Dorba Umsumu

General introduction

Dorba Umsumu, which is Madini for 'the city in the water', was a city bordering on the Mukebahari Bay until it fell victim to the events during and after the Great Scorching about 4600 years ago. Other than today, the Madini not only used to be a desert and steppe culture, but also were decent seafarers, settling by the Mukebahari Bay in fishing villages and some port cities, the biggest of which was Kasabandri, which is now almost exclusively referred to as Dorba Umsumu.

Since the Madini did not have durable writing materials safe for some shards that where inscribed with information on trade and shipping, almost nothing is known about the town. Its destruction during the great scorching though must have been traumatising, as the Madini since then shun the water of the Mukebahari Bay for the most part. All that remains of their seafaring endeavours are some fishing villages, inhabited by people from the margins of society, who provide the inland population with fish in exchange for the most necessary things to scrape by.

History

Due to the lack of material, not much is known about Kasabandri. The name has been preserved on some trader's notes carved into pottery shards as well as some palm leaf documents that have been preserved in Madinis dry inland climate. The town seems to have had a population of two, maybe three thousand people at the heigth of its existence and traded goods not only with other Madini settlements along the coast, but also with settlements across the Mukebahari Bay. Names that are supposedly not of Madini origin include 'Ililia', 'Fioretii' and 'Pveriiv'. The identity of these settlements is unclear, but they are not Madini names and Ililia and Pveriiv bear the 'merder' mark, with 'merder' meaning 'opposite' or 'other side', alluding to the settlements' position beyond the Mukebahari Bay.

The town was with all likelyhood founded during the Era of the Trees, when living conditions in Madini were considerably more favourable than now. More wood must have been available, since the number of ships assumed by the little evidence that exists could not have been built or maintained with today's limited supplies. Also wooden boxes and barrels seem to have been more common, underlining that theory. Other than that, the city's past is shrouded. A few folk tales and myths exist concerning its destruction by probably a tsunami that was formed, when the Mukebahari Mountain, the largest volcano of Samthô, erupted and formed a huge island in the centre of the bay.

Role in current culture and tradition

Now the ancient town is but a distant memory, being part of the Madini's culture in tales and legends. One thing though has dramatically changed: The Madini's attitude towards the sea. It is now seen as cursed and Kasabandri's destruction has become eponymous with the dangers of the sea. With the Madini being very superstituous, the name Kasabandri is almost never used by them. Dorba Umsumu is the naming of choice, as the Madini believe talking about catastrophes might cause them to happen.

As said, the few who live by the seashore are outcasts in Madini society. They have either lived there for centuries or were forced to move there as they lost their standing in Madini society for some reason. This includes major crimes or wrongdoings against the religious elites, being affected by curses, insulting the gods or being seen as someone attracting bad luck.

Nowadays there is a tale about Kasabandri, called 'Dorbaya Umsumuya Laftela' - 'tale of the city in the water', showing it as a city of turpitude and infamy. The gods took offence in the people's failings and sent a giant wave to wash the dirt away. Nowadays, the exact position of Kasabandri is unknown, but flotsam and jetsam yielding ancient Madini artifacts are found here and there, especially straight south of the Mukebahari Mountain, making that area a likely position of the now Dorba Umsumu.

Type

Large town