EDITOR'S NOTE ON THIS ANTHOLOGY OF HISTORIES
I, Violetta Sage Lyndrake, do trust these histories with my life and with all the love I harbor for my dear friend, Tayla Citrine, whose memory and legacy I intend to devote my every worldly adventure and triumph.
Early Life Of Tayla Citrine
Tayla spent the last decade of xir life yearning desperately to know the world. An Aarakocra born to a poor family of fruit farmers in the Verdora Croplands, xe were a big dreamer. Tayla was luckier than many of xir peers and eventually earned xir passage to Fernholm where xe received an acceptance to the Fernholm College of Art to study music, graduating with honors and making a simple living from gig work at various gastropubs and dinner venues in the Verdantial capital.
Crushed Dreams To See The World
After years spent hearing tales of those around you going on extravagant trips to dozens of islands, you might just want a taste for yourself. For Tayla, this certainly held true, and xe tried xir hardest to afford such a voyage for xemself. Alas, xir day would not come soon enough, and the onset of deteriorating health with age caught up to xem and made such plans impractical. In retirement, Tayla Citrine made a name for xemself in Fernholm and turned this bit of misfortune on its head.
A Stint As An Amateur Historian
In xir inability to experience all the world firsthand, Tayla decided to collect its stories and organize them. This is actually how I met xem, and how I learned a great deal about myself, too. Xir weeks were spent talking to people on days xe felt well enough to leave xir bed, and writing everything down on the bad days. Whenever I would visit xem, I would listen in on conversations or read thousands of disjointed pages of lore, history, and culture from places I had never even heard of. Tayla spent xir final years nothing if not meticulous in every sense of the word, a world of stories assembled in xir humble home, sorted, and packed neatly away for the future. Selflessly, that future was left to me when xe passed. Though, I must admit, those shoes are incredibly mighty to try to fill. Tayla wanted to know the world at large, and xe have definitely heard of and learned the history of more places than anybody will see. I am relieved to have this knowledge and privileged to be trusted with xir historical body of work, secure in the fact that my dear friend Tayla Citrine fulfilled xir late life purpose in my doing so.
Aside: That Author V.R. (And Wife)
The name V.R. is notorious for the invention and sole claim to a perverse form of anonymous panilian scholarship. Penned and signed with those initials are works both comprehensive and truly fascinating, stemming from a long life of world travel and careful navigation of the large body of customs to be experienced. Through them, a sense of community is maintained. Because of them, the world feels in some sense knowable. Despite them, many mysteries persist, to be rectified by myself and mentor here, or so I gravely hope. V.R.'s works were a great inspiration to Tayla, hoping to expand on them with the addition of a map. One day when I was but twelve years old, someone claiming to be V.R.'s wife visited, giving no other name. She broke Tayla's heart, saying a map project of this sort simply couldn't be done with V.R.'s travel and experience, and that V.R. even tried and failed a couple times. Tayla was encouraged to abandon the project, essentially told by Wife that xir hero thought xem a fool for xir life's greatest goal and purpose. To that, I am made proud to present this work. For I believe these margins hold the proof that V.R. (and Wife) were wrong and Tayla has without the benefits of travel or time enhanced our ability to understand the people and histories of our world in a most unique way.
The Fine Line Of Trust
Tayla has trusted me, Violetta Sage Lyndrake, with xir work, to handle these stories with a duty of care and love in my heart. I believe to write and distribute this script is to pass on that duty of care. That is sacred.
The Contents Of This Pamphlet
This is, in brief, the complete (albeit, heavily edited by yours truly) history of Ilia Khah, as told by those kind enough to share their accounts with Tayla Citrine. The first sections are a synthesis of accounts of the Avaloch Accords and Lyndrake's Plea, the time of the founding of our modern state of affairs. Remaining sections are roughly divided along the geographical lines of the old kingdoms, sorting islands and pockets of civilization in with their position in the borders when the old kingdoms were united and fell. By each kingdom, save for mainlands and Avaloch, these lists are alphabetized for convenience.
The Avaloch Accords And Lyndrake's Plea
The first short sections are inspired by a particular attention Tayla gave to me in understanding my own past and history framed against what is most certainly the great revolution for our society at large. Really, we owe to a period of mere decades the vast majority of the facts of why we find our world in the state it is in today. I have edited a lot of details out, and have hopefully left a coherent story in their wake. Really, the overall guiding force in my narrative is the history of my family and building what feels like an authentic connection to that. Luckily, along with that comes some of the key moments and inspirations for the beautiful and connected Ilia Khah Tayla reminds us we inhabit.
A Brief Remark On Kingdoms As Headers
There will be five final sections, one for island territories of each of the old kingdoms. I, as editor, am particularly thankful the Avaloch Accords were partly inspired by war boredom, as an apathy for territory control by those families beyond the capitals has made this style of sorting possible. Here, a more literal reading of events in the absence of wartime apathy would contest many of the things I by way of ignorance take for granted. Culinary lines were also considered on days I forgot to make time in my schedule to brunch.
Islands And Their Settlements And Quirks
I will try to sort each settlement or interesting worldly quirk by its island locale, using the most popular given names to places. I am so thankful Tayla thought to talk through someone's history with the aid of a map, again and again and again. Without Tayla's map, I would certainly not have interpreted and edited these histories so neatly as I have here. For each level of description, I have tried to maintain a consistent and appropriate level of detail with respect to the information Tayla has left for me to sift through. I do regret if any discrepancies or imbalances be distracting, but I believe this work to be presentable in its form.
Lyndrake And Avaloch
The Age When War Became A Bore
Generations ago, in about the Year Restriction Prior 48, the people of Ilia Khah started to actively give up their motivations for following the war closely. After millennia of conflict and bloodshed, it is not hard to see why. Territory gains would not affect the common person, who simply raised heraldry to a new monarch whose laws were effectively the same and went about business as usual. To families in power, this made fighting territory wars even more difficult, as most if not all fighting forces had become disillusioned from ideals of home glory. After about a decade of the earliest calls for panilian peace, even those in power started to feel apathetic, and this is what enabled a change to the order of the world at large.
A Particular Family Conflict In Emberlyn
Really, the major catalyst for the Avaloch accords is the familiar Year Restriction Prior 36 call of King Lucius Octavius Lyndrake of Emberlyn to other monarchs of his time to a negotiation of unity at Avaloch. The part of the story most frequently neglected is the contribution of King (prince at that time) Damiano Sebastian Lyndrake, who painstakingly convinced King Lucius Lyndrake that peace was inevitable, and should be welcomed for the benefit of all. It is lost to history exactly how King Damiano Lyndrake won his father over, but remarks in translatable portions of the Lyndrake's Plea address make it clear that it was King Damiano who deserves much of the credit for the calling of an Avaloch council.
Balmy Negotiations
Later, in the harvest season of the Year Restriction Prior 36, the first Avaloch council convened for the first and final time, spending more than a month locked in negotiations and wanting to only return to their respective homes when a new order for the world had been loosely established as agreed upon. What is perhaps more surprising than world leaders in consensus about such an idea is that it seemingly worked, and the second-accordian Ilia Khah of today does not stray far from the spirit of the First Avaloch Accords.
Independent Efforts Toward Unification
The Avaloch Accords are worded as prescribed efforts a unifying world should take as independent acts, free from the bitter coercion of parchment. The New Ilian United Kingdoms really did not exist in any formal code of law, and the world was glued in unity only in the sense that leaders since have agreed to follow the spirit of the Avaloch Accords in their rule. With the unanimity at Avaloch, respective leaders returned to their capitals and issued a series of codes over the span of several months to enact the Avaloch Accords which were, for much the same reasons, a collective oral contract that survived a consensus building task. Officially, until they were given proper ratification under a second council called by Veritas Vox in the Year Restriction 8, they were a set of conditions in which, by each old kingdom, guidelines were set to constrain local laws on each island to a high level of homogeneity. Leaders kept their promises to one another and the world, and Ilia Khah was for the very first time united.
Early Accordian Ilia Khah
With the wartime boredom, most everyone was eager to adapt to changes already inspired in part by the apathetic conduct of those far from the central Ilian five. For example, in creating a unified currency most locals were eager to scrape heraldry from their coins and leave only the insignia of Laknoits they all had in common. The only real reason to care about a kingdom of origin is in the name of exchange rates, but war was too rapid to support newly reacquired territories with the stereotypically correct coin. Ilian peoples had already made a habit of ignoring exchange rates, treating coins as coins. Other unifying affairs went similarly. Most islands had local laws which were adaptable to the codes of whatever kingdom they belonged to in a given month, so had in some sense already implemented Avaloch. In fact, this seems to be a recurring interpretation of the Avaloch Accords throughout the stories Tayla collected. Throughout xir notes, xe repeatedly write the phrase, "Here, until Vox, Avaloch was the humble renouncement by Capitol powers of a state of Ilian disunity." Indeed, early accordian Ilian society was on most matters a sigh of relief in the name of embracing peace and solidifying preexisting cooperations between neighboring islands.
The Troubles In Straying From Status Quo
Waves were made and reflected in matters where early disjointed codes from the Avaloch Accords came to challenge the world norm. The most popular example of this is Cherade's rebellion to the agricultural accords. The idea that came from the Avaloch council was to make world peace accessible and lasting via a food interdependence. Of course, with the agriculture at Pelray's Ban, this was perhaps weakly justified. However, it would be foolish to reject outright the contributions food sharing between islands has had in maintaining Ilian unity. In part, this could be pinned on the fact that Rooke Cherade had the bravery to stand up to the powers of her time and force the world to settle into a state of agricultural trade that asserted itself organically, rather than an artificial collection of arbitrary food and crop restrictions from Avaloch. In all such cases, goals adjacent to those from Avaloch were asserted, but took forms that were lead by the Ilian people. In this sense, Tayla's notes emphasize that Avaloch was a movement of the people. I aim to remember it as such, even if formalized by my most well-to-do distant ancestors.
The Plea And Veritas Vox
Two Lyndrake Successions In Emberlyn
Thirty two years after the first meeting of the council of Avaloch, Lucius Lyndrake died of old age. His son, Damiano Lyndrake, was soon crowned in his place to rule over Emberlyn. There was no controversy, Damiano being an only child, and the people of Emberlyn and Ilia Khah at large were quite supportive of Damiano in anticipation of him slowly getting used to power and cooperation with the leaders of his time. However, Damiano Lyndrake had other plans, and he took it upon himself to search for a willing replacement within his family. Tayla has no notes on the exact details, but many people vaguely seem to report oral wisdom of a distant cousin who stepped up, even though I am fairly certain it wasn't actually the popularly reported Winston Lyndrake, his fourth cousin twice removed and my ancestral connection to the Lyndrake name.
