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Spring, Eighteenth Year of the Xin Zhuo Emperor
Arshak Rostamzad, the Chief Factor of the Thirteen Stations of Jiangshan, awoke to find his wife, Boran Kawadokht, the Matriarch of the Berang colony of Jiangshan, missing from their bed. Quickly throwing on his evening robe and cape, the head merchant went looking for his partner. After a quick search around their palace, he found her leaning on the balcony, staring at the lights glowing over the City of Panyu. The leader of the Berang in Jiangshan was in her evening silk gown, far too light for the night elements.
"Boran, are you alright?" Arshak quickly removed his cloak and went over to drape it upon his mate. "This is a cold night and you shouldn’t be out here."
The Matriarch turned and looked at her consort, concern plastered over her face. Tonight she looked beautiful, but more surprisingly also small and frail for the normally proud and assertive leader that the Chief Factor usually encountered even at home.
"How long has it been, Arshak?" She asked.
For a second her mate paused. They both knew exactly what she was talking about-the fate of the Berang Delegation, led by his brother Frahat, to Anping. "Three months, Matriarch." Arshak finally stated. Professional. Businesslike.
$Do you believe the rumors are true?$ Boran asked in Berang.
Her husband stared at the ground. $I dare not, Matriarch.$
Boran nodded and bit her lip, before turning back to look upon the city. It seemed so peaceful now, glowing by thousands of lanterns-a tranquility that seemed a contrast of night and day to the horrors of that terrible pogrom months ago. $I cannot forgive myself if I sent so many people-especially your brother- to their deaths.$ The Matriarch continued, before adding: $After what happened here, I fear we no longer have a place in Jiangshan.$
Arshak moved up beside his wife and put his cloak around her shoulders, before wrapping an arm around her chest. $What do we do then, my love?$
$The situation is nearing catastrophe and I will not gamble more lives. The Berang of Jiangshan will return to Fars. We will take our losses, and we move on and wait until the crisis roiling the empire ends. Have our people close up their shops, call in their debts, uncover their treasure and collect our ships and join our colony here. We will dismantle our shops and build ships.$
The Chief Factor backed off and frowned. $This will be financially ruinous.$
$Better we ruin lives and they later drag me through the streets in disgrace than have us lose those lives.$
$How will we accumulate supplies so quickly, especially food? It is not our trade.$
$We are a fishing people by tradition. We can collect food and water like in the old times.$
Arshak looked over at the rest of the city. $And if the people of Panyu try to attack us again?$
$They likely will. Call upon all able bodied individuals who don't have young ones to care for. We will form a self defense force. Last time the human mob caught us with our pants down. That won't happen again.$
The Chief Factor shook his head. $Almost none of us are warriors.$
$But we were once a warrior people. You and your friends go trident-fishing every month. Perhaps Jiangshan has been too good to us. Perhaps we have been spoiled.$
Arshak sighed but nodded. $Very well then, my Matriarch. I will do as I am told.$
$You don't agree with me. What do you believe we should do?$
$I don't know what I believe. The whole world has turned upside down. My brother is missing and likely dead. I don’t even know how to process that.$
Boran turned and gently embraced her husband. “We will adapt, my love. We are a people of both land and sea. We know the fickleness of the Heavens, and we've survived great storms before.”
Arshak returned the hug. “We have, my love.”
“Then let us visit the temple and pray for my disgrace.”
Arshak held his wife tighter. “I pray for all of us, Boran.”
David Bowie-Five Years
By
DumDog for 
Lazrin!
Boran is a character of Lazrin!
Arshak Rostamzad, the Chief Factor of the Thirteen Stations of Jiangshan, awoke to find his wife, Boran Kawadokht, the Matriarch of the Berang colony of Jiangshan, missing from their bed. Quickly throwing on his evening robe and cape, the head merchant went looking for his partner. After a quick search around their palace, he found her leaning on the balcony, staring at the lights glowing over the City of Panyu. The leader of the Berang in Jiangshan was in her evening silk gown, far too light for the night elements.
