Almost a thousand tsán upstream from Jákalla, along the muddy banks of the broad Mssúma River, stands the city of Béy Sü.
The name means Soul of the World in the Bednálljan tongue. Though it has undergone many changes, this mighty metropolis has remained the capital of Tsolyánu for millenia.
“First time, eh?” Tékoru hiSashán, your caravan-master, asks sympathetically. “La! You’ll see it all. You’ll get a peek at the Pyramid of Ssirandár III, the Governor’s Palace, the Hirilákte Arena, and a lot more. And you shall have a litter and a guide to show you around and see you don’t get lost.”
About the Site
Welcome to Tékumel
Welcome to a world as complex and fascinating as our own, but unlike anything you have ever experienced.
How to use this site
The World of the Petal Throne site is designed for browsing, reading and many, many visits. The main sections are always accessible at the top of your browser window.
The Eye of Incomparable Understanding (About the Site) is where you are now. In this section you will find a welcome and ‘how to’ section, introductory information about Tékumel, a chronological list of changes to the site, and a comprehensive site map. Here also is the Tékumel FAQ and the Tékumel Product List.
The Eye of Illuminating Glory (The World of Tékumel) is the ‘meat’ of the site, and contains separate, detailed sections on some aspects of life on Tékumel; currently History, Gods, and Lands. This section, like the rest of the site, is being continually expanded.
The Eye of Opening the Way (Gaming on Tékumel) is devoted to role-playing, boardgaming and miniatures gaming, for those who wish to adventure among Tékumel’s inhabitants. Here you’ll find a wealth of roleplaying systems, adventure materials, game system supplements and playing aids.
The Eye of Retaining All Things (The Tékumel Archive) is where you’ll find many pages of previously published information about Tékumel from now-defunct fanzines and online mailing lists, and includes downloadable desktop images for your computer and banners to link your site to this one. The Tékumel Tales section features fiction set on Tékumel. There’s also a link to the site of Tita’s House of Games, distributor of Tékumel merchandise; information about joining the current Tékumel Mailing Lists; and entry to The Blue Room Mailing List Archive, a vast repository of past Tékumel discussions.
Visit the Site Chronology to keep track of the latest changes to the site. Updates and additions are made to the site as regularly as possible, the real world permitting.
A note about copyright
Tékumel and its related products and materials are copyright © 1975 and 2010 by Prof. M.A.R. Barker. This work is not intended in any way to infringe upon that copyright or other intellectual property rights of Prof. M.A.R. Barker. Material reproduced by permission.
All Rights Reserved. No material on this site may be reproduced without written permission from the copyright holder.
The Tekumel Foundation Board of Directors statement on Serpent’s Walk
The Tekumel Foundation Board of Directors wants to acknowledge that our research shows Professor M.A.R. Barker wrote Serpent’s Walk, an anti-Semitic novel that was published under a pseudonym in 1991. We have done our due diligence to ascertain the facts regarding Serpent’s Walk and Professor Barker’s affiliation with The Journal of Historical Review and we believe this needs to be recognized as part of Professor Barker’s past. While nobody today is responsible for the odious views Professor Barker presented in Serpent’s Walk, we are responsible for recognizing this book as part of his legacy.
That this acknowledgment was not done earlier was and is a mistake, and we apologize for that. We have been reaching out to several Jewish organizations to express our outrage over our findings and make our priority to work with them through this issue.
What Professor Barker did was wrong and forever tarnished his creative and academic legacy. As stewards of the world of Tekumel, we reject and repudiate Serpent’s Walk and everything it stands for and all other anti-Semitic activity Professor Barker was involved with.
The Tekumel Foundation has never been involved with or profited from the publication, distribution, or sale of Serpent’s Walk in any way, shape, or form. All of the proceeds from sales of Tekumel-related material have gone and will continue to go to the Foundation and its work, and not to any racist or anti-Semitic organizations or causes, in any way, shape, or form.