Lyndrake's Plea For A Shapelier World
Instead of choosing to rule, Damiano Lyndrake let his distant cousin whose name has been lost to history take over. And, at their coronation, gave a now famous address in which he pleaded with the world to keep spirits high and Ilianharmony between the kingdoms even higher in the lasting wake of Avaloch. While official records keep a copied version of the speech still written in the old dialects, very little has been translated directly, there being a general trouble among linguists in parsing writing from that time. From Tayla's own investigation into the matter, xe seem to report that many people remember lots of different things that have been passed down. This would be consistent with the high attendance, some two million people in and around the royal square in Infernia, the largest peaceful gathering ever recorded in all of Ilia Khah. Tayla's notes tell repeatedly of Lyndrake's wishes for a common calendar, for the abolishment of Hedgehog Day, for the funding of space studies, for the fair treatment of sex workers, and for the construction of a large terraforming project, what we now know as the Sulleloche, at Pelray's Ban. Not all of Lyndrake's ideals took shape. For example, the current crackdown on spite brothels would likely disappoint Damiano. Another point of discrepancy is the fact that, according to a distant granddaughter of one of the original Sulleloche planners, the project stalled a mere forty six years into its construction, largely having no impact on the sanctity of trade between the old kingdoms. But perhaps the largest immediate consequence of the Plea was the hopeful spirit the world saw as Lyndrake left. His closing remarks, fully translated from the old dialects, speak of his intent in leading an ocean convoy aimlessly into an unknown expanse, hoping to fill the people of Ilia Khah with hope and destiny to unify for.
Ilia During The Lyndrake Expedition
Immediately after closing his speech, Damiano Lyndrake boarded the flagship vessel Plea's Clarion which, like the other vessels, he took care to commission from teams of the brightest engineers from all the kingdoms of his time. They were completely original and are still believed to be history's finest sea vessels both in design and construction. They set off on some hopeful voyage while the unnamed Lyndrake cousin managed the world's affairs. With Damiano's speech, he did not have much to do in terms of leadership innovation. A clear mold had been set that the population of Ilia Khah, including the other kingdoms, was more or less truly happy with. While history should not forget Damiano Lyndrake's cousin who guided the Emberlyn of his time through Damiano's ideals, history must remember that Damiano Lyndrake was a force within his own family for unity and Ilianharmony. While Tayla's notes on the topic are quite lengthy with many, many stories from person to person, they all seem to tell the story that the Lyndrake cousin essentially presided over Damiano Lyndrake's Plea as it came to form in the political landscape Lyndrake left behind on his ocean voyage into the expanse that now shall forever bear his name.
Lyndrake Returns And Chaos Ensues
Three years later, Damiano Lyndrake and twenty three other members of his original eighty three member manifest were spotted on what scraps remained of Plea's Clarion drifting past Comaecis Reach and into view of Lookout Nortiapointe on Arrowcrest Atoll. There, it was a right-place-right-time crew of Verdoran shippers who dispatched their large cargo vessel to attempt to salvage the wreck. Indeed, the Verdora Shoals still houses the Lyndrake Expedition Museum to this day, and Tayla spoke to me quite fondly of childhood memories visiting there. The entire surviving crew was delirious and without the ability to form sentences or feed themselves. Crumbling under the pressure and trying to salvage the hope society was letting go of as they watched Damiano's dream turn to a nightmare of implications about the broader world, Lyndrake's cousin chose to step down from power and introduce a new dynasty to frame the world's confidence, appointing the trusted advisor Veritas Vox to rule Emberlyn.
Veritas Vox And The Restriction
Abolishing the old dialects was just one change of Vox, whose strategy was to salvage the confidence of the Ilian Peoples by recommitting to unity through a proper, ratified Avaloch Accords and a restriction on ocean travel, giving people a sense of limited control over the section of the world we knew, and this attitude has persisted in times since with the desired effects. Vox turned fear into cheap confidence, impressively buying centuries of prosperity for the New Ilian United Kingdoms.
Islands of Seraphora
Mainland Seraphora
Sitting atop a relatively flat outcrop of granite on the southwest shore is the capital city of Seraphim's Reach, named for the halfling Seraphim, first military king of Seraphora. Their heraldry is the wolf for its playfulness and devotion, and they ran a proud empire on military traditions in the stronghold that today is home to some of the largest private schools in the world. Despite the name, Halcyon Heights is mostly a collection of slums hidden beneath the pink, snowy caps of a large pile of mountains on mountains. It churns out manual labor and the city government has refused to update its health and safety codes to many accordian standards. Most of the mainland is taken up by agricultural land, raising animals for show or sport. The farm collective of Angelica is quite famous for its horse races. The Citadel at Dawnfire used to be home to the world's largest battery of cannons, but is now a multi-floor botanical garden.
Aasqueau
The large freshwater lakes on this island are the original home to the world's population of catfish. As such, the catfish export, centralized in Adukislor, gives the island a hefty economic buffer. This is, in turn, not spent much at all on conservation efforts for their lakes or catfish. Instead, the money is primarily given to the think tank that runs Burnside's Beacon, known for an expensive tradition of research that includes the invention of the chromatelegraphy emergency alchemical flare. They do good work, but are mostly privately funded, despite the catfish tax which enables them to claim public funding and apply for mainland public grants. Their research is kept under lock and key, leading to some suspicion from many on the island. However, this dispute is mostly local. The Ilian Public Senate is aware and has intervened in the past, but in large part they see no reason to take action or make changes to the island's system. Firebringer is an intermediate town that subsists on trade within the island and also keeps secure a large underground vault used by nobles in Adukislor and the researchers at Burnside's Beacon. Interestingly, the island is almost set up to handle this level of dependence, rooted deep in its relative wartime peace thanks to being close to so much Seraphoran soil and relatively far from much of the hottest conflict. Rather than a collection of loosely cooperating city state governments, the island is run as a whole, with a council of representatives from both Firebringer and Adukislor needing to agree by supermajority to make changes in either city. Burnside does keep its tradition mostly separate from this state of island politics, despite growing pressure to petition formally to take their seat in Aasqueau's politics. This pressure is mounted by a growing population as Burnside's Beacon itself grows from a simple wizard's tower to include schools, farms, and even nature trails.
Attoa Key
Attoa is definitely an easy one to ignore, though it is home to the first modern boat stop, once run by the dazzling soul Korban Fyar and several of his descendants until the Ilian Public Senate officially recognized and regulated boat stops as a necessary service to the world and declared the site be repurposed to a museum. It is not highly trafficked, quite unlike an impressive number of historic sites like it. This is a mystery to everyone Tayla seemed to interview, including Fyar's great great great granddaughter, Saccharine Lisa.
Captain Melvin's Seahorse
Much of the legend of Captain Melvin is ahistorical, and from Tayla's notes it seems most locals do not believe in a literal Captain Melvin. The stories simply drive additional tourism through Port Sporin in families with children. Aside from that, the island is famous for its mushroom farms at Bundtarsblade, exporting primarily through Sporin. The island also hosts the world's only bank of mushroom spores, found in a cavernous vault beneath Spuorvink. Spuorvink got its start as a Crystalisian settlement before the camp at Bundtarsblade grew into an impressive military installation and drove them out permanently. Bundtarsblade is also home to a rather unusual political tradition called the bounce, in which any sufficiently energetic (even if small) collection of people pelt a politician or official with rock candy (originally, rock candies stolen from Spuorvink thrown at military generals) and douse them with barrelfuls of brandy, permanently ousting them from public office. The history is hotly debated, but it probably has something to do with anti-war youth during the reign of Lucius Octavius Lyndrake. Legitimate bounces are rare, but are a frequent tradition of endearment surrounding the departure of a beloved public figure from service. Tayla's source for this is a Halfling who claims to have been bounced from sixteen different positions during his life, and he also remarks that the tradition has always been honored, despite the fact it is not backed by any legal framework. There are three smaller and politically inactive (not represented at Avaloch) settlements, three different flavors of pacifist holdovers during the Seahorse's wartime history. From Ebonreach came Pellek, from Verdantia came Maih, and from Seraphorans retiring from Bundtarsblade service came Buom.
Circshead
At Circshead lies a shallow lake of salty, green water surrounded by a humid marsh. It is a birdwatcher's paradise, but the marsh is too weak to support major infrastructure. Instead, the island is populated by tourists in four hour intervals. Boats never stay overnight, but people usually do.
Comaecis Reach
Originally a paradise of obsidian beaches and impressive snow sports, the volcano of Alcomace reawakened around two hundred years ago and decimated the population on the western shore. Most of the lava flows since then have traveled east, reaching out to engulf a sister island about the same size as the original isle around Alcomace. It is still considered too hostile to settle permanently, though there are rumors of plans to try and dig for artifacts from the old villages in the brief years between eruptions.
Cookie Cay
A messy place settled by several kingdoms all at once before their forces met in the middle. To the north and south, however, Seraphoran populations squeezed their way to victory. After that, it was simply too large and strong an island to be taken again. The settlement to the north became Cantank Watch and the Cantank Forges as we know it today. Ships running Pelray's routes require constant maintenance, and with each voyage they first return to the (larger in modern times) Cantank Shipyard for a crew exchange and to prepare and begin a maintenance checklist. Maintenance is completed within thirteen hours of departure from Ironklad, and their food cargo then makes its way safely to its destination with a rested crew on a sturdy ship. The Crystalisian township of Loafe out west is home to a large Tabaxi population. Geribald's Bloodchoke to the south used to be a large army installation and is now a living military museum. The two central cities of Gammillease and Deulemire are among the largest urban centers in the world, and their construction was only made possible with the cooperation of all five kingdoms in the years shortly after unification.
Eylesbreach
Originally Blilttal, until the Year Restriction 188 incident in the central forge at Eylesborne, leaking molten material onto the streets and killing at least seventy people. The poor disaster response not just from within the city itself but also from Bitaklemm earned the island its new name in news reporting of the incident. The village of Firkanthot was founded by Frake Firkanthot, a former forge worker who survived the incident and amassed a large following from refugees and other concerned citizens in the wake of the disaster. He decided to create a safe haven for many people whose homes were destroyed as well as others who were otherwise losing their confidence in Eylesborne's governance, and with the blessings of the Ilian Public Senate it was officially given its own trade loop independent of caravans through Eylesborne in the Year Restriction 194. After nearly a decade of cleanup, Eylesborne restarted its city forge in the first week of the first month of the Year Restriction 198. The production of advanced tools to be distributed throughout the Seraphoran and Crystalisian echoes was resumed later that year, beginning one of the most significant economic recoveries of the Restriction epoch. Bitaklemm did their best to stay out of the disaster efforts or fallout, instead using funds to do things such as repair and remake relatively new roads between the cities. While many very real hostilities were felt those centuries ago, what remains between two cities in much closer cooperation today are the fiercest sports rivalries known to history, especially in women's rugby.
Fachling
Nicknamed The Ugly Fachling by locals, this island is home to one of the happiest populations. From potato farmers at Barel to thriving music and dance academies at Tchouve, this island seems to have it all figured out. In large part, they owe their stability to the focus on rare minerals at Gelle, which did a lot to pull attention away from them during the war and currently fuels the island economy. The mine there is the only place that purple gold has been found to be naturally occurring.
Gailecroght
The muddy sands of Gailecroght are not ripe for much. The island is mostly not even settled, though Seraphorans used to consider it an important stronghold west of their claims at Captain Melvin's Seahorse, Tilly, and Fachling. The two large military installations of Ackrom and Cezal are still there, abandoned and rotting to the weather and tides. Occasionally, expeditions will go and explore them, either for pleasure or legitimate historical research or looting. Usually, one under the guise of another. Ackrom was perhaps one of the largest stores of food and weapons away from the mainlands and their keeps during the first millennium of the war. And Cezal is definitely the first compact military fortress of its kind, with more floors than it had walls.
Impunitysob
Named for an old Laknoits fable involving the tears of Cognocrux descending upon the ocean, this collection of pinprick islands is home to small camping settlements on recreational trips, but no larger construction projects have been attempted in its recent history. Seraphora once moored decommissioned ships here, the sunken remains of many of which are explorable by divers with sufficient experience today.
