Escal Isles

Escal Isles Tûsapuopelũ
Overseas Possession of Caphiria
Flag Seal
Motto:  Misericordia Juvat Fideles ("Compassion Helps The Faithful Ones")
Sovereign state	Caphiria
Capital and largest city	Cătare
Area
• Total	20,927 km2 (8,080 sq mi)

The Escal Isles, also known as Tûsapuopelũ, or simply Escal, are an Overseas Possession of Caphiria located in the Peratra region of Australis. The Escal Isles are an archipelago consisting of five islands (from largest to smallest in area): Selangai, Koráng, Fata'ukula, Trichi, and Laukasori, and includes many smaller islands and islets, including Taruri, Ayothaburi, Tuy Liêu, Mata'alanga, Phakéo, and Osinas. Collectively, the Escal Isles have a total area of 20,927 km² and population of 884,450. Cătare is the capital and main port of Escal, located on the island Selangai.

Due to their remoteness, the Escal Isles and the Austral region were among the last large habitable landmasses to be settled by humans. Although the original settlement of the Escal Isles is not entirely clear, linguistic, genetic, and archaeological analyses indicate that indigenous peoples were living on the archipelago at least 2000 years ago but possibly one thousand years or more before and that they shared a common origin with Koré'hetanùa. The Escal Isles are home to a large and unique indigenous ethnic group known as the Sivumawai, living there since approximately AD 1000. From the 14th century onward, numerous visits were made by sailors from the Occidental world. Francisio Moda, a Caphirian navigator from the Third Imperium, was the first Caphirian to land on Escal in 1331. After Moda's voyage, several Caphirian missionaries launched exhibitions to Escal from 1340 to 1397. Christianity quickly took hold in the culture, and many islanders are Christians today. No immediate colonization occurred following Moda's discovery; however, various settlers from various backgrounds made their home on the islands, including pirates, shipwrecked sailors, and deserters.

During the start of the 15th century and lasting until the end of the 16th century, several "explosive events" occurred, known as the Davuavu Event, which repeatedly decimated the population. This led to what is known as the Dark Period in Escal's history. The Sivumawai were among the few surviving indigenous inhabitants, living mainly in natural caves, usually near the coast, 300-500 meters above sea level. These caves were sometimes isolated but more commonly formed settlements, with burial caves nearby. Archaeological work has uncovered a rich culture visible through artifacts of ceramics, human figures, fishing, hunting, and farming tools, plant fiber clothing and vessels, as well as cave paintings. The Escal Isles remained relatively isolated from the Occidental world until 1592, when another Caphirian explorer, Aricăr Fadră, returned to the archipelago and is credited with rediscovering the islands. Fadră found the islands uninhabited but found several "small ruined temples of stone" and "some traces of buildings." Fadră spent 18 years living on the Escal Isles pursuing adventure and riches and established several of Caphiria's first permanent colonies. Having kickstarted the age of exploration and formal Caphirian colonization, Fadră would be granted the title corsair from the Imperium, giving him legal authority to conduct raids and piracy. He used prisoners of war and enslaved the native population to work plantations of sugar, coffee, indigo, tobacco, cotton, and cocoa.

From 1651 to 1818, the Escal Isles were governed by a procorsair, an appointed magistrate from the Imperium. The procorsair was effectively an autocrat as the distance between Venceia and Escal made it virtually impossible at the time for the Imperator to know what was going on. This led to gross negligence and rampant corruption on Escal and the native population, most of whom were either enslaved or killed. The objective of the Imperium to convert the islands into a powerhouse of cultivation required an increasingly larger labor force. This was attained through a brutal practice of enslavement, not only of indigenous Sivumawai but large numbers of other Austronesians and Sarpics. As a result of the huge wealth generated by enslaved labor, magnificent palaces and churches were built on the archipelago, most of which are still in use today. This wealth invited attacks by pirates and privateers.

