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 through exile to 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 large populations, 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 old Thadrian settlement, possibly from the late seventh millennium, which had long since been forgotten before a new community was established in its stead.
By Y9840* overcrowding in the prisons of Tamkaranu forced the shufet to explore other options. Looking across the seas they found their solution - the modern settlement at Kashadum, which had already been independently established by colonists after the end of the monarchy, was a perfect place to house their extra prisoners, distant as it was from both Tamkaranu and other major communities of the Western Coast. The judge-council of Tamkaranu took control of the city, appointing their own shufet to rule it in their stead, beginning Kashadum's history as a penal colony.
Demographics
The inhabitants of Kashadum are a diverse mix of people from Tamkaranu, its colonies, and the Western Coast. Most are humans but they are joined by significant numbers of individuals of other ancestries as well. The city has a large tengu population in particular, largely non-prisoner arrivals from elsewhere in the Western Coast.
Culture
Religion
Religion can be highly varied amongst the people of Kashadum. 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 Kashadum worship quite an array of gods, centering on the Great Storyteller. Worship of Marya, Laverna, Socharin, and Hasamel is particularly widespread.
Society
Though Kashadum continues to exist primarily as a penal colony, the administrators of the colony have historically been quite lax about ensuring the prisoners remain in their assigned roles. As part of the conditions for their sentence on Kashadum, all who are convicted are assigned professions based on their skills and experiences, yet once they arrive they find little binds them to these. In reality the prisoners of Kashadum are remarkably free to build new lives in the city as they see fit, or even leave if they can pay their passage - few if any efforts are made to stop this. Any crimes committed in the colony, however, are punished harshly, for in choosing exile to Kashadum the prisoners are granted a chance at a new life, but should they prove unable to obey the laws of the colony they are returned to Tamkaranu to serve even longer sentences than they would have been subject to originally.
Languages
The people of Kashadum speak a mixture of Telan, Hellean, Common, and various ancestral languages. Generally travelers familiar with any of the above three regional languages can understand enough to get by on the colony.
Food and cuisine
The cuisine of Kashadum is heavily centered around seafood harvested by local fishers and divers. 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. Kashadum cuisine differentiates itself from Tamkaranu cuisine by its Hellean influence, incorporating more of the methods of preparation and ingredients common to the peninsula.
Architecture and urbanization
The architecture of Kashadum is broadly similar to that of Tamkaranu, though the small population of the colony has led to a lack of the density that is characteristic of Tamkaranu cities. Aside from the city of Kashadum itself, there are few other settlements on the islands, as nearly the entire population of the colony lives in or near the capital. Those that do exist are largely seaside fishing villages.
Travel
Nearly all travel to, from, and within Kashadum is by way of the sea. Trade routes connect Kashadum with nearby seaside settlements of the Western Coast and Ellu, as well as with Tamkaranu, Hellea, and Ishtar.
Fashion
The clothing worn by the inhabitants of Kashadum is something of a fusion, mixing typical Tamkaranu and eastern Chaskan styles with Hellean and Meklovian influence.
Government
Like in Tamkaranu, Kashadum is ruled by judges known as shufet. Unlike in the metropole, however, they are not locally elected, but rather appointed by the Tamkaranu judge-council to rule the colony in their stead. Additionally, there is only a singular shufet in Kashadum rather than the traditional two. As of Y9976* the shufet of Kashadum is Aran Ammishtamru, a native of Harkek.