Phall
Home to several lush grasses that can only be cultivated underground, Phall is one of the richer islands west of the central mainlands. Four booming cities have probably solidified this status permanently. Tillykant is home to a large, decades-old, and mostly failed experiment to breed blue and white phallgrasses to grow on the surface. Around the farm and an ever-expanding and still generously funded research center grew a town whose population forced and allowed for massive expansion. Akrostheebai is named for its founder, Sinn Akrostheebai, grandchild of an aristocrat famous for being the center of more than a dozen political scandals in Tillykant. After the family's fall from grace, the people protested to "Send the Akrostheebais across the bay!" and Sinn eventually gave them what they wanted, starting a new settlement that, for its favorable housing policies and water management, quickly outgrew and outdeveloped Tillykant. FeylLlomaut is proud to host a culture centered around fame and acting. Theatres there are large and pompous, and around them many predecessors to modern reality chronicles got their start. It's a city where people try to make it big. Several modern chronicles have their printers there. Theyalin is Phall's rustic paradise, fostering a much simpler and slower pace of life and usually considered a retirement city.
Phimera
An important fortress of wealth for Seraphora was established here nearly twenty thousand years ago, the Seraphimfist Stronghold. This was done on Phimera's twin islet, while the primary island was instead reserved for the construction of ghost villages intended to bait navies and invading armies to waste their time and resources here. The real valuables were held deep underground and behind incredibly solid guard on the twin islet. The ghost town guards proved sufficient to keep the island from invaders, and the secret was never exposed. The hostile desert conditions of the primary island have led to the eventual rot of abandoned shells of military ghost towns, and the island's real claim to fame is a massive underground city grown from what used to be the Seraphimfist Stronghold. Though the twin islet still holds the only entrance and exit, the city itself has been gradually expanded enough to lie under bits of the primary island's coast. There are many worries about expanding any further, and construction has been halted indefinitely until we can have more solid answers as to many of the safety concerns.
Pikalar
Pikalar is an island known for being hard to restrict to one particular vibe. Mud flats and gravelly forests and swamps decorate Pikalar in unusually well-defined pocks and splotches. Near the center of it all lies a small farming community called Laussalar. Very few people born there stay there very long, but a surprising proportion of those who leave will eventually return and spend the tail end of their lives there. Tayla visited once, staying with a family who called themselves s Rothenakes.
Serenadria
A major player in modern politics, this island has the largest population relative to its land area and controls an impressive plurality of the Ilian Public Senate. There is an official-unofficial political bond for the caucus from Strandus, Serenadria City, and Occiserent Keep. Gimsgrumble usually doesn't play so nice, owing that to its xenophobic history and massive inward focus. Their local economy is run on tourism to Circshead, which they treat as a sort of unofficial Gimsgrumble bird zoo. The city of Gimsgrumble proper is the smallest on the island. The largest major settlement at Strandus is not really famous for any one thing. In their past, they were not dissimilar to Gimsgrumble, showing tourists around the marine life at the Strand. Unlike Gimsgrumble, however, people kept showing up and growing the city. Their local government structure has changed dozens of times over the centuries in an attempt to keep up, the most recent amendment to permanently disband the position of city mayor in favor of a mayoral council from all districts taking place last year. Occiserent Keep is the center of a large textiles trading empire, growing fibers and making beauty from raw materials harvested there. Clothiers' conventions and other related events are often hosted here for its resources and notoriety. The only such industry they seem to lack is the trade and manufacture of furs, being outcompeted even by Gimsgrumble. The island's flagship settlement of Serenadria City is riddled with mercenary activities and run by crime. As such, there are major calls from within and without Serenadria to lessen the city's hold on the Ilian Public Senate. Of course, let the gods of irony declare that Serenadria City alone has, at the will of its criminal underground, the power to stop the Senate doing anything meaningful to reduce their influence. This is especially true when they still have the support of Strandus and Occiserent Keep, despite and yet perhaps due to the corruption.
Skaldig
Noted for mountain ranges that quickly descend to a large mud flat surrounding two salt water lakes. Home to a mostly central population at Skaldigsberg, a town founded by Dwarves of Seraphora and quickly settled by Gnomes, Tabaxi, and others from Crystalis. While the town was quickly recaptured by a last ditch charge from the mountains, the Crystalisian population remained, soon joined by remnant pioneers from the other navies.
Teakest
Named for a poet, Jaillard Teakest, who devoted nearly a decade of his career to writing metaphor about the island's skull-like shape and basalt and the loving embrace of death before being asked to put poetry on pause and join the fight to take Infernal Talon for Seraphora in a morale victory over Emberlyn. He defected to Sontersbreath and took up tomato farming. His performances brought in some revenue, but more importantly brought communities together. It is for this reason, claims a former mayor Tayla interviewed, that the city of Missteak changed its name to honor him. Missteak once had a sister town, Myul, to the north. But it crumbled after a series of hard, hard floods, year after year for over thirty years. The population put up a fight, but more and more of them fled to Missteak until the orders were finally given to pack whatever anyone could take and use it to help Missteak build up to accommodate them. As Myul, former pride of the island, fell, Missteak's legacy of honoring Jaillard Teakest helped merge the two populations. The first city mayor of Missteak to be born in Myul held a surprise ceremony to rename the island in light of this fact.
Tilly
The isolated prison of Gyal resides on this island. Originally a place for Seraphora to hold hostages and prisoners of war, it is now a property of Avaloch and houses prisoners from all over the world. It has also been expanded greatly in recent years, two more floors ordered after Year Restriction 368 and another five for Year Restriction 397. Gyal is also the birthplace of the practice of prison visitation. For its otherwise isolated nature, there were some fears about the impact of loneliness on the rehabilitation of prisoners at Gyal. The large saltwater lake on the island is also a subject of some intense research, home to a population of shrimp not found elsewhere, and believed by some to be stewards of great wisdom.
Tohle
Perhaps most notable for the invention of the continental breakfast by Seraphoran soldiers at Continental Keep, the real history of the island lies in the Toll tower on the western shores. By patrolling the choppy waters west of the island and collecting tolls for the passage's use, a steady stream of treasure made its way onto the island. This hoard was stored atop the tallest mountain on the island until it eventually funded the peacetime transition in which both large military settlements were turned into townships. Nulpitor, a descendant of the Tohle family and fierce supporter of Lyndrake's call for unity, was chiefly responsible for financing the island's transition.
Trindue
Geographically one of the more bizarre islands Tayla has heard described. Trindue is home to three large freshwater lakes and an impressively tall mountain range, home to Ilia Khah's tallest mountain. Despite its temperate lakeshores and abundance of resources, it was mostly ignored until about two hundred years ago. A pair of explorers, Kaigh Fance and Flin Hapell, sought to be the first to reach the highest point in Ilia Khah. It is unknown whether they succeeded, but whatever happened, their lifelong partnership in adventure was dissolved somewhere along the way. They separated from each other, building their own separate lodgings but both choosing to remain on the island. These small camps eventually grew into villages as word of their ill-fortuned journey brought more curious explorers along. Kaigh Fance's camp became Citykaigh, and Flin Hapell's camp gave rise to Flin Hapell. What is interesting is how these cities could almost not be more different if they tried. Despite their origins, they were mostly established years after the deaths of Fance and Hapell, and their relationship in populace and in trade has always been essentially amicable, working together to sponsor and make safe several dozen trips up to the nearby peak of Kaigh-Hapell's Regret.
Twilight Islet
A trio of patches of sand with sparse trees and too many ducks. While there is very little in the way of permanent settlement or infrastructure, many more adventurous folks will make the trek and camp there, catching incredible views of Khah's Bows. One such view, Khah's Bows at Dusk (Year Restriction Prior 1339), by the Seraphoran painter G. Stomai has been immortalized not only in its reproduction in homes and by art students everywhere but in being the reason for the island's name.
Yellowjacket Bayous
A bit of a modern center of attention isle, even if tourism and immigration are on average exceptionally slow. While the annual longtail canoe drag race from Dalstave through the artificially constructed sandbar obstacle course and surrounding bog to Fvarlemier is popular, the real cultural of epicenter of the island (unanimous among interviewed locals) is held at Greater Dalstave. It is home to the largest population, and its city government also acts as the government for the whole island. Members of the Ilian Public Senate from Yellowjacket have always only ever come from Greater Dalstave. The aforementioned three cities are all located beneath mountain ranges on the island. On the surface, the small, collapsing town of Ramsbottom is essentially lost from cultural memory, one local interviewee seemingly confused that Tayla would mention it and even repeatedly doubting its existence. Those who remembered or spoke of it had nothing positive to say about its hiking trails, politicians, restaurants, or even its people. Tayla does write in the margins of one page that xe wonder if the town is even truly called 'Ramsbottom' or if that is simply a jab by disgruntled islanders.
Zephyria
There once was a thriving culture on Zephyria shortly prior to the Restriction. In more recent centuries, large tidal waves created lasting pools that washed away or otherwise destroyed homes, livelihoods, and just about anything else. What was once a paradise of gravel became a hostile patch of mud sticking out from the harsh waters. A large effort to rebuild was initiated by leaders from Seraphora, establishing New Zephe in honor of the island's old flagship port that used to stand about thirty miles north of the current city. The city is mostly an industrial park with a few schools and limited culinary options. The job of those who work the forges there is to prepare the ongoing restoration the island to its former glory and prominence in trade and export. So far, their progress at the village known by locals as the First Zephyria Settlement has been encouraging enough to keep up their funding and expensive demand for imports, racking up a credit bill that they will probably never pay off to the world that surrounds them. Reengineering an entire island over centuries isn't exactly a project one can ever decide to ceremoniously conclude, especially as standards continue to change and new improvements become continuously necessary.
Islands of Crystalis
Mainland Crystalis
Ancestral home to Elves, Gnomes, Yuan Ti, and Tabaxi. Its capital city is Crystalwynd, whose heraldry is the Raven after its confident and inquisitive nature. Other notable cities include Prismere, currently home to some of the most impressive optical and construction glass manufacturing in the world, Sparkling Grove, the oldest home of apple cider, and Glitterfall, named for a beautiful waterfall with healing properties and generally a popular vacation destination for its waterfront. The Gemstone Citadel has been converted to a museum of Crystalisian military heritage.
Beautarch's Loss
The island used to be a mining colony of Crystalis called Grimlyn before a massive cave-in that killed hundreds. The chief of operations, Destiel Beautarch, was questioned and eventually imprisoned for criminal negligence. In centuries since, his blame has given the island its more common name. Only in the last several decades has a recovery effort begun. Tayla spoke with a retired senator who has been leading the latest charge. Much rock has been moved, but much still remains before teams of specialists can be safely sent in.
Cobbler's Find
There is a noteworthy farm collective that exports gourds, nuts, and peonies at Fink. They usually get more shipping activity than the ports at Lambow's Port, though geography is also a clear factor in that. Lambow's Port is supposedly a quaint town filled with a culture of very patient people. This has been contrasted in Tayla's notes by the accounts of those from bustling Spork, a city filled with busybody inventors, many of whom are annoyed with the slow pace of life in nearby Lambow's Port. As the name would suggest, Spork (originally Hallesurd) is the place where the spork was invented. They are universally extremely proud of this, and the city's largest guild of inventors renamed itself the Spork Guild, after their thirtieth president's invention. The city followed suit as the guild's share of their economy grew in the decades that followed the change.
