THE CITIES OF RHĂN - PART I: MISTRAND
A proud and industrious city, Mistrand (Rh. "Mingled waters") is an amalgam of various cultures and traditions synthesized to form a unique entity that has come to dominate politics across the Sea of RhĂ»n. It lays at the southwest of the Sea of RhĂ»n, in the land known as Gathod (Rh. âLand of Passageâ) between the southern shores of the RhĂ»naer and the Ered Lithui, and itâs the largest city of the whole RhĂ»n regions.
The people of Mistrand are called the Gathmarig (Rh. âPeople of the Bayâ). Perched as it is upon the bottleneck of goods flowing through RhĂ»n, Mistrand subjects many distant lands to its policies on trade, and influences the merchants of many realms through its ability to destroy their profits by ostracizing them from its markets. Though their landholdings are small in area, the Gathmarig of Mistrand have achieved a dominant role on the Inland Sea as arbitrators,spiritual leaders, and champions of the eastern perspective.
The many contributing cultures of Mistrand include Donath fishers and farmers, Urgath and Brygath nomads, displaced Variag peasants and frontiersmen, and even a few castaways from Folyavuld (Dorwinion). Individual occupations within the city vary greatly from family to family, but most are involved in some urban facet of their traditional, rural lifestyles. Merchants of Brygath descent deal in the goods of their rural cousins. Donath commoners are sailors and fishermen. Wealthy Donath are shippers, naval captains, and expert boat-wrights. Before the Variag occupation of the city, the Gathmarig viewed their diversity as the single factor which allowed them to influence so many facets of life on the Inland Sea. Rather than relying on any common bloodline, religion, or set of cultural traits to unite them, the people interacted withand depended upon one another in a spirit very similar to the Folyavuldok (Men of Dorwinion).
Mistrand was one of the most cosmopolitan cities in Rhûn. This changed drastically in T.A. 1280, when Nomid Achef led his Variag horde into the city. The Variag occupation was crafted by the servants of Sauron to allow the very anti-western religion of Kerkassk to penetrate the city. Before the occupation, the citizens of Mistrand had staunchly opposed the religion of Kerkassk as being destructive to the position of influence thay had cultivated. Under the boot of Variag imperialism, however, the once cosmopolitan city was transformed into a fortress of eastern conservativism.
Daily life in and around the city comprises most of the elements of life found among the surrounding cultures. Farming, herding, and fishing have always been prominent activities, and those among the Gathmarig who earn their living in such pursuits are frequently found in the citymarkets, exchanging the products of their labor for fine wares of the local artisans, or goods brought to market by merchants. This is still the case under the present regime, though passage in and out is more restricted than it used to be. Local craftsmen and merchants are organized into guilds that meet frequently with the Ăsvoda (Nobles of Khand) of the city to legislate the rules that govern trade. The traditional tribal heads who onceruled the city together, now function as stewards of the various districts of the city safeguarding the interests of their particular group in the decisions of the ruling body of priests.
While Gathmarig blood contains elements from Urgath, Donath, and Variag ancestors, this does not begin to describe the variation of people of Mistrand. An odd assortment of other races also make their homes in Mistrand, including Folyavuldok (Men of Dorwinion), Asdriags, Odhriags, and even Northmen from Burh Armenrik. The occasional trader from as far away as the Harad might also be encountered in Mistrand, creating avery interesting and varied collection of features and traits on the streets and in the markets.
The leaders of old Mistrand always preferred to engage their neighbors rather than shutting their doors to them, which only led to curiosity and resentment, both equally dangerous qualities in an Easterling warlord. Relations remained cordial between Mistrand and her neighbors until T.A. 1248, when Minalcar and Vidugavia's offensive into Gathod began the great backlash of hatred for the west among the Easterlings.
The Kings of Mistrand formed the Igath people, mostly of the Gathmarig and Brygath tribes. They became the leading force of the Wainrider-coalition. With the rising of the Pultai (Balchoth) the city was for a time occupied by the Ioriag influence, and after the fall of the Balchoth realm, it became the capital city of the Realm of Bozorganush, religious center of the LĂŽke-Egleria, and finally, capital city of the Great Khaganate.