In common with other works discussing the Edak sphere, I have chosen in this work to prefer the Fáralo terms for wider concepts of geography and history, while preferring to use native terms for Rathedān and the Dāiadak.
Introduction
The Dāiadak are the native inhabitants of the Rathedān and the highlands to the north-east, south of the great floodplain of the river Eige, descendants of those Xezoro who were Edakised during the time of the Empire of Kasegad. The modern Dāiadak are a rich and populous people, exerting not inconsiderable influence over the southern states and peoples of the Edak sphere.
Most Dāiadak would probably disagree with the title of this page- insisting that there is no one "Dāiadak Culture", rather that each city-state (damō) has its own individual culture. To an extent this is true, however it is exaggerated. This page will outline some aspects of culture common to all or most Dāiadak and note a few of the more interesting aspects of the individual city-states' cultures (such as the government of Mezaras).
Geography and Climate
The Rathedān is a region of moderate highlands with several high peaks which divides the floodplain of the Eige from the great Xšali Empire to the south. While not on the scale of (say) the Himalayas, the Rathedān presents a not inconsiderable barrier to trade and communication between north and south, and good passes (xō in Adāta) are few.
The lowland areas in the Rathedān are generally fairly arid, although the highlands provide a watershed for a network of rivers which make irrigation and agriculture possible. The highland areas, by contrast, are relatively damp and rather well-forested in many areas, along with montane pastures above the treeline. Winters tend to be cold and damp, while summers are long, warm and dry- most rainfall occurs in spring, winter and autumn.
The few lowland forested areas tend to be deciduous, with the oak being dominant. However, the preponderant vegetation away from cultivated areas tend to be grasslands and scrub. The highland forests are dominated by the spruce and the fir.
The topography of the highland areas can be dramatic- with steep valleys and impressive mountain torrents and waterfalls. Upper valleys frequently end in a semicircle of steep cliffs, which are produced by glaciation. The higher peaks tend not to be snow-bound all year round, although this is not unknown.
The main feature of the mountains, however, is the abundance of metal ores- the Rathedān is the only decent source of iron ore in the Edak sphere. In addition to iron ore, copper ore and precious metals are common, as is tin.
A fairly close Terrestrial analogue would be the Pyrenees or the Carpathian mountains.
History and Origins
The pre-Edak ancestors of the Dāiadak were the Xezoro, a group of semi-nomadic tribes who had migrated to the Rathedān from the West of the continent some 1000 years before the rise of the Empire of Kasegad. Here they settled and discovered the rich mineral resources of the mountains, becoming the first group in the ancient world to discover and master iron-working. Due to the manoeuvrability afforded by their domestication of the horse and their superior weaponry, the Xezoro raided and terrorised the people of the Eige valley fairly constantly, becoming the sworn enemies of the fledgling state of Kasegad.
However, the Xezoro were lacked any sort of political unity, and were just as likely to attack each other as they were the plainsmen. This was ultimately their downfall, as the extensive campaigns of the great Edak emperor Sienchæn proved. The Xezoro were conquered and sixty thousand Xezoro slaves were transported to Kasegad as slaves.
The Rathedān became vitally important to the Edak as a mining centre and later emperors flooded the region with settlers from Kasegad, Lashumu and other corners of the Empire. Edakisation followed quickly, and the descendants of the Xezoro began to consider themselves as Edak as their conquerors.
After the fall of the Empire, Rathedān became rather isolated culturally and fragmented into many small city-states centred around the old Edak settlements, which recommenced the old Xezoro habit of internecine war. Contact with nations outside the Rathedān were few and largely limited to trade with the Tjakori, an ethnic group speaking a language related to that of the pre-Edak Xezoro who inhabited the river-valley on the south-western side of the Rathedān mountains.
