Near Isles

The Near Isles are an archipelago in the southwestern Aquatic Kingdoms, so named because they are the nearest part of the archipelago to Cantonova. The islands have a relatively low population, with residents living in small, close-knit village communities strongly connected to the sea.

Geography

The Near Isles are a circlet of low-lying atolls. They have sandy beaches, a warm climate, and swamps and mangrove forests. A few freshwater ponds and brackish transitional areas are found on the larger islands, mainly Isle Francesca.
The islands, counter-clockwise from the northernmost, are as follows:

• Isle Teresa
• Isle Sofia
• Isle Barbera
• Isle Gratziña
• Isle Undina
• Isle Gabrielena
• Isle Maddalena
• Isle Cecilia
• Isle Galina
• Isle Marcella
• Isle Francesca

Localized Phenomena

Isle Francesca is home to a large colony of rusalkae, who tend to be capricious and occasionally dangerous towards mortals. Jezibaba's influence over this colony is unusually strong. This glade is a somewhat common setting for morality plays, such as The Hag's Trade. The warlock Rusalka was originally from this colony before becoming mortal.

by Joshua J. Cotten

The glade of the rusalkae on Isle Francesca.

Natural Resources

The Near Isles' most plentiful and valuable resources come from the surrounding sea. Various molluscs are particularly common in the shallow central inlet; these are harvested not only for their meat, but also for the variously-colored pearls occasionally produced by oysters.
A few key resources also come from the semi-tropical forests on the islands' small interiors. The chicken was first domesticated on Isle Gratziña, and their meat and especially eggs are staples of the cuisine. Different islands have developed distinct breeds of chicken, from the small greenish-black Galina Menorquina to the handsome, imposing, and infamously territorial Cecìliaya. A rare spice called vanilla is harvested from the seed pods of a particular breed of orchids that grows exclusively on the islands. It is highly sought after for use in desserts, particularly in Cantonovan and Svaran cuisine.
The staple crops of the islands have traditionally been cassava, wild rice, and konneha. Dreibach's invasion during the War of Great Sorrow introduced wheat to the region, which grows in small amounts on the slightly more elevated islands, Isle Maddalena and Isle Gabrielena. In the centuries since then, the people of the Near Isles have developed a unique baking style characterized by rustic, egg-heavy recipes often topped with seeds and preserves.

History

The Near Isles are believed to be the remnants of one of the larger landmasses that was flooded by the gods during the Age of Audacity. The foundational myth of the sea elves believes that the goddess Aibel shielded this tiny patch of land to protect a few sun elf and moon elf villages, whose populations and cultures merged over time to become the modern sea elves.
The first leaders who would eventually found the modern margraviancies of the Near Isles took regnal names of historical saints and passed them down through their daughters. The practice died out as the islands became formally incorporated into the Aquatic Kingdoms, but the old regnal names remain in the names of the individual isles (adapted slightly over the years to follow the spelling patterns of Forocommon).

Tourism

The most famous cultural export of the Near Isles is the Near Isles morality play. These are theatrical works meant to be delivered by four narrators who sing or speak all parts while a small troupe of actors and dancers pantomimes the events described. Common subjects of the morality plays include historical fables, legends of the Feywild, or horror stories involving demon possession. Morality plays traditionally begin with the words "It was once, on these islands..." and end with some sort of clear lesson or moral.

A gondola strikes out from the pier on Isla Cecilia.

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Pearl divers' huts on the shores of Isla Undina.

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The sea elven village on Isla Maddalena.

by Magdalena Smolnicka

Type

Archipelago

Location under

Rádeghrein Sea

Ruling/Owning Rank

Margrave

Owning Organization

Aquatic Kingdoms

Related Tradition (Primary)

• Elfiltë