Islands of Alvah

Lingering near the edge of explored lands and amidst the roving ships of the Volganeers lies the Archipelago of Alvah. First charted by Navigator Jess Silversmith of the Walanian kingdom, this island chain features lush forests and vibrant fauna, but is warded from easy access by treacherous rock formations close to shore and troubled by rough waters. Their situation at times seems almost too good to be true...

*For any questions you may have about this location, feel free to ping Pandasecret#0561 in the Questions-and-Answers channel.*

### Overview

For those settlers that managed to survive past the harsh environmental barriers to the island group, a comfortable and secure way of life welcomed them. The island chain did not bear many strategic resources aside from iron, and the limited sizes of the island coupled with the difficulty of guaranteeing safe passage to and from each island disincentivized any major colonial power from exploiting its resources.

### Appearance

The islands of Alvah are all naturally stunning places, ranging from pristine white-sand beaches to vibrant rainforests to inland rolling hills. Most civilization is located along lagoons where fishing and travel ships can be easily moored away from the rough waters surrounding the archipelago, or next to inland rivers coursing through meadows and hills.

### The People

The denizens of Alvah are a largely pragmatic group of people who view life with an open mind, often garrulous and charitable to outsiders. It is expected that the younger generation be eager for adventure due to being region-locked to an island, and to be able to navigate their way through the treacherous waters is usually a mark of honor for many a young Alvahans, who then make spend upwards of a decade in the other nations of Utharia before returning home to settle down due to close family ties.

Alvahans tend to have darker skin and hair due to spending most of their time under the sun. The main export varies from clan-to-clan, but fish, lumber, and runic magic are the most common.

### Governance

Due to the separation of each island, a clan-based form of governance formed from the early settlers, and the informal government to this day remains so that each Island Clan respects the rule of the others in the Archipelago, with disputes over disagreements such as seasonal fishing rights settled in bi-monthly gatherings known as Deliberations. Once compromises, agreements, or amends are made by majority vote from all clans, those involved in the Deliberations engage in ceremonial melee - if after the battle both sides still agree to the terms set in the Deliberation despite their exhaustion, the agreements are recorded and copies given to each participating clan. If, however, disagreements arise after the melee, the Deliberation will be prolonged for a day and new terms must be agreed on. This system encourages clan members to fight honorably, as opponents of dishonorable clans may elect to disagree on terms in protest. Furthermore, Clans may elect champions from other clans to fight in ritual combat in their stead, promoting building strong relations between clans. Furthermore, due to the relative equal influential strength of each clan, this could mean that alliances shift between each Deliberation, allowing for a healthy change in political climate as alliances are agreed on and then end as each clan’s motivations change. However, as immigration increases due to improved seafaring techniques and even teleportation, the balance of the Clan system may be at risk from outside influence and ideology.

### Major Clans and Places of Interest

There are seven major clans which hold the most influence among Alvah in their respective areas of influence, and often looked up to by the other clans to help resolve disputes:

* Walsh - Ironmongers
* Pania - Fishers
* Byrne - Lumberjacks
* Leinani - Magic runes
* Doyle - Naval transportation
* Tamar - Land hunting
* Gallagher - Crops

The Port City of Kaltera, managed by Clan Doyle, is a popular trading hub after a leyline was discovered close to it as well, and one of the easiest way of transportation onto and off the archipelago.

### Religion

While religious tolerance varies from Clan to Clan, most people living in the Alvahan Archipelago worship The Stormbrand. It is said that after the first settlers arrived, beset by disease and at-the-time harsh weather conditions, a barrage of lightning bolts struck the barren earth and seas around them, and in their place rose great trees and vegetation on the earth, and boundless bounties of sea life along the shores. It is unclear how much of this is true - in fact, some scholars believe that there lie small fissures in various islands in the archipelago from which fumes rise which can induce hallucinations - but the denizens of the islands take pride in their mythos. Since then, any powerful natural phenomena or particularly successful  endeavor has been attributed by the doings of the Stormbrand. When proselytizers and missionaries of other religions share their beliefs, followers of the Stormbrand are quick to simply state that these foreign deities are probably just different aspects of Stormbrand. This has been the point of some religious contention among various foreign faiths as different deities are all called by the same names - which some decry as heresy. Wars of Faith and Crusades may target the Isles of Alvah as targets of their hate, but most institutions so far have not found good reasons to execute them given Alvah’s hard to reach territories and don’t really provide any other motivations for conquest other than religious ones, though the recent increase in exports of runic magic may be the motivation some powers need to enact their plans.

#### Champion of the Stormbrand

Despite the archipelago's relative peacefulness, there have been certain events where particularly violent pirates, the rise of summoned monsters from unchecked cults, or similar have threatened the livelihood of the Islands of Alvah. In these times, heroes who distinguish themselves in brave and self-less acts to protect their homeland may be recognized as a "Champion of The Stormbrand" by clan leaders or even the ordinary citizenry of the Isles themselves. Where they strike their foes, lightning seems to follow, where they heal the wounded, fissures form and restorative water pours forth from the very earth itself. Magical scholars have been unable to study these phenomena as they happen during times of strife, but it is suspected that The Stormbrand, while not having any directly recognized avatars of itself, manifests its presence and force in these such Champions. Sometimes it is unclear if an average though upstanding Alvahan is blessed with greater powers to be a Champion, or if an already powerful Alvahan receives a revelation as to their true duty for the Islands.

Whenever a Champion is discovered, it's an exciting ordeal for the whole Archipelago. Champions are viewed as sworn guardians of the Islands, and clans will put aside their differences to host feasts and showcase their hospitality in supporting the Champion. This is a chance for each clan to also show to the others their progress and wealth, as clan leaders will gift the Champion with powerful weapons, magics, drinks, foods, armors, and so on.

### The Secret / Pact-making

While outwardly the Alvahan peoples proclaim that the Stormbrand is responsible for easing their work, in reality the surprising peace and prosperity of these island clans are due to magical pacts made with outsiders. As each Alvahan reaches adulthood, an outsider - usually a good aligned one like an angel or agathion, but also fey and occasionally ones of other alignments - may visit the person in question. The two are then intended to make a pact with the good of the community in mind. For example, an agathion may ask an Alvahan to provide a cut from his family’s farm at discount to the stonemason guild, and in exchange the agathion may conjure a storm to dissuade a roving band of pirates from choosing the Islands of Alvah as their next destination. However, at times exploitative outsiders may attempt to create pacts with Alvahans offering esoteric or personal favors rather than ones benefiting the community. However, all outsiders always include the following term no matter what: neither is to ever talk about the details of the pact or their meeting to anyone or anything.

It is unclear why outsiders favor making pacts with seemingly inconsequential islanders. Some clan elders believe that due to the relatively secluded nature of the islands, junior outsiders or simply even just self-amused fey looking to gain experience in pact making may choose Alvahans as a sort of “practice pact” before making more serious pacts in lands with more influential peoples. However, due to the nature of the secrecy term, it is hard to know for sure why this is the case. Many scholastic and religious institutions are eager to learn more and possibly exploit the Alvahan’s seemingly good “fortune”...