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For the Library of The Empire
I write with a sole purpose, to document the Native Mercurians living within the county ruled by my family. Upon arriving in these steppes my liege and I noted there were several native establishments planted in the vicinity, but we did not take further action to contact some of the more remote ones. Now that Arah, the capital of the county, is nearing completion, I have dedicated a few months in the steppes to meeting these remote tribes and peoples.
My first location was documenting the natives living closest to Arah, the Segül. Headed by no official leader, the Segül followed animistic beliefs, ate only bread, carrot, and potato. Besides strange dietary habits, the Segül were welcoming, speaking a bit of my own native tongue, they learned quickly and play prominent roles within the capital already. Some though have interbred with the occasional Imperial Mercurian.
Pushing eastward I encountered a slim number of hostile peoples, who, according to my Segül informants, refer to themselves as Chegus. Unsurprisingly, the Segül and Chegus seem to have a history within one another and at one point even were unified by a singular culture, though that is obviously not the case now. Chegu men patrol their mountain side homes, preventing me from getting too close, but I did speak with a diplomat of some sort. Their language was oriented with small repetitive sounds and it confused me greatly, but this diplomat spoke my tongue near perfectly. He revealed that their people had declining birthrates and that the recent attacks my father dealt with caused the last fertile Chegus to flee out of the region with most resources and supplies. The diplomat was very clear when he said that I, and my people, will be killed if we attempt to make further contact with them. Their wish is my command, I suppose.
I eventually arrive in Central Arahn and I met a group of well armed, horse riding, strong natives known as the Sumeks. Their leader, a well aged man named Ilhan, approached me and asked who I was. I told him I was apart of the Empire and owned the land as a count. Surprisingly, instead of bowing down and accepting my rule, he drew his sword and challenged me. I recall asking him to behave in a civil manner, and answer a few questions. He only agreed after I promised to duel him once the information was recorded. I learned that the Sumeks were skilled in horse riding and ate only mutton from their sheep that grazed the areas from Central to South Arahn. I also learned they were the only peoples spanning from Central to South Arahn as well. Ilhan told me of his peoples' customs, religion, and history in a quick manner, he was eager to duel me. An Important discovery within this was that his people had interbred with Karsite refugees and the two had shared many customs and traditions for some time. Ilhan's own wife was of pure Karsite lineage.
I finally honored my promise by putting my bags down and drawing my own sword. A priest called Babur came and drenched us both in sheep blood and told us to fight on the bleat of the sheep. I was caught off guard by Ilhan's immense skills in the art of swordsmanship, he almost cut my hand off before I knocked him back with the butt of my iron melded sword. I remember him rushing at me but having experience with this type of fighting, I side stepped and impaled him in the rib. As Sumek custom details, if the leader of the people challenges a man to a fight and loses, he must relinquish his title of Ser (the official ruling title of the culture). I then knelt beside him as Babur said official sounding words, which I assume was basically 'crowning' me as the new Ser. Ilhan told me to drown in a well, so I grabbed his own sword and finished him off. Babur didn't look amused, but nonetheless, he and the crowd nearby, bowed down to me as their new Ser. Later I was going through Ilhan's possessions in his hut when his wife and young son entered the room. Nadiye was her name, and she told me by custom I was her new husband, and her son could either be adopted, or banished. I told her that she will not be my wife, but she is also forbidden from marrying. I also told her to keep her son, whose name was Timur. I quickly left and set back home, from where I am writing this document.
Overall, I did not expect to become head of one of the cultures in my county, but I assume that will work itself out over time. Though the expedition was great, I am finally able to finish working on Arah and then move on to greater projects within the county.
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Hasan 'Darius V' Stark
Protector of the Vahnic Exploration Company
Ilkhan of Greater Karastan-Laghima
Last edited by Darius V on July 22nd, 2016, 9:17 am, edited 2 times in total.
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