am'nýer—a'
T
SK'ÏENAIK
EMPIRE
Patron Deity
Q'Tam'šmă, Mother of All
National Flower
Ekérûvi
Government
Empire
Demographics
Sk'älik: 100%
Current Ruler
ပြည့် (Pyay) the Bountiful
Size
115 km²
(Sk'ïenaik homeland only)
Population
Unknown
Demomym
Sk'ïek
Imports & Exports:
Imports
Smoked Wôrdiţ, Stories, Legends, Vellum
Exports
Corals, Krék'h, Krék'h Glass, Meyexiu Silk, Înkʌ-'r
National Colours: Not Applicable
DESCRIPTION
Insulars are Sk'älik towns/trading posts of a varying depth of 20-50 feet under the surface of the ocean. This is obviously more than a dip your toe in the water, but to the Sk'älik this is extremely shallow for them and shows a great willingness to be a part of the surface-dwelling races.
The Insulars are an engineering marvel which are almost always overlooked and simply used as they are; a trading post. Each insular is tethered to the bottom of the ocean by the same materials as the Becal Curtain. Loosely braided ropes of the formidable plants permit swaying to match the ocean currents and therefore lessens the risk of breaking due to tension.
All Insulars are made of either platforms of dead coral-like plants, or large fossilized creatures, like jellyfish, hundreds of meters wide. What makes them even more of a marvel is that they are surrounded by pressure bubbles, letting one walk on the Insular as they would on the surface. These are the same pressure bubbles used for making Krék'h Vñîn, or Înkʌ-'r. A type of Sk'älik technology that only they have the knowledge of, and guard.
Despite the Insulars being a handful in number and scattered all over the oceans of Tam'nýer—a', the Sk'älik Insulars are individually run by an Overseer who keep things in line in the name of Sk'ïenaik Empire, the Sk'älik homeland.
Architecture
Laying on the bottom of the ocean is the wonder that is the seat of the Sk'älik people: Sk'ïenaik. It is the heart of their vast empire, and the main birth place of their populace. While those who call the land above their home may only get to experience the Sk'älik Insulars which are usually made of platforms of dead coral-like plants, or large fossilized creatures, like jellyfish, hundreds of meters wide, Sk'ïenaik is surprisingly a city of lights at the bottom of the ocean.
Under intense pressures that only the Sk'älik can tolerate, aside from various flora & fauna, Sk'ïenaik is a vast array of citadels using corals and bedrock as their foundation and skeleton. However the real wonder is the multitude of tunnelways that branch out using slate, more corals and the bones of large ocean dwelling animals, such as the Yz'jîdtho. Walls tend to be very open, as they are more hallways with pillars making a feel that is more akin to our windows than true walls.
And how do it light up you ask? Bioluminescent snails kept around by being fed line most of the constructs are the main light source, (feeding these guys is actually a job!). However, there are also varying underwater fungi, fish that co-exist with the Sk'älik, as well unknown Sk'älik technology, which they have no interest in sharing any time soon.
RULER
ပြည့် (Pyay) the Bountiful
The Sk'ïenaik Empire and its Insulars are ruled over by a bloodline that came to power as a gift and honour from its people rather than gained by force, or political subterfuge. The Sk'älik people, including it's old Emperor, showed fealty to a child viewed as the pinnacle of honor and life, as this child in question was the next to be sacrificed in order to bring victory to the Sk'ïenaik Empire during Sẙg—stà': the Red Sands War.
As he was about to be killed in order to ask the Gods to show mercy to their people, they were deemed the victors, and his life was spared. Seeing him as the source of victory, this young man was made Emperor, and led Sk'äliks to rebuild. His name was သက် (Thet) the Hallowed (pictured to the right), and never did he hold any ill will against the people that were more or less going to take his life.
Handfuls of children were sacrificed to ensure their victory against the Giyu, and despite them being children, it was a culturally understood honor. The children would even be given anything they wished in the days leading up to their demise. Mothers some times even offered themselves to be sacrificed along with their children for the betterment of their species and to annihilate any fear.
