“In the dawn of days, when the world was a blanket of ocean, the gods raked their hands along the ocean's floor. They piled the earth in great mounds forming the five continents. The gods shaped the first land with such force that it towered high into the sky, and they named this land Armuria. The upheaval dragged monsters from the darkest depths to the surface, and for a time, Armuria became a place of savagery and violence.

The gods were dismayed at this and so they created Olen. With stones from the mountains, they crafted his bones; with the soil of the plateaus, they moulded his flesh; with the salt water of the sea, they filled his veins; and with the grasses of the hill country, they wove his hair. His eyes were formed of sapphires from the mountain’s hidden depths, his teeth were carved from the purest marble. The heart of Olen was a gift from Kyrallassa, the great sea serpent. Finally, his mind was formed from the saliva of the gods. Thus, Olen was one of god, earth and sea.

The gods commanded Olen to rid Armuria of the wild beasts that belonged in the darkest reaches of the ocean. So Olen wrestled the beasts back into the oceans where they sank to the bottom fighting and tearing at each other. And the gods were pleased.

For a time there was peace. But Olen was moulded part god, and his desire for creation was strong, thus he began to reshape the land. He carved out the great rivers Haldtun and Soldtun that flowed from the mountains, stretching to the north and south. With his fists, he struck the mountains, creating great caves. Using his nails he raked the plateaus creating soft soil where plants began to grow. And the gods looked on and wondered.

And once his labours were finished, he gathered clay, rock and weed and fashioned from them the first people of Armuria. He baked them in the great mountain fires and cooled them with the water of the ocean and he breathed life into them and named them Tahl. Angered by this, the gods commanded Olen to destroy the Tahl, but Olen refused, pleading with them to spare his creations. The gods, fearing that Armuria would return once again to wildness and violence ignored his plea and cast ice over the mountains to freeze the Tahl and sent fire over the plateaus to kill the land. Olen cried out in dismay at the destruction and he hid the Tahl in the caves to shelter them from the cold. He opened his veins using his blood to quench the fires and bring life back to the soil. Bleeding, he laid himself down and with his last breath asked the gods once more to spare the Tahl. The gods, so moved by his sacrifice, allowed the Tahl to live in peace upon Armuria.”

~ Tahl Creation Mythos.

The Tahl are a humanoid race native to the northern reaches of Armuria. Of stature akin to humans, yet broader and more robust, they are a people of strength and vigour. Their thick, long arms are disproportionate to their legs and stand out as their most distinctive trait. Their facial features bear a strong resemblance to humans but are more pronounced in almost every way, with prominent cheekbones, broad jawbones, and heavy brows. The males prefer to maintain long hair that is either left loose or braided with gold or silver rings fastened at the ends. Their beards are a symbol of their manhood, long and oftentimes braided. A beardless Tahl man is a rare sight indeed.

The women, while more slender than their male counterparts, are still more thickset than human females. Their hair, like that of the men, is kept long and sometimes braided but unlike the men, this is for aesthetic preference. The Tahl’s hair spans the spectrum of colour, from pale yellow to the fiercest red.

Most Tahl live high in the mountains in the great Tahl cities or the villages scattered throughout the many slopes. The high wintery mountains lend most Tahl their pale complexion, though the Tahl’Uruh, with a life lived upon the sun-kissed plateaus, bear the tan of the sun and are often kissed with a multitude of freckles.

In temperament, the Tahl are a proud and amicable people, confident in their place in the world and proud of their heritage. They usually hold no ill will towards the other races and civilisations of Orm except goblins, secure in their strength and guided by a culture that values honesty and honour. They are well-regarded by the world at large and respected for their integrity and their fine crafting skills.

Yet, should a Tahl be driven to anger and violence, they become a fearsome adversary, a force to be reckoned with, embodying the very strength and determination of Olen himself. There have been few recorded attempts of kingdoms attempting invasions into Armuria and none of the armies that entered the labyrinth of mountains has ever returned.