Droichid Island

**Droichid Island** is an island with a few surrounding specks of land and rock circa in the middle between the Mainland and the Oileánra-Archipelago. Through its storied past, Droichid Island has become a pivot of trade and commerce between those two localities, as well as the foreign world.

Droichid Island was, for a while, one of the major production centers of herbs, including medicinal herbs, which were not only important in the development of Selkie Tea Culture. While local growers still exist, the island remains tightly in the grip of agriculture and fishing - and the Lománocht-Family as largest local land owner.

Largest settlement on Droichid Island is Sotarua with about 6,000 inhabitants. Its mayor, Fiona Anpocadán of the Tribe of Dundalk, serves as the head of the entire island.

## Geography

From North to South, at its widest point, Droichid Island is 9.6 kilometers long, from the East to the West it is 19.8 kilometers. The total landmass of Droichid Island amounts to 165.2 square kilometers, with the Western Bay and the Eastern Bay allowing ships to dock in the north. It is at the Eastern Bay, where the island's capitol of Sotarua is located.

## History

### Ancient Times (-450 CE)

between ca. 15,000 and 14,000 BCE: Settlements on Shella Island, Droichid Island, Mount Kilanda and Mount Vellenge appear and disappear. The Grand Cromleghai of Droichid Island is built around 14,750 BCE.

* + (singular Cromlegha, from Tafod, *crolech*, nowadays generally a megalithic structure)
* ca. 1000 BCE: First evidence of leavened bread, a technique most likely learned from merchants traveling to and from Kyrenaia. In Almadaldima and along the Tahul River System, leavened bread was known since at least 3,500 BCE, yeast being cultivated for about as long.
* 412 CE: First mention of the Tribe of Dundalk

### Stopover Island, Pirate Island (900-1280)

* 1056: First evidence of a trading house of the Merchant Guild of Leuda

### Island of the Lománocht-Family (1412-1644)

* deployment area during the First Vellenge War of 1615

### 20th century (1903-2023)

* 1936-1989: Naval Airbase Droichid Island, totally didn't store the Free Lands' nuclear arsenal until the Utica Peace Accords
	+ based in 1989: Sciathán Seachmall Fighter-Bombers of the 13th Mixed Air Squadron (SDF-Army)
	+ struck shipping and targets on the islands during the Second Vellenge War
	+ after 1989: Private air port until 2003, bankrupt
	+ became a street art center and youth hangout, analogous to the Abandoned Ironcastle Airworks Testing Field
* 2020-2021 Winter in the Free Lands
* 2022-2023 Winter in the Free Lands
* *Scrios*-Incident:
	+ small liner *Scrios* wrecked on shore in a storm
	+ massive rescue effort
	+ of 923 passengers and crew, 900 are saved
	+ aid by the Droichid Island Boarding School Complex Sensha-Do Team
* 20th of March 2023: Pandemic is declared over

## Demographics

*Also see Category: Denizens of Droichid Island.*
* ca 25,000 people, ca. 6,000 in Sotarua

### Education

* a total of 6,000 students (elementary school and above) on the entire island
* 14 kindergartens
* 5 elementary schools:
	+ Sotarua North Elementary School
	+ Sotarua South Elementary School
	+ Ollannion Elementary School
	+ Garran Temple Elementary School
	+ Bogfada Elementary School
* 2 middle schools:
	+ Ollannion Middle School
	+ Garran Temple Middle School

* Droichid Island Boarding School Complex: 1450 students (from elementary to graduation), teachers and personell
	+ Droichid Island Boarding School Complex Sensha-Do Team:
		- 2 Crogall Amphibious Armoured Vehicles
		- 4 Gabha Motorworks G 1 Caomnach Half-Tracks
		- 5 Sio-I Engineer Vehicles, 2 Sio-I Radio Vehicles, mostly for Younger Militia Duties
		- Donation of Sanhama Motorworks/Mangaire Dealership Company Limited:
			* 6 SM-35 Falcatas
			* 6 SM-39 Caetras
			* mostly for Younger Militia Duties: 1 SM-31 Boombox (the Armoured Party), 3 SM-31 Mobile Power Stations, 2 SM-31 Drone Carriers, 2 SM-31 Mortar Carriers
	+ Droichid Island Boarding School Complex Marcach Team
	+ formerly the destination for students advancing beyond Elementary School in the Oileánra-Archipelago - Modernizing the Archipelago Initiative, 2010, founding of the Eachtrán High School of Scrín

* Garran Temple High School:
	+ Garran Temple School Complex Marcach Team
* Sotarua Technical School: Mechanics

## Economy

* agriculture: herbs, sheep and potatoes
	+ Lománocht-Family as largest land owners, represented by the Cnoco Branch
	+ small estate of the Lách-Family
	+ wool sheep, robust and long-living wool
* a small bit of mining
* fishing
* forestry: Restocking of ancient forests
* industry:
	+ Clipthóir Shipbuilding Company, branch of the Shella-based traditional shipbuilding company
	+ branch repair yard of SDY, led by Felicia Scaird of the Tribe of Cork
	+ Weaving Mills in:
	+ Sheepskin (not leather) worked as well, small fashion label

## Infrastructure

* almost no cars
	+ quite a few tanks, though (but also owned by others)
* two horse breeders:
	+ Oileánaghi (Islanders), used as draught ponies
	+ Laoghi Beaghi (Little Warriors), used for riding and work

### Sotarua Cargo Port

* also serves as ferry terminal
* maximum draught: 7 metres
	+ several docking buoys a bit further out
* 1 Inneall Dóiteáin-class Fireboat

### Sotarua Fisherman Port

* also serves as yacht harbour
* maximum draught: 4 metres

### Garran Fisherman Port

* also serves as yacht harbour
* maximum draught: 4 metres

### Bogfada Yacht Harbour

* also serves as yacht harbour
* maximum draught: 2 metres

### Droichid Island Seaplane Port

* Ollannion
* Geabhróg-class Seaplane Tender *Tuar Ceatha* (Rainbow)

### Droichid Island Narrow-Gauge Railway

* mostly cargo
* also a round-circle route