Dahm Kloff
A quaint sandbar that is almost entirely reliant on imports from Wanda Kloff. Favorable currents and some big, lucky names in chains like The Comfort Eagle and Amy's have made them a prosperous place to live. Dahmaphan is a self-proclaimed city of fraud and vice that prospers only by graces of laborers and traders in Wandestine. The two-road village of Fiegler is much more proud, having less but spending much more of their time and energy creating it for themselves.
Dergen Trove
The island with the iconic Goblinshead Lagoon at its center. It is located just south and west of the Fool's Trapsands, so hosts the Beaumercy Southwatch camp. Its major population center is the village of Earlet. At Earlet, a war between four crime bosses has essentially replaced the formal city government in all but title. Mayoral elections have lower and lower voter turnout each year, but most homes and even private businesses will fly certain flagging colors and put up signs signaling their opinions on the politics of the city's syndicates.
Eldoria Cay
The salted and peppered islands of Eldoria are too shallow and brutalized by tides to support a larger settlement. Martymer's Watch is a weather tower belonging to a small academy, the first meteorology school in Crystalis and all the world.
Ferri Isle
Named for the first and only Crystalisian queen to abdicate the throne, Ferri Aristocat. After the loss of her wife, she wanted nothing more than privacy and space to grieve. Knowing she would never find this in a wartime throne, she instead passed the torch to her cousin to lead Crystalis, ordering the construction of the tower of Fairwatch for her to reside and reminisce. The tower is now a museum to her life and the history of her family, who remain powerful Crystalisian aristocrats to this day. This move, of course, only increased the military importance of Brookehaven. Once an unassuming village, infrastructure was needed to constantly accommodate reinforcement and supplies from the mainland through Kannin. In her later years, Queen Ferri started to make appearances at the old town hall and rallied a movement for panilian peace. Eventually, Damiano Lyndrake would sneak away from his father to attend one of these gatherings, radicalizing him and sparking a flame to change our world forever. Damiano and Ferri would remain close pen pals until Ferri's eventual passing, their letters currently being held in the basement archives of Fairwatch.
Gwilvenne
Really a chain of smaller islands, this Crystalisian paradise of academics and agriculture has been home to a line of elven duchy at Greatdow that seem to be present in all of recorded history. Scholars at Juliadull designed and built the first refracting telescope, and citrus farmers at Fernsbarn bred the first tangelo. The island's largest city is also home to one of the oldest academies of Astronomy, Astronomie Juliadull, with one of the largest libraries of astronomical observation records in history. The chain is also a common seaworthiness test for new vessels from Cantank, as the straits between the islands allow for quick escapes to Juliadull for minor emergencies or even Cookie Cay or Launchpointe Pride for much more severe issues.
Immerlabs
Once a naval stronghold of Emberlyn, a wealthy Gnome by the name of Linus Imm (died Year Restriction Prior 378) bought out the land from them and began to fly Crystalisian heraldry along with her own. A hobbyist by nature, she became quite adept at the construction and maintenance of seacraft. Her weeks were spent with her dozens of cats at her home at the towers of Imm's Pride. She paid Emberlyn handsomely for their construction before the island was officially handed over to her. Every weekend, she would make the trek to Launchpoint Pride in order to test her latest pleasure cruiser on the open ocean.
Keira
A rough, glorified bar of sand and silt upon which a major player in the production of glassware lies. Marisse is famous for its functional glassware as well as an annual expo for glass artists. Belonging to Keira is the flat rock Ir which juts out immediately beyond the bay at Keira. Its rich population of frogs and salamanders is impressive, given it is basically just a rock.
Kyar Isthmuses
A terribly confusing shape for an island. Though the same should be said for just about every island that has ever come to be, our top minds in geology seem to focus quite a lot of their attention on the shape of this one as well as its content. Currently, the institute for working geology professionals in Dana is halfway through an eighty-year mission to discover what demands the geology community must make of the other sciences if they are to ever ascertain just how the islands came to be in the first place. That said, most residents of the island and even Dana are much too concerned with their everyday lives to participate in the fascinating particulars of the geological improbability of Kyar. The island's civilized history begins with an army colony camp established by Emberlyn at Ky. The people there found the island hard enough to explore and map that they allowed the Crystalisian settlement at Fehrnaut to go up unopposed over the course of six years. Eventually, it was a Crystalisian patrol that discovered Ky and planned the first of many strikes. The locals don't seem to have a very good memory for the exact history. Some claims Verdantia swept in for quite a while, others claim the Verdantia part is mere myth. The outcome, though, lives today. Crystalis won Ky, kept Fehrnaut, and built Dana.
Laouet
Known for its silt-rich tidal lowlands and history of aviation hopefuls. The first known settlement of this island was done by Emberlyn, though their small survey camp was quickly taken over by Crystalis and became the village of Graycut. The larger town of Stonesblood has a similar history, once run by Emberlyn but captured and rebuilt, this time by Crystalisian clergy to preserve rituals, traditions, and oral histories. The large military city on the island, Kannin, was built primarily to provide armed convoys for trading vessels headed to the far reaches of the Crystalisian west territories. Their port is still among the largest in the world, with the capacity to service six dozen large warships or tankers, with an additional six hundred bays for smaller and personal craft. The last major point of interest Tayla notes is the Klass Monument to the life and achievements of aviation innovator Philstria Klass, the last of the major aviators from Laouet. He was known for an end of life and last ditch attempt to make it to Khah Rukk in his old age, essentially strapping as many rockets as he could to a barstool with no safe return plan and some supplies including a lifetime supply of wine (the number of bottles a subject of some apparent debate among Graycut locals). On his attempt, he did not make it to Khah Rukk like he had hoped. Instead, his flame was extinguished a proud two minutes and thirty eight seconds after launch, the monument being constructed over what was his impact site and final resting place those centuries ago.
Luminara Peninsula
A hostile mud isle speckled with saltwater lakes. Only local fish, grasses, birds, shrews, and worms seem to live here. Luminara Tower used to be a Crystalisian outpost, but now is not actively protected or staffed. Jagged rocks to the north of the peninsula make the hike to the rest of the land too difficult to be worth it. Instead, one usually just sails. The coasts are hostile, and so boats usually have to sail quite far out in an arc up to the northern tip. Hence, the peninsula is often considered a separate island. While some have proposed plans to create a safe trail, they are hard to find support for. So few people would use it. Officially, Luminara has a population of zero.
Opuntia
The land of plenty was the Crystalisian claim to many metals which became the basis for their invention of many of the technologies that revitalized their dominance in construction and ship weapons around the supposed time of the Seadevastator's construction. Serenova has always been the fort most responsible for mining and construction in silver and steel here, founded by an alchemist named Seren Tlar Eremaal and given more than enough support from the mainland to settle the place and watch it grow to supreme productivity among the world's metal cities at the time and into today. Wealth from this project and a growing population demanded the city split into two, Serenova eventually becoming too big in its borders to be adequately maintained. Blissmere was founded, and immigration quickly helped the new city grow to equal Serenova. Its lands were not as fertile, however, and lacked the metal ores as could be found in quarries east and west of Serenova. Blissmere instead functioned by cooperation with Serenova, being the site of much of the production of goods from refined metals delivered in weekly caravans from Serenova. Blissmere quickly became known for its incredibly high production quality and reliability, and those leading production were able to make great profit. A large wealth divide quickly took shape between the richest members enjoying their city of bliss while many workers who settled the north Opuntia shores and created that vibrant culture felt left behind. The eventual solution to this was brought by Veritas Vox, who called for a farming and forgeworks town to be founded. This, of course, is what would become Abundora. The largely dwarvish population there very quickly made it feel like a home for themselves, still supporting Blissmere supporting Serenova, but from a safe distance with breathing room to enjoy their own local culture. The Abundora project was a success. Despite its size, it is by far wealthier than Blissmere on average, rivalling the export and import power of Serenova.
Rahsteiha
A humble chain of islands peppered with rocky hills and the birthplace of most modern standards for cooking oils at Hague. They grow none of their ingredients, but a few ancient families have passed their land, production sites, and secrets down from descendant to direct descendant. The chain has never had a standing population greater than 200 or so.
Rouben's Loop
Never formally settled, but the same patrols out of Blissmere that maintained a flag on Wheanbay kept up the Crystalisian flag here as well. It was first recorded and mapped by Rouben Loop-Garue, whose name is unsettlingly fitting for the thing keeping him in our history books. The site is, imaginably, a hot spot for beached whales and is frequently patrolled. Fishing activities are discouraged, though with very little in the way of legal mechanisms to stop them, the glow of fisher's lanterns seems to illuminate the island into and well past sunset night after night. It is a beautiful sight from the telescopes at Blissmere, or so many report.
Solara
Crystalisian Solara is the famous home to Rooke Cherade and her agricultural rebellion in early accordian times. The town of Cheradeville there has since been named in her honor. They outproduce Pelray's Ban in a number of fruits, including kiwi and apricots, and are otherwise a farm collective run very similarly to Pel. Solara has two major lakes, one with clear water home to most of the island's water supply. The smaller lake is much saltier than the oceans.
Spindley Reef
Home to a lone weatherwatcher's spire, this is essentially a long crag of rocks jutting up from beneath the sea that happens to be at the intersection of some fascinating currents, or so a watchwoman who Tayla interviewed seemed to believe.
Twinbars
Home to the Twinbar Reef, an impressive shallow pool that is the only known natural source of medicinal purple kelp. It initially confused me why there was no significant Twinbar village or settlement. As I read on through Tayla's notes, it became clear to me that nobody should have to live there. The island is dangerously hot and the waters are infested with predator fish. When they're not eating themselves or visiting kelpers, they seem to have a voracious appetite for the kelpers' boats. Moreover, it seems like very few plants that are not the purple kelp are willing to grow there at all. While export of purple kelp might be able to sustain a small local economy enough to receive enough to survive on in imports, this would probably lead to overharvesting and ecological devastation. In general, brave and desperate souls visit the island to harvest enough kelp to serve their purpose and never return, if they survive their journey. The only person Tayla ever heard of to make multiple trips was a young Tabaxi by the name of Skunky Tom. A resident of the town of Foler for some time, he apparently made a habit of serving as a sort of guide for those in need of purple kelp. He claimed to be highly allergic, and so could only help people get close enough to harvest it themselves.
Wanda Kloff
Wandestine is a place of serious people, polite but seemingly always in a hurry. A lot has rested on their shoulders, bailing the residents of Dahm Kloff out of more than a few ilianharmonious crises. Their standard of living it set marginally higher than that of Dahmaphan, the richer of two Dahm Kloff settlements, and they fight very hard to keep it that way, advancing forward themselves and dragging the residents of Dahm Kloff but a few feet behind them.
Watchkeeper's Crown
Originally settled as a vacation home of sorts for many of the ruling families of Crystalis, their high demands for what Town Sovereign would provide them eventually required more and more people move there, and at some point the emerging culture of those who were relocated to serve their rulers and had to stay year-round took over and gave the city and island its true identity. Later, when it started to feel not much different from other mainland cities, the ruling families got bored of Town Sovereign. But, they still wanted their vacation island somewhere they knew they had the resources to keep safe. Someone drew up plans for a new model vacation home for society's most powerful, and construction of the Tower Sovereign began in Year Restriction Prior 2239. Also beginning in that year was a brief civil war among a handful of ruling families from Crystalwynd and their hired assassins, starting an era of tumultuous and short-lived regimes in Crystalis. Each regime that came into power assumed they would be the ones to end the troubled times and rule for decades. They would refuse to visit the tower but also wanted to make their mark on its construction. Throughout the years, this trend continued. Rulers would require heavy modification to the plans for the tower, and parts of it would have to be torn down to be put back up a little differently. When things finally stabilized, a couple of the tower's designer liaisons to Crystalwynd suggested the practice be allowed to continue. This continued with the leaders of Crystalwynd until the Avaloch Accords, when as a sign of peace other leaders were given their chances to make their mark, too. Today, the tower is still unfinished in this very fashion and is a nightmare art piece that promises to walk a complicated line between its chaotic history and more accordian principles such as the panilian building codes and safety in construction.
