Cyranatic Islands

The Cyranatic Islands are a chain of heavily forested tropical islands off the northern coast of the Marsuline continental mainland.

Etymology
There is some dispute as to the origins of the term "Cyranatic." Traditional historical scholars of the Grand Fenir branch have held that "Cyranatic" was first used to describe the islands by Early Eminent Saint Arlburg in 1219 MEC. Subscribers to this theory maintain that Arlburg actually described the islands as "serene" or "siren like" and that his words were jumbled by his stenographer.

Other scholars have argued that archaeological and anthropological evidence supports the notion that the inhabitants of the islands have called them the Cyranatics since long before the rise of the Eminent Saints. Doctor Gumblethorp Nanir of the Cyranopolis Institute of Archaeology published a series of essays in 4001 in which he contends that Cyranatic is derived from the Aquitillan words Keirain ("insobriety") and Nathig ("grouse" or "lawyer").

More recently, Cayne University professor Acel Armbright gave an intriguing interview in which he posited that "Cyranatic" may be based on the surnames of the Cyran sisters, Jescinda and Limana, who served as a medic and astrobotanist (respectively) aboard the LFM Service during its last voyage.

Geography
The Cyranatics are composed of several volcanic islands and atolls in a chain that spans several hundred kilometers.

The largest island in the chain is the Isle of Sluhait, which rests on the western end of the chain, almost to Jakaari waters. In the shadow of Sluhait's active volcano, Mount Gruor, lies the modern City of Cyranopolis (not to be confused with the mainland Port of Cyranopolis nearby). A number of smaller islands surround Sluhait, forming what is known as the Cyranopolean Archipelago.

The Aurgwah atoll and its satellite islands compose the next most recognizable island grouping in the chain. Shallow reefs of polycoral surround the atoll and the strait which separates it from the mainland, making the area hazardous to large ocean-going vessels. In the summer, thick mats of sea weed accumulate on the reefs along the mainland, making it demonstrably possible (though by no means easy) to cross from the mainland to the atoll by foot.

Finally, the small island of Ghalardri lies several kilometers leeward of the Cyranatics proper, and is believed to have been formed by mainland erosion, rather than volcanic activity.

Flora and Fauna
The Cyranatics are known for harboring a diverse array of interesting--and, at times, deadly--plant and animal species.

The infamous Azano Plant is believed to have originated in the Cyranatic Islands, and has since been cultivated elsewhere. Hundreds of distinct Azano species have been discovered in the islands, not including cultivars modified by Aurgwah Pharmaceutical's so-called "poison farms".

The islands are also home to several unique animal species, including the flame-crested ghoarz scooper, the shrieking giblet, and the diamondback rhinocipede. Every year, the islands are visited by the Black Wind, a dazzling migration of near-microscopic Ghoarz Flies.

Society
Sociologist Methylene Smit has classified the societies of the Cyranatics along several categorical and behavioral axes, resulting in the recognition of five cultural entities inhabiting the islands:
 * Cyranopoleans: In general, Cyranopoleans consist of the citizens of the city of Cyranopolis, its suburbs, and similar communities on nearby islands. The Cyranopolean population is largely composed of immigrant communities from the mainland, including modern Homebasers.  Culturally, economically, and technologically, Cyranopoleans bear little difference from Homebase and Cayne, except insofar as their society is built around an island-based economy.
 * Aurgwah Atollers: Atollers are those cultural descendants of mainlanders who immigrated to the Aurgwah atoll during and after the conflicts of late 1200s. Their distinct dialect and rich regional history distinguish them from the Cyranopoleans.  The vast majority of Atollers are employed by the Aurgwah Pharmaceuticals conglomeration in some way, either directly in the megacorporation's offices, or indirectly in the regional farms, fisheries, and infrastructure maintenance industry.
 * Auiule Islanders: The Auiule Islanders inhabit the islands of the Cyranopolean Archipelago. The Auiule are composed of numerous family tribes scattered throughout the archipelago.  Though the tribes still retain a sense of their heritage, which they celebrate with traditional festivals, they have increasingly adopted the mainlander technology and cultural norms introduced by the Cyranopoleans.
 * Craoykrah: The Craoykrah were the original inhabitants of the Aurgwah Atoll and its satellites, mistakenly reknowned for their mysterious and often deadly rituals. During the immigrations of the cultural group that came to be known as the Aurgwah Atollers, Craoykrah islanders mostly withdrew to the island of Ghalardri, where they continue their traditional subsistence lifestyle in the shadow of mainland society.  Almost all Craoykrah exhibit the genetic expression of albinism, leading to a traditional garb that covers most of their bodies with tightly wrapped cloth, smeared with opaque plant-derived paints.
 * Fenniri Nomads: The Fenniri nomads have adopted many modern technologies but retain a distinct cultural lifestyle in which they travel in sea-going vessels along the entirety of the island chain, following seasonal migrations of fish and other aquatic harvests.  Longstanding treaties with Cyranopolis and Aurgwah Pharmaceuticals provide that sufficient acreage of habitable land be reserved for the seasonal use of the Fenniri Nomads.

