The Oryctus Enclave

Oryctus, home of the Hoplites and financial heart of more than one important venture, is a small island to the west of the Empire of Sitrane, close to Thayrus. It boasts of large mountains and picturesque, peaceful landscapes, provided you don't get too close. At the heart of the nation, Mirabelle stands as the ultimate pilgrimage for all those financially oriented, its institutions now boasting hundreds of years of operation without breaches, or so they say. No Hoplite would admit to letting themselves be robbed, after all.

## History

If one had visited the land that would become Oryctus a thousand years ago, they would have found an almost tropical land, mostly flat, and teeming with mostly peaceful wildlife. In fact, this was the state that the first human colonists found it in. Thus began the first era of Oryctus. This first era, lasting about a century, saw the rapid expansion of colonies all throughout the small island, mostly near the coasts, with only the bravest venturing deeper inland to establish smaller settlements. It was from these smaller settlements that conflict first emerged, as near the center of the island, a particular resource was found. Gold. Rich veins, filled with the valuable metal, began to be exploited by the eager colonists. However, wealth leads to greed, and when news of this spread, the countries from where the original colonists hailed were quick to lay claim to the island, and soon enough, all negotiations had broken down. It was war.

#### Age of War

In the conflict that shaped Oryctus, Sitrane, Thyrus, and Khovdia all sent forth armies to establish their presence. The Sitrane fleet initially gained the upper hand by blockading the supply lines of their enemies, but assaults from Khovidan mages practically eliminated their land forces. As engagements continued, the violence, numbers, and most importantly, the magic being used all escalated. From cantrips to fireballs to earthquakes, the small island became an unofficial testing ground for all sorts of magical atrocities, from magically enhanced wildlife to wide scale poisonings, to the destruction and creation of mountains and valleys in enormous rituals. Three years after the start of the war for Oryctus, the gold mines that were the initial source of the conflict had been all but lost, the natural landscape and wildlife had been mutated beyond what's naturally possible, and one by one, the three nations involved left, leaving behind the few people who still lived there for one reason or another. At first, the magical energies seemed to have had little to no effect on the people, even as they noticed that the mountains changed the weather of the once tropical nation, with warm valleys and snowy mountaintops. Over the next few generations, however, the slowly regrowing population, still living in small settlements, noticed that their children were changing too. They were stronger, and could jump higher than their parents. In other settlements, assailed by the new, hostile fauna, children began to be born with a second set of ears, rabbit-like in appearance, allowing them to hear danger far before others. Of course, these changes were mostly ignored by the outside world, seeing as the great powers all believed Oryctus to be worthless.

#### Age of Recovery

As the native population slowly changed and increased, once more settling around the island at great personal peril, larger settlements began to appear, and with them, a newfound affinity for numbers and management. These particular skills were needed since the new fauna was as dangerous as ever, with new magical beasts, both malign and simply territorial ones claiming a toll on the burgeoning race. However, with stubborn determination, they carved out an existence for themselves, and began to thrive. Around this point, Oryctus' massive gold deposits were found once more, and with the previous war an ever present reminder, this was kept completely under wraps, until Oryctus could be sure it would not fall prey to foreign depredations once more. Thus, with new motivation, miners, builders, architects and engineers started designing, carving out, and filling vaults for accounts not yet opened, keeping everything on the down low. It took years, but when the call that Oryctus had rediscovered its wealth came, the three powers all smelled blood in the water and set sail for the Enclave. When they arrived, they weren't met by a disorganized band of settlers. They found themselves facing high walls, powerful wards, and smiling, extremely tall rabbit people offering sophisticated banking services and security. The rest, as they say, is history.

## Geography

If one were to compare Oryctus to anything, it would probably be a bowl. The southern half of the nation is almost completely surrounded by mountains that only Hoplites seem to know how to traverse. Once past those, you would arrive to what looks at first glance like a natural paradise, but looks are deceiving...

## Government

The government of the Enclave, or at least the closest thing they have to a central government, is a council of the 12 wealthiest citizens of the island. One amongst them, not necessarily but usually the richest, is chosen to be the mostly ceremonial head. Currently, this position is filled by the Owner of the Oryctus Credit Union, Alerie Bombast. Given the nature of this council, and the fact that when working together they wield considerable power, there's severe competition to claw one's way into the council, and a delicate power balance between different interests groups is currently kept, each pulling the development of the nation in one way or another. One thing's certain, however. These 12 will do anything in their power to protect the interests of Oryctus, as since their names and fortune are public, they can and will be replaced at any time.

## Society

For a society heavily focused on money, its acquisition and the expansion of personal wealth, Oryctus is surprisingly rural. The main reason why will be discussed later, but in essence, most hoplites are busy enough surviving to really focus on other things. However, besides small rural communities, larger towns tend to form around financial institutions. For example, the capital of Mirabelle was founded initially around the Oryctus Credit Union, even if this bank has severe competition nowadays.

## People

Oryctus is the home and birthplace of the Hoplites, a humanoid race, making up 95% of the local population. Now, this might seem strange, considering the fact that, as a small island nation with high amounts of trade, they would naturally have large populations of other races. Normally, one would be correct, but considering these islands underwent the magical equivalent of repeated thermonuclear detonations, a few side effects pop up. First among those being that any and all children born to humanoids within the island of Oryctus will be born as Hoplites. Furthermore, hoplites tend to have many children. Fortunately, discrimination based on bloodlines is frowned upon by the general public. The remaining 5% is mostly composed of merchants vetted by one or more of the banks, merchants, their families, and other souls hoping to swim, rather than sink.

## Fauna

War is sometimes the great innovator. It drives technology and magic forwards in ways never imagined, all in the name of hurting one's fellow man. Among these, biological warfare is only one of the many tools, manufacturing living weapons with no care for the native fauna. Much like the humanoid population, the animals in the enclave mutated, with most of them becoming bigger, nastier, and gaining deadlier abilities. Thus, any animal in Oryctus would likely be considered a dire creature in other parts of the world, and there are unique new species of magical beasts spread around the isle.

Among these new species are the Deinos, or, as they're usually referred to: "The teleportin' fucking crocs". A species of crocodilians that inhabit the lakes of Oryctus. When one lake stops providing enough food, they will unerringly warp to the closest suitable body of water, ensuring themselves a new supply of food.