Buoy

Buoy is the colloquial name of an artificial island settlement built west of the Backhand. Originally intended as an outpost for surveying "marine life," its true intention of observing Augury activity was plain as day. Unfortunately for the researcher aboard, the project was an unmitigated disaster of class warfare and racial strife. It is still inhabited today, but not by its intended population. The city was forged in conflict, making it the floating metal city it is known as today, only filled by those who wished to abandon the Kingdom of Urale.

Architecture

The island was built upon the protrusion of a small seamount, its natural size was only forty feet across. From this boulder sized origin, several ships of materials were sent to expand the land. Large metal flotation devices which they called "flats" were sent to surround the land and anchored to the distant and concealed sea floor. These flats were bolted together and tied to the central stone. This particular architecture resulted in a constant rise and fall upon the ocean waves, earning the island the name "buoy." Made mostly of steal and brass, the island is immediately recognizable from a distance. The architects avoided edges and angles, giving the buildings a "soft" look. The windows are bolted and sealed within the brass. After the settlements formal abandonment, it has grown covered in barnacles and seaweed. Those who inhabit it now have begun expanding it in size with a combination of materials that were sent adrift, as well as with the metals of ships foolish enough to dock at the island. It now looks like a kitbashed disaster, but it is able to easily maintain its structure and population thanks to its reputation amongst less savory sea farers.

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Downfall

The Downfall of Buoy from its seemingly renowned formation can be broken down into three factors. While there were more than listed here, these are considered the largest factors that could have been avoided. Always known for jumping headfirst into projects without thinking ahead, the western elves sewed their own fate with this project.

Classism

While research and the sciences are highly respected amongst the western elves, those who were sent to this island were aware of their lower social status. Made mostly of prospect researchers with hopes of making a name, most individuals signed their laves away to this asylum on the sea. Matters were made worse by the presence of those who didn't volunteer. The island ended up being treated as a waste dump for the miscreants of Urale, using the foundation of a legal argument constructed by Ulitol Feneyl, which had been made long before the island's conception. The prisoners were sent away from their home under the assumption they would heed the demands of the researchers aboard. Perhaps this was true for a while, but after receiving marked disrespect and borderline inhumane treatment, revolts became the expectation.

Racism

To make matters worse for the island, the dwarves from the mesas of Roinegilar were offered riches through resources, should their clans dedicate members to building upon the natural geography of the island in order to create a larger landmass. The dwarves agreed to this proposition, dedicate tens of thousands of man hours to both learning Urale engineering and building it. When the work was halfway complete and civilians were being moved onto the island, the dwarves back home were informed that the promised construction of an aqueduct would not be brought into fruition, as government attention had to be turned to damns around Ilobel. The matters were made worse by the leaked construction of a dam in the same location as the aqueduct's origin point. Those who were building aboard the island, however, had no idea that their work was being exploited. When information finally made its way to Buoy, a dwarvish revolt saw the ports destroyed and most of the dwarf population abandoning their work.

Conflicting Purposes

The people on this island all came with their own desires. A reduced prison sentence, marine research, isolated experiments, or military purposes. Activities on the island were made worse by the discussion back home. Upon the Waning Keep, arguments about the island's purpose were constantly debated, with Dour Rai stating it should be used as an anchor point for colonizing Driftide, while the Feneyl Dynasty wished to spy on the augury. Those aboard the station developed their own opinions on the matter, deciding that if the authorities couldn't decide their purpose, they should carve the path themselves. Before long, the prisoners realized that they wouldn't have to worry about a reduced sentence if they took their lives into their own hands. This, along with the other conflict, resulted in an elvish revolution, reducing the population to a series of barbarians hostile to any that they don't recognize.

Status

At present, Buoy is a lawless land of individuals that wished to escape the Kingdom of Urale's borders. Mostly ex-convicts and misfits, the land is harsh to outside visitors, though it is open to the docking of certain common vessels. Whether for trade, stories, or a simple docking point, the island has become a staple for pirates along the backhand. The formal opinion of Urale regarding the island is unknown, but some believe that a reckoning is nigh. Should the government turn its attention to this defunct project, who knows what destruction or benefits may result?