Abydia is the next province on our tour of the Halystrian Empire, and is the fourth in the series so far. We’ve only got three left to go, so stay tuned! In other news, I’ve made a commitment to write a truly ridiculous amount this month, and am hoping to finish the first draft of The Many Antlered Crown by the end of May. It’ll probably take a year for it to pass through the publication process, so I hope that you all can start reading it this time next year. I’ve already had a few fans haranguing me to finish book two of the series because they read through The Wind from Faerie so quickly. I’m working, I promise!
Abydia is in the extreme southeast of the River’s Cradle. It is bordered to the north by Halystria and to the west by Rhegia and Bythnia. To the south lies the Suthran Sea while the Gray Mountains guard Abydia’s eastern border. The island province of Modonia is a short distance across the sea to the southwest. The chief feature of Abydia is the Illydian delta, where the great river fans across the land before finally emptying into the sea. The delta supports both wild marshes and the greatest host of farmland in the Empire. The Illydia swells seasonally, flooding the delta and enriching the land with its silt laden waters. Abydia produces flax, cotton, wine, olive oil, papyrus, innumerable spices, fruits and vegetables, and more grain than any other province in the Empire.
Abydia is dominated by the Illydia, whose channels form the arteries of the region. In Abydia the roads are ephemeral, but the boat traffic never ends. Poled barges and riverboats ceaselessly wind through the maze of channels, both natural and man made, selling their goods to passersby while they make for larger markets. In the larger channels, the flotilla of merchant ships creates a floating market, where anything may be bought or sold and the shouts of haggling mix with the cries of the thousands of fowl which always wheel above the fenland.
The rule of merchants reaches its zenith in Abydia’s capital of Ionis, which spans the fragmented land where the Illydia meets the sea. Ionis is the port from which sail most of the Empire’s exports, and which traders from every corner of the world. In Ionis, Halystrian is only one of a hundred languages that are shouted in the docks, and the Abydians are but a fraction of the mobs who frequent her streets. The city is always filled with the smell of exotic foods, the sweat of the masses, the salt of the sea, and the tepid air of the marshland. In Ionis, there is no pleasure or vice beyond reach for those with coin to stretch, and perhaps that is the reason why it is also a hive of thievery unmatched even in Parthicum.
Abydia was the first province conquered by the Halystrians, and has had a strong relationship with the Empire ever since. Their nobles are not as important as those of Halystria or Ephyria, but their pivotal economic role has made their freemen merchants powerful even the political arena. Even the vaunted senators step lightly when dealing with the merchant families of Abydia, for their stranglehold on so many luxury goods makes them a valuable friend and a dangerous enemy. The serfs and slaves of Abydia are more numerous than in the other provinces, and their standard of living is significantly lower than the imperial standard. Their situation is not improved by the frequent exchange of lands and slaves that is a symptom of Abydia’s shifting markets. Revolt of the lower classes is a periodic threat to Abydia, occasionally rising to a fearsome pitch. The Abydians view slave revolt much as they view excessive flooding: as but a part of the cycles that dominate life in the fenland.
The Sensiahd word of the day is “abona” meaning “river.” Example sentence: Nes rhanaw taros eth abona. We rowed across the river.