Drifis (DRI fes)
Snake Island
Drifis is a major island of the Parcel Cluster in the Piercing Ocean. It lies east of the larger island of Kronar. The island's coast is dotted with tiny fishing hamlets, with the largest being Paras on the north coast. Its interior is largely uninhabited, with deep valleyed forests dominated by giant constrictor snakes known as Yig, sacred to the Parcel people of the island. It is the only island of the Parcel Cluster that does not have any giant mushrooms known as Taxites growing in its forests.
Drifis has been populated since the prehistoric periods, though these ancient settlers have long vanished, being replaced by Capedian in the Valmon Age. At the end of the Parcel War, Capdedian settlers and their descendants integrated with the small surviving population, taking on their customs and beliefs. According to a recent census, Drifis population has dwindled in recent years. Only about 600 people dwell in the city of Paras, and the other hamlets usually each only have a dozen or so inhabitants at best.
The island, just like the other Parcel islands, has a long history of Obsidian mining. Today, Drifis is the only site in the archipelago that still has major deposits of the ancient lava glass. Though use in obsidian tools has dwindled, it is still considered a luxury item and the people still export the material to the other islands, which in turn sell to the wider world. It its this luxury resource that has kept the tiny population still relevent in the greater Parcel political world.
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