Carmagh

Overview
Carmagh is a fine example of the effects of distance and isolation upon the development of a culture. Though possessing a native culture rich in tradition and communal unity, it was without a fight that the deposed Fool’s Path Church seized control and transformed the myriad shamanistic peoples into a uniformly theocratic state. Today travelers may expect a quiet series of settlements connected by neat roads and regular carriage routes, each containing a sizable place of worship at the city center around which society revolves. Days are passed in the tending of the land, harvesting the sea’s bounty, and engaging in raucous street trade, with the constant presence of a higher spiritual calling at all times commanding the attention of the people.

History
The arrival of the Carmaghi natives upon the shores of the island is a matter of speculation, with the general consensus amongst the scholarly caste being an arrival of seafaring nomads from the eastern lands by way of lonely Neueinselstaat, that mysterious waypoint between lands. Other theorists suggest that the Carmaghi landmass split from the Muralisian mainland in ages past, taking with it a pocket of civilization and, as such, making the pureblooded Carmaghis specimens of original Murotian genetics. Still more theories assert that the Carmaghis are colonists from the hypothesized Frangeres region to the distant south, though this is entirely a matter of scholarly fancy with no concrete backing.

What is certain is that the peoples of Carmagh lived decidedly simple lives prior to the arrival of Murotian travelers. A balance had been struck with nature early on; the interior of the island was left unchallenged, its beastly occupants free to hunt and be hunted without human interference. The odd attempts to hack out a space amongst the moist trees were consistently met with prompt and often toothy rebukes. Civilization was therefore restricted to the coastal regions, houses built upon stilts to tolerate the changing of the tides and occasional unexpected monsoons, and to take advantage of the fishing opportunities afforded by housing regularly positioned in the midst of sea waters with the changing of the moon’s phase. It should be noted that the Carmaghis, if scholars are corrected, were the first Muralisian peoples to demystify the relationship between the sea and the moon, though their expertise was easily dwarfed by that of the Murotians. Of course, it is rarely fair to compare the Muralisians with their Murotians counterparts, the latter having a considerable head start.

With the arrival of the Murotians, however, the placid natives found their way of life, if not upset, a bit shaken. The presence of an outside world had been ignored for generations, any active link with Neueinselstaat long ago severed by neglect and distance. When a great ship pulled into a modest unnamed harbor on the western coast, it was with open arms that the Murotian mariners were greeted, gifts of fruit and precious obsidian obtained from the rare interior expeditions heaped upon the docks in haste. Being scholars at heart, the party of Murotians gracefully accepted the offerings and made a show of reciprocating in the form of holy books, magicked gems and the exchange of knowledge. The texts in particular would go on to provide the necessary foundation for the revival of the Fool’s Path based upon the Mythos of Abram and The Morning Star. With the aid of the Murotians Carmagh would see a technological boom, the knowledge pertaining to see travel, architecture and the refining of minerals proving utterly invaluable to the economic development of the small society. Equipped with the means of creating a fiercely beautiful and resilient alloy from the processing of the obsidian (in conjunction with more practical materials, mind you) and the maritime advancements necessary to distribute them, the Carmaghis established loose trading alliances with the Durantians and, to a lesser extent, the tribes which would eventually be consumed by Godrite expansion. This is contrary to Durantian accounts of having initiated contact with a significantly less civilized Carmaghi people and the subsequent distribution of technologies now rightfully attributed to Murotian interaction. Regardless, the Durantians do not seem interested in revising their history books.

It was not long before the Fool’s Path, at the time a poorly organized network of philosophical sects scattered about the mainland with an equally disjointed pool of teachings, was informed by the young Ghalean government that their presence was undesirable, and that it would be prudent of the faithful to find a new home. The Durantians, when approached by Fool’s Path representatives, suggested that it would behoove the religion to coordinate their efforts, settle on firm doctrines, and find a land to call their own. That is not to say that they were wholly ejected from either nation; the Ghaleans simply took the “cold shoulder” to extremes, while the Durantians cordoned off plots of land for Fool’s Path use and denied them the right to open practice anywhere else. So it was that a veritable armada of missionaries arrived en masse on the shores of Carmagh, bringing with them a wave of change.

As with the Murotian visitation, the arrival of the continentals was not met with violence or excessive concern. The natives had become quite comfortable with foreign peoples in their trading endeavors, dispensing with the bothersome matter of making signs and speaking loudly in hopes of being understood by possible invaders. Indeed, it was a comfortable and mutually beneficial transition, for the Carmaghis provided the much needed backbone of the inchoate Fool’s Path lore while receiving a unifying structure from the continentals. In this way the Carmaghi settlements were collected and assigned governors, often respected community leaders given a rudimentary education in the new Fool’s Path doctrines. The result was a functional nation all its own, comfortable with its removal from the politics of the mainland while still enjoying the benefits of the mercantile arts. Little has changed in recent years beyond the reification of the new Fool’s Path and the establishment of an impromptu alliance with Durant in order to stave off potential Godrite unpleasantness.

