshot, Halflask, Treefell, Greyduck, Rambler, Highwall, Threeblade, Jumper, Gadget, Threefoot, Redeye, Badger, Glassjaw, Sawtooth, Random, Cutter, Slingshot and Browncoat.
Name | Shire | Population | Notes |
Ransook | Brookshire | 15,100 | Named after a legendary human warrior that fought a great battle there many years ago to save the town. He is said to be buried beneath a great cairn of stones which lies just outside of town. |
Fiest | Hillshire | 13,700 | Fiest grows several crops of Kelfarian red leaf tobacco on the sides of the rolling hills. In early summer, the sweet smell is so powerful it can be smelled kilometers away. |
North Vale | Fenshire | 12,400 | North Vale has the best farms for Rothka weed, a fine tobacco. The wet lowlands in the valley provide excellent soil for growing this crop. |
Turley | Lakeshire | 8,900 | A small town that prides itself on culinery matters. Turley claims the invention of many grumman dishes and even has a one master chef that runs a tiny school for cooks out of his home. |
Pethrin | Woodshire | 6,300 | A small town at the edge of a small forest that lies along the south branch of the Ethereal River. |
Arbordale, Bandekar, Blackwood, Bloom, Brookbridge, Eagle's Point, Echo, Greenfields, Last League, Leaf, Mill, Nigel, Placid, Porshire, Quail Meadow, Rolling Hill, Underhill, Vista
As a poor agrarian society, Khenshire has only a network of old meandering trade routes and farm roads. The major roads here connecting the major towns are wide, but unpaved. The roads are frequently traveled. For more information, see the Travel and Distance page.
Typical Travel Time | |||||
Route | Terrain/Road Conditions | Distance | Walking | Wagon/Cart | Horse |
Dunlyn - Ransook | Dirt Road | 188 km | 8 days | 6 days | 4 days |
Dunlyn - Pethrin | Dirt Road | 289 km | 13 days | 10 days | 6 days |
Dunlyn - North Vale | Dirt Road | 250 km | 11 days | 8 days | 5 days |
Dunlyn - Fiest | Dirt Road | 425 km | 18 days | 14 days | 8 days |
Dunlyn - Turley | Dirt Road | 243 km | 11 days | 8 days | 5 days |
North Vale - Pethrin | Dirt Road | 412 km | 18 days | 14 days | 8 days |
Fiest - North Vale | Dirt Road | 500 km | 22 days | 16 days | 10 days |
Fiest - Turley | Dirt Road | 486 km | 21 days | 16 days | 9 days |
Fiest - The Muddy Grounds | Dirt Road | 133 km | 6 days | 5 days | 3 days |
Fiest - Shady Grove (Falkir) | Dirt Road | 764 km | 33 days | 25 days | 14 days |
Ransook - Marsh (Corvenia) | Dirt Road | 353 km | 15 days | 12 days | 7 days |
Ransook - William's Gate (Corvenia) | Dirt Road | 382 km | 17 days | 13 days | 7 days |
Pethrin - Willam's Gate (Corvenia) | Dirt Road | 254 km | 11 days | 9 days | 5 days |
North Vale - Drumal (Vorrik) | Dirt Road | 566 km | 24 days | 18 days | 11 days |
Turley - Agothin (Jannerus) | Dirt Road | 613 km | 26 days | 20 days | 12 days |
This website was last updated February 29, 2024. Copyright 1990-2024 David M. Roomes.