Lácatur
From Almeopedia
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Lácatur [ˈla ka tur] is the region just west of Verduria province, the nearest portion of the Western Wild.
Ancient times
In our earliest records, Lácatur was settled by the Meťaiun. The first organized kingdom appears quite late, around -40, named Čiorγask (Ver. Čořask), “Brown valley”, for the Čior, the Meťaiun name for the Edon river. About a century later it was absorbed by the larger Meťaiun kingdom of Ažimbea.
After the Munkhâshi invasion - when the ktuvok empire advanced to the Svetla and partly beyond it - Lácatur was a land of refuge, newly populated by displaced Karazi, Meťaiun, and Caďinorians. Inevitably for the time, it was organized by the Cuzeians as the province of Lācatur. After Cuzei declined, it became a kingdom, still ruled by Cuzeians - but by the 900s the Cuzeian dynasty collapsed and the province had no central authority for some centuries.
After the fall of Cayenas, a branch of the Kahinisa royal family set up a kingdom based in Dažda, which controlled part of Lácatur. This kingdom was conquered by the inexorable Caďinorians in 1219. The capital was Eilonu, which was never a very large city; it's said that the Lácaturian nobles preferred to have their urban mansions in Anaseri, on the Eärdur near the mouth of the Edon.
One of the chief exports of the province was cotton, to the point that the name of the crop in Caďinor was lacaturei, Ver. lácati.
The region remained under Caďinorian control during most of the Dark Years, although this became increasingly theoretical and finally inoperative with the fall of Žésifo to the Curiyans in 2792. The provincial authority, never very strong, simply disappeared, so Lácatur did not become a kingdom.
Modern times
Even while still nominally part of Caďinas, Lácatur was known as the haunt of thieves and bandits, thanks to the lack of central authority. These became increasingly bold, and raided the rich lands of Verduria province across the Eärdur. Finally, Caleon, sanno of Verduria, subdued them and took control of the region (2941). For two centuries it was a Verdurian province; the capital was now Cana, a town on the seacoast.
In 3198, Verduria was taken over by the wizard Utu, and the farther reaches of the kingdom were lost - including Lácatur. Since then, most of Lácatur has been unorganized territory, except for the region closest to the Eärdur (ruled by Verduria). It is now most often called the Western Wild (Tel Ďárimac), though technically this term extends to the entire region west of Verduria.
A lawless area close to civilized areas has its uses, and those who can see those uses have migrated there: bandits, traffickers, wizards, eccentric sects who prefer to be off on their own. So it's just wild enough to require a fair military presence to subdue, and yet on the whole it's a poor, hardscrabble region without many resources.
Many Lácaturians, displaced by some of these activities, wander more settled regions, earning a living doing seasonal work, trading, some song and dance, and some petty thievery. As the Verdurian culture test puts it, Verdurians like the sad songs of Lácatur, so long as the Lácaturians don't stick around too long after they stop singing.
Many Verdurians, including the Prime Minister, consider the existence of the Western Wild an affront, and advocate re-occupying it.
Major features
Lácatur is bounded on the south by the Nasuael Swamp, to the west by the Elcarin mountains, to the north by the sea, and to the east by the Eärdur (the portions of Verduria province west of the Eärdur were, in Caďinorian times, part of Lácatur). In the west is the Tulžë Endi or Tulgey Wood.
Its major feature is the Edon river, which empties into the Eärdur; the smaller Rinde, to its north, empties into the sea.
It has no major cities; its major towns include Cana and Pelošai, on the coast, Gurišdan on the Edon, and Iliatal near the mountains. The far west - around the town of Akhnor - is Barakhinei-speaking. Notable strongholds include the Kazčalî Fransomî, the Castle of the 17th Evil Wizard, and Ecaä Niruora. The Shrine of the Holy Perversion is located on the Edon near Gurišdan.
Under Vlaran Vleteon, the castle of Pérecaln in the Elcarin mountains was reoccupied by the Verdurians.
Neighbors: Verduria (to SE), Mútkün (to S), Barakhún (to SW), Western Wild (to NW).
Etymology: Cuêzi Lācatur “northland”.
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