Karímia
From Almeopedia
| KARÍMIA > |
Karímia is a Verdurian colony in Qarau territory on the east coast of Ereláe, chiefly important as a way-station for voyages to the south of the continent, to Arcél, or to Téllinor.
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Settlement
Kebreni ships reached the area in the 3000s, and thereafter often stopped at the mouth of the Auqi for fresh water. They bought some furs, amber, and healing salves from the Qaraus, who in return received steel knives and arrow points, cloth, and wine. However, the level of trade was not enough to justify a permanent Kebreni settlement.
Verdurians began trading in the same area in the 3200s, until the Auqi was declared a Kebreni monopoly zone after the first Kebri-Verdurian war, in 3266. This ended with the third war, in 3285, and Queen Elena moved quickly to reinforce the Verdurian position, establishing a fort (officially Nëron Ihano, but usually known as Karímia) at the mouth of the Auqi in 3291.
Within a few decades a thriving town had grown up around the fort: Girona Verdúrë. Its business was almost entirely the servicing of ships bound for farther on; but Verdurians (and some Kebreni and Érenatis) were soon settling the Auqi valley, which was pleasant, fertile, and above all free.
Raičim’s war
At first the local Qaraus welcomed the Verdurians, as they brought valuable trade goods and fascinating technology; there was even a religious connection, as the Eleďi associated the Qaraus with the Meīrigō, the faithful race from the Count of Years. (Indeed, the Meīro river was at first identified with the Auqi; later it was felt that it must be the Uiqim, further south.)
However, a civilization rarely puts its best face forward in a colony; the town attracted rough men, quick to exploit or even enslave the locals, and of course only a minority were Eleďi. Young Qarau women were becoming camp followers, the men alcoholics. The chiefs protested; promises were made and broken; boundaries were drawn and ignored; there was a series of violent incidents on both sides. Under the leadership of Raičim, one of the chiefs, they finally rebelled in 3365.
Verdurian settlers in the valley were massacred (except for a strong point at Luka Elena, 25 km upriver), and for two years Girona Verdúrë was besieged. The Verdurians executed brutal counter-attacks on nearby villages. Said an eyewitness, “Every settlement, native and Verdurian, is burned and inhabited by corpses: this pleasant valley of the Auki has become hell.” It didn’t help that the Verdurian ruling dynasty, the Abolinerons, was indulging itself in a civil war at the time.
Finally, a large enough expedition was sent to re-establish order and definitively defeat Raičim's forces, and in 3377, King Pelerin of the new Vočnor dynasty sent a commission to investigate the reasons for the war. As a result, Pelerin reorganized the colony, appointing an esar-čedešro (prefect-colonel) as civil administrator, as well as a kešaro (steward) at Luka Elena.
The present day
The new administration firmly established Verdurian rule in the valley, and protected the Qaraus from abuse. Indeed, many Qaraus came to live in the colony— initially as workers, but many became landowners, adopting Verdurian ways, except in religion. Qaraus have also established permanent settlements on tributaries of the Auqi, under Verdurian sovereignty.
If many Qaraus have become Verdurianized, colonists are sometimes Qaraumized. The Qaraus are the Verdurian version of the Noble Savage; many— especially thousands of kilometers away, back home— exalt their warrior pride, their care for the weak, their secretive spirituality, which some outsiders have attempted to penetrate. There is still a widespread belief that some hidden forest and some remote Qarau tribe tends the last remnants of Meīruas.
Girona Verdúrë, though it still functions as a way-station, is now also the capital of the thriving colony; its initial log houses have given way to brick, and there are churches, temples, an avisar— even a printing press and a local newspaper.
The population of the colony as a whole is about 50% Qarau, though the proportion is only 20% in Girona Verdúrë.
The major products of the colony are furs, timber, and naval equipment, from provisions to canvas to woodworking.
Languages
The language of administration and of the colonists is of course Verdurian. Basfahe— which is the speech of the lower classes in Verduria itself— is the predominant variety; standard Mažtane is restricted to recent immigrants, though the richer inhabitants of Girona Verdúrë may aspire to it.
The local Qarau language is named Karimian, after the colony. (Verdurian k = Qarau q, an uvular stop in both cases.) The locals, however, call it Auqimcán.
(It shouldn’t be confused with Karimi, which is the Lenani language of the Karimi steppe— former Qarau territory. Lenani has no uvular q, so this k is a normal velar stop.)
For day-to-day communication between Qaraus and Verdurians, a pidgin has developed, which is called spae— the Qarau pronunciation of sfahe.
