Raibon Island

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    Raibon Island 🔗

    Raibon Island is the largest and most populous island in the L' Illes Apgarie archipelago. Its governance, nominally, is part of the Sanery region, but enjoys a special status due to the Treaty of Turain. Its defacto government is split between its major settlements: most of recent history, this meant Port Rainoso and Port Tressemer.

    The Treaty of Turain designates the island, along with the surrounding waters of the northernmost islands of L'Ille Apgarie as a demilitarized zone. This and its already prominent position as a major port that links the Sarmatian Sea trade routes with Northwestern Betera, has made it a major economic center for the region. Most of the economic wealth created, however, is controlled by the many criminal organizations that are based in the island.

    History 🔗

    Pre-History 🔗

    Recent archaeological and linguistic evidence has suggested that the island was populated by Hickic speakers who came from Western Betera, in areas that are parts of Mayonne and Estrega. They developed seafaring traditions and settled across the L'Ille Apgarie archipelago, including Raibon Island. The people who settled the island called themselves the Hausi. Surviving Kalassarian documents record the name of the island as Mausia mentioning that it was derived from the name of the native people. The discrepancy may have been due to heavy aspiration of the initial /h/ in Hausi dialects at the time. Some scribes may have incorrectly transcribed the name of this island, while others transcribed the name of the people differently. Certain Straits languages have developed nasalized variants of /h/, which provides this possible explanation.

    The Hausi were a matrilineal society and were led by wise women known as the

    Hausi 🔗

    The Hausi were once the native people of the island. When the island was discovered by Kalassarian explorers, the people were described as "unsophisticated and barbaric, but capable of performing incredible feats of magic".

    Hama 🔗

    The Town of Hama was founded on the site the native Hausi called the Tichom. The existence of the town was considered mythological by scholars for years, as remnants of the settlement were never found, but recently discovered Kalassarian records indicate that the Kalassar were granted those lands for a settlement by the native ruling class. The settlement was used as a trade outpost between Kalassarian Hapgaria and Seneria.

    During the Fall of the Western Kalassarian Empire, Mauricia, and therefore Hama was forgotten as shipping lanes were disrupted. The town fell into disrepair, but remained settled, increasingly, by local Hausi elites. By the end of the 5th century, the town had become the cultural and religious center of a cult focused on the worship of a version of the goddess Pomona.

    By the 6th century, trade has somewhat resumed between mainland Betera and the Seneran kingdom that had risen from the ashes of the Kalassar. Hama had been rediscovered, and once more grown in prominence. Attempts by Seneran traders to settle upon either ends of the Samain River were heavily opposed by the natives, however ensuring that Hama was the only largely developed area on the island. Reasons on why were conflicting--some cited religious importance, others mention fear of certain political repercussions. But the situation remained until mid to late 10th century AI.

    It remains a mystery to this day why the town of Hama disappeared, and where exactly it was located, but scholars often cite seismic activity could have been the root cause. Narratives regarding the "sinking" have caused many to speculate that the town may be underneath the waters in or around Hama's Tears. Adventurers' attempts to find any indication are unfruitful. Some believe that the town is underneath what is now the Turbiere de Hubar, but the nature of the bog makes it difficult to even begin.

    Hausi 🔗

    The Hausi were once the native people of the island. When the island was discovered by Kalassarian explorers, the people were described as "unsophisticated and barbaric, but capable of performing incredible feats of magic".

    They seem to have originally believed in a kind of Animism, wherein each living being was either endowed by a goddess of nature, or are themselves avatars of the goddess. By the time the Kalassarians have settled in the island, those beliefs seem to have evolved to incorporate the Kalassarian pantheon. Each creature was said to be an amalgamation of pieces of the souls of gods. The proportion that an individual contains dictates their nature. A tree. for example is mostly made of the soul of Pomona, and a monkey has equal propotions of Pomona and Volupta, and smaller amounts of Minerva and Justicia. In the 5th century, during the primacy of Hama as a political entity on the island, and the appearance of the group called the Hags of Hama, their beliefs have shifted to the worship of these hags as an embodiment of the will of the gods. After the Sinking of the Town of Hama, the Hausi have lamented its loss, and had become a part of their local lexicon as swear words and curses.

    In the ensuing years, the Hausi and their descendants have come to ascribe religious and cultural importance to the Turbiere de Hubar. The Hags of Hama themselves were said to have begun to reside in the Bog. Offerings and prayers are directed toward it, in addition to the Hags themselves. Their dead is laid to rest in the waters in and around it. They also place a general reverence upon the site, promulgating a set of legends and stories about the Bog and the Hags of Hama, including the lore surrounding the Frogmen and the Deep Lore.

    Geography 🔗

    Heimann Sound 🔗

    Locations 🔗

    Port Rainoso 🔗

    See main article for Port Rainoso

    Port Tressemer 🔗

    See main article for Port Tressemer

    La Tourbiere de Hobar 🔗

    Montrabar 🔗

    Papa Simbal's Hut 🔗

    Le Phare Phallique 🔗

    The strategic importance of the island in north-south maritime trade is the Heimann Sound, which allows easy access of large trade vessels through the Samain River. At the opposite end of the Sound, is the town of Port Tressemer, sometimes considered the second capital of the island.

    Location Type
    island
    Parent Location
    L'Illes Apgarie
    Sanery
    Apgarian Confederacy