Do Chaka

Do Chaka is a turbulent region in the northwest of Tsolyanu. It has changed hands many times between the empires of Tsolyanu and Mu'ugalavya, and has at times been an independent state under the ancient Sarku worshipping Ito clan. It is part of the Do Chaka Protectorate a special frontier military disctrict.

Physical Geography

Do Chaka is a hilly province, most of which is covered by tropical forest.

Its southern border is the sakbe road from Tumissa west to Kheiris, which follows a small tributray to the Tumissa river. All along this road lie small towns and villages in cleared agricultural land in a densely populated strip up to 80 tsan wide at the eastern end near Tumissa.

In the west the border with Mu'ugalavya is marked by the Barrier Range, a moderately sized range of hills and small mountains in the midst of the forest. There are several passes leading over into Mu'ugalavyani territory, each guarded by a small fortress. The civllian population of this area consists of mixed human and Pe Choi tribes of dubious loyalty to either state.

Along the upper valley of the Turina river lie numerous small agricultural villages, getting smaller and more isolated as you head upstream. Each has a patch of agricultural land round it rarely stretching more than 5-10 tsan into the forest. To the south of the valley there is another range of volcanic hills, the Nettu ridge, dotted with human forest villages. To the north of the valley lies the Seven Canyon Forest, a high limestone plateau cut by seven small rivers flowing south and north to the main river valleys, and the range of crags called the Inner Range. This area is rugged and covered in dense jungle and is the home of the wildest and most independent Pe Choi tribes, and the alleged site of the forest of Hh-kk-ssa.

Along the Chiktikan Valley which forms the northern border of the province settlement is denser with larger towns among the villages and a wider swathe of agricultural land has been established. Around this valley live the Kachor tribes, human tribesmen with their own variant culture. This area also has numerous silver mines.

The most densely populated part of the province lies to the east around the city of Paya Gupa. This is pleasant rolling hill country, with small patches of woodland on the highest hills, many of which hide the brooding black tombs of (possibly) departed Ito nobles.

Religion

As previously mentioned Do Chaka was once ruled by the fanatical worshipper of Sarku, the Ito. Sarku is still very popular in the south arund the western Sakbe road and upper Turina velley, as well as among the wild Pe Choi of the Seven Canyon Forest.

In the Chiktikan Valley and throughout much of the Paya Gupa area Thumis rules supreme, with vast tracts under the administration of Thumis monasteries such the Sapient Eye.

There is a sizeable area where Vimuhla is strong in the southeast of the province in the hinterland of Tumissa, and several strongly Vimuhla and Karakan towns along the sakbe road east.

The forests of Do Chaka

The forests across Do Chaka are not wet enough to be rainforest. Tekumel's average temperature is a lot hotter than Earth's and the latitude of the Do Chaka, while quite far north, gives a tropical to subtropical climate. Most of the trees are broadleafs, but at higher altitudes there are many tracts of pine-like Tiu tree. Much of the vegetation here is descended from that found on the Pe Choi homeworld, especialy the shrubs and herb layer, and a few trees that give edible (to Pe Choi) bark. The Pe Choi do not farm in the same way as humans, but plant, irrigate and manage their forest floors to create mixed semi-wild areas of useful and edible plants and fungi. During the dry season (Trantor-Dohala) some trees and shrubs lose their leaves or go yellow and brown. (See Sourcebook Vol 1, p49).

Humans in Do Chaka

Humans in both Chakan provinces differ from those in the rest of Toslyanu in being shorter, slightly paler with flatter and noses, coarse straight hair and their eyes are sometimes grey (Sourcebook Vol 1, p41), and look like the Mu'ugalavyani. Presumably the Mu'ugs and Chakans have a common origin, and there have certainly been migrations of people from Mu'ugalvyani eastwards.

The Kachor tribes of the Chikitikan valley and the Barrier range have the most extreme Chakan features.

History

During the Time of No Kings Do Chaka was part of an independent Kingdom ruled by the Ito preist-kings of Sarku. At it's height this kingdon stretched south along the Turina valley to Butrus and to Tu'umra in the east, and included much of Nemedlu province (though not Chene Ho, which was under Pijenan rule), and in the west its border lay some 200 tsan into what is now Mu'uglavyani territory.

In the 4-5th centuries AS settlers from the east began to move into Ito territory, and raids from bothe Mu'ugalavya and Tsolyanu began to whittle away at Ito authority in the 6th century. It was at this time that Vimuhla worshippers from Mu'ugalavya began to settle in Tumissa - these were traditionalists opposed to the heretical cult of Hrsh, and Thumis worshippers made mass conversions in the north of Do Chaka. The Kachor tribes converted to Thumis and rebelled againt Ito rule and joined the Empire.

In 780 the Ito kingdom was annexed to the Tsolyanu Empire, which was dominated by a Sarku emperor at the time - alleigance to this state looked preferable to conquest by the flame worshipping Mu'ugalavyani at the time; Tumissa initially resisted this, but the Red Clans of the area eventually pledged alleigance to the Empire.

During the civil war of 1010-1026 the Ito again became rulers of a virtually independent state, and there was open war between Sarku and other Change deities and the Thumis worshippers north of Paya Gupa. After this the Red clans of Tumissa gained in power at the expense of the Ito. Targholel Nikuma gained their support and used their military might to make himself Emperor in 1057. The Empress Janule followed the same route to power in 1123.

Hejjeka IV the Restorer of Dignities gave more power to the old Ito arsitocracy as part of his policy of promoting local devolution and thus winning the support of the very high clans. This was not a wise move - the Ito conspired with the Mu'ugalavyani and the Chakas were invaded in 1550. The Ito had resented imperial favour shown to the Stability gods in the previous two centuries, and thought they had a deal with the Mu'ugs to create a 'fifth palace' under their control. Tumissa remained in Imperial hands however, and Qenqolu hiVriddi used the city as his capital during the Time of the Usurpers and had assitance from the Mu'ugalvyani in breaking up the Tsolyani empire.

In 1700 the Ito rebelled against the Mu'uglavyani, and in 1711 the province of Do Chaka returned to Tsolyani rule. In 1842 Butrus and Pan Chaka returned to Tsolyani rule, assisted by Ito and Pachi Lei rebels. By 2020 the Mu'ugs reinvaded but failed to keep the Chakas, and in 2045 the great Ito rebellion sought to recreate the old Ito empire with Mu'ugalvyani help.

This toing and froing has one major theme - the slow decline of the Ito and their intermittent efforts to re-establish their independent kingdom. They have at various times wrested concessions to boost their local rule from both Mu'ugalvya and Tsolyanu and will support whichever empire they think will give them the best deal, or whichever empire they think will be weak enough for them to break free from. They are definitely stayers; time and again lands have been confiscated from them and their supporters and time and again they have managed to regain control through judicious use of positions at the Imperial courts and in the civil service. However there is no denying they are a much depleted force - they have never managed to regain much influence in the now Thumis dominated north and the Red Clans continue to take over land along the western sakbe road and in Pan Chaka. The Ito supporting heartland is now among the small towns and villages in the south of the Turina Valley and around Butrus in Pan Chaka.

Political Map

In the map below (from Eye of All Seeing Wonder Spring 1994by Dave Morris)

Red areas are under the control of the Red Clans

Brown areas are Ito territory

Grey areas are dominated by Thumis

Blue areas are inhabited by Pe Choi, some of whom will be independent tribal people

Green areas are inhabited by Pachi Lei