Omrazir: Natural History

Although Omrazir's creation was owed to the wealth resulting from diverse trade with peoples of multiple nations, the city has greatly benefited from the merits of its fisheries. In its position at the mouth of the Strait of Sorrows, the chilly currents of the Adelantean Sea meet the far balmier waters flowing in from the Gulf of Adwa, giving rise to a healthy diversity of sea life. Edible fish such as sea bass, seabream, and eel are plentiful, as are shellfish valued both as food and for the dyes and pearls they produce.

The Sidi Mircasset Oasis provides a striking contrast to the rocky coast and the arid plain that surrounds the rest of the city. An abundance of plant and animal life characterizes this relatively lush zone of fresh water, date palms, and viny thickets. A variety of agricultural products for both domestic use and export are grown here, including wheat, sorghum, teff, millet, okra, monkey and blood oranges, and of course dates. The oasis can be perilous as well as fruitful, however, as leopards may prowl even up to the city walls from dusk to dawn, and have been known to ambush unwary farmers and travelers.

Very punctually every Azara great flocks of jewel-toned blue and purple kingfishers descend upon the city and make their winter homes in the many natural nooks and crannies in the cliffs, or even in buildings and garden walls. The birds' return is eagerly anticipated every year and is celebrated in the riotous three-day Kingfisher Festival, when the populace dresses in clothing as vibrantly colored as the birds and nearly all business not related to the event comes to a halt. In addition to the kingfishers huge numbers of other birds also pass through in the fall, including gulls, shearwaters, and even puffins. As a result, the autumnal diet of most Omrazir locals is marked by a large number of dishes containing seabirds, with puffin pie being the most coveted -- and the most likely to contain seagulls, pigeons, and the occasional rat instead. Consequently, "to eat puffin pie" is a local figure of speech meaning to be fooled or taken advantage of.

Seeing as many travelers as it does and hosting a significant population of vermin, Omrazir sees its fair share of epidemics, including occasional bouts of plague. In addition to the usual mice, rats, and roaches, the people of Omrazir are also pestered to varying degrees by scorpions and rather sizeable centipedes which, neither of them being any great respecters of persons, can be found in all sectors of the city. The prevalence of these creatures likely also explains the fact that the most commonly owned pets in the city are mongooses.