Fragments I-VI

> Askedoria, the region where the Iskuzai have built their famous cities, is west of the Shell Desert, north of the Ophiotaurus Sea, and south of the Agrauran Mountains, where the underground people dwell. Past the frontier of the River Agan, you take a boat from the Painted City of Sarepta and travel along the coast. With favourable winds, it takes two months, if the winds are slow, perhaps a year, if there is no wind, perhaps three years. If you are traveling on an Etoi ship, with expert sailors of that people, it might take less. The country that you reach is called Cirta, because it is there that Cirta, the Goddess of the River Below, was born. There is a big river flowing in that country, and there is another big sea. From there you go north to reach the city of Aster, you then head northwest and across a river by boat, which takes two days. You head northwest again, and again across a river by boat which takes one day. There are altogether three major cities that you come to: the proud Psantes and the ingenious Uios Psantes and Gorgias. Now, if you leave the city of Psantes or Gorgias by the overland route, you go north to the small kingdom of Epizephrya where beautiful slaves, silver and perfumes are sold and bought. After crossing a river, which takes a day by boat, you travel along the coast, and from there six days are generally enough to cross another sea and reach that country — the land of the Iskuzai, Askedoria. It is a land rich in grains, olives, wines, precious gems and ruled by fierce warriors, who know the names of all the stars.
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> The Iskuzai have built more than four hundred small cities and towns, and their influence extends to severalthousand koss in all directions. They worship all the Twelve Gods of the Etoi, the Hattusas and other people of the Sea, but they revere above all the Goddess of the Wild Beasts, whom they call ‘Mèter aIskuzoin’, which in their language means ‘the Mother of the Iskuzai’. They believe themselves to be her children. They place statues of her along the roads to protect the path, and when they are in a foreign land, they often ask permission of the local King or Lord to erect those statues, and they are willing to pay in gold and silver to obtain this privilege. The Iskuzai also pray to their Ancestors, like the people of the Shell Desert do, and the most worthy of their Ancestors are the Warrior Saints, whose remains, embalmed in honey and resins, rest on the island of Aulea. They also worship a divine beast, whom they call the Double-Crested Panther.
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> The region of Askedoria has pine trees, cypresses, willows, reeds, catalpa, sophora and all sorts of plants. The Iskuzai cultivate the five grains, and they raise horses, mules, donkeys, camels, boars, snakes and butterflies. They are skilled warriors and dancers. The Iskuzai do not recognize a single ruler. They are divided into twelve major cities, each one of them with significant influence and its own government, but they all bow to the authority of the Sanctuary in the island of Aulea. Those among them who defy this ancient custom are considered pirates and sail the sea like a nomadic horde of thieves and mercenaries.
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> The Iskuzai have built many libraries and temples of Knowledge, of which the most important one is in the Sanctuary of Aulea and is called the Geographical Temple, where the priestesses of ancient slave origin serve as keepers. The most important cities are the ones of Mindos, Tauromenion, Letheia, Psantes, Oinoe, Naumapactus, Coeia, Adramittum and many others. There are so many it is impossible to give details on each one.
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> The Iskuzai produce fine linen, they make coins of gold and silver, they weave beautiful tapestry that is said to be made from a particular bird and is called ‘Aigle’, which means ‘light of the Sun’. They weave woollen carpets, fine woollen rugs and curtains, all of them of precious quality and with brightercolors than those made by the Molubdenoi, the lead-eyed people. Askedoria has plenty of gold, silver, copper, tin, camels, sheeps, black bears, turtle shells, giant clams, elephants,boars, bony fish, jade, bitter and sweet wines, raisins, perfumes and oils.
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> The Iskuzai use the ten types of precious and semiprecious gems: red, white, black, green, yellow, light blue,dark blue, rose, purple and grey; and they also appreciate quartz, agate, jasper, hematite and lapis lazuli. All these minerals and rocks are praised for their healing properties and are used, when ground, as pigments. They trade in ivory, honey, yellow, red and green marbles, rare fruits, snake poison for their medicines, bones and skulls of all animals except for cats and lions, alabaster, fragrant woods, ebony and slaves both young and old.
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"Askedoria" from Geographica, I by Farimas