On 29 May 1818, the Escal Isles became officially declared and administered as a Possession of the Imperium, giving the archipelago semi-independence; it was able to form its government as a constitutional monarchy with a high level of self-government within the Imperium, as well as its legislature and fiscal independence. The Imperium would still assert itself in diplomacy, international treaties, defense, and security.

The Escal Isles are a major tourist destination, with over 10 million visitors annually. This is due to their beaches, subtropical climate, and important natural attractions. The islands have warm summers and winters, owing to their predominantly temperate maritime climate, and include green and desert areas. The islands’ high mountains are ideal for astronomical observation because they lie above the temperature inversion layer. As a result, the archipelago boasts two professional observatories - the Watihana Observatory on Selangai and the Lomasori Observatory on Koráng. Due to its geographic location and natural resources, the Escal Isles are significant to Caphiria from a political and economic perspective.

Etymology

The native population of the Escal Isles archipelago refers to their land as Tûsapuopelũ, an Australian word that roughly translates to "from the ten turtlebacks." This is derived from their founding mythology which states that the landmasses that form the island chain are giant turtle shells given to the indigenous population as a gift. This is reflected in the reverence that the natives show turtles and tortoises found across the islands. The word "escal" became associated with the archipelago during the Occidental colonial period after the discovery of Escalcarachelys gigantea, known as the Giant Escalcaric Tortoise, by naturalist Maurențiu Escalcarico. Escalcarico discovered and named several endemic species to the region after himself, which made him a very popular and recognizable name to those back in Sarpedon reading or hearing stories about the strange and marvelous creatures at the edge of the world.

History

Prehistory

The early history of the Escal Isles is generally unknown.

Archaeological findings suggest that the western islands are closer to the larger island modern Stenza is on. The date of the earliest settlement is unclear, as radiocarbon dates are scarcely available. However, due to their peripheral location in the Austronesian region, it can be assumed that the Escal Isles were colonized relatively late, probably during the late 10th century. On the islands of Selangai, Koráng, and Fata'ukula, there are flat ceremonial platforms (called marae) made of coral blocks, although their exact age is unknown. There is evidence of kinship between other island clans with Escal, as the native word for the land Tûsapuopelũ comes up in neighboring civilizations.

A near-beach settlement on the northern coast of Selangai was excavated beginning in the late 20th century, probably from a very early settlement phase. Food remains from the waste pits suggest that the inhabitants fed mainly on shellfish (fish, mussels, crustaceans) from the lagoon. Other food animals included pigs, chickens, and rats. The processing of mussel shells, probably also for exchanging goods with other settlements, was an integral part of the economy. Dating of charcoal remains yielded dates of 1053 (±150 years) and 1113 (±50 years). According to the current state of research, an initial settlement of the Escal Isles can be assumed at the beginning of the second millennium AD.

Indigenous civilizations

The first recorded settlers of the Escal Isles were Austronesians known as the Sivumawai in the 11th century. They possess an indigenous account of their history, mostly in oral literature, partly in writing in papan turai (wooden records), and partly in common cultural customary practices.

The first Sivumawai settlements appeared to have had no national government or national leader; chiefs and heads of families exercised authority over segments of the population. Initially, they settled in caves and rock ledges near the coast, and eventually, a stratified tribal society developed rapidly in settlements near the beach. The structure of the settlements reflected the social order; there were strictly separate dwellings built of perishable materials for the aristocracy, the priests, the middle class (artisans, artists), warriors, adolescents, and pubescent girls. Eventually, a succession of Kānei (kings) began to rule over these coastal settlements, beginning with KING DIPSHIT; however, due to increasing tribal warfare, the beach settlements were abandoned relatively quickly. The inhabitants retreated to heavily fortified settlements in the inland hills. The Sivumawai made a living by fishing, collecting shellfish, hunting birds, and gardening. They relied heavily on breadfruit but raised at least 32 other introduced crops. Hard evidence of significant pre-Occidental inter-archipelago trade has been found in basalt from nearby quarry islands, which was known to have been distributed via sailing canoes over distances of more than 2500 km to provide adze heads all over the Australis region.

