Barnia Archipelago

Map of Barnia

*"With a tale on my lips and a song in my heart, I can face any challenge!"*

## Common Knowledge

Barnia is an archipelago of seven, loosely aligned islands, each with their own focus and culture. A single major city tends to dominate each isle, surrounded by smaller towns and villages. Music is a staple among all of the islands though style and type varies greatly. This archipelago is the home to the prestigious Arpegiatto Academy of Music and Magic and many other famous tourist attractions.

## Topography and Climate

### Biomes

Most of Barnia is populated primarily by taigas, with tundras and coniferous forests scattered throughout. Each island has a different composition of taigas, tundras, and forests, typically favoring one or the other. An island’s cultural and agricultural practices typically rely on what biome the island favors more.

* Alabrass and Precussio
	+ Tundra, with more taiga the closer you get to their volcanoes
	+ Meadow regions to the south
* Stirin, Maderina, Casane, Eiluto
	+ Primarily taiga, with occasional tundras
* Domra
	+ Mostly coniferous forests and tundra

### Climate

* Pretty steady throughout
* Cold winters, cool summers
* Each island has a dedicated “Environmental Management”
	+ Druids and ritualists that alter the weather and manage the soil in farmlands

## Population

A real mixing pot of cultures - many scholars and performers from around the continent travel to share their stories/obtain knowledge/learn to perform and participate in bardic culture and take the bardic challenge. Typically, those that live in long-term communities and settle are shorter-lived races (humans, hobbits, gnomes, dwarves, etc.), as they feel more need to pass their stories (and therefore legacies) down, while longer-lived races (elves, spirits, demons, etc.) tend to move in and out, bringing back new stories each time.

## Exports and Trades

While many islands have specialties and specific schools/bases for the export or job listed, every island has farmers, artisans, and craftsmen (like smiths or carpenters).

Alabrass:

* Has the most cities and merchants, as well as business schools
* Gets the most income from the college’s taxes, as well as being the main tourist destination with a volcano, hot springs, and the entrance to the Underdark (it is directly over the Dark Elven city of Tamber)
* Many Dark Elves make their first ventures onto the surface through Alabrass

Precussio:

* Mining and precious metals, in addition to being the center of the military operations for the country.
* Gets tourism income from the Gardens - the military charges admissions and gets a sizable budget from them, in addition to the budget from taxes

Stirin:

* Artisan goods are typically produced here, and there are many trade schools for various crafts

Maderina:

* Nomadic gatherers and fishermen - the smallest of the islands - plenty of people travel here for the novelty of “roughing it”
	+ This is good revenue
	+ Many people who live here operate as tour and camping guides

Casane:

* Full of tight settlements and villages, very family and legacy focused
* Lots and lots of farmland

Eiluto

* A knowledge hub, full of archives and libraries. There are collections of poems, epics, and stories spanning across centuries.
* Very few make their homes here, though many labs and workspaces are held here, and students at the college frequently make the trip to this island for study and research
	+ Research isn’t clinical, like it would be for other pursuits, but more theoretical and documents based

Domra:

* Few natural resources here make it almost inhabitable, but for one week out of the year, merchants, craftsmen, and artisans alike all work to set up a pop-up city
	+ The city is called “Liar’s Landing”
	+ More on this under the Holidays and Festivals heading

## Government

The islands of Barnia abide by a democracy, at nearly all levels of governance. At the lowest level, each village and town is governed by a council of three to seven people elected by the local populace via a ranked voting system. Cities are governed by a similarly elected council, but when deliberating on an issue that would have repercussions for the surrounding settlements it asks those settlements to send emissaries and forms a larger council for better deliberation. In such circumstances, the number of emissaries each settlement may send is roughly proportional to their population, based on a quarter-annual (4 years) census.

Likewise, each island’s capital city sends an elected emissary of its own to the national capital Sforzando, to form the Barnian Grand Council. Since Domra has nearly no inhabitants, and likewise no emissary, the Grand Councilmembers elect a Tiebreaker amongst themselves, whose vote counts for two only in such circumstances. The Grand Council rarely actually meets, leaving most islands to their own devices, but convenes quickly in events of security or other crises.

## Military

Being a water surrounded land, it is quite obvious that their naval force would be considerable and it is. They have a large and well trained navy that specializes in long-range neutralization tactics, though they are formidable at any distance.

As an extension of their navy, some islands have developed complex rituals designed to disable or even destroy airborne threats (such as dragons or airships). These rituals require a deal of preparation, and as such the islands that implement them keep designated anti-air ritual spaces cleared and supplies nearby under lock and key. At present, they have never been used in a real combat scenario.

## Social Hierarchy and Culture

### Informal Hierarchy

Though many have long disposed of the need for ranked classes, those seeking to blend in with or imitate high-brow society may subscribe to an ancient hieratic structure based on profession. Farmers, fishers, and other food-providers are considered the lowest of society, followed in short order by artisans and craftspeople, then merchants and traders, and lastly nobility and government officials at the very top.

### Bards

The Barnian isles are home to a great many bards, inspired by legends millennia old. Bards travel the archipelago collecting stories and songs, and performing them for any audience who will listen.