Culture
Steeped as they are in the teachings of the Fool’s Path, known for its docility and focus upon individual fulfillment as the means to creating communal peace, the Carmaghis have little interest in the activities so enjoyed by their distant continental neighbors. The fashions of Durant generally fail to reach Carmagh until well after their expiration date, war is of no use to an isolated people, and studies are restricted to the practical and the theological. Despite the overwhelming influence of the Church upon Carmaghi culture, genuine change in daily routine was minimal, the holy men considering the earnest utilitarian pursuits of the natives to be a fine start on the path to enlightenment. While there are certainly some among each generation who would pursue a higher path through religious studies, the majority remain in a state of, as Bishop Hale describes, “halted Strength”, by which is meant an arrival at the stage of the Fool’s journey in which one is devoted to the positive employment of one’s power for the betterment of oneself and one’s community. As the Hermit lies beyond this point, it is considered practical for the bulk of society to remain comfortably in Strength.

It should be said that the whole of Carmagh is not a uniformly proletariat entity. Between the ruling priest class and the laboring caste is a secure layer of merchant leaders, owners of shipping houses and vineyards most at ease with the world beyond Carmagh’s languid shores. These men and women are clustered tightly on the western coast, interested as they are in the comings and goings of boats and coins.

Government
A passive theocracy of sorts has formed over the years, comprised of the thoroughly educated and presumably enlightened church leaders and a collection of local representatives selected by their communities to present their concerns to the clergymen. As concerns are admittedly limited, the Carmaghis being largely self-sufficient, the theocratic body is free to spend the majority of its time in cloistered study and good works. Embassies are maintained abroad and functional consulates exist within the Carmaghi capital of Cullavorio, where the Bishop Royal Hale oversees the activities of the church.

A fairly recent development, prompted by the demands of the clergy and the desire to make the Fool’s Path more accessible to outsiders in light of the renewed interest expressed by upper class Durantian youths, is the reorganization of the church. At the time of the missionary migration to Carmagh, a number of primates oversaw their individual groups, only to arrive in Carmagh to discover a number of people in similar positions of influence. The introduction of the Abram/Venus mythos to the church architecture resulted in the assignment of titles, the group leaders being appointed Bishops, their selected hands being Curates, and any lesser officials being Ministers or Pastors according to whim. However, with the consolidation of clerical authority in Cullavorio under Royal Hale and the careful arrangement of clerical agents, this scattered system is no longer viable moving forward. Curate Davis Gambison authored a proposal, submitted directly to Bishop Hale and cosigned by nine fellow curates and a smattering of lesser officials, in addition to the Dean of Morvyron College in Ghalea, Marlowe Dashwood, outlining a series of sweeping changes in the clerical chain of command intended to streamline commands, strengthen the unity of the faithful, make available church services on a wider scale, and improve the efficiency of the magisterial review process. In this new system, the lone Bishop Hale is to be considered the Patriarch of the Fool’s Path, under which will serve a college of Bishops enjoying the Patriarch’s full confidence and each commanding a network of Ministers. Curates are to be appointed by Ministers according to local need. This proposal has been accepted by the Bishop-now-Patriarch Hale, and is in the process of implementation.

Military
Carmagh is not a particularly powerful nation in terms of martial might. For some time the natives had only to contend with pirates and the occasional violent crime, for which they found a limited seafaring commando force sufficient. These units were trained to the best of Carmaghi ability, supplemented somewhat upon the arrival of the Murotian mariners. The art of lance combat is considered a uniquely Carmaghi school of warfare, evolving over time to a feature steam harpoons. The Fool’s Path has limited the trade of weaponry for the purposes of condemning unnecessary violence and, more subtly, to prevent Carmagh from posing a significant threat to any superior military force, keeping them from being drawn into conflict. Accordingly, developments in weaponry have taken place through strictly Carmaghi ingenuity. It is for this reason that the Carmaghi commandos alone continue to rely solely upon bows personal ranged combat, often mounting sophisticated crossbows on heavy lances for versatility, each unit effectively needing to represent ten to twenty if they are to contend with the greater militaries of the continentals.

Diplomacy
While Carmagh may rely heavily on long-standing claims of neutrality, a loose alliance exists with Durant to preserve the trade routes existing between nations. A similar concordat exists with the quasi-nation of Regius and the Federation of Brevig, and the terms of the armistice between Durant and Godrin forbid unprovoked attacks on merchant ships in the interest of fostering widespread economic recovery.

Economy
The chief exports of Carmagh are the obsidian-based artiglio d’aquila, a material used for precision surgical equipment and high-end bladed weaponry in addition to a variety of aesthetic applications, and the unique wines produced in the island’s interior. Both of these products rely upon activities taking place in the previously inhospitable cratered region containing a volcano, obsidian outcroppings, and hallucinogenic gasses. As such, those dealing with said projects have developed a great many methods of easing the burden and overcoming issues generally unsuited to fostering the continued existence of humans. The presence of rare herbal reagents in the jungles surrounding the crater only serves to enhance the overall value of the Carmagh.