Enca

## Ruler or ruling Faction

Leaders

King

Queen

Prince

Guardian Council

### CULTURE

Made of three islands, each unique in their own Right. The largest, with the north shore having pale blue, almost white sand that sparkled, yet the southern shore had beautiful Cerulean sand, that could almost make one forget where the land ended and where the ocean started, were it not for the swamps that covered part of the island, one wouldn’t think there was really anything to do the country other than wilderness and a people that enjoyed spicy food and, to the world, odd rituals.

They worshiped the Loa, a pantheon of gods that were vast, but interconnected with their lives. Families could be traced through the Loa that blessed them, family lines moving in different directions because of that. It was a land of maker mages for weapons, of metal mages to refine materials and green mages that, in part, kept the swamps from overrunning the island.

Each town housed two seemingly different parts: the ones for Tourists and visitors and then the private areas for the local population. This also served as a barrier of sorts for those that visited. The population knew how to deal with the wilds of the swamps...and some of the children adored playing there.

The middle of the three islands was sacred lands. None but the Speakers of the Loa could go there, unless one was doing a rite. Marriages were conducted on the sacred island and most of the inhabitants of the country respected those that did get to go there. It was not rare for a person to only step foot on the sacred lands no more than four times in their lives, unless you were one of the Speakers.

The smallest was an outlier island, a small tropical paradise, many would say, with a deep, lush forest, pockets of swampland and more animals than most knew how to deal with and plenty of deadly plants that alchemists loved to get ahold of, legally or illegally.. The exotic animals were protected fiercely by the natives. The Encan pythons that inhabited the main island had nothing on the size of the ones that rested on this sanctuary that managed to have the large snakes and a rare breed of swamp panther that had white spots along their bodies, instead of the the typical, barely discernible black spots.

While wildlife and other things could be found in Enca, the spicy peppers seemed to be what the people loved the most. The food always had a kick to it, always would leave an unsuspecting tourist blinking at the spicy heat and grins from those around them. They were an open and welcoming people, but private in their lives as well. Loa Festivals would bring food out into the marketplaces for sharing, but home and family was where most spent their evenings. Curled around fire pits or fire places, eating food, retelling old stories and bonding.

The Biggest Festival was midfall and held in the capital of Penni, it was when most tourists did come. It was a flare of partying that lasted a week, children, adults, young and old could enjoy things from animals, food, alcohol...and the beautiful glass and wooden beads that were given and tossed out during a singular parade on the second day. They were considered good luck for the coming year...and there was no shortage of people fighting over the rare items, as only a few thousand were made each year.

People admitted to knowing there were quite a few families, some larger than others. Each had functions, but the one known well off the Island was Gouselle. They were weapon smiths, the age old family tracing back their verbal heritage to the Holy Wars. There was a time when Enca guarded her shores and let no one around, it was that family that had been tasked to make the weapons needed. Now, though, this family traveled between making intricate guns of many sizes. It was well ingrained into their beings and the need and urge to find better, stronger metals to use seemed to be a drive within them.

The Pwav family was another and owned one of the largest plots of land that was split between normal produce and hot peppers only found in the area, that were in the top ten hottest peppers in Ishgar. With the year round warmth of Enca, the peppers, fruit and vegetables grew all year long, leaving them with a lush lifestyle with ‘exotic’ meats that came from the ocean and...sometimes things that wandered a bit too far from the swamps.