Sechurian Helm
Geography
The Sechurian Helm holds a lot of geographical similarities to the Southwest Asian tropics, like Indonesian rainforests and jungles. Because of this, a majority of the terrain, aside from the settlement of Silverside, is unincorporated landscape that is shared between the islanders and the animals that call the island their home. Beyond sprawling jungles and forests are various freshwater streams that come directly from the ethereal Shrine of Soteria, as well as rolling hills that act as terrestrial steps to various peaks one can access to look over the entire island.
This geography allows for the natural beauty of this island to be showcased, being the only one out of the entire Archipelago that has been largely unaltered.
Ecosystem
Unlike the other Archipelago islands, there is no one domineering force that controls both the islanders and animals. Instead, there is an almost symbiotic way of life in which the islanders live their day to day lives with the wild animals of this region. While farming and fishing dominate most of the interaction between the two, there is an unspoken limit in which the islanders settle with their desire for their need for animal meat or deforestation. Some believe that this is due to a majority of the islanders being religious or superstitious about greedily taking from the land without reason or need. Ultimately, this has destroyed virtually all enmity between the wild animals and the islanders. Outside of respecting on another's territories, there have barely been any reports of violence between humans and wildlife.
Localized Phenomena
Outside of Soteria's Promise, which protects the island, The Helm has all the natural oddities of any other rainforest or tropical island.
Fauna & Flora
Bamboo, orchids and a variety of botanical and medicinal plants make up a majority of the island's floral ecosystem. Though there are plenty of natural stretches of flora native to the Hokkaido region, much of it is very similar to the plant life one would find in Indonesia and other tropical Asian areas.
If not for the amicable relationship between humans and animals, the flora of the Sechurian Helm's unincorporated regions would make it one of the deadliest on the planet. From tigers to venomous snakes to giant wasps and black bears, all of the animals follow their natural instinct in the circle of life. However, because of the unusual peace between them and humans, this circle is never disturbed and there are many observatory, sometimes even mutual living, situations where the true symbiotic partnership of the isle as a whole can be witnessed. Some have Asian black bears as hunting companions and pets while others live deep within the jungle to become one with nature rather than just live alongside it.
Natural Resources
Conventionally, the best natural resources of The Helm are its fish and its medicines. From sunup to sundown, fishermen can be seen on the outskirts of the island pulling in a variety of local catfish, salmon and tuna. However, they always set a limit to how many they catch per day as to honor the lives of nature around them, only catching enough to live in satiety rather than in excess. Whether through some unspoken gift from nature or as a part of Soteria's blessing, there has never been a day the islanders have not been able to make a bountiful amount of catches for their villages. Although they do allow trade for their fish, they also set a limit for those seeking to do business so as to keep the balance, something that business partners of the island respect, whether out of not wanting to spoil the business or out of genuine understanding of their spiritual connection to the planet.
The only other resource of great note from The Helm is the Hygeia Hibiscus. Though rare to find individually, many on the island believe that its medicinal and healing properties boost the natural effects of the other plants throughout The Helm. During the day, they glow bright yellow and white like the sun. At night, they mirror the luminesce of the moon, having an ethereal transparence. Their special property of healing all unnatural ailments of those who smell their dying scent is both sought after and very difficult to harvest.
The islanders believe that this is an innate trade-off, fending off greedy harvesters while drawing in those who wish to care for and respect the plant enough to care for it until it naturally dies. Though no one knows the natural lifespan of these hibiscus flowers, almost all who have encountered and understood its properties say that it depends on the patience and care of those who wish to nurture them. With some saying that its healing properties can even reverse all physical ailments of age and even challenge death, some believe that these very plants are the Arch's Fountain of Youth and that the test they bring ensure that only the greatest of humanity lives on.
History
The Sechurian Helm was created by Reverend Hybris Penumbra shortly after his first emergence. Though people were initially mystified as to why he would create an additional island just for the natives, who were of Ainu ancestry, it was later revealed that the island would be a way to isolate them from other parts of the population. By doing this, he would be able to indulge in his cannibalistic habits and satisfy that particular part of his hedonistic lifestyle. While Sinister and Hybris had different reasons for eating humans, the islanders feared this revelation all the same, essentially believing that they were being rounded up like cattle and cut off from anyone who could rescue them.
While some of the younger natives of mixed heritage prayed to more modern gods, those of purer blood started to pray to the island itself, hoping that there was something in what Hybris created that would rebel against him. None of their prayers were answered the way they believed they would be but the honesty of their prayers and the sheer exhaustion that their daily prayers pushed them to was acknowledged by the Greek spirit of protection and deliverance, Soteria. The greatest draw was the fear that radiated from the hearts of the islanders, cultivated by the first few months of Sinister brazenly kidnapping their family members. They would see him eating and drinking their still-living bodies from his bedroom window of the Obelisk, sometimes even smelling their bodies roasting from the tower's inner chambers.
Because of their prayers, that lasted a nonstop seven days, Soteria promised them that, as long as the Helm exists, she would ensure that anyone who disturbed the absolute safety she brought to the island would be physically expelled. Ever since, The Sechurian Helm has been the only location in the Elysium Archipelago that has endured with relative peace.
Tourism
Because of the rumors of supernatural safety on The Sechurian Helm, and the embraced normalcy of its residents, it has been seen as a tropical paradise for tourists both in and outside the Archipelago. Those who visit outside the Archipelago come either for a spiritual experience with the island and Soteria or speak to local leaders to create trade deals, increasing the profitability and tourism of the mystic island.
Maps
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Sechurian Helm
Detailed map of the Sechurian Helm
Type
Island
Included Locations