Introduction
Whilst in the city of
Arc , the merchant class has a long and bloody history of internecine warfare with the nobility which resulted in their eventual triumph, the story of the mercantile classes of Del’Marah is more complex. The Dhaou are the merchant adventurers of
Del'Marah , the men and women whose exploits created much of the empire’s wealth and the trade routes that knitted it together. Arguably without the activities of the Dhaou, Del’Marah would simply have become a collection of warlike states held together by a brutal dictator. The flow of goods and gold across the kingdom led to a flourishing of art, culture and language that resulted in the Mahavi era of Del’Marahan life. This was a period where Phef was finally eclipsed as the centre of language, knowledge and spiritual authority and the high plains trade city of Ceruke became the epicentre of Del’Marahan Culture. Of course Del’Marah’s capital Del'Marah City remains the dominant centre of political and military power, but Ceruke is the city of the Dhaou and rivals it for wealth and splendour.
The first Dhaou predate Del’Marah itself and originate from the city of Phef, long before the empire existed. They have been accused by the emperors in the past of helping to facilitate the incorporation of Del’Marah into the Arc Empire, though there seems to be little basis for this claim. Instead, the Dhaou created strong trade links across the Arc Empire from Del’Marah, creating their fortunes by selling the vast resources of the southern lands to the Arclands. Arcish tea vendors are a lasting legacy of the Dhaou traders, and Arcish fashions for Olorian silk and spice similarly would never have been acquired were it not for the Dhaou. Olorian ginger root, cinnamon bark and cloves have spiced bread across the Molvar peninsula and the Mill Lands and have even entered the rituals of the Haatchi peoples too.
The Dhaou
As a result, the Dhaou have taken on an almost mythical status in Del’Marah. Famous Dhaou are said to have returned from their exploits in far away lands laden with treasure after having defeated bandits and monsters alone the way with their wits and razor sharp T’cin swords. Famous Dhaou have established themselves as philanthropists, patrons of the arts and some have even established their own towns and cities, often in defiance of the Del’Marahi of the day who ultimately has the final say over any new metropolis established in his realm.
They are, however, still seen by the emperor as common folk. They are the men and women forbidden to trade in M’rouks (
Del'Marah's Currency System ) or to own them and were unable to set foot legally in the palatial Abrazzahs.
Initially this caused intense resentment amongst the Dhaou class, who believed that they had contributed so much to Del’Marah that some recognition was deserved. Many began to see admission to the Abrazzahs as an illusory honour, as they began to construct palaces of their own that often rivalled the opulence of the Del’Marahi’s fortresses.
They made their own luxury, importing the finest incenses, wines, concubines and horses into Del’Marah, and emperors began to fear that their economic might that was rapidly accumulating might translate into political power.
Their popularity with the Del’Marahan people and the tales of their exploits have created an entire genre of poetry, Dhaou-Te. These poems are long tales of adventure and are recited in Del’Mahan market places but banned in the Abrazzahs. The famous itinerant story tellers, the Ehzdu know thousands of Dhaou-Te, and understand countless hidden connections between each story of heroism, courage and daring.
Risking the wrath of the emperor
The Del’Marahis are growing impatient and angry with the Dhaou, believing that their lifestyles are causing the M’rouk currency to inch towards collapse. Some of the Dhaou are starting to realise that open conflict with the Del’Marahi is only a matter of time.
The Dhaou are acutely aware that they will ultimately become the scapegoats for the M'rouk's collapse, and since they spend most of their life on the salt and calico roads, they have come to cultivate tent cities at waypoints along the Salt Road, connected by a warning system stretching the length and breadth of the routes, giving ample warning to the settlements through a series of powerful horns called Ossurnaks, (Bone- Heralds) which can be heard for up to a twenty mile radius.
The system uses up to thirty different tones, for different durations in a code known and kept secret by the nomadic merchants of the salt and calico roads. The code covers everything from the approach of a major caravan, or the approach of a sandstorm, to a funerary dirge to inform the nomads along the route of the passing of a great and well respected merchant. Teaching outsiders the code is punishable by death. Once warned, a settlement can disassemble and leave without a trace in the space of a few hours.
The Dhaou are the product of the Del’Marahis trying to artificially suppress living standards in Del’Marah in the interests of maintaining class hierarchy. As Del’Marahan trade grows and the empire becomes more wealthy, it becomes harder and harder to concentrate luxury in the hands of those who are the Del’Marahi’s favourites
Far sighted advisers to the Del’Marahi know that the M’rouk will collapse eventually and the entire Del’Marahan class system with it. They have urged restraint in the Del’Marahi’s treatment of the Dhaou, but the new emperor Muzz has little of this to spare. He views them as the enemy within and believes that striking at them and their challenge to his power is the only way to preserve the empire.
The Nahime
One of the ways the Del'Marahi has tried to mitigate the movement of wealth to the lower classes through the Dhaou, short of war, is through elaborate festivals in which the excess wealth is ritually squandered. These gatherings, which happen during royal tours of the empire and on holy days designated by the Judges of Phef, are known as the Nahime.
They feature games, libations and bacchanals, as well as martial combat at the great temples and monuments. These festival days mark a temporary and controlled relaxation of restrictions, in which commoners can dress as nobles, partake in feasts and games at the expense of the nobility. These festivals serve as a vent to popular frustrations and a means to destroy excess wealth and goods, which if allowed to freely circulate over a long period of time, would erode class distinctions.
The vast pool of mercenaries who drift between Del’Marah and Dran, the Zhouhades, spent the empty months between campaigning either engaged in banditry or small conflicts at the empire’s borders that are continually threatening to spiral into open warfare and drag in the Del’Marahi’s armies.
The armed gladiatorial combat of the Nahime is an ideal way of channelling hundreds or even thousands of troublesome sellswords into a form of violence that is no threat to the state or the populace, which can also be very lucrative in terms of gambling.
The Zhouhades are hated by the Dhaou, who rightly see them as marauders and thieves, no matter how chivalrous they imagine themselves to be. The Nahime is the only time where the two are ever likely to meet, along with the Del’Marahan ruling class. Because of the emperor’s patronage of the Nahime, their encounters with one another never boils open into open conflict, but could be described best as simmering, uneasy tension.
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