Islanders

Islander High Envoy at the Council of Races (circa 2019)

* A necklace denoting a symbol of ambassador authority (this must be an obvious and visible prop)

### Language(s)

* Trade Tongue
* Aether-Speak

## Politics

### Alliances

* The Unda
* All who fear the Aether

## Geography

### Resources

Sugarcane, Fruit

Purifiers of the Corrupt, ambassador for the foreign agents of the Aether; these decorative individuals deal in the Unda’s public relations with the rest of Haven and the thorough purification of Aether

### **Art**

Highly educated, Islanders aren't as fond as the “art of war” as their deep sea brethren, tending to avoid or de-escalate conflicts before they occur. Instead, many prefer the fine arts and develop extremely impressive linguistic skills in order to communicate better with those all across Haven.

### **Appearance**

While Islanders are the least aquatic of the cousins and more Amphibious in nature, their appearance still heavily denotes that of the sea. They still sport gills to breathe underwater, along with finned ears and scales on their skin, however they are much more comfortable in the shallow waters of coral reefs and the gentle beaches where they reside. Islanders boast light blue or brightly tropical coloured scales with occasional gold accents and utilize these to attempt to make the best public appearance they can.

### **Cuisine**

Islanders enjoy a wide array of foods from not only the oceans, but animals and plants from the islands they reside on as well. Coconuts, bananas, shellfish, fern fiddles, and tubers like yams and taro are common in an Islander’s regular diet, so the foods of most mainland races sit much better with them. Sugarcane is a popular way of sweetening their salty lifestyle, and flightless birds along with their eggs are easy eating for protein that is a substitute for seafood.

### **Trade & Commerce**

The Islanders farm a wide variety of tropical fruits along with sugarcanes to utilize on their islands and to sell to individuals on the mainland. It is quite common for Unda fruits to be found as delicacies in nearly every culture’s cuisine.

### **Geography**

All islands within the great sea are laid claim to by this sect of the Unda, and have been met with war on multiple occasions by those who wish to expand their territory, only to fail when the Deep Ones came to assist their land dwelling brethren. The Sirocco islands deal with the seafaring Sheana of Clan Salaman frequently, While Libeccio and the islands to the north trade frequently with the human city of Ponente.

Their cities (both above water and underneath) consist of very open architecture, utilizing the natural resources and layouts available to them from their islands to form walls and borders while some cities are primarily formed throughout the coral structures and cliffs on the edges of an island. Many buildings sport decorations of coral, shells, and shiny stones along with occasional pieces of broken ceramics or glass to make the very walls of their cities sparkle in Sol’s light.

### **Traditions and Holidays**

* **The Metamorphose -** A coming of age ceremony that usually occurs when an Islander reaches the age of 17 and consists of a large graduation ceremony and feast. Many of these young Unda who have completed their education are prepared to serve as an apprentice to an influential ambassador for a period of time. This apprenticeship allows them to improve their skills in the field, as well as gain much needed life experience for their future endeavors as ambassadors for the Unda peoples.

* **The Bond** - A sacred and secretive ceremony that is held during the conception of a new Unda child where the family and close friends of the couple create a “shell” for this new life to develop within. Seashells, kelp, flat rocks, and other underwater materials are carefully crafted into a protective shell where the combination of a couple’s ethereal energies is placed after conception. This practice is not discussed outside of couples and the Unda peoples, and is generally seen as rude to question.

* **The Departure -** A ceremony of remembrance for when an Unda dies. As a collective, stories are shared, songs are sung, and memories are continuously passed on through the interconnected minds of the Unda while the body of the deceased Unda dissipates into an ethereal smoke. It is known within the culture that an intelligence of someone never actually dies, but is instead recycled back into the collective for them to reemerge at a later date. This ceremony is not usually mournful, and instead tends to be merely one of respect. However, when Unda truly discover how other races die they can be shocked, disgusted, and sorrowful for those who pass on from other races.

### **Trade/Commerce**

Fond of decorative pieces, these Unda trade often with their deeper dwelling brethren for various sparkly and impressive items to help declare their status and role to those on the mainland. They also actively trade their fruits and sugarcane to the Humans of Ponente and occasionally do business with the Sheana.

### **Military**

While the Islanders themselves do not boast an army to protect every island, their brethren the Deep One’s are ready to spring into action the second anything goes wrong. Most Islanders do train in some sort of combat (it is always best to be prepared for potential altercations on the mainland), but they do not tend to prioritize it over the skills of politics and societal navigation.

## **Social Structure & History**

This is a shared structure and history with the rest of the Unda Inquisition