Ascana, The Isle of Seasons

An island filled with beauty, carved into the landscape with magic.  Due to the constant shifting of land and heavy use of magic, many things are said to lurk in the caves underneath Ascana.  Just the thought of that alone attracts many adventurers, and the stories of what others have found attract more.  The season-locked sections of the isle help with a very easy way to experience a completely different way of life just a few days walk away.

*For any questions about this location, please ping GG-Gamer#6065 in #questions-and-answers channel.*

The Mansion of one of the Nobles from the Summer part of the Isle of Ascana

## Landscape

Filled with beautiful, magically created landscapes, almost the entire area around all large cities have been massively terraformed and enchanted with other magics, such as permanent fogs between gaps in cliffs.  These were all specifically created or commissioned by the various local Nobles.  The lands further out from the cities are mostly hills and forests, the hills used for farming and the forests filled with shrines and leftover ritual sites from the Grand Calling, some still charged with energy and just waiting to be used...

Many of the cities, and important/noble houses, have their localized geographies changed with fantastical results.  A land mass floating just above the ground, or a cliff face shooting up in the middle of the city for the house to be resting on are not particularly odd sights, but are usually kept to the edges of the city to keep from affecting the houses of others.

Most notably, however, is that the island that is Ascana has been split into four sections, one for each of the seasons, along with protecting the island from weather-based disasters.  This is caused and maintained by The Skytide, an ancient artifact housed at the top of the Airsmark Mountain, the tallest mountain on the island by far, in a building now known as Nova Circos.  This is also a common meeting place for the voting council of Ascana when making major decisions that will affect the Isle as a whole, but is also sadly a common target for anyone who disagrees with the Nobility or wishes harm upon Ascana.  The capital city, Aeris, is located at the base of the mountain that Nova Circos is on.

Due to the created beauty of the land coupled with the ability to basically choose what season you live in while on the island, it is a popular tourist destination, with many local nobles owning inns that branch off of their main houses.  This has created a relatively steady cash flow between the island and merchants coming to sell various foods and supplies that have a hard time growing in the season-locked island.  Weather is still a constant factor, but that is usually managed by nobles on a more local level as needed, with preference given to the requests of the natives, especially farmers.

## Nobility

Due to the continuous hiring of nature mages during the reign of a few now-ex-nobles, the nobility consists mainly of those who can use such magics, the stronger the richer (usually).  Other members of the nobility are usually Oni, as well as a few well-learned professional merchants, who usually focus on maintaining the finances of the government.  The current ruling group is a party system, with a voting system between the nobility and some representatives of the people, who are usually seen as nobles themselves.

## History

Founded approximately 3500 years ago by a group of mages and merchants, the society had always been based around the power of one’s own magic as opposed to wealth or physical prowess.  This helped them greatly in the study of The Skytide, as well as when defending their lands from pirates and other invaders.  Many quickly realized how difficult it was to assault an island from the sea when the defenders could shape the waves and the weather to their will.  Few were able to get onto the island, but those who did were able to cause massive casualties and damage.  This constant assault slowed down about 1500 years ago, leaving the island relatively peaceful for the following years, but some fools still try to take the island every now and again.

However, in later years, around 300 years after the constant assaults stopped, a change was made in the laws that allowed descendants of powerful nobles to continue using the influence of their ancestors' magical prowess for their own noble rank.  This, coupled with the fact that a common symbol of status among the nobles was magically altering the landscape around one’s house, caused a group of nobles 500 years later, who had little to no magical prowess of their own, hiring outside help to flaunt their status.  This would be fine, of course, if they didn’t fund their showboating via overly aggressive taxation and, in some cases, blatant theft under the guise of repossession of old relics or reclaiming of noble’s property.  This, along with their encroaching on farmlands, quickly caused a state of unrest among the common civilians.

Once this little plot was discovered by more magically inclined nobles, they tried to call a vote to change the rules again, but were prevented due to not having a majority vote.  In order to stop this from continuing, the noble mages started plans for a coup, bringing in many soldiers, common folk, and even a few merchants into the mix.  At first, it was just a plan to remove the corrupt members of nobility, but after hearing the plights of these other groups, it was changed to a mission to have all levels of society have a voice.  This organization became known as The Singers, and was made up of 6 major groups: The Summer Singers, The Winter Singers, The Spring Singers, The Fall Singers, The Earthen Singers, and The Sky Singers.  Each group focused on a different section of the island, with the Earthen Singers being a sort of all-purpose force and the Sky Singers being pseudo-’Special Forces’.

The following Civil War lasted a brutal 5 years, resulting in a lot of casualties on both sides.  In the end, the final strategy used by the Singers, now known as The Grand Calling, was used to supply the rebellion with powerful soldiers: Oni.  Remnants of the many, many rituals used for this purpose can still be found today, and some are even protected as historical sites.  A few of these sites are still active to some extent, making them prime for misuse by mages seeking powerful allies due to their ability to draw in souls tainted by sin and malice, which are what Oni are usually spawned from.

With the help of these new allies, the rebellion was successful in its efforts to throw the corrupt nobles from their positions, along with their supporters.  Over the next 10 years, new laws were implemented, old laws were removed or replaced, and Oni were integrated into the daily lives of the citizens, being given full citizenship and quite a few noble houses for their assistance in the rebellion.  Of course, there were bumps in the road, but eventually the Isle ended up at peace with itself, and with the new members of their nation.

## People

The population of Ascana is mostly (65%) Elves, Humans, and Half-Elves.  The remaining population is Oni (15%) and various other mortal races (20%).  A few Youkai races are also scattered throughout, often from accidents during Oni summoning/creation rituals approximately 695 years ago (>1%)