The Expatriation of the Bodists from the Carrig River Valley

Population Migration / Travel

The rising popularity of the Cult of Bodi in the Carrig River Valley Civilization presented a direct threat to its leadership, and when word spread of an incoming invasion, the "Bodist problem" had to be taken care of once and for all, forcing its adherents to flee to safety.

All of the ancient human civilizations of Cairne honored their two gods, Goyne and Bodi, to varying degrees, but the Carrig River Valley Civilization, who called themselves the Stagro, held a deep spiritual reverence for them both in equal measure. For the Stagro people, the pinnacle of human ingenuity was found at the nexus of knowledge and creativity. Their greatest philosophers and engineers were just as celebrated as their poets, musicians, and artists.   However, among the common folk, a Bodist cult was growing. They worshipped Bodi and Bodi alone, revering artistic expression as the highest means of expressing the human soul. The virtues of personal freedom were of great importance, believing that the peak of creativity was reached when the soul was not bound by the burdens of daily life. Though less industrious than the rest of their peers, Stagro leaders paid them no mind at first, as they didn't have any tangible power to be a genuine threat to their position. This began to change when some of the most celebrated poets and artists became adherents of this new Bodism movement.   Stagro leaders scrambled to find ways to take care of the "Bodist problem" without inciting revolts, but they ran out of time. Rumors of a mounting invasion from the Bektu people in the northwest reached their ears, and the Stagro needed every able-bodied man to take up arms in defense of their civilization. Bodists, in keeping with their beliefs, refused to go to war. The Stagro leaders thus made a rash decision to outlaw all worship of Bodi, making it an act punishable by death.   Bodi heard the pleas of his worshippers and knew they were in considerable danger. He scrambled to find a new homeland where his people could live their lives in peace before Volri informed him of an uninhabited island and surrounding islets in the middle of the Ephemeral Sea, with a mild climate, fertile soil, and plentiful resources. After hearing this, Bodi's mind was made up. He gave a divine directive to his followers to sail northeast across the Ephemeral Sea. There, he promised, they could live free from worry to become masters of poetry and music, art and artistry.   The Bodists followed their god's instruction. Under the cover of night, they took their boats and whatever belongings they could bring with them and sailed up the Carrig River out to the Ephemeral Sea. When they reached the shores of the island, Bodi directed them to travel to his favorite location on these promised lands at sunrise. They followed his directions to the easternmost point of the islet that came to be known as An Solas Titim, where Bodi met with his people in person and blessed the land he bequeathed them with his song.   Bodi's promises held true. His people passed their days in peace and artistic revelry, calling themselves "na muintir oileánda," or "the island people" in their native language. Later historians would misinterpret this turn-of-phrase, giving them their more commonly accepted name, the Oileanda.