Kataya

Kataya is a country on Taurica which rests at the northern border of Guan. Kataya is known for its peculiar crops such as the Katayan chili pepper and the banapple. Kataya has fertile soil, so farming is common there. Farmers can make a lot of money selling their crops when harvest season comes. Katayan farmers sometimes make scarecrows out of the skins of bampits, the wings of lorlings, and the heads of dumpkins. These scarecrows are said to scare away spirits that are said to steal crops at night.

While some Katayans take up farming, another common career is in the medical field. Katayans are versatile when it comes to natural medicines. They hate the idea of artificially made medicines and they try to make medicine with entirely natural ingredients such as herbs, vegetables, and fruit.

### **Violet Lake**

Violet Lake, Kataya is a popular place to fish in said country. It has a wide variety of fish including zana. The waters have a slight violet tinge because of the similar colored plants that live in the lake, which gives Violet Lake its name.

### **Food**

Spiced zana fish with a side of cherry pepper sauce is a popular dish in Kataya. The zana is usually spiced with a slightly mild pepper and sauce and then fried. It is sometimes salted with fish salt imported from Asoumiranz.

Katayans are known for their spicy dishes. Some of them are too spicy for most people. The Katayan people have developed strong tongues which can withstand many painful meals and they can eat the spiciest dishes with ease. They grow different kinds of chili peppers, perhaps their most grown type of crop. The hottest of them is the Yaki pepper. They once grew a more dangerous type of chili pepper known as the Grim Chili before it was discovered it was poisonous.

### **People**

The Katayan people, for the most part, are humans. The people who are native to Kataya usually have dark to light purple hair, though they can also have red or blonde hair. They usually have either golden brown or amber eyes, though some can have blue or green eyes as well. In extremely rare cases, sometimes they can be born with two different eye colors. Their skin can be from a light bronze color to a dark brown. They are known for their sharp features--pointed chin, high cheek bones, and their ears are sometimes slightly pointed at the tip. These people may have descended from the native tribes that once populated the area before Kataya became civilized. It is believed these people may have traveled from northern countries and settled in Kataya. Besides those who are native to Kataya, other races and species have settled there as well, especially if they wish to start a farm.

### **Traditions**

There is a tradition among Katayan families, particularly the native Katayans, where a quilt is passed around the family which starts as a single square. Each member who receives the quilt must stitch on another square and send it on to the next. This process can last many years, in some cases allowing new generations of the family to eventually add to the quilt as well. When the quilt is finished, it is put in a frame and hung up on a wall, put on display in an art gallery, sold, or however the family wishes to show their work. After one is finished, they will usually start another one and the cycle will continue until the tradition ends or the family dies out.