Hanayabarta Archipelago

## History

The archipelago looked like an octopus that had its teeth bared and flailed its tentacles about. The name “Hanayabarta” was, in fact, the name of a demonic octopus deity that loved to cause storms and winds at sea. Legend says that the demonic octopus deity had once stolen a precious ornament belonging to Sufanna, Goddess of the Bloodmoon. The Bloodmoon Goddes was enraged by that act and summoned her husband, Singwa, God of the Sun, War, and Light, and her sister Daphlyn, Goddess of the Silvermoon when the demonic octopus surfaced from the depth of the seas. The three heavenly beings turned the thieving octopus deity into the archipelago as punishment.

Many on the continent took the moral of the story to be: angered women are unpredictable. That was why angering a woman was not to be done under any circumstances, or the consequences would be dire. For instance, the octopus deity had thought that the worst he would suffer from the theft was a drawn-out battle with the Bloodmoon Goddess, but it didn't expect that he would be turned into an archipelago as a result.

The Hanayabarta archipelago was perceived as being rural and desolate, being so far from the continent of Grindia without any worthy export to their name. It was only after the formation of the pirate kingdom did trade start to bustle at the archipelago, causing the opinions of the mainlanders about it to gradually change as well.

## Geography

The Hanayabarta archipelago is located to the southwest of Silowas. A middle-class merchant vessel would take 11 days to make its way from Silowas to the archipelago.

The archipelago looked like an octopus that had its teeth bared and flailed its tentacles about.

In terms of actual available area, the Hanayabarta archipelago was larger than the Norton dominion. However, most of the land available at the archipelago were long and narrow islands which did indeed look like octopus tentacles.

Apart from the main island of the archipelago, there are another 27 islands of different sizes.

The maps showed the archipelago's coasts to be straight. In other words, Nupite was in the deepest reaches of a bay that was shielded by a few long islands stretches that acted as natural barriers.

The islands were the hereditary dominions of the slaver nobles and there was no doubt that they stationed many of their own there.

### Seaweed Islands

The ones one would have to watch out for are the eight right next to Nupite, called the Seaweed Islands.

The Seaweed Island Major was rather large.

After the Seaweed Islands come the Twin Pomfret Islands. They are roughly of the same size, about the size of a viscounty each.

Following that is the Twinhead Tortoise Island and the Fallen Feather Island.

Lastly, we have Goldshark Island and Duck Island. These two islands are angled together like a V-shape funnel, and at the innermost point between the two islands lies Nupite. Duck Island is a little larger than Goldshark Island. Between Duck Island and the main island is a reefy area.

The bay at Nupite resembles a huge wine barrel. All one has to do is seal the main and sub routes, the ships in the port would definitely be unable to escape.

## Post House Norton Occupation

### Military

Norton Lorist formed a garrison division for the archipelago comprising five brigades. Norton Molocinque, was to be the division commander with Norton Wellickson acting as his aide.

The garrison division the house has three land-based brigades and two maritime brigades, each numbering three thousand men. Their load outs is similar to the local defense brigades. The three land-based brigades are stationed at the capital area, the hilly area and Port Nupite respectively. Citadels were constructed at these respective sites as a defensive stronghold.

Other than that, two maritime brigades were stationed at Port Nupite, with 16 armed ships under their command to patrol the waters of the archipelago and drive away potential enemies.

Wellickson, began learning the ropes of sailing and training your troops at sea, from Senbaud. He had three years to train his maritime troops.

The three land-based brigades, were Molocinque to command. He was given three years to finish the construction of the three citadels as well as the training of his troops.

He was also tasked to maintain order around the archipelago and cooperate with Governor Hector to ease the liberated slaves into their new lives. The hope was for the archipelago to be self-sufficient within the next five years and no longer require support from the house.

Also, after three years, the hope was that the archipelago would be able to supply the main household with a thousand elite and well-trained soldiers on a yearly basis. The inner city of Port Nupite would also be put under charge of Governor Hector as his main base of operations. He was to form another city defense brigade there that was directly under the control of the governor's office.

The governor's office being above the chain of command of the garrison division, and the garrison division would not have any control over the city defense brigade. While the governor's office had the power over the garrison division, that is only limited to yearly supply and inventory checks. This did not mean that they could direct military affairs, unless there was an invasion or a large-scale rebellion.

## Story

Lorist declared Hector the first governor of the archipelago. His first term would be five years. His primary duty was to ensure that the 100 thousand slaves were given farmland and houses so they could settle into their new lives and become the subjects of the Norton house.

Lorist made Jades and Messen aides to Potterfang. The three were given only three tasks: the formation of the ten new brigades via the recruitment of the 16 silver-ranked and 400 other bronze or iron-ranked slave fighters, the transport of the 100 thousand plus subjects of the Hanayabarta kingdom to Nupite, where the other captives were held, as well as the battlefield's cleansing.

On the 24th day of the 10th month, Year 1773, Count Norton Lorist ordered the beheading of 100 thousand Hanayabartans at the shore around Nupite. He used 176243 heads to build a 33-meter-tall pyramid. It became known as Dread's Monument.

Right before the beheading, the governor of Hanayabarta, Hector, had kneeled to Lorist and begged for seven whole hours before he finally received permission to spare the lives of 12 thousand young women. They were to be made the wives of liberated slaves. The Hanayabartan Genocide was deeply imprinted in the hearts of many.

## Military

While the Hanayabarta kingdom had many blademasters, only four served the royal family. They were rank 3 blademaster and swordsmanship instructor to King Lud III, Locksy Kabia, rank 2 blademaster Jiluet, and two other rank 1 blademasters, Viscount Sakri, leader of the guards that kept order in the capital, and Blademaster Benack who had relied on precious medicines to train.

## Location

### Herbitra

Herbitra, also known as the Palace of 36 Pillars. There are 36 huge pillars supporting the great hall. They were all made of a green and gold stone. On them were engravings of intricate patterns and murals that depicts the various legends and folktales of the era. The most prominent building in Hamidas, which also served as the center of power for the kingdom, was where Lud III would summon his nobles for meetings or wave to the adoring masses.

### Nupite

Being the most well-known slave trading area, Nupite was considered a rather large city, even though the inner walls weren't that large. Ever since the founding of the kingdom, the city's walls had never once been assailed by enemies, so the slavers and slave traders turned complacent and began expansive development at the outer part of the cities away from the defense afforded by the inner walls. They built mansions, manors, warehouses, and trade areas, all of which had fallen into Lorist's hands.

Storms around the Hanayabarta archipelago typically last two to three days, the capital built waterways to help with the irrigation and avoid flooding. There are four city sectors with one such waterway underground. Every month on the 10th, some guards would bring slave to clear up the waterways.