Isteria
Origins & History
Legends call Isteria the divine curse. It is a stunning landscape with sharp, volcanic mountains covered in a lush green jungle shooting straight up out of a warm, crystal blue sea. But it has always been known as a deadly place. There are few references to Isteria in ancient texts and most of them appear to be rumors, only a few seafarers had discovered the land but explorers rarely made it off the isle alive. Between the deadly creatures, new and unknown diseases, even dangerous plantlife the island was well known to be a death sentance, and over time it became an infamous metaphor for entrapment and something too good to be true.
Throughout the middle ages, Isteria was left uninhabited by races that were common on the mainland. It had always been infested with various reptillian creatures, both with and without sentience. Shortly after King Ulrond conquered the whole of Estia and was crowned, Isteria was declared a penal colony. Criminals of all kinds were thrown off of sailing vessels up to a mile off-shore with limited supplies and left to fend for themselves in the wilderness. Over the decades a few small settlements developed through the cooperation of those abandoned, but any boats or ships discovered by the Estian prison transports were promptly destroyed. The wildlife of Isteria was so brutal however that these settlements never got very big or threatening.
The island was never considered to be truly populated until the arrival of the Kajuzurie, also known as the Dragonborn. Arriving in Estia during the reign of King Aeron as refugees from an unknown origin, they were strategically settled on Isteria to both be compassionate and help the desperate group but also to provide plausible deniability if their war ever followed them to Estia. Initially the settlements found hardship, the wildlife of Isteria was beautifully savage and it took decades for them to adapt to their new home even with the help of The Royal Army. With Isteria becoming a settled land gifted to the Kajuzurie it ceased being a penal colony, and the Prison of the Dead was comissioned in Talenbai.
Industry & Trade
Trade & Raw Exports
Isteria is home to many raw resources that are unique to the Island. Fruits, fibers, herbal plants and even parts of the unique fauna are harvested for the purposes of trade and the trade on the island is incredibly strong. The Kajuzurie are a relatively wealthy people due to the high prices of their unique exports and their monopoly on the exports out of Isteria. This makes life on the dangerous isle much easier and even relatively advantaged.
Glass & Gemstones
The mountainous volcanic terrain creates the perfect raw materials for generating incredible products of glass and gemstones. The Kajuzurie also use their dragonbreath to form, refine or manipulate these products with amazing results. One of the biggest artistic industries on Isteria though is glassblowing. Isterian blown glass is highly prized throughout the Estian mainland, and the glass blowers in Isteria are second to none. Both for large art pieces and delicate, smaller pieces fetch high prices, and so the master glass blowers of Isteria are some of the wealthiest on the Isle.
Dinosaurs
Strict Isterian laws prevent the export of any live creatures from the isle, but that doesn't prevent the use of unique fauna in the island. Traditional mounts were replaced early on with partially domesticated bipedal and quadrapedal dinosaurs. While many species of the ancient cold-blooded creatures simply do not have the temperment for being much use, several species are commonly used for travel, transporting goods, hunting and even pets.
Government & Politics
Land Claim
Per the original decree of King Aeron Illimyra, the Kajuzurie were granted Isteria as well as all smaller isles within ten miles of it's coastline, however after the dissolution of the Estian empire, the Kajuzurie expanded their claim even further, claiming islands further south and east than had originally been granted. Most of these islands were uninhabited however and had remained undiscovered and unclaimed until the Kajuzurie laid claim.
Government
The Kajuzurie have governed themselves since their founding on Isteria through what they call Chromatocracy. Each chromatic bloodline maintains domain over a certain piece of society, and the leader of that chromatic bloodline rules on a council with each other leader of all the chromatic bloodlines. High Chromas negotiate with one another over laws, division of work and wealth as well as visions for the future of the Kajuzurie. Despite this division by chromatic bloodlines, the Kajuzurie remain well integrated and strongly bonded to one another with deeply ingrained traditions and teachings.
In addition to the council of High Chromas, each Chromatic Clan takes a turn being top of the chroma wheel. During this time, they select someone from their clan as Joyiechu, an executive leader. Some Chromatic Clans will pick a single leader for the hundred year duration, while others may pick many. The turning of the chroma wheel is a major Isterian celebration taking 10 days, each day remembering a specific decade of the last rule and blessing with hopes and good fortune the corresponding decade of the future rule.
Foreign Relations
While the Kajuzurie remain strong trading partners with most countries along the west and southern coasts of Estia, they are at odds with nations further east and north-east and have little-to-no relationship with landlocked nations. The south-eastern nations which have climates most similar to Isteria on the mainland, compete with the Kajuzurie on many goods, for which they've been consistently beaten out leaving those nations with fewer trade options and less wealth. While relations have never deteriorated so far as to war, there is a unspoken treaty that divides Estia in half trade-wise and it is likely to devolve to war if either party broke this.
Architecture
To withstand the earthquakes and dangerous inhabitants, coastal settlements are built with tall, sturdy stone walls separating the jungle from the main area of the settlement. As a result, the cities build higher than other cities of the time with stacked, flat-top stone towers, staircases spiraling ziggarat building and bidges arching from one building to another for quicker travel around the settlements. Closer to the water, stones sunk into the ocean laid all the way up to and above the surface of the waves, creating psuedo-islands for the foundation of new towers are always being built. Settlements boast quite brightly painted buildings, edged with metallic colors like copper, silver and gold. Colorful feathers are sewn together to create coloreful tapestries and decor that flutters with the sea winds.
Other Races & Settlements
Outside Kajuzurien people, there are several races and settlements that predate the Dragonborn settlements.
Umétafí
The Umétafí are actually several serpentine and lizardfolk races that are grouped together under a single name, and generally treated poorly by any other race. They are considered evil abominations, and have had consistent friction with the Kajuzurie to the point where they were nearly wiped out by a dragonborn campaign to annihilate them. However many of their settlements are subterranian and it is easy to hide in the mountainous jungle, so they escaped total genocide but their numbers are quite small and so they keep hidden and restrict their revenge to hunters and explorers who fall into one of their traps.
Pirates
Remants of the penal colony settlers who had survived when the Kajuzurien people took ownership of Isteria, were mostly chased off from their original settlements. While many died, some simply relocated to more hidden locations and unmapped islands near the Isterian shorelines. In more current times they are hotbeds of criminal activity, black market trading and provide stopping points for pirates of all kinds. While some of these settlements locations are known, they are hard to get to, heavily fortified or quickly dismantled and hidden.
Wild Dwarves
Another outcome of the penal colonies, a handful of bands of dwarves live within the Isterian jungles. Tough and adept hunters, they generally keep to themselves and have good relations with the Kajuzurie.
Maps
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Isteria
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