Aletegia (a.le.te.ɡi.a)
"None of this is my fault! It's the navy's fault!"
Aletegia is the smallest and southernmost of the main islands in the Biluzik Archipelago. The island is a part of the Kingdom of Herria, and is directly ruled by the Buruzagi of Aletagia, who is a vassal of the King of Herria. This position is traditionally held by the third in line for the throne, and the current holder is Zeneko Zai, nephew of King Zorian Zai.
In recent years, the island has been plagued by raids from the north carried out by the Reginnsþjóð, a group of Drekkamen sworn to the god Reginn of Eyju. The Herrian navy has been ineffective at repelling these raids, and even the palace of the Buruzagi in Askea has been plundered. The Buruzagi was shamed in the royal court by his failure to defend the city, and he has become increasingly unpopular with his subjects. The population of Aletegia is rapidly losing patience with Zeneko, and a petition to replace him as Buruzagi has been delivered to the court. Several of the recently deceased have also begun to pursue legal actions against Zeneko Zai, claiming that his leadership permitted their early demise, and demanding compensation be paid to their families.
To be fair, it is unclear what ability the Buruzagi has to prevent the raids by the Reginnsþjóð. The island depends heavily on the naval forces of Herria to keep the raiders away from the coastal communities, and Zeneko does not command them. When the raiders landed, Zeneko chose to keep his soldiers in the palace in Askea to defend him rather than allowing them to go out and attempt to drive out the raiders. He claims that the number of troops at hand were too few to do any good, and that retreating to the palace (where he had instructed citizens to take shelter) was, in his view, the most effective way to save lives. During the most recent raid he instructed his soldiers to allow the raiders access to the treasury while focusing on defending the citizens, in the hopes that they would take their plunder and leave. But when the word came that they had emptied Aletegia's coffers, Zeneko received only scorn.
Notable Spirits
Like the rest of the Biluzik Archipelago, Aletegia is filled with the ascended eidolons of those who once lived there. They have become the spirits of the homes and cities, and even of fields and forest. The most prominent of these is Gorbea, the Lord of the Woods. In life, Gorbea was the son of the first King of Herria, Maju Zai. Like all of Maju Zai's children, he was born with unusual features. Gorbea was twice as tall and eight times as strong as any other man, and was completely covered in long, shaggy hair. Despite his terrifying appearance, he was a gentle ruler who protected his people. In death, his Eidolon has gone on to become the spirit of the pine forests that cover the island's interior. The people of Aletagia sacrifice a sheep to Gorbea twice a year, and will flee into the woods when danger threatens. In recent years, this has been tested multiple times by the northern raiders, and those who reached Gorbea’s domain remained untouched by the invaders, hidden and protected by Gorbea's grace.
Geography
Aletagia is about twelve miles long, with two major regions connected by a narrow strip of land. In the west, the land is relatively low and flat. This is where most of the people of the island live, as the land is good for farming and grazing livestock. To the east are the highlands, which are covered with pine forests. Only the royal family has the right to log the eastern heights., and they have traditionally chosen to take only a few trees from this area each year, as a sign of reverence towards their ancestor Gorbea.
There are several islets that surround the main island, especially along the northern coast. The largest of these is named Txerrilurra, and it is reachable at low tide by wading across the channel between the islands. The Putzuko Lighthouse is built on Txerrilurra, marking the strait between Aletegia and Pinuhartea.
Geographic Details
Location: The MiddleseaLatitude: 37.61 degrees North
Longitude: 22.52 degrees East
Average Elevation: 23 ft
Highest Point: 630 ft
Lowest Point: -13 ft
Area: 32.14 sq mi
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This article was originally written for Spooktober 2024. You can find all of my Spooktober Articles at Spooktober Central.
This article was originally written for Spooktober 2023. You can find all of my Spooktober Articles at Spooktober Central.
Poor Zeneko. I feel like he is doing his best.
Explore Etrea | March of 31 Tales
He is - but for some reason, nobody really likes him, and he doesn't know why.