Seneca Islands

The Seneca Islands are an overseas possession of Urcea. Seized as part of Operation Jonah in the Final War of the Deluge, the islands were previously part of Varshan. The islands have long been known as a center of shipbuilding in Crona and a major trade port for Varshan and the central Cronan region.

Etymology
The origin of the word Seneca, and its original Varshani language root Se'neka'an'tuuzhen, are unclear in the historical record. The traditional Varshani historical interpretation was that the name was the name of the original tribal people of the Islands, but no reference to this name exists prior to the conquest of the island by Anzo in the 3rd century BC. Some Kiravian scholars have theorized the name to simply mean "further islands" or "further land" in a depreciated regional dialect of Varshani due to its similarity to the word Ze'nu'ka'zathan, the word for "outer territory" in mainstream Varshani language.

Geography
The Seneca Islands are comprised of the two "main islands" - East and West Seneca - as well as dozens of smaller islands in the chain, almost all of which are uninhabited and uninhabitable, mostly including rocky outcroppings. Sitting approximately halfway between the and, the Seneca Islands enjoy a temperate, woodlands climate that made it an ideal center of fishing and maritime activities, including shipbuilding, during the age of sail. The coasts facing the north and west of the islands are extremely windswept, making them largely unsuitable for construction of ports or beaches, and are largely characterized by harsh cliff faces overlooking rough seas. The south and eastern coasts of the islands, however, see largely calm seas and gently slope into the sea forming beaches and useful harbors. A majority of the population of the islands are clustered in cities on the eastern shores. The only major harbor outside of this region is Zakan Rot, which sits in a large natural harbor on the north-eastern corner of West Seneca and sits across from East Seneca to the northeast. The oceanic "Straits of Mel'ana'tuuzhen" separate the two islands and provide the natural harbor of Zakan Rot a strategic location for trade.

The two main islands are largely similar to one another in climate. West Seneca is approximately twice the size of East Seneca. West Seneca has the larger population, but East Seneca is more densely populated both due to the natural size difference but also due to less wartime devastation. Accordingly, East Seneca is significantly more urbanized whereas West Seneca has a greater agricultural sector, but West Seneca also features more major ports and shipbuilding facilities. Zakan Rot, on the northeastern tip of West Seneca, was the largest city on the islands prior to its atomic bombing. Enuzha'Thaan, on the southeastern tip of West Seneca, is now the largest city and serves as the center of political life on the islands.

Prehistory
The popular origin story of the people of the Seneca Islands is recounted in the so-called "Saga of the Senecas" (first translated in Occidental languages in 2004). In this story, purported to have occurred ten thousand years ago, a group of fishermen and their wives departed for a "great hunt" of a massive, with the fishermen in the lead group of boats and the women (sometimes translated as families) in the second group of boats. The massive whale outsmarted the fishermen, though, and in a storm the whale destroyed the sails of both groups of boats, stranding the fleets off the coast. The story then states that Makuahine took pity on the group of sailors and their families and erected islands around the groups of both boats, with the fishermen's boats becoming West Seneca and the family boats becoming East Seneca.

The archaeological record suggests the Seneca Islands have been continuously populated since the 6000s BC, although mostly by transient groups. Scholars believe the ancestors of the modern residents of the island arrived in approximately 1500 BC. The "Saga" says that these fishermen came from the "far islands", i.e. Oyashima, and scholars believe this part of the story may be true. The residents established rudimentary city-states by the 700s BC.

Hō-Rikkyō period
During the year 712 CE, an order of Shugendō yamabushi, or "Mountain Warriors/Monks" were exiled from Oyashima, and eventually sailed to Seneca in the year 718 CE, with the story of their voyage being heavily embellished across the ages, eventually becoming known as the "Second Saga". The yamabushiwere well received by the native chieftains of the Senecas who had no known contact with prior to the arrival of the order. In particular, the chieftain of the city Hōshonen, named Shikama, took great interest in the order and personally took it upon himself to host the yamabushi in Hōshonen. Interest in Shugendō very quickly spread among the populace, and eventually Shikama declared worship of the Buddha and Fudō Myōō to be the state religion. In addition, he undertook several military ventures against the other city states of Seneca, eventually uniting the islands by the year 739 CE. However, Shikama passed away soon after, and notably named the order, which had begun to call itself Hō-Rikkyō by this point, as the custodians of the islands and its sacred mountains. Their rule was not contested, and a monastic state based in the Seneca Islands developed.

