Keiki Inaina
"What wonders, the world will create when we leave it alone. What a wonder, it is, that you fall over yourself to do anything but."A story from the 'Oki Islands tells of the Goddess Inaina, the Dragon-Mother of Volcanos, and her banishment from the 'Oki Islands for the sin of charring the moon. In her wake, the story says, she left a valley of fire deep and powerful enough to destroy the Islands, but quelled by the god of the Ocean. But despite that snuffing, her grudges still burn and churn beneath the waters, and islands rise like spines from her back as icons of her wrath. This is the mythological origins for the Keiki Inaina, the Children of Inaina, a range of deep-sea volcanoes that have spawned many islands along the Southern Eddan Ocean, mostly between the 'Oki Islands and the Kaguyan Federation. While most of the ranges activity results in small islands that quickly crumble back inward, it's created just as many larger islands who still remain floating to this day as highly fertile, and highly desired, pieces of life amidst a tumultuous ocean.
Geography
Many of the islands within the volcanic ring are rocky and moderatley steep terrains, but regular rainfall and various forms of pollen coming from the two nations it's sandwiched between have resulted in many of the permanent islands being lush with greenery and volcanic lakes. The smaller islands that break up with future eruptions or just by force of the waves often stay in merely the volcanic rock phase.
Ecosystem
The lush greenery, general heat and humidity from the southern warm-weather front, and lack of mamillian predators makes the Keiki ideal homes for plenty of insects, lizards, and bird species. Generally, the insects eat the greenery, the lizards eat the insects, and the birds eat both on top of the seeds and fruits that are produced by the aforementioned greenery.
The waters are also populated by many fish and amphibian species, which the lizards and birds love to get their fill of when they get the chance. Research of the islands have shown very little in magical augmentation to these creatures as well, suggesting that the natural formations sustaint hem well enough without any additional invigoration via mana.
Ecosystem Cycles
The weather in the Keiki Inaina range stays pretty consistent, going through wet seasons of higher humidity and rainfall during the Fall-Winter and dry seasons of higher heat during the Spring-Summer. During the wet seasons, it is common for seasonal storms to wrack the shores and lower parts of the island with heavy waves and nigh-monsoon levels of rain, with many avian species finding their way to more temperate regions with insects and lizards finding safe alcoves within the porous volcanic rock higher up.
Localized Phenomena
The most striking feature of the Keiki Inaina is the sudden apperance and occasional dissaperance of islands. Most of the green islands that've been recorded in world maps have been there for decades if not centuries, but many smaller islands pop up on the daily due to volcanic eruptions under the water, or disconnected pieces of the seafloor rising with sudden bursts of deep-sea gases.
Many of these smaller islands soon lack enough structural integrity to remain afloat, and fall back into the sea, being crushed inward from the overall force as well as the rough tumble of the waters in that area. This results in many volcanic rocks ending up on the shores of the 'Oki Islands, Kaguya, and even Hippolyta in places, where they are treasured and highly valued.
Climate
Due to the warm-weather front that passes through most of Southern Edda, the Keiki Inaina stay temperate all year round, however they do get long periods of heavy rainfall and higher humidity because of it. Since the permanent islands stay pretty low and close to sea level, even the peaks don't get even meager snowfall, keeping it relatively warm. That being said, Edda as a whole stays rather temperate, so recorded temperatures haven't gone above 35 degrees [irl reference note: in celsius. It's 95 degrees fahrenheit].
Natural Resources
The Keiki Inaina have a wealth of natural resources, even if they aren't the most sought after ones. First off, the islands themselves are largely made up of volcanic rock from the magma that forms them, with various other minerals and compressed gaseous creations being made and fermented in the process. Literally on top of that is the fertile soil that makes for mineral-rich soil for various trees, herbs, and bushes. Alongside that, the rainwater that becomes the lakes and streams on these islands are flush with natural minerals that, when made potable, make for an enriching and health-positive refreshment.
This isn't even getting to the various fish and birds that frequent the islands, often seen as delicacies for the aforementioned minerals they obtain from the water. Of course, the greatest resource they provide is secure land, as the islands that've become permanent fixtures of the ocean have enough stability and space for decent sized settlements. Of course, it is that selfsame reason that the 'Oki Islands wish to ensure that they won't be inhabited.
History
The Keiki Inaina, Children of Inaina as named by the 'Okians after a myth of the islands origins, date back quite some time, with lithomancers dating the longest-lasting islands to at least the start of the Era system in -3200 EE, with underwater existance most likely pushing that date back even further. But, they first began to be truly noticed during the advent of the Isolated Era from -400 EE to -201 EE.
With The Wild Wall blocking off Edda from their fellow Arcanoterrans, the would-be Kaguyans were floundering most of all. They had the most exposure to non-Eddan cultures, with many of them tracing their families origins to travel from afar. As many nations scrambled to draft up their land for the inevitable territory grabs, the Kaguyans looked to the north, wishing to properly claim the islands to their north amidst chaotic waters.
However, when they finally did so, they found themselves beset by the oceanic people of the 'Oki Islands, then a territory of Agartha still. The clan of merfolk and other aquatic species, the Hohonu'ohana, claimed those islands for the 'Okians, and explained that while they do not build settlements on the islands, they were sacred to them and both the oceanic Hohonu'ohana and the sailing 'Alohi'ohana visited and harvested often.
While the Kaguyans didn't care much about who they saw as primitive beast-people, they did care about encroaching on territory that Agartha could claim as their own, as the Kaguyans were barely out from under Hippolyta's thumb as it was. Thus, while still bitter and planning their own sequestered visits to the island range, the Kaguyans backed off, and time went onward.
Throughout the years, multiple skirmishes have happened over the island range, especially as both Kaguya and the 'Oki Islands have taken steps towards their own independance. This especially heated up during the Border Wars, where the conceit of it all made the Kaguyans feel they could finally take those islands for good. However, they like many other underestimated the 'Oki Islands, and were summarily beaten back every time.
While Kaguya's claim to the islands have gotten less militant in the decades since the Border Wars, it is still a key territory they desire, and one they bring up often with a variety of deals and offers, but the 'Oki Islands are yet to bend the knee, and it is not likely that they ever will.
Alternative Name(s)
Kita no Tobiishi/北の飛び石/Northern Stepping Stones
Type
Volcano, Underwater
Location under
Owning Organization
Contested By
Comments