Eskana

Eskana is the northernmost island in the Empire ruled by a quasi-military tribunal: the High Judges.

Its terrain is harsh, and its climate is persistently cold. The cities of Eskana are, Borogda, Lyvsk, Hansai, Galgan, Timatim, Lodar, Noyaya, Ervi, Sutrov, and Iskivo the island’s the capital city.

Due to its northern location, Eskana spends half the year in total darkness.

Culture

Eskanan culture is one that mixes survivalism and refinement. While Eskana is cold and boasts a hostile ecosystem, its residents are known to be skilled in the culinary arts. In particular, Eskanan foods (such as leviathan meats and fine wines) are exported all over the Empire, and are enjoyed by both commoners and nobles alike. Eskanan art, from architecture to fashion, has been described as "ornate and complex".

Some Eskanans live off the coast in the icey waters. They live in tightknit comunities in small to large sail boats all connected to a large icebreaker. The Icebreaker acts as a central hub for all the members of the community and where they work. At night during the storms they will sing together to stave off the madness...

Government

Eskana is ruled from the Citadel of Iskivo, within the People's Chamber. It is in here where a small council of sixteen sits, called the Presidium, made up of eleven men and five women. They are obedient to the High Judges, each a Secretary for the People of Eskana. Council members are voted in democratically, however there is only one political party, fielding one representative from each district of Eskana.

The High Judges hold the real power, also ranked as "Secretary for the People of Eskana", they are considered senior council members. They rule Eskana with an iron fist, they themselves being set to three members: Secretary Cushing, Secretary Taren, and Secretary Kalin.

The first hero of the Eskanan state, as well as one of its founders, was Karol Topek. In the many years following his death, he has since been commemorated with a large mosaic in his likeness in the Citadel of Iskivo

Eskana law prohibits citizens from acting against each other, thus in order to police the populace and enforce their iron rule, the Presidium employs a secret police unit called Operators. Operators wear featureless black uniforms and flat, opaque black metal masks. Their citizenship stripped, identity concealed behind the masks, Operators are anonymous agents, who are never seen by ordinary people. They come at night, and can make people disappear without a trace.

The people of Eskana long for the return of the Princes, who once ruled the island. Eskana is beset by bandits, by revolutionaries, encouraged by exiled Princes.

Prison Camps

Eskana utilizes penal labor camps located in the nation's center for incarceration, some of which have no surrounding walls to contain prisoners; a prisoner is considered free if they choose to flee. However, due to the area's harsh climate, no escaped prisoner has survived the trek to civilization in recorded history. The prison guards' only functions is to keep order in the camps and to punish prisoners who did not fulfill their job quotas, as they are ordered not to stop fleeing prisoners. The guards themselves are rotated to the camps in long tours. Due to the cold climate, they wear the heavy winter uniform of the Eskanan army, consisting of a fur-lined greatcoat, a wide-brimmed hat, a scarf woven from the pelt of a saber-toothed black bear and red snow goggles

Varying in size, ranging from small camps of a few dozen convicts to prisons the size of a small town. They also range in functions. Convicts of lesser offenses are doomed to harvest lumber; but lumber camps were not penitentiaries, merely "correctional" facilities. Prisoners might even one day return to society - a ghost of their former self, their rebellion worked out of them. Other prisons exist, such as quarries or mines. Utyrka being an infamous salt mine, to be sent to one of these camps would be to disappear. But, to be sent to a prison camp is to be granted freedom.

Geography

Eskana has a subartic climate and is covered in snow and darkness most of the year. Mostly surrounded by sheer ice and glaciers Eskana has a vast mountain range and beautifully lit cities.

Fauna & Flora

A particular type of bone charm, made in Eskana, is created from ice Seal tusks. Other notable fauna include tundra wolves and saber-toothed black bears, whose fangs were also used to craft bonecharms before whaling began.

Natural Resources

Eskana also produces exceptional metal ore, something that was sought after by Yarin Moto due to its superiority over The Vrayan Coast's native metals. The Royal Guards also use Eskanan ore to craft their sabres.

Type

Island

Related Ethnicities

• Ervian

The Songs of Eskana

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