Cephallus Archipelago

The **Cephallus Archipelago** is a nation formed by the four major islands of the Yue Sea and a large underwater rift, becoming the fifth largest in Edvanya. They have a history of piracy and information trading, the cephallians are responsible for most of the information, cultural and commercial exchange in the continent. Their flaf is a blue octopus on a sea green background.

## History

The Archipelago is a group of the largest islands in the Yue Sea, remnants of the land found in the area before the blue goddess created the inland sea. It is where the entryway into the Feywild appeared, the Fey Courts sent their undesirables over to the Material Plane and their portal happened to be opened in Kraken, the biggest of the islands.

For being populated mostly by these longevous chaotic fey, mostly criminals, the sociopolitical structure of Cephallus was lacking their earlier history, the power structure was decentralized and concentrated mostly in the hands of pirate captains and gang leaders, these were the cephallian settlements during the ProvEra.

With time, the generations of cephallians structured their leadership by electing leaders in each of the islands and integrated themselves with the water-dwelling people of Atlantis, the meighbouring underwater rift. This structure provided them with the power and sovereignty to officialize their tradings and the archipelago soon grew into a economical powerhouse.

Their differenciated nature made them a force to be reckoned with also in battle, they were amongst the last to join the Empire as their unusual strategies and fighting styles made them unpredictable in battle and they held their own against even four dragons and growing armies, they became third to last to join and Imperator Jihad I maintained their power structure as a show of respect for their prowess.

Today, Cephallus is the premier exhange hub in Edvanya, their mastery of commerce and sea fairing is responsible for linking the nations faster than possible by land and the developing aerial vehicles allow them to evolve even more into the trading business, potentially connecting Edvanya to other continents and expanding cephallian and edvanyan diplomatic and commerical power.

## Culture

The cephallians retained the core elements of their fey founders and remain a hedonistic people. They are a bustling nation and a breeding ground of creativity and commerce. Cephallus as a whole has always had a democratic basis and its people turn away from castes and hierarchies based on birth, they value profit, charisma, expertise and follow exemplary leaders. A person born in the worst of situations can rise to become a tycoon and even head of government.

## Leadership

### Council of Brethren

The Council is the union of the 5 Commodores, leaders of each of the islands elected by cephallian citizens in democratic fashion.

#### Air Commodore Ulysses Kingfisher

The kingfisher aarakocra leader of the floting island of Olympia. He is a sly information trader that has travelled to all the nations in Edvanya and is currently investing in the development of pametian airships.

#### Earth Commodore Dust

The drow leader of Arcadia, the island of underground cities and stone trees. They are very mysterious and have never showed their face in public, always dressed in head scarves and long-sleeved clothing.

#### Fire Commodore Efésio Embers

The fire genasi leader of El Dorado, the volcanic island of glassblowers. He is an ambitious glass tycoon.

#### Gavea Commodore Andromeda, the Chained

The pallid elf leader of Kraken, the central island where the cephallian capital is located. She is a fierce warrior and even fiercer negotiator originally from Arcadia, part of a rare subrace of elves, in her youth, she was chained to rocks in the coast of her home island to be sacrificed to a sea creature, hence her epithet.

#### Water Commodore Mera Levi

The powerful triton sorceress leader of the Atlantis underwater rift. She is the fearsome leader of the largest aquatic civilisation of Edvanya, respected by her magical prowess and battle skills.

## Locations

### Kraken Island

The largest of the islands, located in the middle of the archipelago, it is Cephallus' central hub of commerce, communication and culture, as well as very influential in those fields in the continent as a whole. The people found there are a miscellanious of diverse races and backgrounds and many people seek to go there hoping to make it big in whatever field. Most of the sun and moon high elves in Cephallus live here.

#### Amphitria

The cephallian capital, found in Kraken. There is located the Brethren Hall, the buildings of the offices of the Council and the Commodores in Pirate Square.

#### Shipwreck Bay

The capital of Kraken and home to the Offices of the Gavea Commodore. A coastal city in the western side of the island, facing Arcadia, it's rocky shores were the site of many shipwrecks throughout cephallian history, hence the name.

### Arcadia

The rocky island to the west of Kraken, it is home to many drow, pallid and wood elves and earth genasi, also most of the few remaining spring eladrin. It is the island with the least seafaring trade, arcadians tend to live in underground cities and in a sacred grove of petrified trees, where their capital is located.

#### Gaea

The capital of Arcadia, found in the Ceres Grove, the sacred grove of stone trees, although most of the city is found underground, including the Offices of the Earth Commodore.

### Atlantis

The underwater sea rift west of Arcadia where sea elves,tritons, water genasi, simic hybrids and all manner of water breathing sentient beings and creatures have estabilshed themselves, it is the largest of the two underwater communities found in Edvanya (the other being at the Blue Prong in the Arca). They are fearsome warriors and tend to be very well received by riverside communities and in ships in general, they are extremely nomadic, but all consider Atlantis their home. The rift, although very large, is considered a single town divided in districts, the Offices of the Water Commodore can be found in the rightfully named Government District.

### El Dorado

The southernmost island, near the Gateway. It has high volcanic activity and some areas are almost impossible to cross without having some sort of fire immunity. That is why most of the people living here are fire genasi, tiefling and the most of the remaining summer eladrin. Their high temperatures make their soil great for glassworking and it is their specialty, the glass produced in El Dorado is the finest in all the continent. The island is also the home to one of the towers of Gatekeepers, as it is the closest to the Gateway itself.

#### Jibaro

The capital of El Dorado, built at the base of an active volcano, it is almost impossible for outsiders to visit, it is the home of the Offices of the Fire Commodore.

### Olympia

The floating island to the east of Kraken, it is head aloft by natural means, made so by the Mollisol and Yue, it is connected to the sea below by a network of huge roots that descend to the sea's floor and have ecossystems of their own. It is the centre of information trading and spionage of Edvanya. Most of the people living in the floating island are aarakocra, aasimar, air genasi, aurae and some of the remaining winter and autumn eladrin.

#### Aelia

Capital of Olympia, home to the Offices of the Air Commodore.

## Natural Landmarks

All the islands are extremely different from each other and unique as a whole from the rest of Edvanya, Arcadia has it's stone grove, Atlantis is a sea rift, El Dorado has more volcanos than the entirety of Edvanya combined and Olympia is a floating island.