Anthologica Universe Atlas / Universes / Šaol / The dirt, the rock, the water, and what moves them. / Kanaši States
The Kanašu Peninsula is one of the oldest civilized areas of Rašau, having been a separate culture from the Masaǰilišxên Hegemony of the northern river valleys, and suffered far less from its mysterious collapse. The Wild Plains to the west are colonized culturally by the more advanced Kanaši states and actually so by their colonies on the coastlines. The states making up the Kanašu are characterized by quite complicated politics and interstate relations, with much intrigue and the occasional war.
capital: Istáril adj: Itece, Icetrunli
The state which controls the straits into the Xabran Sea. Highly developed, but the powers along the Xabran Sea and on both the northern and southern sides of the straits work to keep it weak and destabilized for their own ends, and have large sections of the nobility and merchants in their pay. The Itexe dialects of Tzuman are spoken in the central and southern areas of the Kanašu, the lowlands of Ḫenǰan Island, and on the western shores of the eastern peninsula. The highlands of Ḫenǰan are inhabited by the Ḫorlun nomads, who have inhabited the island for as long as records have mentioned it, long before the Iteče occupation. The remainder of the east speaks a Coastal Samerian dialect. Istáril is an old city; sitting on a superbly protected harbor, it has been inhabited for over three millenia. Many of the cities of Ixetrou were independent city-states for hundreds if not thousands of years; some chafe under the rule of the Ixetrunli king, while others have embraced it. A (very) few, which mostly joined of their own accord, are quite powerful, and their influence rivals that of the nobles.
capital: Kemaš Gránaht
Kemaš is an island state, situated on the largest of the Kanaši Littoral. it is ruled by the 13th Duke of Kemaš (who now styles himself Knénga Gránaht, or Grand Duke), who renounced his forbears' acknowledgement of Itece suzerainty 17 years ago. Since then it has become a pariah state, having been repeatedly denied entry into the Kanaši trade alliance system, and its economy has suffered for it. The Duke maintained his lifestyle (and prevents any landings from Itece or Eghrunli-allied fleets) by declaring his lands as a safe haven for pirates, smugglers, and other ne'er-do-wells. He derives his income by taxing those who use Kemaš's ports, though at far lower rates than the authorities in other states would. He is a key player in the destabilization of Icetrou, and a bitter enemy of the current head of government, Ĕrscag Yanis. The Grand Duke's vendetta against traditional Kanaši religion has had a significant effect on magic's return; it is in Kemaš' ritual circles and ivory towers where some of the most advanced sorcerers in western Rašau have arisen.
capital: Cenaša adj: Iši (tribe & country), Išeni (country, language)
Occupying the coasts west of Icetrou and south of Tešahi, Išeneli is a great trading power. Its trading routes range from the Čal lands (and the Regil basin beyond) to the far southwestern shores of Htelui. Previously it participated in the destabilization of Ičetrou, but recently it has scrambled to reverse itself on this as the situation threatens to spiral out of control; its patronage amongst the nobility of Icetrou is second only to the Itece king himself. Cenaša is the second city of the Kanaši League, though its inhabitants would insist on either a tie or Cenaša being first. Not nearly as old as Istáril, Cenaša was founded on the Uyáňkešk river, and speedily became a very centralized state, unlike the fractious city-state-strewn landscape of the Straits. Išeneli is criss-crossed by rivers, and its core was formerly a very swampy land; over the centuries the Išeni have reclaimed vast amounts of land for both city and agriculture by draining those swamps. This occurred after they were expelled from Second Tzešághro following a massive power struggle. In the time between the semi-mythical fall of First Dešegrau and the Iši/Išeni reoccupation, the lands which now constitute Išeneli had been settled by western Kanaši-speaking tribes; as they were not numerous (being primarily nomadic, their agricultural methods were rather primitive compared to those of the Iši), the Iši soon assimilated them into the Išeni, which came to be the demonym of choice for the new state.
capital: <____>
While not a Kanaši-speaking state, or even present on the Kanašu Peninsula, Otą̂ą̂ne is best treated with them by virtue of its membership in the Kanaši trade alliance. It speaks Atą̂ą̂neś, a Coastal Samerian dialect (the farthest west the family reaches on the peninsula, it is even spoken in contiguous Ičetrunli territory), and while it only has coastline on the Xabran Sea it has interests in Ičetrou (where it counts the autochthonic Ḫorlun among its allies) and in the mountain states to its south and west.
