[Sugggested] Tsunotaur History

During the Age of Myth the Tsunotaur people were a divided folk of nomads and herders. The other races paid little mind to the horned folk as they traveled from land to land providing livestock in return for grain and other commodities. They were not known for their sparkling personalities but for their shrewd negotiation skills and honesty. To go back on your word to a Tsunotaur was a foul move indeed and often led to being blacklisted by all other traders who would come through the area. Those who did soon found that getting access to any kind of livestock was quite difficult as the Tsunotaur people controlled a majority of the cattle trade in Phantarra.

But the Orcs cared little for trade and honesty and only saw weakness. The Orcish people began to attack the Tsunotaur herds, slaying them and their cattle. This continued on for years until one Tsunotaur by the name of Koranth assembled the people together for a great meeting. This meeting would later be known as “The Meeting of Red Valley”.There Koranth spoke to the people. He told them they could unite, that they could defeat the Orcs who preyed on them and their cattle. That though the rest of the world thought of them as just herders they were so much more. Koranth lifted his wooden staff in the air on that full moon night and gave out a cry. It is said that when the others joined him in the battle cry it could be heard for miles.

Koranth proved to be a most competent leader. He knew that there was no way to defeat the Orcs head on so he set traps for them. The Tsunotaur would walk within the actual herds unseen, when the Orcs attacked they would spring on them. After the many failures the Orcs decided to attempt to unite against the horned folk. Koranth counted on this and assembled the Tsunotaurs for the final attack. As the Orcs lay in their camps readying for the campaign a rumble could be heard from afar. The rumbling grew stronger after a few moments. The Orcs wondered what sort of magic was creating the tremors but their shamans felt nothing. During that confusion is when it happened.

A great stampede emerged from the darkness, consisting of thousands of heads of cattle. They stomped the Orcs into nothingness laying waste to the entire army there. Not a single weapon was swung by the Tsunotaurs that night. The Orcs that survived fled and scattered, repeating the tales of what happened in their fateful encounter with the horned folk. However when the Orcs told the story, they were too embarrassed to tell the truth. So when they told the tale they often omitted the part about the cows and claimed that the Tsunotaurs were 8 foot tall and could snap bones with one hand. The Tsunotaurs did nothing to correct these stories.

Finally free from the oppression of the Orcs Koranth united the people in the Red Valley once again. There he made his declaration that the Red Valley would now be the home for the Tsunotaur people. They began to build but soon found that crafting buildings was not one of their strong suits, being mainly nomads. However trade was and they offered cattle to the Dwarves in return for the direction of their skilled artisans. Soon the great trade city of Plainstead, and the Tsunotaur finally had a place to call home.


During the Age of Ancients the Tsunotaur people thrived. They moved beyond simply trading livestock and began negotiating trade between the Elves and the Dwarves as a go between. Much profit was gained from this as though the two races could not stand each other, their goods were still highly valuable. The Tsunotaurs would do most of their trade during the Great Meet’s the Guthries would have. Much profit was gained in those times and were often used to throw lavish parties with expensive elvin wines and strong dwarven spirits.
Unfortunately the Tsunotaur people had separated into two social castes, the Pivo, who were the minority but held the most money and spent lavishly, and Klatu, who were your average workers who still were angry at their brethren who had treated them like slaves. The Klatu rebelled, burning the great city of Plainstead to the ground, driving the Pivo out. The Pivo scattered, finding residence in the other races homelands while the Klatu took up living in the wilds in small tribes. When the great meeting was held to determine the fate of all the races the Tsunotaurs were not invited as their race was divided and had no leadership to represent them.
After the Spliting much lore was lost to all races but the history and even the existence of the Tsunotaur people were all but forgotten as they had no loremasters, books, or even their own written language. The only way they were able to keep their lore was through song, to this day most of the Tsunotaur people still learn of their history through these means.


During the Age of Humans the Tsunotaur people began to fade further into the background. Many of the Klatu continued on as nomads and formed tribes. These tribes were often led by the most powerful member of the tribe and advised by a shaman, often the oldest member of the tribe. The Orcs who had once been their enemies long ago had formed a bond with them as fellow outcasts from society. They would often trade goods and even share tales from time to time. When the Orcs joined Gromm the Klatu were invited to join as well but declined. The Klatu had grown savage over time, often attacking smaller barbarian tribes or settlements for what they needed.

The Pivo however had taken to a different lifestyle. They used their cunning to market themselves as mercenaries and bodyguards. They would occasionally gather in groups but would just as often travel solo in pursuit of greener pastures (pun intended!). They often worked on ships as pirates, and on shore would also spend their coin in a short period of time. Some of them even fell back to their nomadic ways moving livestock to their destinations but few had remembered the stories of their aptitude so work was hard to fine for the horned folk. Right before the Cataclysm a great calling came to the Tsunotaur people.
They all felt the pull deep down inside them. When they followed it found themselves in a field of red grass as one Tsunotaur stood on a large rock in the middle of the plane. He stood so high above them that no one could make out the figure, though some claim it was Koranth, summoning forth the horned folk to reunite again. Others claimed it was a trick of the light or some other happenstance. But none could deny that they were brought to this place for a purpose.

After the last Tsunotaur arrived that purpose became clear. The land around them began to split and crack. Terrrible winds rose up around them but none of the horned folk were harmed, the area covered in red grass remained untouched by the chaos that surrounded them. When the tempest finally subsided they rose up unharmed.


After the Cataclysm the Tsunotaur people found a purpose. They wished to no longer be downtrodden and separated. However the path in which the Klatu and Pivo wished to take in making this happened differed. The Klatu wished to create an army that would lay waste to anyone who stood in their way. The Pivo wished to make a long term strategy that would allow them to make a profit by finding resources and setting up trade routes. Soon the negotiations broke down into squabbling and everyone choose to part ways.
When they left the Red Valley the Tsunotaurs and looked back they could no longer see the great rock or the red fields. Many have wondered what happened that day and what magic could have caused such an occurrence.

Since that day many of the horned folk have set off on their own away from the tribes. They wish to make their own mark on the Phantarra, as mystic, mercenaries, traders, or any other multitude of professions they choose. They have grown tired of the petty arguments and feel that the best way to gain respect is by doing deeds that will get them recognized.