Island of Ber Ga Ma
Known as Bergama in the records of Foere and the Crusader States, the pronunciation of this busy island’s name has changed under its current ownership. Situated near the center of the Crusader Coast, it is claimed by the Kachan Yala Inter-Faction Mercantile League of Bhanakhiri, and the port welcomes merchant ships of all nations, for a reasonable fee. The harbor and docks were restored and upgraded when the league took over about 180 years ago.
The town of Amnas Chakaio has grown up around the old keep and provides for the needs of ships and their crews, from minor ship repairs to limited amounts of fresh food and water to taverns and shops for sailors who just want to be ashore for a few hours. Some trading is done here, by ships that might not cross paths somewhere else, but it is not a major activity as this is primarily a stopover for ships on their way elsewhere.
Since Amnas Chakaio was built as a town of Bhanakhiri, it seems strange to most of the crews who come here. Just the colors and styles of the townspeople’s clothing are peculiar to them; the faction colors and markers, gilded spirit houses (with an especially large one outside the centuries-old keep), strange temples to unusual gods, and of course gladiatorial competitions in the arena, make the island seem very foreign and exotic to people from northern or central Libynos or distant Akados, and make it a popular calling place for those ships. (For more information on this culture, see “Southern Libynos — Southern Paramountcies — Bhanakhiri, Ottiarky of.”)
The island’s top authority is Hexarga Sisak Roi Raichat of the Gold Faction of Bhanakhiri, appointed by the Kachan Yala. The hexarga is a master merchant in her own right, so she understands the concerns and struggles of the traders who come to the island, but she was selected primarily for her skill in diplomacy and her facility with languages. She is ably assisted by several specialists in translation, but she speaks enough of several different languages to at least hold a polite conversation with many of the merchant captains who call on her. Sisak Roi Raichat is below average height, and less plump than her position and wealth would warrant, but her staff and citizens treat her with great respect. Ship captains who have had the poor judgment to bring their quarrels into her presence also spread their esteem for her; many years of training in hand-to-hand combat have given the hexarga the ability to quiet a disagreement with a few sharp blows, leaving both sides to repent of their errors.
Region
Ber Ga Ma, Island of
Owning Organization
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