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Thursday, April 03, 2014

C is for: Camac That Was (#AtoZchallenge)

Unlike most of Termag’s historic great cities, Camac was not founded at the mouth of a river. It may have began as a fishing village, as are many small towns along the shores of the Gulf of Camac. It is situated on a natural harbor, though. What fragments of history survive from Camac That Was do not include its early years, nor what made it the nucleus of a vast empire.

What is known is that the empire advanced more socially than technologically. For example, gender roles were a foreign concept—at least in the West. The restive Eastern provinces were granted much in the way of self-rule, but their patriarchal customs were suppressed until The Madness destroyed the empire. Another example was the “none shall starve” laws. The Pearl Throne owned the land surrounding Camac proper; these lands were kept clear of trees or buildings to deny shelter to invaders, but plots were granted to the poor of Camac for gardening.

Without instant communication, governing a far-flung empire could be a problem—especially in a crisis. Thus, they created the offices of the Protectors, nine sorcerers who had the authority to act in the name of the Pearl Throne where necessary. The Eyes of Byula, a collection of scrying-stones, allowed Protectors to communicate with Camac when needed. Under each Protector were five or six Captains, military officers who had distinguished themselves as tacticians or strategists; Captains had the authority to raise an army when needed to defend their designated territories from external or internal threats.

The Madness destroyed Camac itself, and most of the empire. Today, Camac is home primarily to a handful of scholars, and several cooperatives that dig up stonework for use in other parts of the world.

Next: D is for: Dragonlore

5 comments:

  1. I really like these posts! I'd love to do something like this myself for my own world. It's cool to hear about someone's world and little details (like keeping the land cleared of trees) about a certain city are pretty interesting. Good stuff!

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  2. I loved the name 'The Eyes of Byula,' for the scrying stones. ^__^

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  3. I don't know about anyone else, but each time I read "Camac that was" I thought of Firefly and how in Serenity they say something similar about Earth.

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  4. Now I'm ready for M to learn more about this madness that destroyed Camac. (I'm assuming that is M.)

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  5. Thanks, Phlip!

    Helen, the folk have also corrupted the name, saying "The All-Seeing Eye of Bula-Bula" when someone is watching closely. :-)

    Patricia, I've watched some of Firefly; I'll have to start over some day when nothing else is going on.

    Chuck, you have guessed right. Stay tuned!

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