Ellu (pronounced EHL-lu) is a colony of Tamkaranu on the Western Coast of the Chaska Sea. The first major colony established after the end of Tamkaranu's kingdom period, today Ellu produces vast amounts of raw resources upon which Tamkaranu depends.
Geography, flora, and fauna
The colony of Ellu is located in the middle of the Western Coast along the Copper River. The lands surrounding the capital city of Gallakene, situated at the mouth of the river, are temperate and kept relatively cool by the weather patterns off the Chaska Sea. As with most of the southwest coast of the Chaska, the lands are teeming with flora and fauna. Farms and small villages have snaked inland, mostly following the river.
Large swaths of the native forests, both on the mainland and the island of Tunsiba, have been cut down and replaced with farmlands. Towards the interior, however, much of the old deciduous forests remain intact.
Sporadic sightings of green dragons have been reported in the forests of Ellu. A handful of logging communities south of the Copper River have been found in ruins, with some suspecting a connection to the dragons. It is unknown how many are actually present in the region.
The climate of Ellu is kept stable by the Chaska Sea. Summers are dry and never get too hot, while winters bring large amounts of rain yet never get too cold.
History
As an independent colony
The small community of Hashek was founded at the mouth of the Copper River in Y8814*. A town of independent fishermen from Uthash and Adech seeking the aquatic bounties of the coast, few took much notice of the settlement for many years. As is the case with other villages and towns on the coast around it, many of which continue to exist today, Hashek’s population focused on subsistence farming and fishing, occasionally trading the excess to passing merchant ships.
Tamkaranu colonization
As Tamkaranu began to reassert itself after the overthrow of its monarchy, the shufet, trade coalitions, and independent settlers alike began to once again look across the sea for their fortunes, and to the lands of the Western Coast in particular. The regions around the Copper River attracted the attention of many, bountiful as they were in timber and ore that were desperately needed to fuel Tamkaranu trade. New settlers from Tamkaranu arrived to Hashek in waves, most of whom made the journey independently yet all seeking the same fortunes, where they swelled the existing town and founded new ones both inland and on the nearby island of Tunsiba. With the rapidly growing population and clear strategic importance of the area, it was clear to the judge-council that they needed to act. In Y9527* the Tamkaranu navy, supported by those of the nascent trade coalitions, was sent from the eastern Chaska to Hashek, where their captains were able to negotiate, or strongarm as some claimed, the leadership of the settlement into submitting to Tamkaranu authority, placing the colony under control of the judge-council. The existing settlement was renamed to Gallakene, while the colony as a whole was given the name Ellu.
The colony grew rapidly between Y9528 and Y9800 as ever-more new settlers arrived to the logging, mining, and fishing villages established farther and farther away from the coast along the Copper River. By Y9800 Ellu had become wildly successful and beneficial for Tamkaranu, as along with smaller colonies along the coast the resources sent out of Ellu had allowed for a resurgence in Tamkaranu trade and industry. As expansion inland continued, however, he logistics of managing all aspects of the colony outpaced what the shufet of Ellu could maintain. Two systems emerged from this, both continuing to present. First, the capital city Gallakene was granted some control of its own administration in the form of its elected shufet, as opposed to those prior who were appointed by the judge-council in the metropole. Second, the charter system was introduced, giving the trade coalitions rights to large tracts of land to exploit as they saw fit, as long as certain quotas were met and the raw resources transported to Tamkaranu alone.
In Y9805* the first green dragon sightings in the area were reported by scouts exploring up the Copper River. Sightings continue intermittently to the present day.
Demographics
Most amongst of the first waves of Tamkaranu colonists to Ellu were humans, half-elves, and dwarves, and they remain the bulk of the population to this day. Within the city of Gallakene itself also lives a fairly sizable undine population, though they are almost unheard of in the inland villages and towns. Individuals of ancestries can also be found, if in smaller numbers.
Though little contact has been made, giants are known to live in the hills to the south, on rare occasions venturing to the boundary of more populated areas.