By the mid-12th century, the Sivumawai were constructing large, elegant watercraft with rigged sails called ikekou and exporting them to neighboring villages and island city-states. Sivumawains also developed a distinctive style of village architecture, including communal and individual HoʻOlah and VoʻOlah housing, and an advanced system of ramparts and moats that were usually constructed around the more important settlements. Pigs were domesticated for food, and various agricultural plantations, such as banana plantations, existed from an early stage. Villages were supplied with water brought in by constructed wooden aqueducts. Sivumawains lived in societies led by chiefs, elders, and notable warriors. Spiritual leaders, often called Buharapaata, were also important cultural figures, and the production and consumption of setah was part of their ceremonial and community rites. The Sivumawai developed a monetary system where the polished teeth of the sperm whale, called dupon, became an active currency. A type of writing existed which can be seen today in various petroglyphs around the islands.

The Sivumawai developed a refined Cahi cloth textile industry and used the cloth they produced to make sails and clothes such as the ikekou and the liku. As with most other ancient human civilizations, warfare or preparation for warfare was an important part of everyday life in the Sivumawai community. It was noted for its distinctive use of weapons, especially war clubs.

The richness of the natural resources in the islands made them important trading ports. Gold, camphor, tortoise shells, hornbill ivory, crane crest, beeswax, lakawood (a scented heartwood and root wood of a thick liana, dragon's blood, rattan, edible bird's nests and various spices were described as among the most valuable items from the archipelago. This, however, led to a rapid rise in the conflict in the region. Numerous wars and probably also overexploitation of natural resources may have drastically reduced the population even before the arrival of the Occidentals.

According to tradition, in 1307, King Anéhaiki VI suffered a traumatic brain injury in the middle of a battle that left him in a permanently vegetative state. Instead of coming together to support their comatose ruler, the Sivumawai elite selfishly fought for the throne, and civil war broke out. The civil war lasted three years and wreaked havoc on the civilian population. A mysterious and esoteric buharapaata (shaman) named Tiketigaraneira emerged from obscurity and began preaching to the public that the reason why they were suffering was that their kakekao (life force) had been taken by the gods. He said King Anéhaiki VI, who was still alive (albeit in a coma), would only open his eyes once they all had purified their kakekao.

Tiketigaraneira's solution to purify everyone's kakekao was a series of elaborate rituals and the practice of both endocannibalism and exocannibalism. Endocannibalism could serve as a form of recognition and respect for the dead, gaining lost kakekao. Exocannibalism, on the other hand, was part of warfare and was how the people could gain fresh kakekao - by transforming their enemies into a form of prey. The Sivumawai had very separate motives behind why they performed each of these modes of cannibalism, but both forms had the same basic steps of roasting flesh or bone and then eating it. Sivumawai warriors would kill enemies and members of enemy tribes. They viewed warfare and cannibalism as a form of predation or hunting. They used exocannibalism as a means by which to label their enemies as subhuman and make their flesh as unimportant as that of any other animal that was typically killed for food.

On 13 March 1313, King Anéhaiki VI did wake from his coma. Tiketigaraneira - who had effectively been ruling in his absence for several years, offered the freshly-cooked brain of a slave to the king to help him recover and regain his strength. Upon further discussion about what had happened during his coma, however, Anéhaiki VI was brought to tears and had a violent spasm. According to tradition, moments after this happened, a sudden and massive earthquake struck the Escal Isles. The earthquake lasted about 7 minutes, and aftershocks were experienced the whole year. Avalanches of ashes, lapilli, water, and sand swept away whole towns, and most of the Sivumawai royalty, including both King Anéhaiki VI and Tiketigaraneira, as well as most of the aristocracy and priests were killed.

The Sivumawai's practice of cannibalism made them infamous around the Australis region, and eventually, rumors would make their way to the far reaches of the Occidental world. Stories of cannibalism from a "paradise at the edge of the world" were already circulating by the 1320s; claims of "freshly killed corpses piled up for eating" and ceremonial mass human sacrifice on the construction of new houses and boats began to inspire daring individuals from the Occidental world to see this firsthand.