Isma

# The Holy Ismar Collective

Isma (literal translation 'Island') is a nation located upon an island south of Erisia, that has long acted as a useful staging point for voyages between the northern continent and the lands of both the new world and Rema Nova due to its position just south of the Intersea Channel, similar to that of Drakland. While smaller than their island peer, Isma is much more concentrated, and closer to the well established nation of Rema Nova, allowing it to keep up in terms of economic power and influence over the channel.

However, decades of closed borders barring a designated trade harbour and isolationism from the outside world has stunted Isma's capacity to keep up with the progression of its peer nations; leaving it somewhat behind as of 1860.

## History

### Neolithic

In the early days of history, the island that would one day become Isma saw very little inhabitation. Archaeological surveys have found some evidence of small tribal encampments, but nothing firm enough to constitute an actual nation. For all intents and purposes, Isma was untouched during the Neolithic.

### Bronze Age

The first Reman settler landed upon the soil of what would eventually become Isma circa 500 BC. Other nearby nations were attempting colonization during this time, though this had caused the area to devolve into a bit of a mess of which the invading Remans were easily able to capitalize on and take the island for their own from the weakened opposition. This would prove highly valuable to Rema Nova, due in part to the location of the island making it an excellent foothold for which the expanding empire could stage further Southward expansion should they find things there, but also because the land was rich in marble - a material that the ancient nation coveted just as much as the modern nation that came from it. As such, the island would be built up and used as a powerful stepping stone into the continent for the First Reman Empire to expand.

### Iron Age

It turns out, however, that this building up of the island would be what equally led to Rema Nova losing its foothold on Jihua entirely. As the First Reman Empire began to wane, barbarian hordes tested their borders and found the once proud nation lacking, being able to push the empire back to their island foothold. One such tribe, who's original name is sadly lost to time, succeeded in taking the island for their own near the end of the collapse of the First Empire, severing the nation that was already fleeing to Southern Islands from being able to return to their original home continent for good. These people would then settle within the settlements they captured, and the nation of Isma was truly born.

The early Isma people were not warmongers as most other barbarian hordes of the time were, however. Historians suggest that the reason they invaded the island in the first place was due to early religious beliefs, a precursor to the modern Deepwoken religion, turning the island into a holy land for the highly religious people. With their holy land acquired, a church quickly formed in earnest, and the Holy Ismar Collective began. The nation quickly grew and prospered off what the Reman Empire had left for them to inherit; becoming a small but none-the-less influential state due to their strategic placement in the mouth of the Intersea Channel and the naval infrastructure Rema Nova had built up upon the island.

During this time period, and for some time beyond this, Isma would suffer somewhat frequent tension and conflict with the nation of Drakland due to the fellow island nation's tendancy to raid and pillage. However, due to the strongly defended coasts of Isma and a lack of desire by the Ismar people to actually push against the much larger island of the Draken, full scale war never truly happened - though not for lack of trying from the part of some Draken invaders.

### Medieval

The start of the Medieval period is largely marked for the Ismar people by the coming of the second Reman Empire. Having dealt mostly with raids from Drakland as their main threat, a hardened invasion force was able to take the nation unawares and get foothold in the Southern port town of Dess. Shortly after, realizing that the nation was not prepared for a costly defense of the homeland, Isma capitulated to their invaders and was annexed into being a puppet state. From here, Rema Nova would be swift in furthering their conquest to take back the land that was once theirs; and the Ismar people had no recourse but to assist. That said, some guerrilla resistance was documented in this time period, forming a precursor for what would come later when the Second Empire eventually fell.

Speaking of, come the end of the 16th century, Rema Nova would begin collapsing under its own weight, and Isma found itself able to work with autonomy once more. At this point, things began to look up. Once again, the Reman Empire had left Isma with the spoils of their advancement, allowing the nation to start building up to perhaps become even more influential on the trade within Jihua. However, there would only be a few short decades of peace within the country, before its darkest age dawned.

### Heretical Insurgency and Isolation

The date of the Fire of Poi is well documented. January 14th, 1624. An insurgent movement sprung into the light of public perception, setting fire to the capital city of Poi in a week long inferno that did extensive damage to the holy city. Thus began a long, bloody conflict between what the Deepwoken Church labelled heretics and the people of Isma. Come 1675, and the pressure mounting from the constant conflict with Heretics causes Isma's capacity to perform international diplomacy to break down; and The Holy Ismar Collective shifts drastically into an isolationist stance, closing all borders barring the two trade ports of Ahab and Dess so that the economy could continue to flow. Outsiders were no longer allowed within the country proper, only allowed to stay within the open port towns; though this would end up doing little to stop the heretics, and only serve to start a slow and creeping divide to form between the technological advancement of Isma and its peers.

Only now in the second half of the 19th century are the heads of the Deepwoken Church starting to understand their folly, seeing other nations starting to advance much faster while they are stuck in their old ways due to their isolation from the wider world stage. Once more, big changes are starting to happen within Isma; though they still remain under the constant threat from the inside, battling their endless, bloody war with the heretics.

## Economy

Historically, Isma has relied on a pair of exports to furnish the backbone of their economy. The first of these is fishing, something that should be of little surprise for an islandic nation with deep ties to the sea. The port town of Ahab is well reputed for entire streets being lined with fishmongers and seafood merchants of all kinds. The second primary export historically was that of marble, the rock making up surprisingly large chunks of the stone composition of the island.

However, due to recent discoveries of large concentrations of platinum, something previously though to be scarce and thus only used internally for things like religious artefacts and decorating the armour and arms of Temple Knights, an increase in mining efforts has allowed for an export of so called "aqua platinum", platinum specially treated with Cobalt Blue pigment to create a vaguely blue sheen to the metal. Regular platinum is, of course, also becoming exported.