Qarayahattun

The village of Qarayahattun once stretched for several miles along the southern river as a sprawling town. Stone homes along the river offered shelter from much of the wildlife, but not from their own folly. Food from the river and the abundant fruit trees meant that the people did not have any threat of starvation. Having settled along the river, the people encountered the dire crocodile Der’Qaraya early on. Tribute to the creature offered them safety from its hunger the vast majority of the time. Worship of it also led to a deep hatred for the followers of Der’Uturu, feeling slighted at the old defeat of the crocodile. This perceived slight resulted in constant raids by the warriors of Qarayahattun, followed by retaliation by warriors of Uturulaqta. The conflict between the two factions was largely one-sided, given the more numerous inhabitants of Uturulaqta. Many of the stone homes now lay abandoned, the people of Qarayahattun seeking to fill them in other ways.   With so much of the population decimated, the remaining followers of Der’Qaraya sought other prey to establish dominance over. They found it across the great southern river. Outlander were spotted on the distant shore, and on occasion within the jungle. The passive demeanor and lack of weapons made for no real challenge in combat, and a suitable demeanor for slave labor. Sections of the town were converted to be less defensible and the slaves quartered there. Inhabitants of Qarayahattun have thrived ever since, on the exotic goods created by their conquests.   The people of Qarayahattun are led by Chief Zachara. She is an imposing woman with an extremely muscular build, covered with many scars given to her by Der’Qaraya himself along with his blessing. The blessing gives her the ability to safely submerge in the river, in addition to having bestowed on her a larger size than any other human in Ondar. Zachara has led her people for several years, with few challengers for her position. Unlike in other settlements, the blessing of the crocodile is not restrained during the challenge ritual. If that alone were not enough to deter many challengers, rumors exist that the chief has very intimate encounters with the patron predator under the surface of the river. Very few men ever challenge the right to lead.