Culture
Religion
The people of Ellu vary in faith, but most worship the deities of the Chaskan pantheon. As is the case in Tamkaranu, faith in the cities and towns of Ellu is a very public matter, with all religious occurrences involving the entire community. Hasamel, Aduntarri, and Usumu are worshiped especially widely and have temples and shrines across the colony, yet all deities are commonly prayed to and given rites. Followers of other pantheons are less common though not unknown. In particular, the gods of the Khapeshan pantheon have found some faithful in Ellu, spread there by merchants out of the desert kingdom.
Languages
As a colony of Tamkaranu, Telan is the most often heard language in Ellu, though speakers of Telan in Ellu have a distinct dialect that has taken much influence from the Dalbar spoken by Gallakene's first settlers. Most people are also fluent in Common as a matter of necessity in a city frequented by traders from far coasts. Other regional languages are also spoken by settlers from other parts of the world, primarily other regions around the Chaska Sea.
Occupations
The trade coalitions of Tamkaranu hold great sway in Ellu, and many both in Gallakene and in the villages of the interior labor in roles that directly support the interests of the coalitions. Gallakene is home to a lively community of craftspeople of various types, through much of the city’s population works in manual labor, either as longshoremen or some other occupation that assists in moving the vast amount of resources that pass through the city. Outside the city, manual labor remains the typical livelihood, whether that’s as loggers, miners, or something that supports the aforementioned groups. Ellu also has a growing population of independent farmers, most living on relatively small plots of land.
Food and cuisine
The cuisine of Ellu is heavily centered around seafood, harvested in great quantities by fishers in the waters off the coast. Bread and beer, made from locally-grown barley, wheat, and emmer, as well as a mix of vegetables and fruits, particularly legumes, olives, grapes, figs, and more. Other meats are also common, mostly poultry, goat, and lamb. A mix of spices and seasonings are available, though these tend to be much less accessible outside the city itself. Almonds are one of the signature ingredients of recipes from Ellu, grown in orchards on Tunsiba.
Architecture
Ellu architecture tends to favor mud brick or stone construction, usually with flat roofs made of stone, thatch, or lead, but this Tamkaranu-derived style is mixed with significant Hellean influence. Temples and other religious buildings in Ellu tend to be far more open and emphasizing in their height through use of columns, for example, and structures for many purposes are often finished with stucco.
Society
The city of Gallakene contains the majority of the population of the colony. Small villages and towns dot the countryside, but they rarely have more than a few hundred inhabitants each. A great many abandoned communities can be found as well - when mining prospects turn up nothing, it is common to simply leave the hastily constructed towns and set up somewhere else.
Entertainment
Among the wealthier in Ellu society, hunting the creatures of the backwoods is a popular sport. Some prefer to travel to the regions in which these creatures live, while others have them transported to their estates. Animals and magical beasts are both included in this practice. Some of the common people of Ellu regularly hunt as well, but on a subsistence basis instead of as entertainment.
Government
Like the other major modern Tamkaranu colonies of Ashnan and Kashadum, governance over Ellu is ultimately led by shufet appointed by the judge-council of the metropole. Atypically, however, the city of Gallakene in particular is granted a level of self-rule, able to elect a shufet diarchy of its own to manage its own legal matters. These shufet are still subordinate to those appointed by Tamkaranu, however, even if in practice they are given wide latitude in their decisions.
Various Tamkaranu trade coalitions are granted charters in Ellu to pursue their own interests, regions where they are allowed some degree of autonomy as long as they remain within the laws set down by the shufet.
Economy
Ellu has a largely extractive economy, focusing on logging the surrounding forests and mining lead, silver, and small amounts of copper and gold. Resources are acquired within the interior, moving one step farther every year, and then sent down river to the capital city, where they are then sent off, mostly directly to Tamkaranu. The economy is primarily dominated by large trade coalitions given charters by Tamkaranu to areas rich in raw material. Agriculture keeps the largest city and its surrounding communities sustainable and sometimes provides a surplus that can be traded as well.