capital: Nagafo adj: teśára, tešene
Tešahi is a landlocked and somewhat mountainous state, the only major Kanaši state without a coastline. It however still has many tradesmen, handling the overland traffic between Išeneli and Eghrunlu, primarily used by those traders who wish to steer clear of Itece intrigue. Its capital Nagafo is a far cry from the hustle and speed of Istáril or Cenaša, but has its own proud history stretching back millenia to the fall of the Second Kanaši Empire. The Teśara are quiet, some might say backward, but they are fiercely independent, and if you earn their trust there is very little they would not do for you. They threw out their Tzešeghrene lords (Second Dešegrau, not the legendary/mythical (First) Dešegrau) after the collapse of the Second Empire, and have kept to themselves ever since. This is not to say they are closed to the outside world; Tešahi is a powerful member of the Kanaši League and militarily strong, with her people frequently welcoming outsiders into their homes for rest and tales. Inns are rare things in Tešahi, travellers are directed to the local nlais (plaza, square, forum), where frequently families will argue over who will have the honor of servicing their guests. They do however take such honor seriously; more than one émaht has overindulged in hospitality on one way across the passes, and on the way back found himself with a wife, child, and the entire village welcoming him to his new home, whether he likes it or not. [Teśara Nagafo < Old Teśara Enagafou(n)] {etymology may change.}
capital: Eškelau adj: eghrunli
State based on the Southern Xabran coasts and the foothills north of Tešahi. Inhabited by the Eghri, a Straits Tzuman people. Eškelau is a new city by Kanaši standards; it was founded only 600 years ago by co-religionists from the maelstrom of the pre-Iteve Straits who wished to forsake what they took to be the glutinous ways of those cities. Later generations softened their stance somewhat, and eventually joined the Kanašu League ~300bp. They are still however amongst the most devout of the Kanaši.
capital: <____>
Seen by the burghers and nobles of Icetrou and Išeneli as a wild frontier due to its being on the edge of the Kanaši lands proper, the Civoyé kingdom is an old state which, being until recently quite weak under kings of varying potency and little actual authority, has ebbed and flowed with the power of various nomadic groups from the Plains of . While its native language was and is Civoyé, a sister language to Tzuman, in more recent times the language of administration has been Tsivaji, an independent branch of Southern.
capital: <_____>
In ancient times, Išeneli began its trading activities by inching along the coastline. Of the early colonies established westwards, the largest came to be Letzmevǧil Máney, or White Sands Bay. It quickly became an important trading waystation to the more northerly Kanaši colonies, and established itself as a local power by taking sides in a local tribal dispute, eventually earning it a hinterland of territory, which was expanded over the centuries until modern times, when it controls the entirety of its bay.
Icetrou
capital: Istáril adj: Itece, Icetrunli
The state which controls the straits into the Xabran Sea. Highly developed, but the powers along the Xabran Sea and on both the northern and southern sides of the straits work to keep it weak and destabilized for their own ends, and have large sections of the nobility and merchants in their pay. The Itexe dialects of Tzuman are spoken in the central and southern areas of the Kanašu, the lowlands of Ḫenǰan Island, and on the western shores of the eastern peninsula. The highlands of Ḫenǰan are inhabited by the Ḫorlun nomads, who have inhabited the island for as long as records have mentioned it, long before the Iteče occupation. The remainder of the east speaks a Coastal Samerian dialect. Istáril is an old city; sitting on a superbly protected harbor, it has been inhabited for over three millenia. Many of the cities of Ixetrou were independent city-states for hundreds if not thousands of years; some chafe under the rule of the Ixetrunli king, while others have embraced it. A (very) few, which mostly joined of their own accord, are quite powerful, and their influence rivals that of the nobles.
Kemaš
capital: Kemaš Gránaht
Kemaš is an island state, situated on the largest of the Kanaši Littoral. it is ruled by the 13th Duke of Kemaš (who now styles himself Knénga Gránaht, or Grand Duke), who renounced his forbears' acknowledgement of Itece suzerainty 17 years ago. Since then it has become a pariah state, having been repeatedly denied entry into the Kanaši trade alliance system, and its economy has suffered for it. The Duke maintained his lifestyle (and prevents any landings from Itece or Eghrunli-allied fleets) by declaring his lands as a safe haven for pirates, smugglers, and other ne'er-do-wells. He derives his income by taxing those who use Kemaš's ports, though at far lower rates than the authorities in other states would. He is a key player in the destabilization of Icetrou, and a bitter enemy of the current head of government, Ĕrscag Yanis. The Grand Duke's vendetta against traditional Kanaši religion has had a significant effect on magic's return; it is in Kemaš' ritual circles and ivory towers where some of the most advanced sorcerers in western Rašau have arisen.