The current ruler of the Sk'ïenaik Empire is ပြည့် (Pyay) the Bountiful. They are the youngest of their family, but quickly showed a mind for progress for the Sk'älik people, and while being extremely diplomatic, encourages their citizens to produce what they can for trade. You may not know it but despite their poor but growing population, the Sk'ïenaik Empire is probably the richest government out of all
OUTLYING AREAS
Vit'saarèn
Vit'saarèn is the most popular of all the Sk'älik insulars throughout Tam'nýer—a', and so it should be as it is placed in the busiest hub of seafarers. North of Trótskarr, south of Püertagœ and east of B'hărăbû, hidden beneath the surface lies the wondrous Vit'saarèn. This particular insular's platform is made from a ginormous jellyfish that has long since passed and fossilized (imagine a fried egg jellyfish). That isn't to say that the insular is barren however. Large corals that go on for kilometres fight for room around the insulars circumference, and have even begun to creep into the bustling underwater markets. With all this thriving coral also means healthy fish gather around and make their homes there.
The Sk'älik can be extremely secretive people, so they try their best to tend to the beloved corals when the market has died down for the day, and go so far as feeding the corals more than what the prosperous waters do. No doubt, this helps in their rapid growth, but this also means more P'ee K'äh, as corals, depending on the type, can fetch a decent price, specifically they have been pressurized and transformed into various 'miracle' cures. Just like the corals, the Sk'älik tend to sell illegal substances, such as Înkʌ-'r, no matter where they are. However it is rumored that Ink'ur sold in Vit'saarèn tastes the best because it is kept pressurized the longest. That being said, it is best to crack it open as soon as possible when on the surface. The longer it is kept out of the pressures of the ocean, the more it will lose its vivacity, and flavour.
No matter what though, Vit'saarèn is extremely important to the Sk'älik people and that is due to two major factors. The first, is obviously the money, and how many opportunities is offers to the Sk'älik. The second is because Vit'saarèn is the place where the Sk'älik meet outsiders for the first time if they were born in Sk'ïenaik.
ဉေဣန္'ဟ္လဲင္ · Nyein’hlaing
added by Krispy
ဉေဣန္'ဟ္လဲင္ · Nyein’hlaing was said to be a peaceful and quiet crag deep in the ocean, off the coast of Southern Sky-Coral Sea (Uwhang). This was supposed to be one of the safest places to hunt for the elusive Meyexiu byssus. The current inside the crag was said to be gentle and barely noticeable. However, that was just the rumour. In truth, it is almost the complete opposite of what people believed. This led people into believing they were safer and with that mindset they adventured further in the reaches of the crag only to find their untimely death at being ill prepared.
ဉေဣန္'ဟ္လဲင္ · Nyein’hlaing holds close to twenty Meyexiu Clams inside. Many smaller ones lined the walls and the floor. There was also one of the largest clams on record within the crag, being close to three feet wide. There is also a variety of rare and exotic plants inside the crag. Many of which, if researched, could change and expand the world of medicine. Many of the plants were also believed to be edible which could be good for businesses. The sea life which surrounds the crag just outside can be used for food and as other natural resources. Only a small handful are said to be very dangerous or poisonous. Witnesses have claimed to have seen a rare coloured coral which offers the people a new source of P'ee K'äh and resource to work with. Some of the creatures can only be found in the depths needed to reach the crag. Each creature/object offers its own challenge but the rewards could well be worth the effort if someone were to put in the effort.
Statistics of ဉေဣန္'ဟ္လဲင္ · Nyein’hlaing:
Location: South of the Sky-Coral Sea (Uwhang), North of the Becal Curtain, East of small island off coast of Sky-Coral Sea (Uwhang)
Depth inside: 400 m (1312.34 feet)
Height inside: 91.44 m (300 feet)
Width inside: 182.88 m (600 feet)
Temperatures: -12.2222° C (10° F)
Currents: Strong & fast (7 feet/second)
Treasures: 1 Meyexiu clam (believed to be close to 3 feet wide), many smaller clams (Between 1 and 2 feet) line the walls, various corals and plants (inside and outside the cavern), variety of sea life living outside of the entryway to the cavern
Believed Facts:
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The currents are slow and gentle
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Water temperatures are solid and consistent
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No dangers are present inside the cavern
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Edges are considered to be smooth from the gentle current
Actual Facts:
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The currents are strong and fierce
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Water currents can get to be up to 7 feet per second
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Considered to be a riptide current
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Current mixes warmer and cold water
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Edges are sharp and jagged.
q. phia