Ismahi
From Almeopedia
| Ismahi | |
| Native: | Ismahi |
| Verdurian: | Ismai |
| Characteristics | |
| Capital: | Raizumi |
| Government: | King with council |
| Language: | Ismaîn |
| Relative prosperity: | 78 |
| Population: | 1.2 million |
| % Pagan: | 63 |
| % Eleďe: | 30 |
| % Irreanism: | 7 |
| Currency | |
| Gold | saçne 8 |
| sasavi 2.67 | |
| Silver | glure 1 |
| meşu 1/3 | |
| Emur | alasi 1/12 |
| ISMAHI > |
Ismahi [is ˈma hi] is a country in the Mišicama littoral; its capital is Raizumi (Raȥumi).
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Culturally and ecologically, Ismahi is divided into two zones: the Efrát river valley, isolated from the sea by the Eştranił mountains and from Eretald by the Mišicama Range; and the littoral. The littoral has always been oriented towards the sea, to fishing, and to ocean trade; the interior has traditionally been a sleepy agricultural region, its chief exports (olives, oranges, wool, cotton, lumber) forming part of the Serea river trade. There is a strong linguistic divide: Ismaîn proper is the language of the Efrát valley; the littoral speech is much closer to Verdurian (and has Flaidish and Kebreni influences as well).
If the valley has dominated, it's largely because it is about three times as populous, and because the littoral needed strong protectors. During the Dark Years the wealth of the littoral was whittled away by pirates; and then the pirates found that the mountainous coast, with its storms and hidden bays, was an excellent place to establish permanent bases. The Ismaîn coast was thus known for piracy— one reason no large city developed there.
Neighbors: Verduria (to W), Denisovič (to NW), Azgami (to NE), Kara Desert (to SE)
Origins
In ancient times the region was known as Leziunea, and it remained Meťaiun until it was occupied by Munkhâsh in 1612. After the conquest of Munkhâsh it was incorporated into the Caďinorian empire, but the Meťaiun language persisted for several centuries, and Leziunea, though never rebelliious, retained a separate identity. The ancient capital was Geilas, on the coast, across the river from the modern town of Jyȥe.
The province was loyal to Caďinas in the first part of the Dark Years, but grew increasingly independent; the governor, Azedŕes, took the opportunity of the Gelyet invasion to declare himself king (elŕyn), in 2535.
The kingdom of Ismahi
During the first great expansion of Verduria, Ževuran conquered the western portions of Ismahi (3025-6), even briefly occupying Raizumi. The elŕyn moved upstream to Crza and refused to meet Ževuran in battle, though his forces hassled the Verdurians constantly. It was evident that conquering the rest of the country would be difficult and offer little gain. The Verdurians kept the territory they had gained for a century, but unlike their conquests in Eretald, it never assimilated— it remained sullen and restive. Finally queen Onvaďra 1ë married her son Zol to an Ismaîn princess and used the occasion to give the territory back to Ismahi.
The next threat was from Dhekhnam, the expanding ktuvok empire; in 3197 they encouraged the eastern third of Ismahi to rebel, under Nyzebese, the firstborn son of the elŕyn; the Dhekhnami convinced him that his father would not let him inherit, and that it was better to rule a portion of Ismahi now than to take his slim chances at ruling the whole of it later on. The new country, Azgami, was of course under close Dhekhnami supervision, and served as a base for subversion, espionage, and piracy. Nyzebese and his heirs even converted to the worship of Gelalh, though they were not emulated by many of their subjects.
As sea trade revived, the littoral was more closely tied to Verduria and Kebri than to Raizumi. The elŕyni didn’t much object, so long as they could collect their taxes. The problem became more serious with the three Verduria-Kebri wars (3266-84), in which the two powers were frankly fighting for control over the littoral— queen Elena’s pretext for the third war, in fact, was a claim on the barony of Harum, part of Ževuran’s conquests. The elŕyn invited the Kebreni to occupy the barony, in order to assert his control; this was just the provocation Elena was after, and she declared war on both countries. Strategically, the wars ended in the defeat of Kebri and the establishment of Verduria as the predominant power in Eretald; locally, the Verdurians failed to achieve their aim, control of the littoral. But the war was a disaster for Ismahi. It lost the western two thirds of its littoral entirely: the westernmost portion was given to Verduria, while the remainder became independent (as Denisovič), though it was effectively a Verdurian protectorate.
Modern Ismahi
Today Ismahi has the reputation of being simultaneously backwards and decadent. With the loss of most of the littoral, it is even less outward-directed than before; the country is still governed in medieval style, by a patchwork of nobles half-subservient to the king. There is no parliament, though a council of nobles (Elŕynes Hôsicŕe, the King’s Council) offers advice, and backing for measures that may prove unpopular. Raizumi, Crza, and Suria are largely governed by their merchant burghers.
At the same time, the country is known for its artists— writers, entertainers, painters, dramatists, especially those of the Vŕeʐe Cilime circle— and for its fine luxuries, especially clothing, an industry which developed out of the wool trade.
