Tabaši (Tah-bash-ee)
Tabaši (Imperial Wythian: lit. "Land of Wet/Damp Earth"), also known informally as Sarabat (Wythian: Watered Lands) or simply The Valley, is an agrarian client state of Persawet situated in a fertile river-valley west of the Perset mountains. Believed to have been founded in the aftermath of the Dwarven-Draconic War, its population consists of former mannish slaves alongside their half-dwarven offspring. Though ostensibly self-governed, Tabaši's economy, diplomatic relations, military obligations, and even religious life are tightly regulated by their Ašekharišh overlords.
Geography
Tabaši occupies a low-lying river valley profuse with fertile soils and marshlands. Regular seasonal flooding enriches the land, making it one of the most agriculturally productive regions in western Lagona. Its soil produces barley, millet, and dyes of rare quality, particularly the saffron and ochre traded with Persawet. Five principal rivers sustain the region: the Nauren, Sarama, Khetar, Nimra, and Garun. Chief of these is the River Garun, fed by the Nauren to form the largest tributary of Lake Naurab, which dominates the southern half of the valley. The shores of Naurab are lined with fishing settlements, reed marshes, and cultivated terraces, while its outflow drains westward to the southern ocean.
The largest city in the valley, Kaqenit, lies along the banks of the Nauren, making it a focal point for trade, administration, and movement between Persawet, the upper valley, and the southern basin. Further south near the mouth of the Khetar lies Fasiter, a major lakeside settlement which serves as a hub for fishing, mercantile transport, and religious activity tied to the Naurab. Beyond these major settlements, smaller towns and villages cluster along irrigation channels and elevated ground. Much of the valley has been shaped by countless interventions over the millennia, with canals, levees, and terraced fields transforming the natural floodplain into a managed and highly productive agricultural landscape.
Government
Tabaši is governed as a client monarchy under the authority of Persawet. The ruler of the valley is, with few exceptions, a half-dwarf of recognized Ašekharišh lineage, selected or confirmed by the mountain authorities and vested with legitimacy through both descent and formal acknowledgment by the Ḫatarim priesthood.
Day-to-day administration is carried out through the Watch Council, composed of half-dwarven nobles and select mannish elites, typically drawn from wealthy land-owning families or the heads of major mercantile guilds. This body oversees taxation, irrigation management, law enforcement, and the regulation of trade. Tabaši is prohibited from conducting independent diplomacy or raising armies beyond levy forces sanctioned by the Ašekharišh. Strategic infrastructure, including granaries, armories, and key river crossings, are often administered under direct or indirect dwarven control.
Military
Tabaši maintains a levy-based military composed primarily of light infantry, such as spearmen and slingers. These forces are used for local defense or as auxiliary support in the rare instance of an Ašekharišh campaign. Command positions are typically held by half-dwarves or Ašekharišh officers, as mannish troops are rarely entrusted with leadership or the defense of critical fortifications.
Society
Tabaši society, while highly stratified by Wythian standards, is fluid compared to that of the Ašekharišh. The population consists primarily of mannish agricultural communities, overseen by a smaller class of half-dwarves who dominate administrative, military, and religious institutions.
Half-dwarves themselves occupy a liminal position. They act as cultural and political intermediaries, often educated in Ašekharišh traditions while maintaining ties to valley society. This dual identity grants them authority but also subjects them to suspicion from both populations. Mannish communities are organized around extended kin networks and guild-like associations tied to agriculture, craft production, and trade. While technically free, they remain bound by tribute obligations and strict movement restrictions imposed by Persawet.
Language
Two distinct but interacting tongues are used in Tabaši: a mannish creole spoken by the majority population, and the dwarven tongue, Ašekhat, used primarily by the half-dwarven elite.
The Tabaši creole is the dominant language of daily life, serving as the primary medium of communication among the valley’s mannish population. The language blends elements of surrounding lowland speech with a significant layer of Ašekharišh-derived vocabulary, particularly in matters of religion, governance, and craft. Over time, older compound forms have simplified into single-word expressions, producing a fluid and accessible tongue.
In contrast, Ašekhat is the language of authority. It is employed in religious rites, legal decrees, administrative records, and formal education. The priesthood, the Watch Council, and the ruling half-dwarven class all conduct official business in Ašekhat, and literacy in this language is largely restricted to these groups.
Religion
Religious life in Tabaši centers on a syncretic interpretation of the Ašekharišh Watchman cult. Riemel is interpreted in the valley as both guardian and provider, associated not only with vigilance but with fertility, renewal, and the cycles of water.
Trade
The majority of Tabaši's exports, including grain, livestock, textiles, dyes, and basic craft goods, are directed eastward into Persawet. In addition to this hefty tribute, Tabaši also serves as the principal conduit through which Persawet engages in external exchange. The Ašekharišh, maintaining strict limits on direct foreign contact, conduct most long-distance trade indirectly through the valley. Goods originating in Persawet such as precious gems, coal, and worked metals are routed into Tabaši, where they are exchanged or redistributed by local merchants operating under Watch Council oversight.
Through this system, Tabaši maintains controlled trade connections with distant regions, including the island polities of the Tuhannen, the grand markets of Barazár, and more rarely, the water barons of the Girusheru. These exchanges are tightly regulated. Foreign traders are rarely permitted beyond designated market zones, and all transactions are subject to inspection and levy by valley authorities acting on behalf of Persawet.