Ma-Abi’s history is inseparable from that of Mezzi Island. Little is known about the original inhabitants of the island, other than the fact that they were welcoming to eastern sailors who found themselves stranded after the formation of the Maelstrom. These sailors, with help from the natives, built the port city of Bessina. There they lived together and intermarried, becoming a blended people. They kept the seafaring ways of their eastern ancestors, establishing trade with Esmi and even Doma.
The sea journey to Doma was perilous, especially the stretch along the northern coast of Odo Kwon, which was populated by fearsome goliaths. Though not sailors, the goliaths were still a danger to vessels. They hurled boulders from the cliffs, even using crude catapults, sinking many ships. To avoid the goliaths, sailors learned to give the cliffs wide berth, especially the stretch of bright white cliffs where the goliaths made their home. However, the deeper seas are also frought with dangers, and ships continued to be lost at an alarming rate. Finally, around 147 K.S., the Mezzi Islanders launched a bold series of attacks on the goliath stronghold, driving them out of their cavern homes within the white cliffs. These caverns, hidden behind the sheer white walls of those towering cliffs, are now home to the strange and stunning city of Ma-Abi.
Following the establishment of Ma-Abi, a rift developed between those who had risked life and limb to defeat the goliaths and the ruling Archduke of Mezzi Island, Archduke Valen Senza. Many of the young and strong had become soldiers, and most those who survived the war had stayed to establish Ma-Abi and protect it. Many ships were also part of the war and colonization efforts. Back on Mezzi Island, a shortage of laborers and vessels was causing food shortages. The Archduke expected hefty tributes of crops from Ma-Abi, but the colonists were struggling to produce the expected yield, as the soil and pests were very different from those on Mezzi. The spring monsoons presented challenges for growing some crops and also reduced visibility to almost nothing, essentially cutting Ma-Abi off from the world for months at a time.
Tension persisted through the reign of two more Archdukes, sometimes better and sometimes worse. However, the general rift between Ma-Abi and Mezzi grew steadily, as Ma-Abians increasingly traded with Doma and adopted more and more of the Domese culture and language. In 200 K.S. Ma-Abi declared itself independent from Mezzi Island, and relations between the two dissolved.
A fifty-year stretch of skirmishes and stalemates culminated in an attack on Mezzi Island by the Ma-Abians. The Mezzians were not expecting this; they’d rebuilt their fleet of ships, while the Ma-Abians had only a small cavern harbor that limited the number and size of their ships. The element of surprise allowed the Ma-Abians to land on the west coast of Mezzi, where they established a stronghold at Nemadi. Finally realizing the strength of Mezzi’s former colony, the new Archduke — Miro Senza — agreed to sign a treaty of peace, in which Mezzi Island officially acknowledged Ma-Abi’s independence and also ceded control of the small southwestern port of Nemadi. The Ma-Abian government, in which a Council of Guilders — representatives of each major guild — inform the decisions of their Duke, was also officially recognized by the Treaty of Nemadi.
Ma-Abi is rich in emeralds and rubies and their jewellers and lapidaries are highly skilled. They have reinforced their naturally impregnable stronghold — how they defeated the goliaths is still a mystery! — with heavy long-range weaponry and are as fierce as the soldiers they descend from. Ma-Abi’s riches and strength have made it a center for banking. Ma-Abi also mines iron from the cobalt-rich mines, which makes for particularly strong weapons that are in high demand. They also export cobalt to Mezzi for use in their ceramic glazes.
The caverns of Ma-Abi were first formed by water seeping down to the sea over eons. The goliaths, who inhabited these caves for some time, expanded some of the larger caverns to suit their immense size. Thus, several soaring chambers exist inside the white cliffs. These are linked by large tunnels. Smaller tunnels and caves branch off from the older goliath tunnels; a visitor can easily get lost in these, and claustrophobia is commonly reported. The larger caverns and tunnels are quite pleasant.
Some of the water drainage created natural tubes through the rock. A number of the smaller tubes function to amplify sound, either for music or communication. Certain caverns also amplify sounds, and Ma-Abi is the premier place to study sonics and acoustics. Their younger generation enjoy a music driven by drums, clapping, and rhythmic shouts, with repeating round-like melodies layered on top. The music played at The Grottos, here in Moru Kel, was inspired by this cave music. Ma-abians also like to dance, with the young favoring vigorous free-form dancing with a lot of spinning and jumping. More mature Ma-Abians prefer stylized group dances with a familiar series of steps. These involve a lot of spinning and twirling, as well, but the similarities end there.
The dancing girls of Ma-Abi are belly dancers, whose swiveling hips and bare stomachs are highly erotic. Unfortunately, though the people of Ma-Abi do have plenty of baths in their caves, they favor a diet heavy in garlic, beans, and fat. They tend to reek with the fishy smell of roasted garlic and the sour stench of farts. They rarely use fragrant oils, and the confines of their underground home do nothing to disperse the stench.
One of the most stirring Ma-Abian musical instruments is the pipe harp, a form of hammer-struck harp that is amplified by the tubes. Used in their worship of Pashan, Ptomir, and Dawa, the eerie sounds of the pipe harp have been compared to the sounds of water and wind, but are far more musical. Worshippers of Purnoz and the Twin Moons prefer choral chanting, amplified by cave acoustics and accompanied by crystal bells. Aerta and Sala — who, like the Domese, the Ma-Abians often call Sawel — are generally worshipped together, above ground. Skura, too, is worshipped under the open sky.
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