Ibariki, Tangor Bay Fishing Communities
by Marc SaindonSo Skothar has Tangor Bay, Tangor Gulf, Tangor Peninsula, the Empire of Tangor... so I think I'll continue fleshing out the southern region of the continent. Let's just say the over-use of Tangor is an outsider, mostly Alphatian perspective.
(see map)
For Tangor Bay (the region east of Tangor Gulf), let's take inspiration from Zanzibar, Eastern Africa and the Seychelles. Whereas "Ahomey" is the west african coast in culture, Tangor Bay is more eastern african culture (which kind of overlaps with the Serpent Peninsula in concept, so maybe there was a long forgotten portal). Ahomey shuns the sea due to the Minaean raiders, while the "Ibariki" (swahili for "blessed", working title until someone imagines something better) embraces the waves, building many fishing villages, wharfs, ports, and vessels. Ibariki communities are much smaller than the Ahomean city-states, and spread evenly along the coastline that surround Tangor Bay. The Bay itself host an Undersea Kingdom, home to the Jengu and Nommo (use Triton and Mermaid stats as a quick fix), with whom the Tangorans trade (salvaged goods from wrecks, pearls, coral, sponges, etc). The forest hinterlands beyond the Bay are sparsely populated by villages that get smaller and more distant the further one moves away from the sea. Ahomey is urban, Ibariki is rural.
Linguistically, while Ahomean city-states each have their own dialect, Ibariki is much, much more diverse, with hundreds of dialects and many endemic languages, leading local Griots to often work as translators and linguists.
Ibariki is experiencing a current economic boom, as the Tangoran Empire is investing in a fleet, which keeps the shipyards active, encourages commerce and exploration.
(Image from: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/3de3bo)