Kamaraha

The islands of Kamaraha were forged from powerful seismic forces and dramatic volcanic activity. The craggy, primeval landscape is marked by the fossilized remains of gargantuan, ancient beasts. Kamarahans live in the shadow of - and sometimes just inside - the spines, ribs, and skulls of the colossal dead.
This archipelago rises from the Dragon Sea and is home to nodes for all four elements, a unique feature in Evara’s modern nations. It and the surrounding ocean have a denser concentration of draconic creatures and nymphs than other places in Evara. There are four inhabited islands, though underground volcanic activity is creating and destroying landmass all the time. Modern industry, traditional practice, and the cycle of nature sometimes clash.

Visual Interest Board

Geography

Voloa is the largest of the four islands and home to Evara’s largest - albeit dormant - volcano. In modern times, the Kawana caldera is the site of a rainwater lake. Lights burn deep beneath the placid surface and no one knows exactly what they are. Clans live in the mountains of Voloa, some of which worship Lagahashra and Alere. Attacks on settlements by these tribes are not infrequent.
Maioni is called the “garden isle” due to its lush greenery, reefs, and unique waterfalls. Not only does the island’s elevation create natural waterfalls, but arches of storm ore create impossible waterfalls floating above the open ocean and lakes. The tides swell and recede dramatically twice a day, oftentimes by as much as twenty vertical feet. People who visit Maioni often do so for its natural beauty. Travelers be warned: deep in the forest, an ancient dragon supposedly makes its home. The dragon does not suffer trespassers or people who disrespect the island.
Pulilipu is the smallest and most cultivated island. Here, the natural beauty has been largely supplanted by plantations worked by slaves or servants. The climate means year-round produce - and therefore year-round work. Pulilipu and Maioni export produce around Evara on ships borne by dragons. The port town of Nahiva is the most heavily trafficked seaport in Kamaraha.

Untitled by Mircea Botez

Waipahu was founded more recently than the others. Freed slaves and refugees from elsewhere in Evara united under a common banner for common protection. It is largely ignored by the other islands because the people there are considered ‘Unwanted’. As far as the islanders are concerned, no attention is better than negative attention. In addition to being home to a republic, Waipahu also is home to unusual coastal rock formations. These formations resemble shallow goblets, and as the tides flow in and out, the goblets fill and spill.
Free-Diving is common in the islands in order to harvest natural resources from the ocean. Pearls, sponges, coral, valuable shells, and other items are collected this way. Residents of Waipahu in particular are known for developing techniques for non-aquatic races to hold their breath the longest out of most residents and are thus able to harvest materials more efficiently.

Culture

• The Kamaran concept of Defrayal, meaning “something owned or purchased”, is central to the culture. When an advancing lava flow forced the ancestors from their homeland, a woman remained, sacrificing her life to appease the volcano. Clans were washed out of Waipahu by a tidal wave that decimated their settlements and drowned many inhabitants. To Kamarans, the loss of these precious lives pays for their ownership of the land: the stories, songs, and regalia commemorating these losses are “deeds” (like property deeds).
• Kamarans native to Voloa believe that when the end of the world comes, the skeletons of the long dead dragons and leviathans will reanimate.
• Wealth and economic power are important indicators of status, but so is “good breeding” - having good manners and behaving properly.
• Although eating from the sea is easy, it is considered low status to eat only from the sea. Kamarans can signal status by eating sugar, rum, and other island produce that requires more skill and effort to cultivate.
• Art is incorporated in nearly all areas of Kamaran culture, with even everyday objects such as spoons and storage boxes decorated and imbued with spiritual power and historical associations. Kamaran tools are typically crafted using bone, wood, shell, and stone.
• Clothing is made using barkcloth, a fabric created by weaving the fibers harvested from the mulberry trees found throughout the islands. It is as fine as silk and as sturdy as leather.
• Clothing is used to only cover what is necessary for safety and comfort. Typical fashion consists of a sarong or loincloth for men and wrap-around dresses for women (but there is variety).
• Fabric is often dyed in vibrant colors and woven with beautiful patterns. The more intricate the designs, the more talented the weaver is considered.

a new heartbeat rests in the bones of a giant by Ver
• Tropical storms are common, so buildings are geodesic and dome-shaped. Despite this causing the architecture to be very egg-like in shape, this allows for buildings to withstand brutal storms and other harsh weather conditions. Homes closest to the beaches are propped on stilts in case of high water.
• Harvesting the bones of the dragons that make up the islands to make tools is forbidden. This is for two reasons: One, dragons and leviathans are highly magical and the residual magic can still be found on the bones. Two, they are considered sacred, and harvesting their bones is sacrilegious and disrespectful.

History

During the Age of Creation, Sauropsida and Mammalians from the main continents settled the Kamaraha islands. Elven wayfinders from Ekreles’ Lunar Islands arrived generations later to escape conflict in their homeland. Relations between early settlers and the Elven diaspora were fraught until five dragons asserted control over all the bipedal inhabitants - one for each of the main islands and one to oversee the dragons themselves.
Kamaraha’s islands are named for the dragons that brought order to chaos: Voloa, Maioni, Waipahu, and Pulilipu. The best seamen and ships are said to come from these islands, along with some of the most feared pirates. There are no airship docks or lightning rail stations on the islands, but they have highly advanced aquaculture and agroforestry techniques that extend the islands’ already bountiful natural resources.
In its distant past, the Maouna Kawana volcano on Voloa caused the largest eruption in history, dramatically reshaping the islands and covering a full ¼ of the world in volcanic night for decades.

"Spirit, Blood, and Bone"

story beast by nurikabenuri

Alternative Names

The Spiral Islands

Demonym

Kamaran (Kamarans)

Government Type
Aristocracy (Maioni, Pulilipu, Voloa)
Republic (Waipahu)
Common Races
Elf (sea, wood), Triton, Nymph, Dragonborn, Mammalians (Giff, Hadozee, Khenra, Loxodon, Leonin, Tabaxi), Sauropsida (Kobold, Lizardfolk, Tortle)
Common Gods/Religions
Purity, The Big Mother, Hemoism
Primary Industries
Handicrafts, fruit, sugar and rum production