Wheanbay
Never formally settled by Crystalis, though its flag was maintained there by patrols originating from Opuntia that came by on their checks of Rouben's loop. The annual Wheanbay Regatta, however, is an event that brings much attention to the patch of coarse sand. The racing grounds almost resemble a sparse settlement spanning the island, but there are no proper residents. Instead, crews camp there on a weekly rotation during the year to prepare for the big race. The governing board hosts an exhibition team, the Wheanbay Packers, who perform stunts along the year's course to show it off the day before the real race. They are so named for a stunt they do at least once every five years, using paddled dinghies to supplement the propulsion and maneuvering capabilities of a large, more-than-full cargo vessel, which they take through the raceway and attempt to lose minimal cargo. These days, the race has been taken over by Avaloch, and the prize pool seems to be steadily growing year after year for the last thirty years or so.
Islands of Ebonreach
Mainland Ebonreach
Once proud of their connection to simpler matters, Ebonreach is quickly attempting to pull itself forward in technological and academic development. Since the accords of Avaloch have pulled their focus away from a military in survival and preservation mode and an economy of total war, they seem to be massively succeeding. Their capital is Mountport, a mountainside seaport town with people and music almost as interesting as its geography. They fly the heraldry of a scorpion for its exoskeleton and soft body. This city is often referred to as the birthplace of the reality chronicles and so is also usually called a bastion of vanity, though its culinary lifeblood is strong and apparent on every street corner. TKP is headquartered here, though their actual buildings are all within the extended suburb outside the heart of the city. On the northern extent of the island, we find the other large towns of Darkwater and Raven's Watch. From Tayla's notes and interviews, it is abundantly clear that they are in no competition with Mountport in just about any aspect. People tend to like the beaches of Raven's Watch better, though the murky river at Darkwater used to be a tourist spot. That mostly died, though, and took Darkwater's economy with it. The village of Shadebrook is home to a small and secretive guild of mycomancers. Tayla only learned of them through the word of a traveler who passed through. Their hospitality was not cold, but it is clear there was much more than met the eye. Obsidian Citadel is run down and abandoned, having served its purpose during the great war, but now it serves to symbolize the Ebonreacher's move toward bigger and better things.
Burkyn Cove
A helpful flag to mark the entrance to a massive underwater cave system at its center. Submersible and diving technologies are currently unable to make heads or tails of it, but an engineer by the name of Bolis Whey is quoted in Tayla's notes promising that exciting work was being done while he was at Immerlabs. Similar to Veilla, there is little freshwater. The mixture of gravel and clay that composes the island's stripey beaches further makes the notion of proper settlement unattractive.
Caskey Isley
Sandy, gravely soil very analogous to much of mainland Verdantia, and littered with dense grasses. The town of Capers is home to a small bakery in the family of someone Tayla interviewed but failed to record the name of. He reported leaving due to high rates of storm disasters and the entire town being constantly in strife.
Dalas
The mud flats at Dalas are home to two large cities, neither readily accessible by port. Though, the channel through Dalas is responsible for an impressive amount of trade for those willing to pay the fees associated with mud travel from the flagship city of Mallay. This city is much more diverse than Osten, and owes that status to its history in relation to the settlement history of Dalas as a whole. A band of about half a dozen families of goblins from the mainland sick of watching their local economies be ravaged by and depend on war attempted to start a small and isolated community. They felt safe in that Dalas was seemingly ignored, save for a lone and slightly crooked flag from Crystalis, and established the colony of Osten much further south of where the present day city resides. This was, in some sense, their first mistake, as Crystalis only ignored defense of Dalas in that there was nobody to defend it from. For its inaugural two and a half years, the colony at Osten remained under siege. Support from the mainland only occasionally snuck supplies and reinforcements in. The original settlers were, predictably, quite displeased with this state of affairs, and eventually they began construction of the two city solution. They would move to and settle at Osten to have the community they dreamed of, and military efforts would be routed through Mallay, constructed just inland from a Crystalisian siege port. The original families are still governors of Osten by heritage, and modern Mallay is governed more democratically.
Ghouley Isley
A glorified, branching sandbar home to a small village rich in chickens and ways to cook them. The settlement of Ghouley is the birthplace of an impressive amount of modern culinary innovation. An academy for cooks, bakers, and chicken flayers there is the largest and most competitive culinary school in the world. While it is tough to get in, a retired faculty member told Tayla that mere admission before eventually flunking out should impress people at most restaurants you might want to work at. For an isle with such a prestigious culinary tradition around the world, however, most everyday folk don't care much about it. Through their families and oral traditions, knowledge of thousands of recipes for chicken survive, but nobody seems to care to write them down. Apparently, they all live somewhere in an archive at the Ghouley Institute for Foods and Food Traditions. They even do annual surveys to make sure they don't miss out on new ones. But something about the island's casual culture contrasts heavily with the firm and businesslike nature of their culinary school, and they seem to have a mutual understanding and like it that way. The culinary school has their own guard and hospital, functioning almost like an independent city within a city, and the governments of the two seldom seem to cooperate on anything.
Jobban Cay
Originally claimed by Ebonreacher scavengers intending to secure an easy-to-defend patch of extreme northerly land, they instead watched in horror as a coincidentally simultaneous invasion by Verdantia and Emberlyn pushed them out. Verdantia and Emberlyn continued to exchange command of the island for another three decades, until a large push by Verdantia became hugely victorious. Ebonreacher spies in Verdantia's navy reported the opportunity, and the newly crowned isle of Verdantia went under an immediate and effective siege that won them relatively stable control of the island to last until Avaloch. They were, during this time, quite grateful for the military engineering in Emberlyn to allow them to inherit and successfully hold a keep at Carlay. This keep was home to an experimental project to build giant, long range cannons. Emberlyn succeeded in this, and Ebonreach stole the weapons and never recreated them. The fixtures are now part of a large museum tour that encircles what is now mostly a city of mages and scholars from the Abjuration college at Carlay. Most of the island's trade is conducted at Bornaclay. This city was, strangely enough, ordered to be constructed by King Lyndrake. It was rare that monarchs of his time got involved with finer details like city planning, but it was regarded as part of his larger scheme for a planned panilian economy. That scheme may have failed, taking many other Lyndrake city projects with it, but this city did not fall. Instead, it is one of the most largely populated cities in the world, and by far the tallest and densest. While they outsource quite a lot, their horticulture is unmatched. Revolutions in integrating life with architecture have been born and transformed there as the city grows taller with each passing decade. Of course, we cannot forget the importance of the village of Foler here. Sitting on one of Jobban's sister islets, we observe a village that brought many of the famous flowering vines and cacti that give Bornaclay its identity into the attention span of those doing public works. Almost no decorative plants at Bornaclay are native to the city, instead coming from large farms underground at Foler.
Kalto
Strikingly similar in geography to Phall, this island has always been a little bit behind, a tradition it is unlikely to give up. Due to their histories and proximity, Kalto and its sister island spent a great many years in a constant state of battle. Parties from Kalto would go in and lose, and a counter raid would take everything they could grab and return to their homes and prosper. In the years following the Avaloch Accords, a center for peace was loosely established in tents on the beach. This settlement would eventually become Sandelaught, home to the global peace center where the Healing Hands Guild was formally chartered. Life in Sandelaught would not be possible without the industrial parks at Mandelaught, the primary trade center for Kalto and even larger than any of the trade ports on Phall. The old navy stronghold of Provincia is now the primary base of operations for HHG's peace fleet.
Locust's Focus
Hosts a small town called Hocus, whose mayor and librarian are always the same person. They were originally settled by shipbuilders from Serenova, who leased space on their island and heraldry claim to the town to Ebonreach in exchange for relative safety. The naval activity is basically all that stimulates the local economy, but for a small enough population this has proved essentially sufficient for most of history.
Lumpen
A swirling collection of muddy hills mostly devoid of natural plant life. Most of the local economy for harvested materials is found in the central straits of the isles, where various kelps and corals are selectively bred for use in underclothes, footwear, shipping supplies, and a coral butter typically used for cooking chicken. The homeplace of this coral butter and the city that processes most of the aquaculture is Croftsbarrow. Like its sister city Khastebarrow, it started as a large fortification intended to protect southwestern shipping lanes to Mainland Ebonreach with quick response times as they passed through heavily guarded Seraphoran and Crystalisian waters. The cities, while similar in design and constructed about the same time, functioned essentially independently. Croftsbarrow primarily responded to calls from the Tower Croft about threats to the north, and Khastebarrow had Tower Khast to help monitor the seas and protect cargo south of Lumpen.
Shadowlance Key
There is fertile soil, but very little of it, and very harsh weather. Some rather rugged folk have established a farm collective they call Lancet, but they export no goods. They essentially just want to sustain themselves and be left alone.
Sipper's Strip
The center of operations for a cold micro-war with Verdantia at Marisong. This island is a big, glorified patch of dirt, wetted by strong currents through its central stream splashing in from the tides in the east and washing out west. The Gilded Watch (named for its first presiding officer, a goblin admiral named W.H. Gilded, according to a descendant of Gilded with whom Tayla spoke on more than one occasion) was a massive military strategy center, chiefly focused on preparatory warfare measures and monitoring the stronghold at Sirenbay. As centuries dragged on and it was clear that Verdantia did not intend to use Sirenbay as they might have anticipated, they eventually started to move their population there. While they had to continuously import food and other supplies, many important cultural revolutions took place due to the material scarcity and rugged inventiveness found at the sprawling village of Seampest, including the Ebonreacher's aptitude with butter.
Styla
The rules of war were complicated, and Styla was a prime example of a people playing with their limits. Ebonreachers heavily fortified an out of the way island, building one of the largest military installations at the time (Fortified Styla, Year Restriction Prior 1199) and manning it to a ridiculous population. Duty rotations were every two months, and during the off-duty months soldiers were instructed to live and pursue hobbies in the essentially unarmed sprawling town of Saltedcrow. This model persisted and seemed to have an encouraging impact on the island's stability and its inhabitants' livelihoods. By the time this experiment's fruits became apparent, however, most islands had developed rich and difficult histories that would make replicating this model almost impossible. At the very least, that was the perception at the time, and such a project was never attempted. Eventually, Emberlyn started to take an interest in the island from the south at Kretic around the Year Restriction Prior 616. Ebonreach responded by constructing the fort Stokka. Today, Fortified Styla is home to the world's second largest library of literature and pamphlets as well as a massive storage and sorting facility for a worldwide exchange of ancient and magical artifacts. Stokka has become a stereotypical modern city. Saltedcrow remains a calm and wide town that appreciates life at its own sluggish pace, and to this day has not constructed a single bike lane.