As part of the tradition, some towns or villages may have a local bard, who challenges travelling bards to musical competition for the amusement of the locals. Should the challenger lose as decided by the audience, they are expected to leave town after two days. If they win, however, they may stay as long as they wish and may not be challenged again should they return.

A bard’s status among other bards (and those familiar with their very specific rituals) is determined by their number of performances. Novitiate bards usually only have 20 or less to their credit, with their credibility and respect increasing as that number approaches the 100s. As part of greeting another bard, both are expected to cast a lie-detecting spell on each other (such as Ear For Truth) and announce their names, accomplishments, relevant titles, and number of performances. In addition to being very theatrical, it also ensures the veracity of their claims.

#### Arpegiatto Academy

A massive bardic college based on Sforzando, and one of the most important cultural centers in the whole archipelago. In addition to its large repository of Orelisian sagas, poems, and other tales, the Academy sponsors the Chrysanthemum Theater, a luxury stadium featuring incredible performances. Academy classes are broad, but include learning the intricacies of various musical instruments, vocal lessons, and Orelisian literature and historical studies.

The Academy has incredible standards that must be upheld at all costs. Admission requires a confirmed bardic record of over 300 performances, or the endorsement of such a bard. Students are expected to continue performing even amidst their studies, in order to produce the most talented bards possible. Poor performances are taken deathly seriously, expelling the offending student and discrediting any bards who endorsed them. Bards discredited in this way sometimes feel pressured to leave the archipelago altogether.

##### Procidato Psionics Branch

The Arpegiatto Academy has a branch dedicated to the study of Phantasmal Magic, as it was once based in song and bardic practices. The Procidato Psionics Branch is in many ways a separate institute from its parent college, and is a great deal more lenient with its students (the barrier to entry was lowered after Phantasmal Magic no longer required music to be cast).

In order to enroll to the Psionics Branch, applicants must be one of the following: a student of the greater Arpegiatto Academy in good academic standing; granted admittance by the Heads of the Psionic Branch; capable of casting at least two Phantasmal spells of tier 2 or greater, as verified by an authority; or endorsed by someone who fulfills at least two of the above requirements. If a student enrolled through the final method performs poorly, they and their endorser may be subject to the same punishments suffered by poorly-performing bards in the greater college and their respective endorsers.

Well-known psions may visit the Psionics Branch freely, and may even bring guests if given approval from the Heads of the Branch.

### Religion

Among the many gods and goddesses imported from other cultures, the goddess Amora is unique to the archipelago. This goddess of love appears in many forms; in story and song, in her Temples of Heart throughout the islands, and in her priests who officiate many marriages.

### Celebrations and Holidays

#### Festival of Lies

A weeklong party, dedicated to untruths. Beginning with the annual construction of Liar’s Landing, a pop-up city on Domra, celebrants dedicate themselves to telling the most elaborate yet believable lies. At the end of the week, the original teller of the best and most successful lie in the entire city of lies is awarded a prize (of some sort? cash?). Then the entire city is taken down, and the celebrants return to their lives on the other islands.

## Cities, Towns, and Villages

### Alabrass, the Isle of Plenty

The largest island in the archipelago, and the furthest west.

#### Sforzando

Capital, strong ties with tamber. Home the Academy.

### Precussio, the Isle of Thunder

The centermost island in the archipelago, east of Alabrass, west of C and north of G

#### Argoch

The main city on Precussio which is the home to the Argocia Gardens, etc. Military bases abound.

#### Cadenza

Another city on Precussio, home to a large concert hall.

#### Argocia Gardens

A botanical garden on Precussio, perpetually warmed by Elemental magic. Home to many beautiful and endangered flora, picking any of the plants is strictly forbidden. Also, known for being a great setting for a romantic picnic.

### Stirin, the Isle of Chimes

The southernmost island in the archipelago, directly southeast of Alabrass and south of Precussio.

#### Vionin

Main city on Stirin. The entire city is an ‘Art Street’.

### Casane, the Isle of Blood

The second-largest island in the archipelago, directly north of Precussio and eastward from Alabrass.

#### Bassett

Largest village and honourary ‘main city’ of the island Casane. Has the largest port and sees the most traffic.

#### Mount Speerzye

A tall mountain with almost zero light pollution in the surrounding area. Many couples and tourists come to spend the night on the mountaintop, watching the starry night sky in all of its glory. The mountain is really more of a hill, but the locals call it a mountain for flavor.

### Maderina, the Isle of Tempest

The smallest island in the archipelago, directly north of Alabrass.

### Eiluto, the Isle of Tide

The northernmost island in the archipelago, northwards from Maderina.

#### Clazz

Main city of Eiluto and holds the Coda Repository which is the largest collection of histories and books on the island but not even close to the only one.

### Domra, the Isle of Lies

The easternmost island in the archipelago, directly northeast of Casane.

#### Liar’s Landing

The pop-up city that appears for a week on Domra during the Festival of Lies.

## Alliances

Trade and minor military alliance with The Sym’fadè Confederacy. Civil with anyone who returns the treatment.

The Barnia Archipelago is a member of the United Orelisian Council.

## Enemy Countries

No true enemy countries but they have had to deflect a few exploratory aggressions from Ӧræfin in the past, nothing recent.

## Further Information

* Amora
* Magic
* Sym’fadè Confederacy
* United Orelisian Council