Leán
From Almeopedia
| LEÁN > |
Leán is an island off the northeastern coast of Ereláe. Its aboriginal population is Qarau, living chiefly by fishing. In the early 3300s it became a Verdurian colony, chiefly so that Verduria would have its own tropical territory for growing coffee.
The colony was settled and run for more than a century by the Cumbutát Mišicama and Cauan (Mišicama Coffee Company), a consortium organized for the purpose. As the Qaraus were not interested in backbreaking agricultural work, the consortium imported cheap laborers from Eretald, notoriously charging them so much for the passage that they were in debt to their employer for up to a decade. In 3435 the lawlessness of the colony-- and the high prices it charged, scarcely lower than the Kebreni-- led King Vlaran to place the colony under a royal governor.
The main settlement is Cer Leán. The major business of the colony remains coffee growing, but it is also a provisioning point for trade heading further east, and the Navy maintains a small base there. The native Qaraus have been crowded off lands suitable for agriculture, but are otherwise mostly ignored.
