Cantoisi

Introduction

The Cantoisi are the inhabitants of the Cantois Isles, descendants of the first explorers into the continent of Suriima, at the start of the Age of Discovery. The island of North Cantois was first populated late into that age. The island South Cantois, towards the end of the Age of Conflict. It was, ironically, the Age of Harmony, that caused the Cantoisi people their greatest challenges, however. Their culture, shaped by these tragedies and subsequent triumphs, is a testament to their enduring spirit and adaptability.

History

North Cantois was first settled late in the Age of Discovery. The Cantois Isles' location off the eastern coast, a coast that is still, even now, largely unoccupied meant both the discovery, and the settling, were notably later than anywhere on the mainland. It was actually travellers sailing from Kana in the northern Couvalon Kingdom to Vialina in the south, (what is now the Quitapha Dynasty) that discovered the islands. They are too far from the mainland to see from the east coast of the continent. It was also individuals that set off from Kana that eventually settled the northern island, creating the home of Arisles there, that would grow to be their capital. It was a few centuries later, across the boundary into the Age of Conflict (not that Cantois saw any of that, or were really aware of the change in Age) when they would send an expeditionary force to the south island, in the hope of settling that too. That group were successful and built Aralomi.

The Ten Year Winter

The Ten Year Winter was a challenge for the whole world, but for the peoples of a small-ish tropical island nation, the struggle hit harder. Unaccustomed to such cold weather, the Cantoisi had to adapt, quickly. They survived, just, and sighed a breath of relief once that ordeal was over.

The Eruption of Mon Dravara

Unfortunately, their respite lasted a few centuries. Having recovered from the Ten Year Winter, Arisles was returning to a point of prosperity once again when The Eruption of Mon Dravara happened. The volcano wiped Arisles off the map, and the population of a few thousand was reduced to around one hundred. This number managed to flee to South Cantois, where they were afflicted by The Shimmering Sorrow caused by their contact and consumption of the Sorrowshell Crab, a species that had yet to populate North Cantois, and seemingly only emerged after the Ten Year Winter in general. This cut the survivor numbers in half once again, and the remain fifty or so were eventually rescued by scouts from Aralomi. North Cantois was eventually re-populated and Arisles rebuilt somewhat, but Aralomi now stands as the capital of the Cantois Isles.

Culture

The Cantoisi follow an Elder system of hierarchy. Offshoot clans do exists outside of the main two settlements, and these pockets of civilisation follow suit. The Cantoisi language is branched from Northern Suriimese, but milennia ago, so their Cantoisi language more closely resembles the Old Tongue and High Elven, from which the Suriimese language spawned from original, by the early explorers.

Traditions

On the Sacred Day, the Day of the Passed, the Cantoisi hold an event known as The Festival of Renewal. This festival honours the fallen of both the Ten Year Winter and the eruption of Mon Dravara. The Cantoisi have a deep connection with nature and the spiritual world, and thus associate mostly with the gods that align with those ideals. They strongly believe in the afterlife, and that the spirit must be prepared properly for the journey there.

Parent Species: Human

Parent ethnicities

• Human

Related Locations

• Cantois Isles