Dusk Isles
"It was only as we were rounding the horn and beheld the majesty of the setting sun reflected on the water that I understood why our forebearers saw fit to call this land 'The Dusk Isles.'The Dusk Isles are a province of the Triamic Empire. They consist of two separate regions: Manea and Pilot Point. They are tied together by a mutual dedication to commerce.
Manea
Manea is an island situated at the point where the Shimmering Sea exits into the Great Ocean. It is known for sunny beaches and a distinctive, colorful culture. This makes it the most popular travel destination in the Empire. Entire regions of the island have industry based around catering to summering nobility and merchant princes.Pilot Point
Pilot Point is a peninsula that protrudes from the southwest edge of Lumina. It is a thriving hub for both imperial and international trade, particularly acting as the primary access point for nations across the Great Ocean like Et'cha and Uota.Geography
The Dusk Isles are warm and humid, lending to a subtropical environment occasionally spotted with swampland. The islands and peninsula are fairly low in elevation, leaving them prone to flooding during the stormy season. Elevation rises as one approaches the border of Lumina, where a low mountain rang obstructs direct access to the rest of the continent.Structure
The Dusk Isles are the domain of the merchant princes. The Dusk Isles are run by a senate with an elected head acting as head of state, and it is notoriously easy to buy one's way onto the senate. This leads to the Isles being an unofficial-but-blatant plutocracy, though most of the wealthy citizens (colloquially dubbed "merchant princes") themselves would argue that it's really a true meritocracy, since anyone with a good idea and initiative can find their fortune in the Isles.
History
The Dusk Isles were first colonized by archipelago islanders, although when the Sheyla landed in nearby Ipse, the Plains peoples and their Kaelic religion swiftly overtook the native population. However, they largely remained a collection of independent communities until the Mukala Dominion conquered the Shimmering Sea.
Dominion Rule - 710-410 BEC
Following their conquest of Sol'cha, the Dominion used the Dusk Isles as one of their two primary entry points to the northern bank of the Shimmering Sea. Manea became highly militarized. Sheyla in the region flew north into the area that would later become Lumina.
West Territories - 410-302 BEC
In the 410s BEC, the Dominion fractured into three separate nations. The Mukala West Territories comprised of what are currently the Dusk Isles and southern Lumina.
During this time period, the West Territories experienced some tension with Lumina to the north and with Et'cha-occupied Sol'cha to the south.
Finally, over the course of 40 years (341-302 BEC), Lumina conquered the West Territories, and the Dusk Isles became the southernmost point of Lumina.
Lumina territory 302 BEC - 126 EC
See: Lumina. During this time, Manea and Pilot Point both proved powerful assets to international trade, allowing Lumina to easily trade with Et'cha. It was during this time period that the Order of the Horn started sailing west, to the equatorial archipelago, in search of Ayala Tat.
In 70 EC, Lumina joined the Triamic Empire as an independent province. Little functionally changed for Manea and Pilot Point, excepting that now Heartland controlled the stopping point for their western vessels, allowing for trade across the Shimmering Sea to go much more smoothly for the budding Empire.
Black Powder War - 126-145 EC
In 126, the Shaali landed on Manea, kicking off the beginning of the Black Powder War... a massive 20-year conflict between the technological superiority of Pele versus the magical dominance of Estana.
After a struggling resistance, Pilot Point fell to Shaal in 127 EC, giving the invading army a launching point from which to access the entirety of the Shimmering Sea.
Manea and Pilot Point spent the full two decades of the war under Shaali occupation. During this time, Shaal imported a number of their crafts and agricultural exports from across the ocean. Many soldiers interbred with the locals.
The Manea Pact - 145 EC
Finally, in 145, the Shaali were forced to surrender. The leaders of Shaal, Et'cha, Silven, and the Triamic Empire met on Manea to finalize details of Shaal's withdrawal and the diplomatic aftermath. Namely, the pact consisted of the nations of Estana decreeing an era of peace to lick their wounds.
During this pact, Manea and Pilot Point were returned to the Empire. However, after an assessment of the current cultural situation of the region (including a now full-grown subculture of half-Shaali), the area was declared too distinct to be put back under Lumina rule. Thus the Dusk Isles were declared their own province.
The Triamic Empire commenced reparation efforts to restore the Isles' shattered infrastructure. Et'cha, as part of the pact, assisted in return for reduced tariffs on trade with the Empire. With their combined effort, the Dusk Isles were re-imagined as a trade hub: a vision realized a generation later.
Demography and Population
The Dusk Isles have the most diverse population of any of the provinces, boasting substantial populations of Imperials, Desert Imperials, and Et'ens. Among these three populations are the Shaana, descendents of the Shaali whose ties to Pele are more cultural than genetic at this point.
Across all cultural groups, there is a very distinctive wealth gap between the rich and the poor. The wealthiest citizens are often the figureheads of massive multinational commercial ventures, while other parts of the Isles display a massive homeless problem. The common wisdom is that anyone can come to the Dusk Isles to find their fortune--a refreshing social flexibility not seen anywhere else in the Empire--but once you get there, your competition is a figurative pit of wolves.
There is no single religious practice; each cultural group is free to build their own temples and practice their own beliefs. Spoken languages are also varied according to their cultural groups, though Imperial Common is the official lingua franca.
Type
Geopolitical, Province
Demonym
Duskan
Parent Organization
Location
Related Ethnicities
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