Calphians
Calphians are those who reside on the Calphia Island, life is not easy on an island with two volcanos that could erupt at any given moment. Luckily for Calphians Mount Stasis hasn't erupted in hundreds of years and the Black Peak summit only erupts every 5 years. The small town of Ash Glen in the center of the Island has large ditches dug around the perimeter to help keep the lava out of the town and to help buy some time as everyone on the island has to be ready to run for shore in case of an eruption. Where ships constantly wait day in and day out, stocked to the brim with supplies to live on, to take people out to sea in the event of an evacuation. When out at sea the ships keep the island within sight and wait for up to a day for the eruption to stop before heading back to town to evaluate the damage. If the eruption takes longer than a day to finish that ships head to a neighboring island they have a standing agreement with, for up to 8 weeks, while occasionally sending a ship to scout the island to see if the eruption has stopped.
Culture
Coming of Age Rites
Typically after schooling finished at age 12, and the child has been helping work around the community, at 15 years old a child is expected to make a trip to the apex of Black Peak Summit. The solitary trip is made to prove the child is mature enough to handle themselves and help the community. While at the apex the child is expected to observe the level of magma at the center to confirm that the volcano is still on a 5-year cycle. After the trip is made and the child reports on the state of the summit to the Island's Minister, they are considered an adult ready to face the challenges of the world.
Funerary and Memorial customs
Funerals on Calphia Island are times of appreciation for a life well-lived. Bodies are often dressed in their best clothes, and adorned with the symbols of Katsuna Goddess of Spirits rite of passage, insuring the soul makes it to the Proven fields to be judged by the goddess. These markings are often made with the sap of the Ashen Blackhaw flower, which is boiling hot, permanently marking the body. After this, a long parade up to the apex of the Black Peak Summit, or the less popular Mount Stasis, is made and after a goodbye from the family, the body is thrown into the center of the volcano.
Encompassed species
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