"Boran, are you alright?" Arshak quickly removed his cloak and went over to drape it upon his mate. "This is a cold night and you shouldn’t be out here."
The Matriarch turned and looked at her consort, concern plastered over her face. Tonight she looked beautiful, but more surprisingly also small and frail for the normally proud and assertive leader that the Chief Factor usually encountered even at home.
"How long has it been, Arshak?" She asked.
For a second her mate paused. They both knew exactly what she was talking about-the fate of the Berang Delegation, led by his brother Frahat, to Anping. "Three months, Matriarch." Arshak finally stated. Professional. Businesslike.
$Do you believe the rumors are true?$ Boran asked in Berang.
Her husband stared at the ground. $I dare not, Matriarch.$
Boran nodded and bit her lip, before turning back to look upon the city. It seemed so peaceful now, glowing by thousands of lanterns-a tranquility that seemed a contrast of night and day to the horrors of that terrible pogrom months ago. $I cannot forgive myself if I sent so many people-especially your brother- to their deaths.$ The Matriarch continued, before adding: $After what happened here, I fear we no longer have a place in Jiangshan.$
Arshak moved up beside his wife and put his cloak around her shoulders, before wrapping an arm around her chest. $What do we do then, my love?$
$The situation is nearing catastrophe and I will not gamble more lives. The Berang of Jiangshan will return to Fars. We will take our losses, and we move on and wait until the crisis roiling the empire ends. Have our people close up their shops, call in their debts, uncover their treasure and collect our ships and join our colony here. We will dismantle our shops and build ships.$
The Chief Factor backed off and frowned. $This will be financially ruinous.$
$Better we ruin lives and they later drag me through the streets in disgrace than have us lose those lives.$
$How will we accumulate supplies so quickly, especially food? It is not our trade.$
$We are a fishing people by tradition. We can collect food and water like in the old times.$
Arshak looked over at the rest of the city. $And if the people of Panyu try to attack us again?$
$They likely will. Call upon all able bodied individuals who don't have young ones to care for. We will form a self defense force. Last time the human mob caught us with our pants down. That won't happen again.$
The Chief Factor shook his head. $Almost none of us are warriors.$
$But we were once a warrior people. You and your friends go trident-fishing every month. Perhaps Jiangshan has been too good to us. Perhaps we have been spoiled.$
Arshak sighed but nodded. $Very well then, my Matriarch. I will do as I am told.$
$You don't agree with me. What do you believe we should do?$
$I don't know what I believe. The whole world has turned upside down. My brother is missing and likely dead. I don’t even know how to process that.$
Boran turned and gently embraced her husband. “We will adapt, my love. We are a people of both land and sea. We know the fickleness of the Heavens, and we've survived great storms before.”
Arshak returned the hug. “We have, my love.”
“Then let us visit the temple and pray for my disgrace.”
Arshak held his wife tighter. “I pray for all of us, Boran.”
David Bowie-Five Years
By
DumDog for 
Lazrin! Boran is a character of
Lazrin!
Category Artwork (Digital) / Portraits
Species Otter
Size 556 x 710px
File Size 225.2 kB
So are they supposed to be the setting's Jews, Romani, or something else?
I see 'pogrom' and immediately think 'Jew', because every time I've seen that word, Jews have been on the other end of it - others might've been victims of pogroms too, but I've yet to see any other groups connected with that term.
I see 'pogrom' and immediately think 'Jew', because every time I've seen that word, Jews have been on the other end of it - others might've been victims of pogroms too, but I've yet to see any other groups connected with that term.
I don't want to specifically categorize the Berang as a single minority group so much as a composite of several groups, with both of those groups you mentioned included. In the context of historical reference, I am basing this story a series of poorly documented (and possibly exaggerated) massacres committed on foreign merchants and traders as the Tang Empire, a historically open and Central Asian-influenced state, began being consumed by civil war and tottering on the edge of collapse https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yangz.....massacre_(760) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_Lushan_Rebellion#Massacres_of_foreigners https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guangzhou_massacre
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