Oileán na Slatiascairí
Oileán na Slatiascairí was once the primary fishing village serving needs of the Isle of Seanachai before the Blight. Now, the nexus of power left behind by the fae crossing that was once at the island's center have made it a hotbed of conflict for entities who would seek to control it.
Geography
As the island was once covered in forest, left in its natural state as much as possible, the majority of the island is now covered in barren, lifeless trees of Void-petrified wood. Every inch of plant life that once carpeted the lush island is gone, leaving cracked, barren earth in its wake. The waters of its springs and lakes have become dark and polluted, completely inundated with Void energy, and the Ephemeral Sea surrounding the island turned its once sugary white sand beaches black. Partially-destroyed docks remain as signposts to the desolate ruins of the once-quaint cottages that hid among the thickets of trees, with them and other buildings taken down to their foundations, leaving their prior purposes nigh unrecognizable.
Localized Phenomena
The fae crossing at the center of the enchanted spring, though its entrance is sealed off on either end from both the fae and the departed gods of Cairne, is still a nexus of immense power from the residual fae energy that remains in its place. With it being the lone crossing on the island, any entity who gains control over this nexus of power would have the entire island as their domain, unlike on the Isle of Seanachai with its several fae crossings, where borders would have to be drawn. Oileán na Slatiascairí is of particular interest to Synchordia Demonda and the Drowned, and the nature of that power being fae in origin has recently drawn the interest of the Court of the Shadowgrove, too. The Order of the Black Flame and the Lachrymatory Conclave, though not desirous of the power the island offers, do sometimes involve themselves in the name of keeping the others away from their interests, often by creatively manipulating them to pit them against each other. This has made the island a hotbed of conflict for the five powers, where the rules of the mortal realm do not apply, leaving them free to war over the fading power at its center.
History
Oileán na Slatiascairí was once host to the largest Seanachaisian fishing village. The island featured sugary white sand beaches of finely-ground quartz crystal that quickly gave way to the forests that covered much of the island. The Seanachaisians who lived there only ever cleared as much land as was needed for any structures they wanted to build, leaving the island as untouched as possible and letting its natural beauty shine. Beyond the homes and docks that jutted off the coast, most structures benefitted from a lot of tree cover, leaving the majority of the village secluded from the prying eyes of passer-bys.
The houses of the villagers were simpler than those of the main island, being less heavily-ornamented, but were no less breath-taking in their beauty. Their small cottages were built out of clay bricks before they were finished with a layer of stucco colored in pastel greens, teals, and blues, mirroring the colors of the Ephemeral Sea. White sculpted stucco elements adorned these facades, often with seashell motifs and curves and countercurves representing flowing water. Whereas most Seanachaisian architecture featured some gilded ornament in silver or gold, villagers had a preference for covering some of the ornamentation on their houses with a “pearl essence” they created from fish scales, giving them a lovely, soft iridescent finish.
Houses built along the coast had attached docks that extended into the Ephemeral Sea, many long enough to accommodate the larger boats used by the families than ran the largest Seanachaisian fishing businesses. These houses had secondary structures behind them dedicated to seafood processing and storage, though most fish were kept alive until they were delivered to the buyer or ready to be eaten. The fishers of these businesses had unique songs for each of the species of fish that lived out in the Ephemeral Sea, coaxing only the desired fish species into large nets, which had no bycatch or other adverse environmental impacts. The fishers, in turn, were very in-tune with the environment of the Ephemeral Sea and knew how many fish they could responsibly catch and when to prevent overfishing.
Several earthen roads from the coast shaded by a large tree canopy led further into the island, with often the only thing marking the path were pillars of light in the form of fish sculptures with a glowing stone in its mouth. A few businesses supporting the fishing industry were nestled off of these roads but never far off the coast. A short walk down the main road led to a covered open air fish market, where fishers sold their catches to buyers every three weeks on Dies Shah, if they were not already shipped directly to buyers on the main island. There were also the workshops of craftspeople who made and repaired boats. A favorite of the locals was a permanent food stall where a local Seanachaisian woman, Ciara Caomhánach and her daughter Moira, cooked hot meals in the small outdoor kitchen, served ready-to-go for any fishers who stopped by for a quick meal. All of the fare consisted of Seanachaisian comfort foods that everyone attested were just as good as the meals their mothers made.
One particular wonder of the island were the pearl harvesters. The island had a few small lakes that were host to nacreous freshwater mussels that pearl harvesters would build their homes near. They had a special song that was very simply called “The Pearl Song” that left several small cuts in the mantle of the mussel without disrupting their environment. When they were ready to harvest, each mussel would have about 20 high quality freshwater pearls inside of them. Because other cultures still considered pearls a very rare jewel at the time as none had developed any pearl cultivation methods, this only added to the impression that the Isles of Seanachai had an abundance of natural wealth. This song was lost the night the Blight fell, as every Seanachaisian who knew it perished in the ensuing wave of destruction.
Beyond the homes of the pearl harvesters, the only other building that could be found further inland from the coast of the island was the tower house of the local nobility. The Seanachaisians who lived here liked to stick as close to the coast as possible, never daring to venture too far inland, and for good reason. Unbeknownst to many, Oileán na Slatiascairí was a hotbed of fae activity. An enchanted spring was located at the center of the island, with a sparkling, crystal clear pool of water fed by a gentle waterfall and breathtakingly beautiful flora in an area that was thrumming with power. The spring itself was a fae crossing before Cairne was sealed off, and nixies and other water-aligned fae were often found lounging inside of it. Other kinds of fae were found in the forests immediately surrounding the spring and a bit further out, as well. It goes without saying that the inland portions of the island were left entirely untouched.
Rumors did spread amongst some non-Seanachaisian circles about the nature of this mysterious spring. Some believed the spring was a fountain of youth. Others believed that drinking from it would grant your heart’s desire. Whatever the story, a few adventurous individuals would sail up to uninhabited coast of Oileán na Slatiascairí and go off in search of the spring, only to get lured by the nixies to drown or get lost in Faerie, only returning after 100 years had passed in Cairne. The Seanachaisians kept their distance out of respect, but being of fae-touched origins with a history of generally positive interaction with the fae, they were more welcome company than most. There was even the occasional rumor of a Seanachaisian or two taking a fae spouse, substantiated by the birth of a half-fae, half Seanachaisian child with features such as webbed fingers.
Type
Island
Location under
Owning Organization
Related Ethnicities
Comments