HARBY:- WHERE THREE WORLDS COLLIDEOn the tiny island of Harby located in the middle of the Alucard a unique atmopshere exists. It is an island that has blended the cultures of Lodja, Paracambi and Bakkermaya, the central parties of what have become known as the Tuna-nations. The island was originally part of the wider Lodjian collection of islands but was lost to the Paracambians in the early 13th century only for it to fall under Bakkermayan control in the late 14th. The Treaty of Harby was signed in 1398 between the then Duke Francis Middleton, a Horseman of Jekar and Prince Edvin Mualako of Paracambi signifiyting that the island would now become part of the Grand Duchy however that the Horseman would offer protection to the Vodou worshipping subjects on the island. Ironically no agreement was ever put in place to ensure similar protection for the Sessifet worshipping former Lodjian community who remained, this was rectified in 2019 when Queen Klara of Lodja and the current Duchess, Rhiannon Farmer, signed a historic agreement that formalised what had existed in practice for centuries, that those worshipping Sessifet would not be stopped from doing so.
This unique blend of cultures has created a melting pot that has lead to some calling Harby an island of three corners and many ways that can be said of Bakkermaya as a whole. It is a member of both the Ardian and Albion regional organisations while ultimatley seeing its greatest connection north across the Mhorish with East Moreland. It is an island that draws upon the highly liberal culture of Lodja, the flamboyance of Paracambi and the heraldic background of East Moreland. Today demographically speaking the island is less representative of these different cultures, some 50% of the island follow the Cult of Helus, 25% follow Vodou, 15% follow Sessifet while a further large minority follow the other Paracambian tradition of Rastafarianism. Nowhere is this mix of cultures more visible than Paulton, a city named for the Horseman of Jekar's beloved almost mythical leader King Paul The Explorer. Here the city streets are illuminated in an evening with the wild inviting colours often seen in Paracambian streets, bars cater to a wide range of tastes, be it tradition East Moreland style BBQ where such meats as Bear are replaced with goat, or in some cases Lodjian hearty stews. Even the music blearing out of the busy bars on a Friday night varies, reggae heavily influenced by the Paracambian involvement with the past mixes with the more modern rock and folk favoured by Morelandish tastes. One such fusion of this comes from the locally popular band
Skindred who recently played Glastomundus.
Skindred
Skindred feature a Vodou worshipping front man, a drummer who is a Cultist and two Sessifet worshipping guitarists. The band have been growing in popularity over the last five years, particularly in Paulton. Benji Webbe describes their origins, "We all used to hang out in the different music venues that you find in downtown. As things go you start to get to know different people, I was fronting a ten man reggae group, Daniel was in a rock tribute band and the brothers were in a little rock trio. Overtime we hung out and thought it would be fun to do our own thing and Skindred was formed. We're not the first band to do this and we won't be the last. Its natural that you merge the things around you that you grow by your influences. Now we have what we like to call a Harby sound." The band have begun now to see global acclaim with tours of Paracambi, East Moreland and Lodja all scheduled for 2020. "In many ways being from Harby is a blessing for industries like this, we've a connection straight away with three nations and three continents, it gets you a foot in the door and often that's all you need." Webbe explained. A trip downtown on a Friday night also shows this to be the case as just sitting in a bar you can find yourself listening to Bob Marley one moment, the Who the next and everything in between.
It isn't just music that has seen a merging of cultures. It is estimated that around 80% of marriages on Harby that are mixed faith. One couple we spoke to was Lilian Mathasda and Charlie Putnam, a Vodouist and Cultist who are due to tie the knot in November. The marriage for someone following Vodou involves mixing drops of their blood in a bowl that are then used to anoint a statue of one of the many Vodou spirits, meanwhile in the Cult of Helus couples literally tie a knot using their birth blankets. The couple told us of their plans when Lilian described their planned day, "We intend to have a kind of parade through our local area, just like my parents did when they got married, then at the Vodou temple we'll anoint the statue before continuing on to the Temple." Charlie then described how "at the temple we'll be tied together and then be blessed by a Priestess." Thus by combining the two different ceremonies into a single one the pair will have become man and wife. The matter of marriage though has caused a few issues on the island, particularly among those worshipping Sessifet. In that faith it is permitted and expected that a woman take more than one husband, however Polygamy is outlawed this however has not stopped the practice. It is a kind of open secret that some Sessifet Priestesses will conduct additional ceremonies and that the "marriage" is never registered formally. This has seen a few problems in the past when it has come to inheritance in the Sessifetian community, along with issues such as social security payments and the like. One such couple, who wished not to be named explained. The wife, who we shall call Mary told us, "I have three husbands, we're all dedicated to our faith and have a large family with five children. Last year my husband John (not his real name) became ill and because he was my second husband I was not listed anywhere officially as his next of kin. I wasn't allowed to make decisions for him in terms of his treatment and at one point the hospital even threatened to have me arrested." John added to this saying, "As a family we don't get the same tax breaks as the Cultists or Vodouists. They receive tax rebates for every child they have, we only receive it for Mary and Jack (not real name of first husband) children." This has in some cases lead to the practice of Sessifetian couples claiming child tax benefits to have to undertake DNA tests for every child, something Mary, John and Jack have said is akin to "Racism" as Jack explained. "Its as though they are saying unless a traditional Vodou or Cultist family exists its not a real family. Sessifetian kids need shoes and school books just as much."
While the islands views on marriage may not have merged happily for everyone there has been a visible merger in the governance of the island since its young Duchess took over. Rhiannon Farmer is 24 years of age and inherited the Dukedom two years ago following the death of her elder brother Timothy in a terrorist attack by Borlanders while in East Moreland. Duchess Rhiannon is the youngest of the six Ducal leaders of Bakkermaya and has in her short time done much to try and show a connection to each of the communities on the island. One of her first moves was to appoint to her Ducal Council a Sessifetian and Cultist Priestess as well as a Vodou Houngan. She has also made sure she is a visible attendee at each of the faiths celebrations and has hosted a series of Lodjain style balls last summer. Even her own sense of style seems to be influenced by the Sessifetian influence on the island. One local media analyst explained, "She favours some of the more, how we should say, flamboyant styles normally associated with Lodja. In her youth her social media seemed to be an obsession much as we see with many young Lodjains her age and she does see her appearance as being important, another trait associated with the Sessifetian faith." At the same time she is clearly devoted to the Cult of Helus, she carries a sword having done service in the faith as a trainee Priestess prior to her brother being murdered, she additionally has also served in the islands volunteer ambulance service where she is still a registered helper. Many see Duchess Rhiannon as a kind of symbiosis of the three cultures in harmony.
With the formation of the TUNA agreement it is likely that the nations of East Moreland, Lodja and Paracambi will have an even more increasing access to Harby and other similar islands such as Wellow. The next ten years or so will be interesting to see whether the people of Harby turn back towards what they still see as their traditional homelands or whether this increasing melting pot continues.
