Sigil
A golden tree with a thick bole and spreading branches balanced by roots below; the Tree; the Golden Tree.Banner
The Golden Tree on a field vertically striped red and white; four red and three white.Panarch's Banner and Sigil
Same but with the addition of a green staff behind the tree.Captial City
Tanchico.
Symbols include the Throne of Light.
"The best secret to reveal
is the face behind a lady's veil,
the most deadly
is that of an Illuminator's spark."
--Saying in Tanchico.
Tarabon, a sizable nation on the Aryth Ocean, lies just south of the disputed Almoth Plain. Taraboners call themselves the Tree of Man, and claim descent from rulers and nobles of the Age of Legends. In the years with Almoth lived, it was even rumored that Tarabon actually held either a branch or a living sapling of Avendesora. Their banner was designed originally to celebrate that fact and their claimed heritage, with its blue sky, black earth, and the spreading Tree of Life to join them.
Once a great trading nation, Tarabon was a major source of fine rugs, dyes, fireworks, and other luxury items, but the nation has recently fallen on hard times that threaten to destroy its commerce. Historically Tarabon has spent nearly three hundred years squabbling with Arad Doman over the Almoth Plain, but only in the last year has this conflict come to all-out-war. Unfortunately, Tarabon has also been forced into conflict with the Dragonsworn, and the resulting dual conflict has strained the nation's resources and brought civil war to its cities.
Tarabon is nominally ruled jointly by a king and a panarch, who are both elected by the Assembly of Lords. The King and the Panarch are equal in authority. The Panarch collects taxes, customs, and duties, controls the Civil Watch, and oversees the lower courts. Her personal guard is the Panarch's Legion. The King is responsible for spending the collected revenue properly, controls the army, and oversees the High Court. His personal guard is the King's Life Guard. The only major political duty of the Assembly of Lords is the election of both King and Panarch.
Tarabon's capital city may be one of the oldest surviving cities on the continent. Tarabon's historians claim that part of the Panarch's Palace was built as far back as the Age of Legends. They cite a wall bearing an ancient frieze depicting animals no living man has ever seen, as well as numerous skeletons of these animals on display there. While doubtful, this antiquity would help substantiate their claim as descendants of that Age's nobility. There is not doubt that the Panarch's Palace, seated at op one of Tanchico's loftier hills, is a wondrous construct. Its central hall is lined with rows of white columns and lit from tiny carvings in the wall just below the ceiling and contains a grad display of all types of ancient artifacts, unmatched anywhere. The exhibit includes priceless cuendillar figures, rare sculptures, and even an angreal. It is open to the public, noble and commoner alike, three days a month as well as on feastday. Apply to the Panarch's Palace in writing for the precise dates.
Larger than Tear and possibly Caemlyn, Tanchico is spread over the steep hills embracing Tanchico Bay at the mouth of the River Andahar. This great harbor is usually crowed with ships of all kinds. Three separate peninsulas just into the harbor, the Verana to the east, the Maseta in the center, and the Calpene nearest the sea. These peninsulas are guarded by a dozen fortresses that surround the harbor. Each of the peninsulas has a "circle" or assembly arena among its buildings. The smallest of these, the Great Circle on the Calpene peninsula, can hold thousands of people to watch horse races or displays of illuminations. The largest arena is the King's Circle, located on the Maseta. The Panarch's Circle is slightly smaller than the King's Circle and is located on the Verana, as in the Panarch's Palace.
Hundreds of white palaces and other building cover the steep hills, their white stone or plaster glowing in the sun, highlighted by the sparkle of the occasional gilded tower or dome. Unfortunately the pristine appearance is an illusion. Over the years the buildings in Tanchico have been neglected to the point that the plaster on most is cracked and peeling to reveal shabby brick or wood beneath, and the stone of the palaces is chipped and cracked as well. The white facade is slipping to reveal a city rotting from within. Because of the recent trouble, the area on the Calpene near the Great Circle has become a haunt for homeless refugees. All the shops in the area have permanently close. Cutthroats and thieves have always been a part of the city, but now they nearly rule the streets. Nobles' bodyguards have become a necessity.
Claimants to the throne are a constant threat to the fragile balance of power. The heads of those who are caught are placed on spikes above Traitors' Steps on the Maseta, but there is no certainty that such measures will help this old city, or Tarabon, survive.