Oalmer

The capital of kukai culture

The village of Oalmer was the first one to be founded by the Kukai during the pre-classical era. This village is divided in two main districts by the Alikataam River, western indutry/residential district and the eastern farm district. It is considered by most as the kukai capital, as it is the most developed, old, traditional and self sufficient settlement in all Kukai Amut.

Demographics

As capital of culture and tradition, Oalmer serves as a gathering point for kukai of different villages and professions. Some people may leave and join this settlement as a part of their job, meaning that population may vary between the 2,000 and 2,400 souls.
Most of the people who stay in the village belong to the Nur, Bat, Ker, Rram and Mer professions.
The inhabitants of Oalmer are known to be far more traditional and religious than any other kukai. This is specially true for the local Nur and Nurikai. Oalmer is considered somewhat of a "kukai school", as it has masters of all professions and the guidance of many Nur.
Most people in Oalmer have brown, dark-brown and tanned skin tones, which are the most common for the kukai in general. However, this settlement has the biggest population of pale skinned people, most of which are direct descendants of the ancient Kiri tribe, predecessors of the Ker profession. These are still a minority in Oalmer, being only about 50 people.

Government

The kukai are followers of Oal-Mer and so they live under a type of theocracy, specifically the kukai theocracy.
Just like any other kukai settlement, a Nurikai is appointed for Pukamut. By doing this, the local kukai will always have a person to speak for them to representatives from other villages. The Nurikai Representative is also a symbol of unity, faith and harmony. Though this rank doesn't grant any power or right to rule, the kukai respect the Nurikai and consider them as voices of guidance with a closer connection with Oal-Mer.
Organization in Oalmer is quite different from the other villages. Though they have the Nur and Nurikai, serving like any other, both professions are more busy here than in any other place. They basically keep track of the affairs in other villages and also help with their organization.
In addition to its central location, the local oalmer arena and Nur Houses are a common stop for foreign Nur and Mer, who might join the local workforce.

Industry & Trade

Oalmer is one of the self sufficient villages of Kukai Amut. It is also a central point for resources and goods distribution. Almost anything can be found in Oalmer, either produced locally or brought from the other settlements.
The following table shows the most important goods and resources produced locally, as well as imports and exports between this and the other villages:

Resource/Good	Produced locally	Exported to	Imported from
Food (fruits, vegetables, mushrooms)		Amutikali, Utokaam	Batayaam, Pukamut
Minerals (iron & copper)		Pukamut, Amutikali	Utokaam
Foam Lavender		Pukamut, Amutikali, Utokaam	Batayaam
Coconut (food and handicrafts)		Pukamut, Utokaam	Amutikali
Clothing		Pukamut, Batayaam, Utokaam	-
Blank books and "bark paper"		Batayaam, Utokaam, Amutikali (bark paper)	Pukamut, Amutikali (blank books)

Infrastructure

Oalmer displays a mix of traditional clay buildings and more developed stone structures and roads. The scenery feels like an exposition of kukai architecture. Clay and wood is mostly used in the farm district, stone is used for religious and industrial structures, and the residential areas slowly adapt from clay to other materials.
Most houses have a single story, each occupied by a single family in almost every case. Two-stories residential buildings are known as rest houses, places with room for plenty of people, usually meant for visitors. Few other houses also have their own workshops, most of them meant for the Rram, Bam and Rramuri professions.
The kukai bath houses are quite common and they are the biggest of all Kukai Amut. Most of these are located near the river, in the southern side of Oalmer, usually next to the small lake where foam lavender grows naturally.
Two small docks equipped with wooden cranes are setup by the river (north and south) allowing fluvial transportation of people and resources. These docks have an inland connection through a stone road, which also works as a main "street" to cross the entire village. Other paths are just flattened earth, mainly because some of the locals prefer to walk barefooted.
The farmlands are connected to the industrial/residential district by two bridges. The first one is a stone bridge in the south, near one of the docks. The second and smaller bridge is made of wood and located north, just a few meters away from the other dock. The stone bridge is meant for land vehicles and pedestrians, which means no fluvial transport can pass below it. There is also a stone windmill in Oalmer, the first one to be built by the kukai, and one of the three that exist in Kukai Amut.
Near the northern limits of the village, there is a wide open area which displays the elder tree of Oalmer at the very center. The kukai did not want to change anything about this tree, as they consider it sacred, and instead left the surroundings empty to work as some sort of plaza. On the opposite end of the residential district, there is the oalmer arena. This one is actually meant to be crowded during celebrations and is frequently being visited by the kukai, especially those from the Mer profession. This arena was built from a hill with a semi-circled shape, similar to a small valley. It is the oldest, the biggest and also the most important of all kukai arenas.
Pukamut has the following connections:

• Pukamut (north-west): Land route which also leads to The sacred lake.
• Amutikali (north): Land route which also leads to Kukanpuke.
• Kukanpuke (north): A long fluvial/coastal route leading to the coconut shore. This slow route is mostly used by the local Bat, very helpful when foraging.
• Batayaam (south): Land route leading to The Great Lake, where the "floating" settlement was founded.
• Utokaam (south): Fluvial route in the Alikataam River, which start from the local southern dock.