Contact with the world outside the Rathedān was not established until some six or seven hundred years ago, when the Xšali extended their empire into the Tjakori river-valley, bringing the Dāiadak into contact with an ancient, powerful and exceedingly rich civilisation. After a few brief and indecisive conflicts across the mountain passes, the Dāiadak and Xšali settled down to the serious business of trade. This enriched the Dāiadak city-states, which further encouraged them to seek markets to the north for their newly-acquired goods, bringing them back into the wider Edak sphere.
Around two hundred years ago, Zarākātias was born to a goatherd in Athalē, an otherwise insignificant event which would later send shockwaves through Dāiadak society. Zarākātias was no ordinary goatherd's son, however, as the gods spoke to him. During his life he revolutionised Dāiadak religion, completely reforming it and providing the disparate city-states with a reason for unity (or at least closer cooperation).
Since Zarākātias the Dāiadak city-states have united in a league of sorts and taken on a more expansionist outlook, which has resulted in the Rathedān and Huyfarah eyeing each other comfortably across the Eige Valley.
Economy
The main concerns of the Dāiadak are agriculture, pastoralism, metallurgy and trade.
The valleys of the Rathedān are not highly suited to agriculture, being rather arid. However, most city-states (the exceptions being Hiphago and Radias) have extensive and complex irrigation systems which make large-scale agriculture possible in the valleys. The principal crops are emmer wheat, barley, oats and flax, along with various secondary crops such as root vegetables, various legumes and almonds. Radias and Hiphago are noted above all for the complex terraced fields which rise up the sides of the valleys, which generally receive more rain than the fields of the other lowland cities.
Dāiadak pastoralists generally practise transhumance, keeping their flocks in the valleys during the winter (where they graze on the stubble of the fields and fertilise them with their dung), moving to the high pastures during the summer months. The principal livestock animals of the Dāiadak are goats (pir) for milk and meat; goats (xāra) for their wool and meat and llamas (tīkas) for meat and wool, principally, although the llama is the main beast of burden in the mines of Rathedān. The city-state of Thāras is also unique among the Dāiadak not only for keeping cattle in preference to llamas and goats but also for preferring husbandry over agriculture.
The principal mines of the Rathedān are located in Radias, Hiphago, Zophīs and Athalē, the latter being particularly famous for its tin. These city-states are famous not only for mining the ore, but also for producing and working the metal- it is still said even in the Eige Valley that the best swords in the world come from Zophīs.
The trading of the products of this expertise in metallurgy are the foundation of Rathedān's wealth- Zophīs and Hiphago trade weapons and armour across the Eige valley, even all the way to Huyfarah- although most trade routes terminate in the Kascan city of Buruja, the valley's principal trading entrepôt- while Athalē and Khalanu are famous for their fancy goods. In addition, much trade goes south-west to the Xšali, and trade caravans supply Rathedān and the north with exotic goods and spices, delicate olive oils and fragrant perfumes from the far south. Due to the difficulty in reaching the ports of Xšalad by sea, much of the north-south trade passes through the Rathedān- particularly through Radias, which guards the largest pass through the mountains. It is notable that this quasi-monopoly of the Dāiadak is one of the factors which have spurred Huyfarah's push southwards and the growing importance of the ports of the Eige delta.
Politics
Rathedān is divided into eight city-states (ādamō)- Athalē, Hiphago, Khalanu, Mezaras, Nitazē, Radias, Thāras and Zophīs. These city-states, like the Greek poleis, are more in the way of collections of small villages and towns with a single civic centre, where centres of government and religion are to be found, along with the markets and craftsmen.
The governmental systems of the states vary, from the strict isonomy of Khalanu to the rather tyrannical monarchy of Thāras. The most common form of government, however, was that of an oligarchy, with some elements of democracy. The power of government was generally in the hands of a small council, the khiara, membership of which was drawn from a select few noble families. Most states also had a zāthar, a popular assembly in which all citizens of the state had the right of speech, which would act as an advisory body to the khiara, and in Athalē, Mezaras and Radias the zāthar has right of veto over the decisions of the khiara.