Locales

Tsolyáni Fief Values

by Shawn Garbett, edited by James Maliszewski

Here's my contribution to net-knowledge of Tékumel. This is going to require iteration to get right, since it is probably not accurate. I eye-balled and estimated to obtain most of these figures and they need refinement, and more commentary (which I hope this page will gladly provide). I hope this to be a first pass at gathering knowledge of the layout of Tsolyánu. With luck, this will be a seed that will grow into something that Tékumel fans can use.

Pages 93-94 of Empire of the Petal Throne (the red book) had a system for determining the worth of a fief holders hex. Well I compared the Province Map to the hex maps and tried to come up with an estimated value of káitars collected. These figures will be low, because I didn't include the existence of extra items such as mines which are to randomly generated. I'm planning on calculating the average value of the chart and adjusting these figures accordingly.

Also, these figures are derived from source material that is all pre-civil-war. It's the best source I have and I will probably stick to it.

Notes:

[1] Ngalar has no capital; it is administered from Jakálla.There used to be a capital back before Engsvan hla Ganga sank, but now the place is mostly swamp. Villages look to Jakálla for guidance.

[2] Avanthár is the where the Petal Throne resides and the Glorious Emperor rules. Its income will also have a portion of all the provinces revenue - question is - how much?

[3] No capital. Administered from Ferinara. Local village headmen hold yearly councils to decide any issues.

[4] If you look at the Legions of Tékumel books, Salarvyá has many many troops stationed around Fénul, more than the land and local taxes can support. So do they really own Fénul? There was some mention in recent history notes of a scuffle between Tsolyánu and Salarvyá here. Also the Ssü incursions are supposed to be getting worse. So who really owns Fénul? If it's Salarvyá then who is going to be the Governor to inform the Emperor?

[5] Many Hlutrgú live in this province, so most of this income is probably not collected.

[6] Boy, this province looks like it sticks way out. It'll be the first to go when war hits. Looking at recent history I think it already has been lost.

[7] Dó Cháka is more of a working relationship with the Pé Choi who live in the forest, I wonder if this income is still collected entirely by the Empire, or is the monetary arrangement different due to its Protectorate status.

[8] See [7]. Also this province is a huge resource of undeveloped forest that the Páchi Lei inhabit. I could see why those Red-hats want it so bad. I bet most of this income is also not seen by the Empire.

Now, did I get the "Bread-Basket" provinces right?

Also what would be a good set of groupings for the main Tsolyánu provinces?

I would love for someone to check my estimates of hex sizes!

Anyone care to offer commentaries about these Provinces?

Also how much of what the fief holder collects ends up in the Governor's Pot? The book says 10% for "administration." Likewise, how much goes to the Emperor? 10%? If 10% of 10% is correct the above figures suggest that 145,000 káitars goes to the Emperor.

Once this chart is updated to better accuracy, I'd like to figure out population distribution in the provinces. Then one could get crude estimates of the distribution of wealth, such as how wealthy one province is compared to another (of course it could be just ending up in a few peoples pockets). Also, since each hex is 5340 square miles, then sizes of provinces could be estimated.

[Return to Top]

• Rules & Game Systems
• Adventures on Tékumel
• Adventure Scenarios & Ideas
• Locales
• The City of ónchash Cháiran
• The Chagári Protectorate
• The Temple of the Seven Sighs
• Tsolyáni Fief Values
• Clans & Personalities
• Flora & Fauna
• Magical Items
• Advice, Humor & Articles
• Gaming Tools & Play Aids
• Miniatures