Taennya Atoll
A fishing community stands there at Taena's Villa, named for an aide of Queen Surtha of Ebonreach who ran away from the palace to start a new life for herself and her wife. They mostly lived off the land for three years until they were eventually found by accident and arrested by the crew of an exploratory vessel loyal to Surtha's crown. While their fate is lost to history, the controversy over their imprisonment split the crew and eventually led to mutiny. Taena's sympathizers, also on the run from Ebonreach, settled at the Atoll. It is the community of their descendants which stands there today.
Thepyll
Sandy and hot half the year and muddy and grey the other. The Camp at Pyll hosts the annual M02 Pyll Camp festival to celebrate community, art, self-expression, and self-reliance. Most of the year, it is uninhabited. Those hosting and organizing set up and rebuild each M01.
Tolled Bayou
Seeing opportunity in the frustration caused by the toll collectors at nearby Tohle, residents of the island decided to erect a Second Toll for the waterway through their island. If a ship could remain close to shore and avoid detection by Tohle's fleet, they would earn access to Second Toll and an escorted passage through the island to exit at the port of Old Gone Rock. This port was originally named Rockport, but one of the earlier voyagers from Vadd stole the rock after which the port was named. It was precisely this theft which inspired a hefty and mandatory fee to cover the heavily armed escort through the island and out past Old Gone Rock. The village of Shobbe is quite dense for its relatively low economic activity on the island. Its sister village of Hanad is much more interesting, growing more and more rich as tourism for a local regatta team, the Hanad Bats, has steadily increased. They seem to be spending most of their tourist money on renovations to make the city even more appealing for tourists to spend more money. Consequently, residents have been moving to Shobbe, but not bringing much of the money the village needs to accommodate an exploding population. The only major place on the island with a stable and boring history is the aptly-named old city of Cleyvan's Stillness. Its name comes from the settler whose family got the city started, Cleyvan Whimsbreath.
Tussler's Trefoil
Three rocky islands born of three dormant volcanoes, each has its own major settlement. Crusher's Reprieve to the east is known for its connections to the paranormal and enthusiasts of alternative histories. They're weird, kooky, a little absurd, and they like it that way. Triskelion City tries its best to be more highbrow, definitely the most posh city of the three, though it isn't any richer on average. Huttenterna is a little bit sandy and prides itself on having an authentic and rugged personality even if it looks a bit rougher around the edges. There is a single chromatelegraphy station on a deepwater rig in the tripartite island's center, and it communicates with three real deepwater stations, one at the end of each of the straits through the island. This often leads to an interesting traffic situation, but it's not quite bad enough to justify the sort of system overhaul it would take to bring up new stations and involve them in the echoflow.
Tyne
A peculiar arrangement of land and home to a less than diverse population of mostly goblins and minotaurs. All local histories point to Greater Jyst as the first settlement on the island, a portside camp at on the north shores growing to the village of Jyst as Ebonreacher activity from Mallay to Tyne became more and more common. The cities are remarkably similar in population and in energy, and quite a large number of middle class citizens are able to afford and maintain homes in both major villages. Neither village has a Laknoits temple, which is perhaps odd for their noteworthy joint population. Instead, it seems Laknoits activity is mostly camped in small groves off the road between the two. The Smas Spypoint tower south of the main island of Tyne was used to peer across the channel between Tyne and Thao Atoll in hopes to dispatch word or naval activity to intercept or outrun any foreign forces spotted. This practice was discontinued before the end of the war, though, after an incident in which an Ebonreacher fishing trawler was wrongfully boarded and seized and some of its crew gravely injured. The leadership at Smas responsible were removed from their posts, and nobody could or would take over and continue the tower's tradition. It was eventually converted into a beach resort, but kept the name.
Vaulb Plateaus
Home to massive natural rock stairs, including unsmooth fields around the sea perimeter. It was originally home to a secret Crystalisian naval dock, Crysthaven, before being discovered and eventually captured and held by Ebonreach. Immediately, they constructed the keep of Henbaere to the north and Fort Pealot to the south. Modern urban centers include Vaulb, whose founding shortly after the time of the Accords prompted the island to be re-named from Cresthaven, and the much larger city and its old capitol of Esterwind, home to a vibrant culture of musicians and actors. In modern times, the dock at Crysthaven was remodeled into a greenhouse, and the city itself grows much of the island's food, the rest being imported from Solara and Pelray's Ban at Vaulb.
Whiteline
The sands of Whiteline seem to have organized themselves onto two mostly flat plains that join at differing heights somewhere in the middle, amounting to a two story drop east to west. It is lost to history why locals called this topographical divide the white line, but the island of the white line has had its accordian history defined by a willingness to work around it. The real miracle of Whiteline is the city of Shortlyfere, what became of the villages of Xeph and Corinna which were erected independently east and west of the white line. Before then, only two notable towns are ever mentioned, and they still stand today. Bay's Barn to the east is the island's military fort and long-term food storage, though the fort has since become a small farm collective. The town is mostly self reliant. Whayleave was built around the security that Bay's Barn could provide and hoped to be somewhere that families would be safe. It was raided many times, and the culture and old buildings still reflect this. Xeph and Corinna were both founded around the time of the famous Lyndrake address, each only a few miles away from the white line. Developing and expanding, they met in the middle, squabbled over what to do next, and at some point before a decision could be made the arguments appear to have fizzled out. The people did not seem to mind the difference. Citizens started to use the white line to see friends and even family, and many people were hurt in their attempts to rappel safely. Goods were often delivered with buckets and rope without much issue. Eventually it was Corinna, high up to the west, which allocated funds to excavate massive staircases every quarter-mile along the entire white line. The project was completed in the Year Restriction 39. Over the next decade, people and other affairs continued to mingle as if the white line was never there. The unified city of Shortlyfere was born of this immediately thereafter, and recognized on parchment in the Year Restriction 62.
Islands of Verdantia
Mainland Verdantia
At Fernholm the first government to tame the gravel plains of Verdantia laid their capital. Verdantia chose Octopus heraldry for intellectual might and dexterity. Fernholm has been redesigned again and again to manage the traffic it gets as a shipping hub, though it has been about sixty years since its last major overhaul. A shipyard at Vertidaiz was constructed about two hundred years ago to pull some of the traffic away from Fernholm, though the gravel road network between the two cities still leaves much to be desired. What little farming happens on the island is confined to the village of Mossridge. Mostly, the people there grow root vegetables and love their rum. The Evergreen Citadel was built to defend the Verdantial Library of Science and Commerce, what is still the largest library in the world. Most of the youthful population in the mainland resides at Sylvan's Haven, named for its lineage of presiding chancellors. The capital itself is seeing a steady decline in birth rates, and no suitable explanation or solution has yet been pinned down.
Angler's Atoll
While this atoll has always been patrolled by Verdantia's navy and the inhabiting families are explicitly and outwardly Verdantial, it may as well have been as neutral as Avaloch for all of recorded history. Fishers from all the kingdoms moor here and catch what they can before returning home and selling their catch. There is one small permanent settlement there, a sparse and glorified encampment home to about eighty eight individuals. They pride themselves in their excellent recordkeeping, including a large collection of volumes containing the names of all fishers who have come ashore for a meal and some island hospitality dating back at least two thousand years.
Aortus
Consistently considered the prettiest island out there, by locals and visitors alike. Its interior waters are the most beautiful cerulean green, they will say, and the people seem to really be in love with Avaloch. There is an entire academy in its capital city of Aore devoted to accordian history and law. The island used to be considered little more than a patch of mediocre dirt standing atop huge amounts of rich and soft ore. Aortus Mine still operates on this principle today, though now it is owned and governed by Aore directly, despite its population being on par with that of Aore. By population, the largest city on the island is Applebrandy, which was from its inception meant to be a booming and jovial center for population growth and consumer goods consumption. Chief among them, the brandy-like drink made from the yellow apple orchards west of the central bridge, the only such orchards in the world. Its export and some of the lore that has been built up around it pads the economy of the whole island, thanks to huge tariffs set by the first Capital Mayor of Aore and Aortus, Hilsop, in the Year Restriction 171. Contrast this with the village of Whyndsbreast and its economy driven essentially entirely by innovation that is meant to reshape itself and cities on all other islands, too. Very big, serious thinkers are born and die in Whyndsbreast.
Aurorin Cay
What used to be a vault at Aurorin has been buried by time and has managed to sink too deep for modern recovery efforts to make any headway. Some have even rumored that Aurorin's vault is a myth. Whatever the truth, the vault is not there on the surface now. Nothing is, save for a big patch of dirt and what remains of the local flora and fauna after centuries of frantic searches for the vault. The ghost townships that used to be there at the height of the mystery and excavation have crumbled, and the Aurorin of today is essentially boring and without life.
Beaulonge Coralstones
Atop one gigantic coral superorganism lies a small research village, Keual, whose purpose is to sustain the families of researchers who spend decades there studying the phenomenon. Some properties of the organism include color camouflage and apparent basic intelligence. Originally, the organism's land was held by military forces from Emberlyn as a kind of strategic hub for their western extent. When Verdantia invaded and stole some notes on the organism, they very quickly surrounded it with their navy and protected it at all costs. Emberlyn never did reclaim the coralstones. It is rumored they were named by a child of a captain from Verdantia's imperial navy, personifying new life in an adorable package that history has kept with us.
Ceil
Ceilisse is a mining town that oversees the gold and copper mines of Blanchehold beneath the island's Blanch mountain range. The roles were originally reversed, with refineries being protected beneath the mountains and miners being sent to extract ore from beneath modern day Ceilisse. Eventually, however, the supply available under Ceilisse started to dry up. The island's economy stagnated for several decades, but an accordian exchange of technology brought mining inventions from Seraphora such as coal seam seeders and started up the current economy of harvesting metals from tunnels beneath and between the mountains of Ceil.
Marisong Isle
A large and mostly hilly island with a sparse mountain range on its eastern shore. Here, you will find the Mythos Reef, where many worshippers of the minor pantheons have claimed to have been given visions. Around this phenomenon, the tourist trap of Mythos City has been built. In wartime, this island was held by Verdantia at the Sirenbay Stronghold, but spent its preaccordian history essentially uncontested.
Marth
What the sands and mountains of Marth lack in population density they make up for in a diverse, vibrant, and unique culture. This island, unlike all others, discourages tourism and has its own currency. After the Avaloch Accords, a civil war broke out among the new panilian island government. A republican separatist faction eventually won, but the war took about thirteen years. Avaloch was aware of the issue but chose to remain silent, with a few dissenting voices choosing not to dissent with anything stronger than their voices while the council was in session. Neither faction could afford a naval war without support. Instead, they fought on land. Mercenaries and merchants set up a camp at Yarbridge, a longtime site of stalemate for either side's progress, that eventually became the largest city on the island. The separatists called their home city Crokky, while the accordian faction conducted most of their operations in the once quiet village of Jayel. The bloodshed of war is still well within everyone's cultural memory, and the island does not yet appear ready to have discourse about the pros and cons of rejoining Avaloch.
Pelray's Ban
Perhaps the most important island in the world, home to half our farmland and almost two thirds of our annual food production. According to Tayla's estimations, this works out to about ten million mouths of food each year. Major settlements noted are Ironklad, the protective fortress that holds food until it can be shipped, and the Pel Collective, a central hub for agricultural business essentials. The population of the Pel Farm Collective is quite humbly small, as most farmers usually bring harvest trade in and pack supplies back out to their isolated farmsteads across the island. Of note is the partially-complete artificial Sulleloche north and east of the main farmlands. It is settled, but not as impressively productive as Damiano Lyndrake would have hoped.