Pharmaceuticals
Pharmaceuticals dominates the economy of the Cyranatic Islands, and, unsurprisingly, the Aurgwah Atoll in particular. The entirety of the Aurgwah atoll and its satellites can be said to directly or indirectly support the operations by which Aurgwah Pharmaceuticals discovers, develops, researches, tests, produces, and packages its various chemical offerings. Offices on Sluhait supplement the production operations in and around the atoll with administrative services, including offices specializing in the legal niceties of pharmaceutical production, distribution, and resale.

Agriculture
In addition to the pharmaceutical "poison farms" where toxic plants such as Azano are cultivated and harvested for medicinal purposes, traditional agriculture consumes much of the islands' rural land. The large island of Sluhait in particular is host to extensive fields of food-bearing or feed-bearing plants.

Commercial Fishing and Aquaculture
The shallow polycoral reefs of the Cyranatic Strait are seasonally swamped with sargassum, kelp, and other seaweeds. Much of this plant matter has commercial application, and harvesting the plants has become a source a major seasonal income for the region. As harvesting operations matured, several businesses extended their operations to include submarine aquaculture, by which the beneficial aquatic crops are planted, maintained, and harvested in deeper waters, leading to a more reliable harvest.

Although the polycoral reefs along the Cyranatic Strait prevent major fishing operations from taking place in the area, the islands serve as ideal launching points by which fisheries can operate deep-sea fishing endeavors.

Ecotourism
The natural beauty of the polycoral reef invites thousands of sunseekers from the mainland to visit the islands each year. Tourists tend to visit in the spring and fall, before and after the particularly pungent seasonal buildup of biomass in the strait.

Visitors also come to the islands to witness the Black Wind, either by land, sea, or air. Numerous businesses in the islands cater toward these Windwatchers.

Oarspur Presence
Evidence suggests that the Oarspur had visited the Cyranatics several times in its history, perhaps while following the course of the Black Wind, but never stayed in the area long. This may have been due to the strangeness or hostility of the native Craoykrah.

Despite the lack of any permanent settlement, the Oarspur left numerous artifacts behind on the islands. Many of these artifacts were found in the burial sites of ancient Craoykrah, suggesting that the Craoykrah collected or revered the artifacts.

Conflict and the Rise of the Atollers
In 1260 MEC, the wars on the Marsuline mainland spilled over to the islands and coastal waters. The communities and pocket governments of the Cyranatic Islands exhibited a sudden and dramatic increase in the sophistication of their military weapons. Immediately following this technological growth spurt and extending into the early 1300s, the region of the Cyranatics was involved in continuous conflict.

Due to the increased use of biological weapons, the islands were used as hospitals and quarantine zones to limit the risk of infection. When the war officially ended on the mainland in 1303, the wartime facilities established in the islands were gradually abandoned. Many were later reclaimed by the predecessors of the modern Aurgwah Atollers.

Between 1400 and 1700 MEC, the Aurgwah Atoll and its surrounding islands were gradually populated by mainland immigrants and outcast alchemists. In 1670 the Natural Philosopher's Association of Aurgwah became the atoll's official government, distinct from the relatively disorganized islander tribes that still dominated the rest of the islands.

Cyranopolean Incursion
In 2010 MEC, settlers from Marsuline established the town of Cyranopolis on the largely undeveloped island of Sluhait. The community remained relatively small until 2200 MEC, when droughts in the regions of Cayne and Grand Fenir brought thousands of refugees to the mainland coast.

In 2242, the Cyranopolis Institute of Archaeology was founded, in part in response to pressure from the Cyranopolean security force to reacquire the applied military technologies used in the conflicts of the 1200s. Though the institute never discovered any modern weapons in its archaeological digs, in 2301 it did uncover evidence of an ancient people known as the Oarspur.

Peculiarities in the design of the Oarspur artifacts led to a sudden public obsession with this mysterious, strangely advanced, missing people. Within a few years, Cyranopolis was overrun with scholars and researchers looking to discover, interpret, and utilize the secrets of the Oarspur. Their efforts introduced Aquitilla to such technological advances as the supersonic repellant node and the hydrolithic exotractor.

For several hundred years, Cyranopolis would remain the seat of Oarspur study, despite the gradually dwindling architectural finds. A number of authoritative theories and histories of the Oarspur were published from the Cyranopolis Institute based on the evidences at hand. The discovery of the Oarspur capital in the Baria Canyon in 2800 MEC refuted many of the most authoritative Cyranopolean theories, and the plethora of Oarspur artifacts in the canyon dwarfed what Oarspur evidence had been uncovered in the Cyranatics, leading to a rapid diminution of Cyranopolean archaeological authority, and an abandonment of Cyranopolean research methods and dig sites. This intellectual departure came to be known as the Cyranatic Abandonment.

~Professor Emeritus Hargallon Botunar

New

 * Eminent Saints

Existing

 * Ghoarz Flies
 * LFM Service
 * MEC
 * Oarspur