Banu Barraqi: the Barcidae

The Banu Barraqi, more colloquially called the Barcidae, are one of the great and influential tribes or houses of Cothon-Gadeed. They are the masters of the Migdol of the Dyers and Fish Fermenters on the shores overlooking the eastern coast of Cothon, as well as master smiths and armorers. They are also one of the few Bani-tribes of non-human origin, their family being instead come from the great ursine race of Bulrathi.

And they have been somewhat of a thorn in the side of our barbarian-heroes of these chronicles: attempting to tax passage of the strand beneath their fortress; suing the Survivors of the Tel for failure to pay this "tax"; and defeat of their suit in the Court of the Moon, and in the "Court of the Sword". As a house, they have not been making any great waves recently, but because of the past antagonism, one Durham of the Ringing Anvil, friend of the Survivors, has taken it upon himself to learn a little more about this tribe of mighty annoyances.

General Information and History

The Barcidae came to the southern shores of Dirac's Sea many centuries ago, a move that remains something of a mystery. Most Bulrathi prefer the northern climes of Ardha, but the Barcidae have remained obstinately tight-lipped for the reasons of their arrival. Instead, they invested a great deal in the initial development around Cothon, establishing themselves as valuable allies to cities long endangered by the roving bands of Kzinti.

The original tribe that came to the shores near Cothon was led by Barqa al Akbar, a group composed of his uncle, his own brothers, and nephews and cousins. His brother Koborg led the clan after Barqa's death, and so though their descent is actually mostly from Koborg, the tribe calls itself after Barqa.

One of the founder-heroes of the tribe was the great smith Goroborg One-Eye, armorer and lieutenant of Barqa, who helped stake out the area to lay the foundations of the Migdol that remains the major holding of the Barcidae even today. He did so in the face of numerous raids, most likely from Shen Sakkra come viking across the sea. As a founding-hero of the Banu, as well as of Cothon as a up-and-coming power, Goroborg is possessed of a great tomb in the Necropolis of the Tel, honored by both the Barcidae themselves, as well as by professional mourners from Cothon.

The construction of the Migdol fortress, and its stubborn defense along the eastern coast against invaders and raiders--be they Sakkra, Kzinti, or even chnelh hordes that once came down out of the northeast--said defense helped Cothon finally establish itself as the great port it could become, and gave the people of both cities the chance to finally gather their strength against their Kzin enemies.

Given this history, the Barcidae remain as one of the great houses of the cities, of ancient lineage. They have invested a great deal in Cothon in particular--unusual among the Bani, they have only limited estates in Gadeed itself. Their main holdings are as follows:

• the Migdol of the Dyers, a forbidding fortress on the eastern outskirts of Cothon; Urash ibn Tobrugh is the current master of the Migdol
  - defended by a full garrison of ghilman warriors and Bulrathi champions
  - the vats of the dyers and fish fermenters, where expensive dyes and garum are made
  - a great smithy and armory, run by a master armorer of the Barcidae
• suggested by their fermenting vats, the Barcidae have the controlling voice in the Guild of Dyers and Fishmongers; this puts them in direct rivalry with the Fischmarkt of the Kantor Kabljauhof and the Hanse that controls it
• beyond the Migdol, the Barcidae are responsible for garrisoning one tower each on the walls of Cothon and of Gadeed (the Lightning Tower and the Porphyrous Tower); Taborg ibn Urash is the current master of the towers
• they own a number of warehouses along the harbor front, where they store amphorae of garum and pots of various dyes for sale in the Souk, as well as to outgoing merchants; Elam the Steward oversees these warehouses and acts as liaison to the Guild of Dyers
• a modest estate in Gadeed, typically held by an elder member of the family who has earned time away from the more rigorous and clamorous life in the Migdol; Tobrugh currently holds this position

To parse out some of the information above, here are the chief personalities mentioned:

• Urash ibn Tobrugh is the current clan head and master of the Migdol
• his father Tobrugh lives in comfort in Gadeed
• Urash's son Taborg is the current heir and master of the two towers the Barcidae are responsible for
• Elam the Steward, a human of the house, oversees the warehouses in Cothon and acts as liaison with the Guild of Dyers (and other guilds)
• Kobur ibn Tambor is a champion of the house and leader of the garrison (not mentioned above, but he was the defeated champion of the Barcidae in the "Court of the Sword")
• Tambor is the current master armorer of the Migdol (not mentioned above); the Barcidae smiths have little to do with the Guild in the Dual-Cities, preferring to keep their secrets

Durham's Investigations -- Preliminaries

In the past year, Durham has looked into the Barcidae with subtle investigations, trying to learn more about what they've been up to in the city. For it seems to him that the Barcidae were involved with the pirate-nest in the Ocean's Throat sea-caves. Though the pirates have been cleared out, and replaced with loyal Was'go renyu and hired men-at-arms, the involvement of the Barcidae looms, as yet unknown.

Though much of the information Durham has learned is private to Durham himself at the moment, one thing that he learns is generally publicly known--that the Barcidae have been laying low recently, trying not to present themselves too much to the Cities in general after their humiliation in the Courts of the cities before the Survivors. It does not seem that they have been reduced in strength in any real way, or even really persecuted, but that they seem to be trying to let public interest pass away from them for the time.

Indeed, it may be that they are husbanding their strength, seeking some other way to press against their rivals in the cities.