History

The village of Oalmer was founded by the first followers of Oal-Mer. No exact date is known, but some kukai estimate that the settlement was established around 600 years prior to the Classical Era.
According to legends, the god Oal-Mer appeared for the first time at The sacred lake, which became the first and most important shrine dedicated to the deity. The kukai would establish their first settlement away from this place in order to preserve its "natural purity". After finding a good place next to the Alikataam River, the new village of Oalmer was born.
All of the kukai from that time were survivors of The pakai conflict, but only few of them inherited the secrets of agriculture. As a result, all kukai needed to work as farmers or foragers of some sort. Once the houses were built and the first crops were harvested, the kukai came up with different ways to understand and worship their new god, leading to new professions, some of which were named after ancient kukai tribes; the Bat, the Ker, the Nur and the Mer.
By the time the first calendar was officially created, Oalmer already had a fully functional society, a somewhat "primitive utopia". In the following years the first embodiment of the kukai god would arrive at the village, a former human by the name of Hon. The kukai saw this as the foretold return of Oal-Mer, who left the world during the Pre-Classical Era.
Years after the foundation of this village, the kukai found a giant tree, even bigger than the tallest exemplars within the jungle. Because of its massive dimensions, the kukai believed this to be one of the Elder trees from ancient legends. The tree would become a sacred landmark within the village, remaining unaltered at the northern side of Oalmer; thus the kukai named it the "elder tree of Oalmer".
As other settlements were founded, Oalmer would keep growing its infrastructure and knowledge in order to support the new villages. During the Expansion Era, after most other settlements were created, Oalmer focused all efforts into social organization and cultural preservation, encouraging the kukai to halt all expansion projects. Eventually, this would lead to the appointment of the first generation of Nurikai, chosen by Rrebeka, Yak and the Nur in Oalmer.

Tourism

People visiting Oalmer belong to either one of these groups:

• Migrants from smaller villages

• Nur under training

• Visitors for the holy week

• Mer looking for combat

• Bringers of goods or news

The first group includes visitors from the villages of Oalnur and Utokaam. These settlements, as important as they are, are quite small and have very low population compared to others. There is also a lack of fertile soil and experienced Bat to take care of crops. That is why Oalmer is ready to accommodate migrants which may stay on the village for months or even years. Though these migrations are not as common as before, they still happen, and infrastructure in Oalmer is planned for such situations.
Nur from other villages enjoy traveling to the capital, a place where they can find unique documents and experience the kukai culture "as it is meant to be". Some of the kukai in this profession also travel to Oalmer as part of their preparation to become a Nurikai.
It is known in all Kukai Amut that Oalmer celebrates the holy week like no other village. The combat rituals at the oalmer arena are always legendary, followed by feasts of the traditional cooking and all forms of art (dance, music, plays, etc.). It is somewhat of a custom that every kukai from other villages visit Oalmer during the holy week, at least once in their life. This also explains why many of the Mer usually come to the capital looking to join a tournament, even when no celebrations may happen.
Though the following wouldn't count as tourists, those in charge of bringing resources to Oalmer usually stay for a day or two, allowing themselves to get goods before leaving. This is the same for bringers of news, usually a Lar sent by the Nur, although sometimes the Nur may deliver messages themselves.

Architecture

There are some old buildings in Oalmer, usually those built from clay and with a single story, which had enough room for a small kukai family. However, only a few of these old houses were kept that way, and are commonly used as places for social gathering. Modern clay buildings may incorporate wood and stone in their designs for structural integrity, sometimes allowing a second story to be built. These buildings are more common in the residential district of Oalmer.
Warehouses and food storage structures are mostly made of stone, although some Bata Houses may still be built with clay, specially those used exclusively used for cooking. Wood isn't very popularfor structures, mostly because the local Rram and Tatar are not completely familiarized with the material.
The Nur Houses are special landmarks in the capital, which is why all of them are made of stone bricks, clay and some wooden furniture. These buildings stand out from the rest in the village as they occupy a large area, have two stories and are usually built in front of a small plaza. The first level of this building is divided in two rooms which are separated by a hallway. The entrance is a tall triangular false arch. The second story is a rectangular room at the very center of the structure, right above the archway. It is accessible from both sides via two stone brick staircases facing the front side of the building.

Geography

Oalmer is located at the tropical rain forest, divided in two districts by the Alikataam River; the residential one on the west and the farming one on the east. The edge of this village is full of green vegetation, which makes some contrast with the light-brown tone of the clay buildings. The tall jungle trees create a natural wall around the settlement. And just like any other of the kukai villages, some hills and many of the western mountains are visible from here.
Normal temperatures throughout the year stay around 24°C and may drop to 20°C in winter, specially during the month of Kisa-pupaili. Lowest elevation in Oalmer is about 68m a.m.s.l., which may raise by the western edge of the village up to 72m. However, the slope of a small hill at the southwestern limits of Oalmer, raises the maximum elevation to 88m. This formation is where the oalmer arena is built.

Natural Resources

Oalmer has access to clean and drinkable water, supplied by the Alikataam River. The most important natural resources found within the village, its surroundings, mining and foraging areas include:

• Apuberry
• Mushrooms
• Cocoa beans
• Foam Lavender
• Wood
• Iron
• Copper
• Wild berries and fruits

Founding Date

Pre-Classical Era

Alternative Name(s)

Oalmer village

Type

Capital

Population

2,400 (year 880 K.P.)

Inhabitant Demonym

In English: Oalmerian (official) or Merian (informal)

Location under

Kukai Amut

Ruling/Owning Rank

Nurikai Representative

Owning Organization

Followers of Oal-Mer