Kanoloa Archipelago (\kän-ō-ˈlōə\ \är-kə-ˈpe-lə-ˌgō\ , "Con-o-low-uh ar-ka-pel-uh-go")
The Kanoloa Archipelago is a remote tropical island chain few venture to. The archipelago consists of eight major islands and hundreds of smaller islands scattered throughout, many of which are uncharted. The control of these islands is contested mostly between two peoples, the Matuinga and the Motoa. Both peoples are tribal cultures with varying beliefs and ideologies.
The Matuinga are explorers and wayfinders at heart. They love to travel and they love the ocean. Most Matuinga tribes are also quite open to outsiders and even though few outsiders travel to the archipelago, the Matuinga tend to welcome them with open arms. Matui hospitality consists of showering travellers with gifts and food followed by a celebration. The Matuinga prefer to peacefully settle new islands and openly share their land and belongings with others. There is no central government among the Matui. There are hundreds of Matui tribes, all of which follow a chieftain. Conflicts between Matui tribes is not common but does happen.
The Motoa are people who live for the thrill of combat. They are skilled hunters and raiders who travel from island to island conquering and taking sacrifices to their primary deity, the shark god Carcharos. Many Motoans are not inherently evil but it is not uncommon, especially since many Motoans can find at least one wereshark in their lineage. Weresharks and sea-scarred shifters are extremely common in Motoan tribes and these individuals are often seen as blessed by Carcharos. The Motoa are not as welcoming as the Matuinga and more often than not kill outsiders or kidnap them for ritual sacrifice. Like the Matuinga, the Motoa are a tribal culture with no central government. Hundreds of Motoan tribes are spread throughout the islands, usually ruled by a single chieftain. Weresharks and sea-scarred shifters often find themselves in positions of power and influence within these tribes.
The Matuinga and the Motoa tribes war with each other frequently and have an intense rivalry with one another. Unfortunately for outsiders, there is no easy way to tell who you will receive a welcome from when you arrive in the archipelago. This makes travel there quite dangerous but also quite lucrative due to the exotic goods that can be acquired nowhere else. There are also several other races that call the Kanoloa Archipelago home. Some examples of the other races are adaro, sahuagin, and the two crab-like races; the paguroida and the pāngata.
There are two kaiju that also call the Kanoloa Archipelago home. Puimohango is a giant crab-like kaiju whose carapace exudes great heat and even has a volcano-like growth on her back. She is a very shy kaiju and keeps to herself for the most part. Puimohanga loves to build and is responsible for the construction of many of the islands in the archipelago. She does not seek to destroy and tries to leave the smaller creatures in the world alone, actively attempting not to harm them. It is believed that she even builds the islands and tends to the coral reefs to make new homes and habitats for the creatures that live in the area. It is also believed that she is the progenitor of both the paguroida and the pāngata.
Kaikawha is a giant pteranodon-like kaiju who has the ability to control the weather. He prefers heavy rains and storms and thus is often surrounded by these types of weather. He is a trickster kaiju whose favorite thing to do is play pranks and harass other kaiju. He prefers to avoid outright fights and conflicts with them. However, he does have a spiteful streak and if he receives a perceived slight he will go out of his way to pay it back. Kaikawha never actually needs to land and thus spends the majority of his time airborn, even spending his extended periods of hibernation in the skies far above to avoid collisions. Should he sense the awakening of another kaiju during his periods of activity he makes it a point to fly anywhere in the world to harass or play pranks on the other kaiju. That said his favorite target is Puimohanga. He purposefully attempts to drown, sink, and destroy any islands that Puimohanga creates. Kaikawha doesn't do this out of malice or spite, he does it simple because he knows how much it annoys and frustrates Puimohanga. Because of this he spends most of his time in the Kanoloa Archipelago.
Both kaiju are heavily worshiped by Kanoloans. There are hundreds of legends and stories revolving around both kaiju individually as well as their rivalry between each other. Much of Kanoloan culture has been shaped and influenced by the two kaiju.
Foreign Relations
The Kanoloa Archipelago is so far removed from the rest of the civilized world that the political intrigues and concerns of those nations don't effect the Kanoloans. The reception of travelers, traders, and diplomats from other nations widely varies on which Kanoloan tribe is encountered. There have been no attempts to forcefully colonize or conquer the archipelago as a whole to date and the Kanoloan people have turned down any diplomatic attempts to incorporate them into another nation. The Kanoloan Archipelago is too far out for most nations to even want to attempt a full scale invasion. However there are occasionally outposts setup for trade back to the owning nation.
Alignment:
Neutral
Cultural Inspiration:
Samoans and Māori
Neutral
Cultural Inspiration:
Samoans and Māori
Type
Geopolitical, Country
Demonym
Nouns: Kanoloan, plural Kanoloans. Matui, both singular and plural. Motoan, plural Motoans; Adjectives: Kanoloan, Matuingan, Motoan
Government System
Tribalism
Power Structure
Autonomous area
Economic System
Barter system
Comments