The Hō-Rikkyō served as the de facto rulers of Seneca from 740 CE to 1061 CE, before they were conquered by Anzo. The state power was held by the yamabushi, who served as the military force of the island. The mystics established a hierarchy based upon spiritual communion with the sacred mountains, with initiation into the order being determined by a council of influential yamabushi. Taxes were collected from either rice, wheat, salt or barley, as the order viewed itself as the supreme custodians of the land, and all the human inhabitants as lessees. Although Hōshonen was the largest and primary trade city, the monastery of Gō-Shukakkyō served as the center of government, being the primary residence and holy site of the Hō-Rikkyō. The mystics played an extensive role in the everyday life of the people, providing exorcism, calling upon spirits for fertility rites, leading monthly sacrifice to the mountains and providing weekly fire ceremonies in the homes of commoners. Although there was no attempt to record history, the notes of the yamabushi who provided these services has allowed scholars to reconstruct the life and history of the order.

By 852 CE, contact with Oyashima was reestablished, and Seneca served as the primary conduit for trade between Alshar and Crona. However, between the year 889 C÷ and 910 CE, there was a rash of prayers fir safety and victory in war, and an account from Oyashima noting that the city of Hōshonen was beset by pirates indicates that the islands were in a state of intermittent war with Cronan pirates. However, by 911 CE, these prayer notes cease, indicating that the yamabushi were successful in repelling these pirates. Records from mainland Crona indicate that contact between Seneca and the mainland increased following this period, with several styles written in Senecan Oyashimine language being uncovered in the mainland, as well as a large influx of Cronan jade being imported by Oyashima. However, eventually the mainland was subjugated by Anzo who eventually set its sights on the Hō-Rikkyō

21st century defense plan
With the outbreak of the War of the Northern Confederation, the government of Varshan began a rapid rearmament and defense construction project in addition to a reevaluation of its military doctrines. As part of this rearmament effort, the shipbuilding industry in the Seneca Islands received a massive influx of government funding in order to help construct a navy which could sufficiently defend the Varshani mainland. Static defenses were also constructed on the island in addition to a large-scale purchase of anti-shipping missiles which were stationed on the island. The defense activity significantly improved the local economy and improved living conditions across every caste, but also resulted in a large influx of slaves and construction of slave camps across the island. The local economy became increasingly reliant on large-scale shipbuilding efforts and slave labor. By the time of the Final War of the Deluge, the islands were one of the top destinations of slaves captured in the Invasion of Cetsencalia.

Final War of the Deluge and Conquest by Urcea
As envisioned the previous decade by Varshani military planners, the Seneca Islands became a prime target of Occidental forces during the Final War of the Deluge. As the islands could threaten sea lane access to the Nysdra and provided a convenient point of invasion into the interior of Varshan, the islands became a strategic priority for Urcea. Planning began in June 2021 for an operation to take the islands.

Following a series of naval victories by the Navy of Alstin and the Royal Navy, the Urcean Royal Marine Corps landed and established a beachhead on the islands on 30 December 2021, beginning Operation Jonah. The operation was focused first on securing West Seneca, which was largely pacified by 24 February 2022. Following the fall of the island, the Anzo regime detonated an atomic bomb in the city of Zakan Rot, causing massive economic and demographic disruption throughout the island. The bombing killed more than 120,000 and injured another 200,000 or more. Military operations were put on hold as West Seneca was severely devastated. A multinational relief effort began to help survivors as the Royal and Imperial Army was unable to accommodate the large numbers of hospitalized and severely wounded. Relief and reconstruction efforts continued for several years. The bombing caused permanent economic disruption to the island due to the loss of both victims and refugees in addition to the extensive physical damage. The bombing had the effect of alienating the residents of the Seneca Islands from the Varshani cause and identity. Reconstruction and resettlement of downtown Zakan Rot began in mid-2023, but the prospect of the city becoming a major harbor in the 2020s was ruled out by Urcean and local officials.

Following the recovery period, the armed forces of Urcea renewed the offensive. The Royal Marine Corps made landfall on East Seneca on 25 March 2022. During the campaign, a local insurgency grew in order to prevent another atomic bombing by retreating Varshani forces. After a month of fighting and subsequent negotiations with the insurgents, Urcea took full control of the island on 24 April 2022. Following the successful invasion of both islands, the Senecas became the launch point for Operation Broken Chains, a series of anti-slavery raids and probe attacks on the Varshani mainland. In the summer of 2023, the islands were the launch point for Operation Alterator, the successful Urcean invasion of southwestern mainland Varshan.

On 19 May 2022, Urcea established a military rectory over the island, which signaled its intention for the islands to become part of Urcea's overseas territorial integrity. Claims of sovereignty over the island were recognized immediately by Kiravia and Corumm, but the integration was condemned by Ardmore and others. In the final peace treaty following the Final War of the Deluge, Urcean control over the islands was confirmed.

