Kashadum (pronounced kahsh-ah-DOOM) is a Tamkaranu possession in the Western Coast that serves primarily as a penal colony. Some who are deemed guilty of grimes in Tamkaranu are given the chance to serve their sentences in Kashadum rather than in prisons at home, an offer a fair number accept.
Geography, flora, and fauna
Stretching across a small number of islands off the mainland of the Western Coast, the lands of Kashadum are not particularly hospitable. The islands are rocky and generally poorly suited to agriculture, though their shores are home to quite an array of sea life. Kashadum is climatically similar to the surrounding Western Coast, with warm summers and cool and wet winters.
History
Though small outposts had long existed on the islands of Kashadum, they never had a large or permanent population, with most attempts at settlement being abandoned in favor of the better lands on the mainland to the south. The site of the modern city of Kashadum is located on the ruins of an several millennia-old Hellean settlement, possibly from the late seventh millennium, which had long since been forgotten before a new community was established in its stead.
TODO: establishment of the colony
Demographics
Prior to the Tirionite takeover the population of Nivaria was primarily tengu, undine, humans, and half-elves. However, demographics have shifted greatly due to the influx of new arrivals from the eastern Chaska, and today the people of Briathone include individuals of a great many races, though tengu and humans remain a plurality.
Culture
Religion
Among the common people of Briathone, religion can be highly varied. The majority venerate the deities of the Chaskan pantheon. Some follow the Hellean hero-gods, but they do not have a sizable number of worshipers - much the same can be said for the gods of the Khapeshan pantheon. The tengu of Briathone worship quite an array of gods, centering on the Great Storyteller. Marya, Laverna, and Socharin are all popular, as they represent an opposition to the control of the Nivarian Paradise Company. Of course the Company does not take kindly to the worship of these deities, and frequently deports their clerics when they begin to pose a problem. The only officially-sanctioned temple is one to Hasamel in the city of Briathone. Still, the Company has faced some issues with clerics of Hasamel elsewhere, who view the Company as disregarding the lawfulness their god embodies.
Society
Few willingly relocate to Briathone. The majority of the new inhabitants arriving to the colony do so in order to repay their debts or those of their families, as the Nivarian Paradise Company often offers to release these debts in exchange for a period of work for the company. Some are still sent to Briathone to serve their prison sentences but this is now uncommon. Even once their initial contracts or sentences are over, many are forced to remain on the island, as they must pay off additional debts accrued to the Company.
Briathone is guarded by a small clockwork army provided by the Company. Clearly originally based on designs pioneered by the workshops of Peremoun, many of these have been upgraded to be steam-powered, allowing them to operate for longer, move faster, and generally become more effective at their roles.
Small Maryanite outposts exist on Nivaria, from which the goddess’s devotees attempt to aid the colony’s inhabitants by providing them with material and spiritual support, as well as semi-covertly sabotaging Company operations and spreading propaganda.
Languages
The people of Briathone speak a mixture of Telan, Hellean, Common, and racial languages. Generally travelers familiar with any of the above three languages can understand enough to get by on the island.
Food and cuisine
The cuisine of Briathone is heavily centered around seafood. This is supplemented by grain derived food like bread and beer, as well as a mix of vegetables and fruits, particularly peas, onions, and leeks. Non-seafood meat is less common, though the native Nivarian sheep is sometimes hunted. Large amounts of food are imported as the colony’s harvests can be inconsistent and frequently not enough to feed the entire population. Briathonite cuisine differentiates itself from Tirionite cuisine by its Hellean influence, incorporating more of the methods of preparation and ingredients common to the peninsula.
Occupations
Almost the entire population of the island works for the Nivarian Paradise Company, whether they are the descendants of those that were present prior to Tirionite colonization or they were sent to the island to serve their prison sentence. The Company has a tight grip on economic activity in the colony, and unless one turns to the black market (which is sizable despite continual crackdowns) there is little work to be found aside from local cottage industries and the employment of the Company.
Architecture
The architecture of Briathone is broadly similar to that of Tirione, though with some changes. For one, most buildings are designed to be built quickly and cheaply, and therefore little thought is given to their aesthetics - most are simple wood and stone constructions. Some of the older buildings in the colony, those that pre-date the Tirionite presence, are rather more nice in appearance but also very different aesthetically, drawing far more inspiration from Hellean architecture.
Aside from the three major port cities, a large number of small towns dot the landscape in Briathone. Very similar in purpose to the company towns of Nionegrast, these are usually rapidly constructed to extract resources in the surrounding area before being abandoned once they are no longer profitable. Ghost towns (sometimes in a very literal manner) are common closer to the shoreline, as the oldest settlements were along the coast.
Travel
The roads of Briathone are well-built and guarded, though aside from a few native creatures there is little threat. There are no known tempest halls on the island, though some workers have reported rumors of Company expeditions to the Depths in search of an ancient site they evidently believe to be present.
Education
There are no formal educational institutions on Briathone. Children who are born in the colony generally learn from the parents and family.
Fashion
The clothing worn by the inhabitants of Briathone is something of a fusion, mixing typical Tirionite and eastern Chaskan styles with Hellean and Meklovian influence.
Government
Briathone is solely under the control of the Nivarian Paradise Company, and the Company is permitted by Tirione to run the colony as they see fit. Company-appointed officials direct the activities of the colony, though they occasionally hold and respect votes, if the vote in question would not threaten the position of the Company.
Tirione requires regular reports and updates from the Company administrators, and also has the right to intervene in colonial affairs to their discretion. In practice, however, Tirionite administrators trust the judgement and decisions of the Company and consider their nominal oversight to be a formality.
Economy
Briathone is a Nionegrast-style extractive colony, exporting large amounts of raw material to Tirione. Lumber from the island’s forests, pitch from the tar seeps in the interior hills, and salt from the beaches of the southern coast are the colony’s primary exports. All imports and exports are controlled by the Nivarian Paradise Company.