Luetka

Luetka [lyt.ka], known in Ombesh as Liga, is a region of cold, craggy islands and northern coasts that has existed alongside and often in tension with the Omban Empire and its successor states for many centuries. Culturally and linguistically distinct from the neighbouring Omban regions, today it bears evidence of centuries of contact.

Luetka comprises two distinct geographic areas: the subarctic northern coast, known in Ombesh as the Northwest Province, and the more temperate islands, known as the Seven Lamps. In the Northwest Province, there is a mixed culture including both Ombans and Luetkans. Many of the population here were descendants of the indentured servants and labourers who, at the Empire’s collapse, found themselves free to seek their own path and so travelled west from Nulu. The Seven Lamps, along with two dozen or so minor Luetkan islands, have a few ruined Omban and Khutuan maritime outposts but here, the indigenous Luetkan culture and language flourish. The islands are proudly independent, ruled by local chiefs who exercise political authority based on the redistribution of goods, especially trade goods and rare maritime resources.

Religion

Except along the border with Nulu, Luetka is only minimally affected by the religion of the Hand and the Voice. Its indigenous faith is a formalized version of a once-shamanistic and animistic religion called Telling, in which great elder whales (of which the number varies depending on tradition, from five to thirteen) are seen as gods. These deities are treated as highly personalized deities with personalities and histories, whose priests each bear its folklore and traditions. All whales are deeply revered by Luetkans, and the hunting of whales, central to the economy, is very serious business not to be undertaken lightly.

History

The early history of Luetka is largely recorded in oral tradition called the Sea-songs, passed down through priests who also serve as advisors to clan chiefs. Fitting these to known Omban history, it is clear that Luetkans were around at least at the beginning of the Empire, if not earlier, as a set of politically disunified clans. As the Empire grew, the wealth of the Luetkan clans that traded with them also grew, to the point where eventually they were perceived as a threat. Having conquered Nulu in 161 IE, the Empire began to look westward along the coast, but it was not until 278 IE that Omban permanent imperial control was established over the Northwest Province, including the northernmost of the Seven Lamps, Gwaddo.

That control would not last more than a couple of generations, with the Empire's fall in 338 IE. But the collapse led to even more movement of Ombans and Nuluans westward, where they came into lasting close contact with local Luetkans. But during this period, the Seven Lamps became the heart of Luetkan culture and politics, maintaining a proud independence. Raiding the weakened Omban successor states, including both piracy and coastal raiding, was a significant part of prestige and wealth-seeking behavior among the Luetkan elite.

While these raids were largely sporadic, in 691-694 the admiral-chief Aathuvansi Leu of the southern island of Kododza launched what became known as The Blue Storm, a systematic set of raids on northern Khutuan ports. Ultimately, Eluli Ula and the Khutuan navy repelled the attackers and many prisoners of war were taken as indentured labourers and moved far to the south, away from the sea. To this day, there are a few thousand Luektans living in southern Khutu, descendants of Blue Storm sailors, some of whom maintain cultural and linguistic practices of their homeland despite now nearly 75 years' separation.

Politics

Like Omban society, Luetkan society is divided into lineages, though of only two basic ranks, chiefly (normally but not always with names ending in '-vansi') and common. Unlike Omban lineages, Luetkans are permitted to marry within their own lineage, and in fact often do so, which Ombans view as incestuous. Lineages are politically organized into larger-order institutions (clans) that rule territory and have chiefs, usually determined hereditarily.

Appearance

Luetkans tend to be short, with body types ranging from thin and wiry through to stocky, though rarely obese. Their skin is olive to brown and hair is almost uniformly brown or black. Local clothing practices make heavy use of sealskin and, to a lesser degree, the fur of smaller mammals. Many Luetkans have adopted clothing derived from Omban practices, however, and dress style ranges from highly traditional to highly modern. Jewellery of bone, shell, amber, and polished semi-precious stones is worn widely by both men and women. Tattooing is common, but facial tattoos are specifically a sign of chiefly lineage descent.

Language

Luetkan (known in Ombesh as Ligesh) is a language that is distantly related to Ombesh, though far enough removed that only a few words have a clear resemblance. It is spoken widely on the Luetkan islands, which never fell under Omban imperial control. Ombesh is spoken by individuals who have trade ties with the successor states, but many ordinary folk on the islands are monolingual Luetkan speakers. Along the northern coasts, bilingualism in Ombesh is the norm. There, you can still sometimes hear a mixed language of Luetkan and Ombesh called Jedza, especially in areas close to the border with Nulu. This language began as a trade jargon during the Imperial period but is now spoken more generally by Luetkans in that part of the region. Jedza is not widely spoken on the Seven Lamps.