Išeneli
capital: Cenaša adj: Iši (tribe & country), Išeni (country, language)
Occupying the coasts west of Icetrou and south of Tešahi, Išeneli is a great trading power. Its trading routes range from the Čal lands (and the Regil basin beyond) to the far southwestern shores of Htelui. Previously it participated in the destabilization of Ičetrou, but recently it has scrambled to reverse itself on this as the situation threatens to spiral out of control; its patronage amongst the nobility of Icetrou is second only to the Itece king himself. Cenaša is the second city of the Kanaši League, though its inhabitants would insist on either a tie or Cenaša being first. Not nearly as old as Istáril, Cenaša was founded on the Uyáňkešk river, and speedily became a very centralized state, unlike the fractious city-state-strewn landscape of the Straits. Išeneli is criss-crossed by rivers, and its core was formerly a very swampy land; over the centuries the Išeni have reclaimed vast amounts of land for both city and agriculture by draining those swamps. This occurred after they were expelled from Second Tzešághro following a massive power struggle. In the time between the semi-mythical fall of First Dešegrau and the Iši/Išeni reoccupation, the lands which now constitute Išeneli had been settled by western Kanaši-speaking tribes; as they were not numerous (being primarily nomadic, their agricultural methods were rather primitive compared to those of the Iši), the Iši soon assimilated them into the Išeni, which came to be the demonym of choice for the new state.
Otą̂ą̂ne
capital: <____>
While not a Kanaši-speaking state, or even present on the Kanašu Peninsula, Otą̂ą̂ne is best treated with them by virtue of its membership in the Kanaši trade alliance. It speaks Atą̂ą̂neś, a Coastal Samerian dialect (the farthest west the family reaches on the peninsula, it is even spoken in contiguous Ičetrunli territory), and while it only has coastline on the Xabran Sea it has interests in Ičetrou (where it counts the autochthonic Ḫorlun among its allies) and in the mountain states to its south and west.
Tešahi
capital: Nagafo adj: teśára, tešene
Tešahi is a landlocked and somewhat mountainous state, the only major Kanaši state without a coastline. It however still has many tradesmen, handling the overland traffic between Išeneli and Eghrunlu, primarily used by those traders who wish to steer clear of Itece intrigue. Its capital Nagafo is a far cry from the hustle and speed of Istáril or Cenaša, but has its own proud history stretching back millenia to the fall of the Second Kanaši Empire. The Teśara are quiet, some might say backward, but they are fiercely independent, and if you earn their trust there is very little they would not do for you. They threw out their Tzešeghrene lords (Second Dešegrau, not the legendary/mythical (First) Dešegrau) after the collapse of the Second Empire, and have kept to themselves ever since. This is not to say they are closed to the outside world; Tešahi is a powerful member of the Kanaši League and militarily strong, with her people frequently welcoming outsiders into their homes for rest and tales. Inns are rare things in Tešahi, travellers are directed to the local nlais (plaza, square, forum), where frequently families will argue over who will have the honor of servicing their guests. They do however take such honor seriously; more than one émaht has overindulged in hospitality on one way across the passes, and on the way back found himself with a wife, child, and the entire village welcoming him to his new home, whether he likes it or not. [Teśara Nagafo < Old Teśara Enagafou(n)] {etymology may change.}
Eghrunlu
capital: Eškelau adj: eghrunli
State based on the Southern Xabran coasts and the foothills north of Tešahi. Inhabited by the Eghri, a Straits Tzuman people. Eškelau is a new city by Kanaši standards; it was founded only 600 years ago by co-religionists from the maelstrom of the pre-Iteve Straits who wished to forsake what they took to be the glutinous ways of those cities. Later generations softened their stance somewhat, and eventually joined the Kanašu League ~300bp. They are still however amongst the most devout of the Kanaši.
Civoyé Kingdom
capital: <____>
Seen by the burghers and nobles of Icetrou and Išeneli as a wild frontier due to its being on the edge of the Kanaši lands proper, the Civoyé kingdom is an old state which, being until recently quite weak under kings of varying potency and little actual authority, has ebbed and flowed with the power of various nomadic groups from the Plains of . While its native language was and is Civoyé, a sister language to Tzuman, in more recent times the language of administration has been Tsivaji, an independent branch of Southern.
Letzmevǧil Máney
capital: <_____>
In ancient times, Išeneli began its trading activities by inching along the coastline. Of the early colonies established westwards, the largest came to be Letzmevǧil Máney, or White Sands Bay. It quickly became an important trading waystation to the more northerly Kanaši colonies, and established itself as a local power by taking sides in a local tribal dispute, eventually earning it a hinterland of territory, which was expanded over the centuries until modern times, when it controls the entirety of its bay.