Introduction
Because of the way in which the Elsari people of the great inner plains of Ghotharand record history, there is no record of an actual founding of Lyacharoc as a settlement. There has been some kind of community at the site of Lyacharoc for as long as there have been human beings in the north east of Aestis, partly because of the underground springs that travellers have used for millennia for themselves and their cattle, but mainly due to the great red salt sea of the Rozparan.
The Rozparan is a great expanse of red iron salt flats and the Elsari use its crystals in a variety of ways, from medicine, to ritual, to tanning and curing and preserving. The byproduct of the Rozparan is Blood Brine, a liquid that is sought after by alchemists and scholars in the Arclands, which generates great wealth for the Elsari who are knowledgeable about its creation. The northern Ghothars of Khozan pay little attention to the salt flats and view Lyacharoc as a disease ridden tent city (reinforcing prejudices that many of the Ghothars have towards the Elsari), but some of the Ghothar plainsfolk trade with the Elsari and have found kinship amongst them.
During the winter, Lyacharoc is home to about five thousand souls, mainly Elsari, but sometimes Ghothars, travelling Olorians, Veskans, Arclanders and the odd Firg. However, during the spring and summer months the city rapidly expands to nearly ten times that size.
The Cult of Dyrames
The Elsari of the Rozparan worship the spirit Dyrames, who, in the pantheon of Elsari gods is the lord of wanderers and nomads. Dyrames followers believe that he offers protection to those who invoke his name as they cross the wastes, and the Dehuka, or holy men of the Elsari tend the wells and springs of Lyacharoc in his name. Part of the reason for the growth of Lyacharoc is the Dyramian faith, which emphasises the importance of hospitality to travellers and the maintainance of water supplies (which are elevated to the level of sanctity in an arid environment). It was the Dyramian faith that partly contributed to the downfall of the Elsari during the founding of the Ghothar nation, as it led to the decision to allow the hungry and thirsty Ghothar settlers into Elsari fortresses, which the proceeded to seize control of. Some Ghothars, now accustomed to the hard, arid landscape of the north east of Aestis have learned about the religion of Dyrames and some have even adopted Dyrames as their patron, reimagining him as a part of Ghothar culture. For the people of the frontier, a set of beliefs based on cooperation, mutual aid and the maintainance of water supplies has a lot more relevance than the privations imposed by Aruhvianism.
Khelena
Khelena is the term that the Elsari use for the spring and summer months at Lyacharoc, it roughly means 'high season' or the months when the small tent city expands to a vast metropolis. Travelling bands of Elsari and small numbers of Ghothars who have become integrated into Elsari culture swell the city and for months, before that late summer rains turn the region into a quagmire, new dirt roads between tents and huts emerge. What little law and order exists is decided by tribal leaders and it is rare for a Khelena to pass without some manner of violent blood feud being settled publicly. The Khelena draws every kind of Elsari story teller, shaman, musician and acrobat from across the plains for perform for the chance of a few coins, and the nights are full of blazing campfires, music and story. The first rains of the late summer signify the end of the season and there is a veritable stampede to leave Lyacharoc before the end of thef Khelena (it is seen as being very bad luck to be the last visitor there).
Comments