Ochalea (Kingdom of)
Location: Island south of the Isle of Dawn, north of the Jungle Coast, west of the Pearl Islands and southwest of the Alatian Islands.
Area: 190,054 sq. mi. (492,240 sq. km.).
Population: 125,000, including 50,000 in the capital Beitung.
Languages: Alphatian (Ochalean dialect), Thyatian (Ochalean dialect).
Coinage: King (a.k.a. teng, 5 gp), one (gp), tenth (sp), hundredth (cp); Ochalean coins are octagonal with square holes in the middle.
Taxes: 15% income tax, inheritance tax of 10%.
Government Type: Monarchy.
Industries: Agriculture (wheat and rice), textiles (silk).
Important Figures: Teng Lin-Dieu (King, human, male, P20 of Koryis).
Flora and Fauna: Ochalea is mostly free of monsters. Dangerous creatures encountered include ghouls, weretigers, tigers, panthers and the rare purple worm. Also common are sheep, goats, and snakes. Intelligent monsters would include ogres (many who know magic and are often called ogre-magi), while lupins and rakasta often roam the Grasslands of Chi.
Further Reading: Dawn of the Emperors boxed set, previous almanacs.
Description by Kalitoru Nuar.
Ochalea be a strange land indeed, with customs unlike dose found anywhere else in de world. Even der architecture is unique, with der tiered an' slanted roofs and strange, sliding doors made out of what appears to be paper [I doubt they are made of paper, but I left this here because that is what the writer believes. Ed.]. A small bamboo fence be surroundin' deir houses. Stepping stones lead around de houses to a little garden with a few trees an' perhaps a shrubbery or two. Even der gardens are designed to give a feelin' of quiet and peace.
The Land
Ochalea be an island kingdom, just like the Pearl Islands, mohn. But dis island is not rich in farmlands and palm trees like Nuar. It be a rocky place, with large uneven hills everywhere. Dese hills once be volcanoes, but are now completely inactive and have been so for de past hundreds of years.
In de valleys between de hills, however, dere be another story. Water rolls down de hills, mohn, creatin' rivers dat make fertile lands. De Shino-Gawa River be de largest of dem crossing almost de entire nation, mohn. It start from de hills around de town of Wongzhao Tsushao, den moves down to de lake around de town of Chungkiang Li. From dis lake, de largest one in Ochalea, de Shino-Gawa den pours into de Sea of Dawn several days' walking away. All along dis river are forests and very productive farmlands. Dey be so productive dat dey be makin' enough food to feed everyone in de kingdom an' even export some out to oder nations.
Dere also be two huge grasslands steppes on de island. One, on de western shore, is also de location of Beitung, de capital city. De oder, called de Grasslands of Chi, covers de soudern shore of Ochalea. De most soudern portion of de flat terrain is actually a tropical jungle, mohn, mostly due to de souderly ocean currents dat warm its shores.
The People
Ochaleans are Alphatian an' be having de same coppery skin as all de oder Alphatians. Dey usually have dark brown hair, an' eyes vary from brown to amber or golden. Fine facial features are very common.
Ochaleans are a peaceful bunch, satisfied with de status quo instead of seekin' to improve themselves. Dey be very scholarly, doing a lot of research an' educatin' der people. Many claim dey be de dird most educated nation in de world, only behind Glantri an' Darokin, wherever dose places be.
De philosophies of Koryis, de Immortal of peace an' prosperity, have made de Ochaleans very quiet and reserved. Dey be extremely polite, mohn, an' often dings that everyone else do are considered rude here in Ochalea. True to de ways of Koryis, all arguments are settled peacefully drough negotiation.
Ochaleans believe in de equality of all men, an' der king be treated no differently den any of de peasants that work on de farms. Women, on de oder hand, be treated as inferiors. Der husbands decide der every fate, mohn, an' girls are often items to be negotiated away for pre-arranged marriages instead of children to be loved and dought to live der own lives.
One strange custom of de Ochaleans involves der greeting. Dey be seemin' to like kissin' each other, regardless of gender. It be not uncommon to see a man kissin' a man, or a woman kissin' another woman. An' dis be a full kiss on de moud, mohn, not on de cheek. This appears to be der medod of handshaking dat be common in de rest of de world. Der be no romantic connotations involved in der greeting kisses.
Recent History
Not much be happening in dis land over de years. In AC 1007, Ochalea declared der independence from Thyatis wid de Pearl Islands, succeeding danks to de war Thyatis was in against Alphatia.
Recently, uncovered scrolls have stirred up a big debate between der scholars, mohn. De scrolls seem to indicate dat de Ochalean architecture be not from Alphatians but from a race previously living on de Alphatian continent before dey arrived from der own world. Dis oder race was displaced to de island of Ochalea along with oder Alphatian undesirables [mainly non-spellcasters, that is. Ed.] where dey created der own culture. De Alphatians seem to have dominated in terms of appearance, since no oder racial traits are visible among dem, but it is de philosophies an' architecture of dis mysterious race dat have dominated Ochalea ever since. Scholars believe de other race be from de land of Skothar and might actually be de same as de ancestors of de Nuari of de Pearl Islands. Would dis not be an interesting development, mohn.
Don't Miss
De architecture is unique droughout de world, mohn,
so Ochalea deserves a visit by any tourist. It be a land of beauty,
one definitely word seeing. An' they be havin' an interesting
culture as well, wordy of study as any oder.