The Remans- the neighbors of the Carastans

Observant listmembers may have noted that my conlang Carashan has a large
number of Latin-origin loanwords. What are the Romans doing in an alternate
earth, I hear you ask. Well, probably I don't, but I'm going to tell you
anyway.

 The Remans were a groups of disaffected royalist Romans who left Rome in
approximately 281 BCE (329 AR- the Carastan Empire had finally subjugated
the subcontinent and was engaged in the First Duénasian War). They took with
them half of the College of Flamens (the Flamines Dialis, Quirinalis,
Cerealis, Floralis, Pomonalis and Volcanalis) and the chief Vestal.

By unexplained means they came to Telmona and settled on the easternmost
continent, known to the Carastans as Auroranda. At this time (475 a.u.c by
the Roman count, c. 278 BCE) Auroranda was sparsely populated by
Celtic-speaking tribes, who referred to the continent as Assítrum, which is
reflected in the name for one of the first areas that the Remans conquered.

The Remans founded their city at the confluence of two rivers, the Sequana
and the Auvona. The new settlement was built on the model of Rome and
originally named Roma Resurgens. The priests (who quickly made up their
number to thirteen) elected a king from the people. He took the name Ancus
Tarquinus Remus in token of the new colony's seperation from Rome and its
hearkening back to monarchial days, and renamed the city Rema.

The Remans quickly conquered the surrounding countryside, the fertile plain
of the Sequana became the new nation's breadbasket. Within a few generations
the Remans had expanded and conquered the whole continent. By 700 AR, when
the Carastans were expanding their Empire westwards along the Ierantan
littoral, the Remans had reached the littoral and came into a head to head
clash with Carasta.

The war would continue on and off until the Zeudisci invaded Carasta in 870
AR (470 CE). The gods ever have a rather sadistic sense of humour and in 873
AR the whole of Aurandos was subjected to a drought, crop failiure and a
plague which killed one third of the population. Without the international
trading network which had been destroyed by the Zeudisci, the Reman Empire
collapsed into a thousand petty kingdoms.

In 1200 AR (600 CE) the south of Auroranda was invaded and dominated by the
Qatu nomads from the Ierantan desert. By 1500 AR the Qatu domination of
south Auroranda was complete and in response the Pontifex Maximus in Rema
began a process of reconquest in the north. The Holy Reman Empire (*where do
I get these names from.*) and the Hurusharu of the Qatu were engaged in a
cold-war type standoff for many centuries.

After the Three Great Internecine Wars of 2200 AR the Holy Reman Empire
split into states recognisable as the forerunners of today's nations. Today
the Aurorandan subcontinent is much like Cendos, civilised and settled.

Due to much centralisation throughout its history, the languages of the
Reman states are mutually intelligible, much like the Romance languages in
the seventeenth century. The chief language is Reman itself, which looks
much like a cross between Old Spanish and Italian. This is widely used in
diplomacy across the subcontinent and beyond. Carashan children usually
learn Reman and Peusodan (another Carastic language) at school.

Dan

----------------------------------
La plus belle fois qu'on m'a dit
          "je t'aime"
                   c'était un mec
                             qui me l'a dit...
Francis Lalane
----------------------------------

Reply