North of the Green-Sky-Wood in Tûmag lived the Lom'chy, a people akin to the ancestors of the Khyans, who migrated to the area between the years of T.A. 1062 and 1067. They had sailed in small ships from Ûsakan, where they had lived for three-hundred years.
The Lom'chy transformed the hilly area of Modune into a mini-nation. The Tûmag considered Modune to be a land under their control, and the Lom'chy to be loyal tax-paying citizens who served the Tamska of the Twin Nations.
Racial origins[]
The actual Khyan were a people who shared ties with the Sháyans, Kheyans, Ahar, Îbavi, and more distantly, the Easterling tribes of the plains. The Lom'chy themselves had a mixture of Ûsakani and proto-Khyan blood in their veins. This was the result of the massive slave-drives in the predecessor of later Ûsakan (T.A. 750-790).
The people of later Ûsakan sailed to the lands of later Khy, Lódenûly, and Bûlkhyades to get men and women for slaves. The ancestors of the Khyan resisted heavily, warring with the forceful Ûsakani-ancestors. The group in Modune was one that had held many of its cultural ties with later Khy. In T.A. 1062 they began their migrations towards later Tûmag. Most were free because slavery had lost its popularity under the reigning dynasty at the time.
The Lom'chy were mostly proto-Khyan, but many had Ûsakani relatives somewhere along their line. Their culture was greatly proto-Khyan, or at least they believed it was. It had been nearly a thousand years since they were in their homeland. Thus, their society was more New-Khyan than genuine Khyan.
Social structure[]
The people of Modune were hard-working and earthy, but found it easy to relax and enjoy themselves at all times of the day. All the Lom'chy, except the youngest children, had daily work duties to perform. Every day at dawn, communities came alive with the movement of farmers and craftsmen as they began their work-day.
The Lom'chy were very concerned with family matters. Most homes had three generations of family members living in them. The founders of households were the oldest males and their spouses. The families that they created then lived under their roof.
Many festivities were held in Modune for various reasons, though most revolved around the changing of the seasons and other natural phenomenon.
Currency[]
The Lom'chy employed a system of barter for most trade, but special carved stones were used as currency. The stones were made by skilled stoneworkers given the right to make money by the chief. Each weighed 1 pound, that weight being based upon a special piece of coral and how it balanced with the stone. In addition, the currency of the Twin Nations was generally honored.
Housing[]
The Lom'chy lived in somewhat elaborate mud dwellings, often several stories high. Roofing and curtains were fashioned of waterproof ray-leather.
Diet[]
The food resources available in Modune were just as plentiful as those in Tûmag. The Lom'chy were particularly fond of sea-food, perhaps because it was so abundant, and often ate little else. Birds, fruit, and dairy products were considered compliments to their ocean-borne diet.
Worship[]
Urchish was the most important deity in Lom'chy culture. He was an interpretation of Ulmo, the Vala of the seas. The dead were buried at sea, marriages were conducted on the sands of the beach, and many important rituals of life revolved around the ocean. Coral was a divine substance to the Lom'chy, and was harvested to make amulets and religious items.
Hets was Sauron or Morgoth's equivalent in Modune. Hets was believed to live beyond the Yellow Mountains in the north (which was entirely true).
Political structure[]
The Lom'chy all considered themselves to be one tribe, the Dysh. The High Chieftain of Modune (in T.A. 1640, one Pothek) made all the decisions for his tribe. He had four advisors whom he met with every two weeks at his fortified home in the Nols Osktrug. The laws of Modune were written upon a set of ten scrolls. The Chief made sure that the laws were upheld, and altered them when he saw fit.
Modune was young for a nation, but it had proven itself internally strong. The strong tribal kinship of the Lom'chy kept them loyal to their realm.
Military structure[]
The Lom'chyan military was highly efficient, one reason why the Tamska of Tûmag had not attempted to subdue Modune. All boys, and the oldest girl, of every family was trained in the ways of warfare. The Lom'chy were excellent pikemen, having elaborate training in battle formation using spears. For close combat they used swords and axes. Because the Lom'chy had few horses, their armies traveled slowly, on foot. Those select few who did ride horses were usually only messengers or officers. Modune had a strong navy of small oared ships. The Klust (Khy. "General") was the absolute authority in military situations. The Lom'chys' greatest threat in T.A. 1640 was the evil of the rainforest to their south.
Appearance[]
Surprisingly, hundreds of years of separation from their ancestral lands has not changed the Lom'chys' physical appearance much. They were of medium build and height, individuals rarely being taller than 6'. The Lom'chy had almond-shaped eyes, which were usually colored light brown, grey, or dark brown. Their hair was almost always a shade of sandy brown and was worn short. They had tan to olive skin color.
The Lom'chy wore fine clothing, usually mode of cotton, wool, or leather. Swirling circular patterning was dominant in most decoration. Hats were common, and were often used as elaborate ways of expressing oneself in Modune. Tatoos on the face were considered attractive when worn by women, who consequently had a tendency to wear them.