The islands lost a significant portion of their population during the conflict both due to the atomic bombing and general impact of war as well as by the depopulation of the warrior castes on the island. Many of the high-warrior caste individuals were arrested or deported by local officials, and many of the regular warrior castes and their families simply abandoned the island after the war as the island no longer had any role in the defensive perimeter of Varshan. Beginning in May 2024, the Government of Urcea began to consider plans to relocate liberated slaves to the island in order to repopulate Zakan Rot and its surrounding regions, but this plan was met with fierce resistance by local officials. Instead, a plan was put forward to settle veterans already taking part in the occupation as well as NSTA-origin veterans and citizens, the latter provision done in order to "maintain the Cronan cultural and ethnic identity of the islands" according to one prominent Insular Councilman.

Government
The Seneca Islands are organized as a military rectory of Urcea. On May 19, 2022, the military rectory was established following Operation Jonah and humanitarian recovery that occurred after the Atomic bombing of Zakan Rot. Martin St. Clair, as overall commander of WES-COM, was appointed Military Rector, but he immediately invested oversight and authority to the Interim Administration for the Seneca Islands while retaining nominal authority as Military Rector. In January 2024, with the end of the war in sight, the Rector decreed the dissolution of the IASI to replace it with a permanent Military Rectory governing body, which held elections in February 2024.

Interim Administration for the Seneca Islands
The Interim Administration for the Seneca Islands (IASI) was created as the day-to-day administration of the islands during the Final War of the Deluge. Although Martin St. Clair retained the title of military rector, his role was envisioned as a largely removed head-of-state role for the functioning of the government. Instead, the IASI was lead by the Insular Governing Board (IGB) which consisted of fifteen members and had quasi-legislative authority provided its decisions did not interrupt the prosecution of the war. The IGB was comprised of four Prafáti of the occupying Royal and Imperial Army, four civilian officials appointed by the Urcean Ministry of State, two representatives of the then-newly formed Dockworkers' Trade Guild, two representatives of the similarly newly constituted Fishermen's Trade Guild, one representative from the temporarily organized East Seneca Citizens Militia which surrendered the island to Urcean forces, the former Mayor of Zakan Rot, and a representative of the Catholic Church responsible for overseeing missionary activities on the island. The IGB met on a weekly basis and its primary task was to establish a temporary code of laws for the islands based on its pre-conquest laws, when permissible, and various laws and legal traditions of Urcea when the original laws were not permissible. Following the completion of this interim law code in September 2022, the Board met less frequently but provided for the necessities of day-to-day administration. The IGB also established the necessary governing commissions of the islands. In January 2024, it voted to dissolve itself and provide for elections to the Insular Councils in February 2024 in accordance with the decisions of the Government of Urcea and Lec. Pri. St. Clair.

The practical executive administration of the island under the IASI fell to five bodies known as Commissions, which were lead by Commissioners appointed by the IGB. The five commissions were: the Commission on Agriculture and Sea Produce, which was responsible for regulating and encouraging the food production of the islands as well as habitat protection; the Commission on Law Enforcement, responsible for keeping order in addition to the occupying soldiers; the Commission for Insular Recovery, which was the primary body overseeing the local cleanup efforts of the atomic bombing as well as coordinating with international response efforts; the Commission for Health and Development, which was responsible for administering the island's hospitals and schools, both of which the Commission was responsible for upgrading to Occidental standards, and; the Commission for Local Mediation, which was responsible for hearing and resolving disputes between the local population and the occupying forces.

Military Rectory government
In January 2024 it was announced the IASI would be dissolved and replaced with a new four person governing council. The new administration's council would feature the Military Rector or his designee, a civilian designee of the Urcean Ministry of State, and two representatives elected by each of the new Insular Councils. The Insular Councils were established by the IASI under the direction of Martin St. Clair in January 2024 and serve as democratically elected legislative bodies for each of the two islands. Elections were held in February 2024 and the Councils took their places, with local then-collaborators winning majorities in both councils. The four person governing council will serve as the legislative body for the island for the remainder of its time as a military rectory. Unlike the IASI, the new governing council has the ability to levy taxes.

Under the new Military Rectory government, the Military Rector assumes a more direct role as chief executive in addition to his or her role on the governing council. However, the role's powers can be delegated due to the wide area of command held by current rector Martin St. Clair. The Executive branch of the new government retains the five commissions established by the IASI as its basis of administration.

Castes
Prior to the Final War of the Deluge and abolition of the Caste system, the Seneca Islands were notable within Varshani society for possessing the highest percentage of both kinds of warrior castes per capita due to the significant naval militarization in the early 2010s. Although it did not possess the highest percentage per capita, the islands were among the leaders during the period of enslaved persons per capita as well in order to support the shipbuilding industry.