Pericynthion
A relatively hostile island, very muddy and vulnerable to the tides. Its two villages are just about as close to being inland as one can get here. Mert is home to the world's first clock tower, which rather unfortunately has not been maintained for the last century and has not been functional for about three quarters of that time. Most shipping and interisland activities happen through Mert, boats essentially beaching themselves in the narrower northeast firth. Socyet was established much later, and is the site of an impressive set of towers on either side, which are its claim to fame. The western tower is an insect farm that keeps a gigantic silk moth population. They progress through their life cycle vertically, hatching on the lowest floors and spending their productive life on the top floor making silk. This silk is carted to the eastern tower, which is the world's largest textiles building. Fabric exports from Socyet incur a set of taxes passing through Mert, but in the long run they save on natural damage that would be done were they to try and set up a port settlement of their own any more accessible than Mert's gulf.
Phunkta
As far as retirement destinations goes, few delights can top the snowy, sandy mountains that litter this land in three ranges. Most island governance, preservation, and lands maintenance is run from the high tower of Phaxx, and ancient prison which is still run like one. The city of Phekdad is the real pride and joy of the island, home to artifacts from every world culture due to its complicated wartime history. The Phekdad Historical Treasury established on honor of this history has grown immense, with branches on many islands supporting archeological efforts and cataloguing anything and everything taken from the ground. Their catalogue is often considered the gold standard for artifacts and treasures, and anything that isn't in their catalogue is extremely hard to sell outside of those extremely shady places.
Polet
The mountains of Polet are somewhat unique in that they are snowy most of the year. The mostly indoor city of Thasetei has attempted to take hold of tourism there, and every other building in most business districts claims to be the best mountain guide. The real backbone to the island's life and culture is the fully indoor village tower of Ploray, though there has been a recent mass migration to Thasetei in light of a widening class divide between the lower and upper floors of Ploray.
See
This island is not impossibly small but easily missed under the highest tides. Tayla never spoke to anyone who claimed to live there, but a few explorers have reported details of its shape and location, as well as its coconut tree and salamander population.
Serenadria Strand
Not much more than a quick grab to spite Emberlyn. Once they realized the strand was not realistically inhabitable, they abandoned it. Verdantia swooped in with little more than a couple dozen flags and occasionally came back to sneak more up as theirs were torn down less than systematically.
Thao Atoll
An island noted for its population of bees, who survive despite an insufficient flower population on the sap of plentiful walnut and sycamore trees in a large forest that stretches around the main ring. Toward the southeast ring the forest thins out and the soil changes, eventually becoming a wetland dense with vernal pools. The twin cities of Thaos and Thaos Major are connected by boat rather than road, as most of the island's forest terrain is very dense, hilly, and difficult to hike with any significant amount of cargo. These cities constitute the island's main settlement and governance. They are notable for a weird city governance tradition, in that city officials from one city are elected among the population of the other. After their time in service, they must live in the city they served for at least five years. This and hourly boats between the cities has left them essentially becoming two districts of one large city, especially with no competing urban centers of note on the island. Their cultures, accents, and even slang are indistinguishable. In and around the island's wetlands are the Mahrksey Camp and Mahrksey Tower, which are actually small stations of a visiting faction governed by Crusher's Reprieve. The Mahrksey Camp is there to study the world's only freshwater shrimp population and attempt habitat preservation and population conservation. They are too far inland for supply ships to reach, however, and ships that once brought supplies would only visit during harvest. This proved inconvenient, and later the camp's leaders requested a tower and dock be constructed to the north where the soil, weather, and vegetation would permit the supply runs year round. The necessary boat infrastructure was modeled after nearby Thaos and Thaos Major.
Thickenflat
Its geography is exactly what its name would have you believe. Originally, the magic tower Piperales Academy and supporting Academy Stronghold were set up by Verdantial naval mages to keep watch on the Ebonreacher Druids of what was at the time called Margolove's Grove. In times of peace, the two islands ditched their history of espionage and distrust in favor of a cooperation, unified around the purpose of keeping peppercorn magic alive. Currently, Piperales is the only peppercorn magic academy in the world, handling the culinary, defensive, illusory, and enchanting properties of the magical peppercorns from grown at Olepep. Piperales Tower and Ole Peppermill are more modern constructions, built and maintained publicly to support the preserved art as the tradition's popularity grows and the student body and academy community demand their sacred magical and botanical traditions be handled efficiently on larger and larger scales.
Twinbows
Two prominent sandbars, the Twinbow Inlet sitting in some sense within its larger sister bar. A popular destination for whalewatchers and outdoorsy honeymooners.
Vadd
A small rocky stage upon which the Vadd Post operates. This is the shipyard used by Ilia Post and home to the building where most of their administrative duties are conducted.
Verdora Shoals
This island is mostly flat, save for two high mountain ridges. Originally the Verdora Towneship there was a military camp designed to pressure and keep an eye on Verdantia's Ebonreacher neighbors. As is the story with many near-mainland islands, the start of its wartime possession is the start of its political stability. Reinforcements were too close, and to risk a failed attack and lose that many forces so close to another mainland was too great a risk to one's own. As the war raged on, Verdantia needed to make Verdora stronger. They turned their military camp into a heavily guarded civilian village with its own naval base and coast guard operating nearby. During this transition, a larger food supply was needed. Not wanting to compromise the security and stability of mainland shipping lanes, they chose to explore the shoals for a larger patch of fertile land, eventually establishing a sister village at the Verdora Croplands. This sister village is still an impressive farm today to sustain locals, but is not globally competitive with farm collectives like Pel, Fink, or Angelica.
Islands of Emberlyn
Avaloch
While its inclusion here may be controversial given Avaloch's status as a place of neutrality, it is undoubtedly clear that the Lyndrake family transformed this patch of sand into the haven for unity we know today. The guild that maintains it is even named in their honor. Fighting stopped almost as soon as it started due to its location, and until Lucius Octavius Lyndrake the island was essentially ignored except by thrill seekers and the occasional researcher. This island is now home to the governing tower of Accordion, where the Ilian Public Senate meets and deliberates. Both main islets are inhabited by caretakers in the Lyndrake Public Services Guild, and both are guarded by forces from the five mainlands during Senate open and closed sessions.
Mainland Emberlyn
The capital city of Infernia flies dragon heraldry as a symbol of opportunistic cleverness and the willpower to defend what they have claimed. Its construction was necessary to deter encroachment by forces from Verdantia on that side of the central mountain range. Most of their commerce happened in Ashenfire, however, still one of the most lively economies in the world today known for its thriving nightlife. Its old capital of Emberlynne came under siege three times during preaccordian history, never quite being built back up to its old strength. Many Emberlynnies from all over the world still retire to the bayous just west of Emberlynne, mildly annoyed by the insect population but otherwise quite happy. Flamecrest Citadel is still an active military site where guard castes raise their young and hone their skills to prepare for service throughout their lifetimes. While controversial, the continuance of this practice is most certainly vital to maintaining the basis for the legitimacy of the Avaloch Accords.
Arrowcrest Atoll
While Emberlyn never officially put up a settlement at Arrowcrest, the jagged patch to the south separating the atoll from Crystalisian Luminara presented too good an opportunity to pass up. This is especially true of emotions early in the wartime when the other three kingdoms were mostly neutral and the main hostilities were between Emberlyn and Crystalis. They claimed a piece of land that Crystalis simply did not care to watch more closely, and their heraldry remained at Lookout Nortiapointe there until the end of the war. There has never been a permanent settlement aside from the telegrapher's station at Nortiapointe. At most, ships who have veered a bit too close to shore report sightings of small camps and their fires.
Billet Isle
Named for Captain Billet, a legendary figure who circled an island fastest and won a race, save for the fact that there was probably no Captain Billet and definitely no race. What stands there today is Rahnestilt, a meteorology guild's tower, and Pestillet, a small village.
Cooklet Isley
An construction project of Emberlyn dating to antiquity. Historians speculate that Emberlyn was jealous they had no substantial claim or sway in the history of Cookie Cay and so settled to build their own. It has never been properly fortified against the weather and tides, and most of the island's land is patchy, spotted, and sad. Looking much like a smaller cousin of Cookie Cay, this island is also home to essentially the same flora and fauna, though the populations have struggled and are in need of constant restock from Cookie proper. Emberlyn's only documented raids on Cookie Cay, conducted by pirates hired by their ancient monarchs, are to steal samples of life for exactly this purpose. The primary settlement on the island is Little Cooklet, whose economy is run on small restaurants. They have gone so far as to ban many restaurant chains from the interior of Ilia Khah from leasing or purchasing space on their shores. A visit to Cooklet and a positive experience with the Rekini was likely a big part of Lyndrake's inspiration to oversee the beginnings of a Sulleloche initiative.
Fool's Trapsands
Everyone knows it's dangerous, but a very long history of disaster and death make it clear that not everyone cares to exercise the right amount of caution. eventually, the Beaumercy was started here to attempt lifesaving missions. Currently, their on-island influence consists of three lookouts and small boat stations, the Beaumercy Tower West, Beaumercy Midpointe, and Beaumercy Tower East. These and their north and south watches on neighboring islands allow them to survey an estimated eighty-three percent of the island's shoreline and waterways. This and small patrols of rescue professionals who have trained for years in the dangerous waters of the trapsands ensure essentially full coverage throughout every day and night. Ships caught in rough currents and with keels damaged by corals are rescued and brought to the nearest camp to be given access to an emergency chromatelegraphy conduit and get their mission back on track. The Beaumercy then delivers them and as much of their cargo or ship as is salvageable either to the northwatch or southwatch to await pickup. Legends tell of the trapsands being dangerous and responsible for the disappearance of many ancient ships, including some rumors concerning the Seadevastator that Tayla was made aware of. Despite some niche popular culture interest, the Beaumercy does not conduct investigations for ancient ruins, relics, and treasure, and it does not permit visiting academics or enthusiasts to make their own attempts. Whatever has been lost there is, for the time being, lost there, though efforts from some patrols based at Sherdshoard have a long history of organizing dives that get as close to the trapsands as the Beaumercy will allow.
Fortune's Chain
As Ebonreach started to move their population to Seampest, forces from Crystalis thought to take over the dwindling settlement of Villetaidey. They had a good run, but ultimately it was Emberlyn to take and hold this desolate, sandy, windy place. Really, an aura of bad fortune consumes this place and its atmosphere, and its population continues to fall as within each family children grow up and decide to take up residence just about anywhere else.
Gevlan Atoll
Easily overlooked as it sits completely underwater, save for handfuls of trees, during most tides and weather events. Emberlyn claimed this piece of land and nobody ever contested them on it. Stolen goods and other rare, expensive, or bizarre trinkets have oft been buried and forgot here. Expeditions in modern times are somewhat rare, but never fruitful. Tayla met the lead diver on the expedition which recovered a piece of metal believed to be originally intended for the scarcely-documented warship of legend Seadevastator.
