Rab'ka

The war flag of the ancient Rab'ka. Most small communities of Drowlto VI had the standard of the Rab'ka handy to fly if word of Rab'ka invaders in the area reached the city.

A nomadic people originally based in Ias, specifically present-day Lakash. After centuries of tenuous nomadic and semi-nomadic existence, a basic Rab'ka civilization existed by no later than the 4th century SD. From this starting point, the Rab'ka carried their banner from Ias to Munao and even Aremi. The Rab'ka term this period The Expansion of the Righteous Abode, whereas most other civilizations - before being subsumed, that is - referred to it as simply The Rab'ka Invasions. Although currently there is no specific Rab'ka nation-state, nearly one-third of the human population on Drowlto VI lives in territory at one time under their banner, and the religious, cultural, and linguistic influence of the Rab'ka remains predominant in many of these countries.

Ethnic Origins

History

Early History prior to the Righteous Abode

Many historical details can be distilled from the rich mythological fabric of the Rab'ka-nasa, the historical epic of the Rab'ka.

The Foundation of the Righteous Abode

Expansion and Limits to Growth

As noted by Rab'ka historian Nab Ahklu, The Rab'ka expansion was destined to stop, not by laws of men, "but by the laws of nature itself."

The Snadaq

Current Nation-States of the Rab'ka

Cultural Influence

Environmental Impact

One of the most noteworthy impacts of the Rab'ka expansion was the expanded cultivation of crops originally cultivated on the outer rims of the Lakasha Badlands. As the north-northwestern veldt of Ias came under Rab'ka control, crops that had been subsistence-level in the Badlands could be grown in larger quantities. In particular, the discovery that the Jilpone Plant could be cultivated more successfully in the recently conquered territories led to the creation of large-scale farms along the western half of the continent. This had the effect of turning what had been prairie into the breadbasket - for a time - of the Rab'ka state.

Unfortunately, this also had the effect of exhausting the soils of the western lands, as the new owners of the land over-taxed the land's ability to produce crops. By the time declining yields were in evidence, however, the Rab'ka dominions had expanded far enough to the east and obtained enough arable land (particularly in modern Menza) to compensate for the loss of western yields. Here again, the versatility of the Jilpone Plant was a blessing.

Yet as time wore on, it was again clear that the Rab'ka - being historically a pastoral people - had little idea how to create a sustainable agriculture. To this end, they relied on the subject peoples of the eastern half of Ias to cultivate their own areas (often experimenting with western crops and cultivars) and return a portion of their yields to their western overlords. Be that as it may, the western half of the continent was being further weakened by erosion and droughts, and the population of the larger western cities could only be supported by massive imports from the east. Eventually the situation became untenable, and many say this is what led to the Snadaq.

At the present time, the west has sufficiently recovered to support medium-scale agriculture, albeit at a declined population from the glory days of the Rab'ka hegemony. The east, on the other hand, mainly by the necessity imposed upon them, developed a first-rate sustainable agriculture and irrigation system. Most interestingly, many crops that were originally from the west became staple foods of eastern cooking, producing something of a continent-wide uniformity in cuisine.

Religion

Development of Language(s)

For the fuller story, please see Rab'ka (language) or Rab'kaic language family.

[Fictopedia]