Sairald Isle

Sairald Isle
A volcanic island flanked to the East by the trading hub Greyholt Harbor and a fantastic sunken city. Inhabited by traders, pirates, and indigenous seafolk.
INFORMATION
Status:	Foreign lands
Capital:	Greyholt Harbor
Demonym:	Irrelnasr
Population:	Approx. 5,000-8,000
Currency:	Suail
Religion:	Aillesian

Sairald Isle, officially Sairald Airreln, is a region in the north/south/east/west/centre of the Amasynian Peninsula. It is bordered (borders).

The native Irrelnasr that have been inhabiting the island since the great sinking have a natural adaption for living in the sea. Many have gills, webbing between their fingers and toes and a nictitating eyelid to make living in the water possible. Others have additional mutations like scales, spines either venomous or otherwise, bioluminescence, colorful hair and markings on their skin. Children of Irrelneas born to foreigners won't enjoy the same mutations as their parent. The mutations dissipate quickly, leaving the subsequent generations with less and less until the third or fourth bear no resemblance to their aquatic predecessors.

The isolated nature of the land tends to sap the trust of any permanent settlers. The roaming traders, pirates, vengeful goddess, difficulty of living on such a land, hardens the locals. Those clinging to the past and call the sunken city home are even more cut off from the rest of the world.

History

The island was once a destination spot. Great to enjoy the view, even better to seek trade. Then one day the Island goddess Louyrah became displeased with the peoples' slacking off in way of prayer. To renew their faith and punish the lazy, she tore open a rift in the sea bed and had it swallow the city. A great volcano opened up and blasted molten rock onto the remaining end of the island to demolish what didn't sink into the waters. Koros, Louyrah's husband, took pity on the islanders and granted them gills and other features to enable their continued survival.

It took many years to recover from such an event. After time the volcano grew quiet, allowing the people to leave their aquatic city to build on land again. They used rock and coral, bound with mortar, to make houses and rebuild a port city. One ship happened across them, lost from a great storm, and they traded for lumber. More ships visited after that and it soon earned a proper name: Greyholt Harbor to commemorate the first captain to visit.

Sairald holds none of its former glory. Where once gold-touched halls with impressive artwork stood, now a random mix of stone and wood shacks and buildings stand. The roads are primitive and are cobblestone made of rock from the sea or chunks of it from the volcano. Most of the structures are decently maintained but others seem to be held together by magic alone.

Government

There is no real government that exists on, or below, Sairald. Bands of individuals, the crews of ships, cliques, and other such people have their own pecking order but there is nothing to bind them together. As a result there are no politics to speak of.

Law and Order

The police force is made of individuals hired by shopkeepers and other businessmen to keep their domains and wares safe. Theft is not tolerated in any way, shape or form. To be caught stealing means a swift and violent punishment, usually carried out by the victim. Murder is not an acceptable choice but the removal of fingers or hands is common, as are broken bones.

Military

Military, like any other infrastructure, is virtually nonexistent. The denizens on the island can band together to defeat a foe but there's no continued military service.

Geography

A great black volcano roughly 20 miles across, 5 high, makes up the west portion of the island with a massive flow extending another 40 to the east and south. Some extremely hardy trees with great foliage were imported a century ago to help break up the volcanic rock and form some usable soil, providing the framework for future agriculture. Some grasses cover the base of the Faiasirr Daedh Mountain with the trees slowly creeping up the sides. Snow covers the peak, thicker in winter, with melt waters during the spring and summer feeding the freshwater rivers that course along the land.

Cities

There is one major city on land and many smaller cities that are scattered about the above water portion of the island. The name of the major city through which the bulk of trade goes is Greyholt Harbor. Smaller villages creep up the side of the volcano but any have yet to be properly settled or transformed into a city.

The second city is the original one: Shailailr Caidirr. When the seabed beneath it cracked, it sank to the bottom and came to rest in the divide. What parts were broken have been mended or used for trade. Some was pulled from the water to construct the first buildings of Greyholt. As it is completely underwater, it doesn't see many visitors from the outside world and the natives are protective over it. Much of the city is now used as a temple in an effort to keep their island from being destroyed a second time. What has been seen is grand: gold and jewels can be found everywhere, used as offerings to appease Louyrah.

Travel

Travel to and from the island is limited because of its area, ship captains must be clever to get through the coral and the reefs about the land mass, but once there Greyholt Harbor is the primary destination for travelers to disembark. There are other smaller ports where private ships or people are able to come and go from the island but the majority of travel moves through Greyholt. Because the people of the island are an aquatic people, traveling underwater is possible but most prefer to take sailing vessels.

Climate

Local climate is tropical normally though there are long rainy seasons during which the the precipitation range fluctuates greatly. There is the potential during the rainy seasons for massive downpours and more likely that the island will experience many different variations of squalls, hail storms, tropical cyclones, hurricanes and flooding. When the weather is fine though, it is warm and mild.

The volcano has its own climate that has little to do with everything else. Being so tall, it's possible for a traveler to experience all four seasons in a single day if they try to run one of the passes that cross the huge feature. Deep snow encompasses the peaks during winter and the snow midway down melt over the warmer months, supplying the island with a freshwater supply.

Economy

Primarily the Economy of the island is based off trade of the bounty that is brought out of the sea. There is however a portion of it that is funded by scavenging parties which go to the old cities beneath the water and bring back the wealth of the people who were killed when the island was submerged. Some of the economy is bolstered by stripping down the ships that founder on nearby reefs, are attacked by local sea monsters, or find themselves run aground or capsized for any number of reasons. People are saved when possible but the ships and their contents become property of the island.

Culture

The people of this land worship a wed pair of deities. The Goddess Louyrah and her husband Koros.

Louyrah is a remorseless kind of goddess that at one point sunk the island. Those that had not been faithful in worship were killed in the sucking void as it was sunk. Louyrah is prayed to not only to keep her from destroying their home but also when they wish vengeance on someone or are looking for reprisal.

Koros is known to be much more forgiving, a benevolent God that is willing to walk among the people of the island at times. He gave the reprieve that saved them when the island was being sunk and he is normally the one that the faithful pray to when they desire something.

Worship once in the morning and once at night, then before going on a voyage, the ships of the people also have small altars, normally in the captain's cabin. Homes also hold small altars on which the islanders worship faithfully so be certain that the goddess will not find them unworthy and punish them again. There are no really constantly practiced holidays, just a harvest festival at which Louyrah and Koros are praised for their gifts during the harvest.

Tales of the island before it was sunk expound on relationships that the God Koros had with mortal maidens, bearing children onto the island and keeping the women hidden from his wife. Louyrah however was wise to the infidelities of her husband and it was proven when the island was submerged, the proof of which still remains above and beneath the water. Statues of women caught in volcanic rock can be seen scattered through the island that is above and the city that is below as though a sculptor caught them in a moment of terror. These are the women of Koros, trapped forever by his wife for their infidelity though the children he bore were allowed to survive and create their own families.

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