Greatsherd
A massive island that looks a bit like a shattered vase on a map, and the many cities and their distinctive cultures present on the island seem to reflect this. There is no attempt at something like a unifying island government, which is true of only a handful of islands these days, but if anyone is to hold out into the greatest reaches of our future, it will certainly be them second only to perhaps Marth. The city-states of Greatsherd have all persisted from their founding, and each represents a piece of the island's history under wartime and capture. Emberlyn were the first to get their hands on the island, establishing a fortified farm that became modern Soltentarve. Now, you can't find a fifteen foot circle in Soltentarve's downtown without access to the Soltentarve blueberries or their derivatives in the form of pies, jams, or pastries. The Ebonreachers came next, landing at Paradise Flats as well as sending expeditions to Great Glasner that would eventually settle at Glasnerrock. Both settlements would eventually become the deepwater hubs for the entirety of Greatsherd, and they still harbor the two largest populations. Seraphora came next, but did not have a chance to construct any new cities before the island was retaken by Emberlyn shortly before the arrival of Verdantia. Verdantia built Cuspots to begin their military campaign, but also established smaller Veorrhe to have a port on the island in the event their planned invasion and siege of Glasnerrock was to fail. Cuspots is now a major trade port stop on routes between New Ashenfire and Piperales. It was much later in the game when Crystalisian Sherdshoard, the pride of the island, was founded. They usurped Glasnerrock as the second deepwater hub and have even brought trade intentionally through the island on routes perpendicular to the side traffic making its way through Cuspots. Many of their leaders will credit innovation and a hardworking population as their keys to success, but multiple locals have all told Tayla the real secret is in their food. Their shores are a source of a naturally olive-flavored black salt, and it has lead to plates of amazing food breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner daily. It's something of an open secret among locals who proudly serve it to tourists and have it in their own homes, but it simply hasn't caught on as an export.
Ikhstrom
In an interesting turn of events that can be almost entirely attributed to early expansionist conflict on most islands surrounding the central mainlands, the city of Stromme is largely understood to be Emberlyn's first off-mainland colony and the very first large colony city of its kind. As such, communications past mainland Seraphora and to royals and military leaders in Emberlynne were vital. Many systems were tested, but eventually a large fire beacon in what became the Celletower was their chosen method of communication. Fearing the presence of spies on cargo and colony ships, the ship would instead record the relative intensity and proportion of blue in a flame at the top of the tower, to take back with them to representatives in Flamecrest. The tower itself was named for its longstanding tradition of being run and inhabited by cellists, who spent their nights playing together by the fire of their message back to their mainland government about the state of affairs on Ikhstrom and the waters surrounding it.
Infernal Talon
Named for its shape. A large and oddly shaped island that, had it been settled earlier by scouting parties elsewhere, it might have easily become the permanent home to tribes of Seraphoran agriculturalists. Instead, it was patrolled by Emberlyn's navy. A small settlement appeared at what is now called Sontersbreath to sustain and support circling warships, but for the Emberlynnie love of nutella most of their agricultural focus happened to extend to nearby Comaecis Reach. Moreover, the naval presence at Infernal Talon was primarily a way to secure their claim to the plant population there to keep citizens happy. In the times after the restriction, an interest in the resources and livelihood the island itself had to offer was reborn. This was done in part by some close descendants of the original founder settlers of Sicklebay's New Ashenfire. Too proud to return home, they missed the bustle they deliberately kept New Ashenfire's culture clean of. So, they packed up and left to start anew once more. Korban Fyar, one of the first modern wayfinders, pointed them in the direction of the northern tip of Infernal Talon. There, they built the city of New Newashenfire, largest and most prosperous of the Ashenfire triplets. Its culture is very similar to that of the original Ashenfire, but the people are notoriously more stubborn. Also, they loathe the turn of phrase 'swing that jop!' that became common among nobles in New Ashenfire. And, they have through early trade with Sontersbreath tried to place themselves on the map, leading to a rapid period of culinary inflation roughly 60 years ago that birthed uniquely New Newashenfire take on the Seraphoran rekini that locals like to call 'Rekini Al Dante Inferno.'
Kretic
Some of the calmest ocean shore swimming available in Ilia Khah is found here. Swim tourism to the northeast is mostly restricted to isolated and independent resorts, without the backing or support of a larger settlement. Not even the nearby Calltower, an abandoned relic from wartime, hosts a nearby presence for them. Most tourists and supplies to the resorts are filtered through the village of Foldikrete, and local guides to safely help tourists and supply caravans make it to the sparse resorts are in high demand, though most abhor the bizarre tourist network and system and advocate for the creation of a sister town, Starkikrete, with cobbled roads between it, Calltower, and all of the resorts. Foldikrete is proud to host a vibrant culture around innovation. The penny farthing fad was born and died in the streets of Foldikrete.
Marigold's Grace
So named and claimed for the life of Emberlyn's soldier-turned-floriculturist, Gull Tarnell, this island was essentially known for being a vast and bloody desert wasteland with small patches of marsh until Tarnell came along. Modern Marigold's Grace might as well be a mainland, completely transformed by its history. Originally an Ebonreacher's place of exile, the old kingdoms quickly realized what an advantageous acquisition the island would be. It went essentially unclaimed for most of history, finally coming under heraldry of Emberlyn off and on from around the Year Restriction Prior 678. But the focus of any story about this island and its history must be Gull Tarnell's famous dereliction of duty. Tayla spoke to one of the old administrators of the museum to his life at the Old Gull Estate, who explained that Gull Tarnell became distracted by the beauty he saw in sparse but vast fields of Marigolds and left his post at Emberlyn's stronghold of Bakinth to go and explore them, losing important paperwork that included orders for what modern scholars unanimously agree would have been a misguided troop movement and lost Emberlyn its post at Bakinth. Instead, continuing on their paths without new orders arriving in time, Emberlyn's soldiers successfully finished the first total conquest of the island in the Year Restriction Prior 679. Meanwhile, Tarnell had left Bakinth completely and turned to life as a marigold farmer, using pigments from the flowers to make paints in a process lost to history. While Gull Tarnell lived and died at his estate, the war ignored him. As the island's sands shifted, the best location to grow marigolds has since shifted east to Gullenvial, where a massive farming colony now resides to grow and sell plants that are not meant for food. At Gullencity Plastique, an old Verdantial military base has become a hub for artificers and artisans. The only impressive academies on the island are at Plisthelle, however, and the roads between the two twin cities have become so built up and populated by pockets of culture that it is becoming steadily harder to talk about the end of one settlement and the beginning of the next. Near this arrangement is Badanplenty, which was a farm that supported Bakinth, but is now mostly a mining town and rather lifeless despite its size. Locals would prefer to call it peaceful or calm. Bakinth, now supplied by Pel, is now the home of many popular sporting events. Tourism to these sporting events is what keeps the roads in and out of Port Floral alive, which the people of Gullenvial massively depend on. Port Floral is functionally a hub for the transit of people and plant matter on and off the island. It is exceptionally tiny for the traffic it gets even on its slowest days. The last point of interest in Tayla's notes is Blespit, which got started as a beautiful vacation spot for a handful of wealthy families in Verdantia sometime around the Year Restriction 80. Their servants lived full time and brought their families with them, who eventually brought friends. Before the original vacationers knew it, within about two decades, their little secret was being settled by folks from all five old kingdoms. It is currently a small and beautiful town without much in the way of tourism. Tayla was born there.
Playat
Playat is a relatively windy and dusty island, due in part to the rocky crags and walls surrounding it. As was the case in the time of war, there was a large fight as for whose heraldry should fly. At what has since become Clag, the remains of several flags and flagpoles can be found beneath the ground. Emberlyn seemed to play the part of the victorious underdog. What is notable today is an annual trip by the Ilian Public Senate to a landmark surrounding Clag, a certain punctured ring of Clay that looks like the Insignia of Laknoits. At its heart lies a very popular wishing well, used to support a sketchy city on an island that would probably not survive without government tourism and regular shipments from Ironklad.
Ribbey Sandpatch
Explorers from Emberlyn first reached this island and planted a flag atop a high hill, only to discover themselves in the middle of a war between metallic dragons on the island. They fled, and nobody has ever been bold enough to visit or contest the claim that the Emberlyn heraldry still stands there today.
Seasborel Cove
Seasborel is often considered a pleasure island thanks to the tourism and vices in Gespora, but this fails to describe or account for most of the island's history. Emberlyn fought hard to claim and hold the island, finally winning it toward the start of Lucius Octavius Lyndrake's rule. The Seraphoran settlement of Tadd beneath the primary mountain range connects to an impressive network of tunnels that gave the defenses there near infinite capacity to reinforce troops on evolving front lines. Emberlyn eventually won by causing a large series of tunnel collapses which have not been fully excavated to this day. Tadd has for most of its peacetime history paused its own attempts to breathe life into the tunnels once more, but a growing population has brought lots of enthusiasm to the issue, and newly elected leaders are drafting plans to resume such efforts with the will of their people behind them. Gilea's Tower was once used for navigation but eventually abandoned, being picked up by the wizard Gilea of Deulemire and remodeled to become an architectural feat twice its original size. Gilea disappeared without explanation between infrequent visits by caravans between Tadd's mountain entrance and Gespora, and the tower stands abandoned once more. Scouting parties have gone in once or twice, and people only seem to remember cobwebs and dusty books from their reports on events.
Sickle Island
Most known for the city of New Ashenfire, this peculiar patch of mud flats and sandstone mountains is essentially a big annoyance for many shipping lanes diverted around the fishers at Sickle Reef. Some will unload cargo at Sicklebay Harbor to make for faster travel around to the other side, where they pay caravans a hefty sum to deliver their cargo to a shore to be loaded by dinghy. This city is, aside from some older Crystalisian naval infrastructure, essentially a big patchwork of caravans looking to perform this service, as well as a few other stops for travelers through to and from New Ashenfire. On the southern tip of the island is the Beaumercy Northwatch, by far the smaller of the two permanent Beaumercy camps. The city of New Ashenfire itself is large but not superlative in any of its respects. It is much calmer than the bustle of Ashenfire, but its economies for food, music, and odd jobs are equal in strength.
Sickle Reef
While not an island proper, the fishing industry in Emberlyn would probably collapse were it not for this beautiful and close-to-home patch of shallow waters not made unreasonably dangerous by choppy seas like many other reefs in and around central Ilia Khah. Due to the prevalence of fishing here, it is illegal for shippers to take this sometimes obvious shortcut. Instead, they are routed around Sickle Island.
Snaggletooth Covet
What is most certainly a clerical error or jape has caught on among locals, though the glassy soil around the cove at Snaggletooth is certainly something worth coveting. The village of Toothspack is by no means a stereotypical tourist village, but devotes a great and centralized effort to promoting tourism and is doing well for it. Architecturally, not much has changed from the island's original history as an Ebonreacher military stronghold. The village has leaned into its history greatly, and attracts a ton of tourism from Ebonreacher mainlanders. Toothspack Tower is an abandoned historical site from the Ebonreacher days. There are no formal expeditions, but tourists with private boats or an affinity for the hike ensure it is almost certainly never without guests. In order to remain attractive to tourists in the long term, Toothspack has its interests in maintaining a brand across the island. The City by the Snag has been a repeated antagonist of this goal, bringing in Seraphoran architects and planners in their attempts to modernize and take more advantage of their position by the Snag mountain range and ancient volcanic site. The underground phase of construction has yet to begin, though the issue has been debated on and off the island for more than a century. In the last decade alone, the Ilian Public Senate has heard arguments on the issue more than twenty times. Tayla interviewed a person who left no name but was certain that amidst rising tensions in the city, some new hotshot mayor would come around sooner or later and just start the construction without telling anyone. That will make for quite the story, should it come to fruition.
Veilla Islet
Limited in population by its freshwater scarcity, the village of Darkliller there doesn't seem to stand out. It is peaceful and quiet, and those Tayla spoke with assured xem that they considered moving back every year. Mainlanders don't visit much, either, or so Tayla's notes will report.