Escal Isles

Escal Isles Tûsapuopelũ
Possession of the Imperium 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 informally as Escal, are a Caphirian colonial Possession and archipelago in the Okatian Sea in Australis. The native population of the Escal Isles archipelago call the islands Tûsapuopelũ. The five main islands are (from largest to smallest in area): Selangai, Koráng, Fata'ukula, Trichi, and Laukasori. The archipelago includes many smaller islands and islets, including Taruri, Ayothaburi, Tuy Liêu, Mata'alanga, Phakéo, and Osinas. It also includes a number of rocks, including those of Neplona, Tsuvia, Atlaria, and Azhane. 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, who have been 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 colonisation occurred following Moda's discovery; however, a variety of 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 artefacts of ceramics, human figures, fishing, hunting and farming tools, plant fibre 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 as well as formal Caphirian colonization, Fadră would be granted the title corsair from the Imperium, giving him legal authority to conduct raids and piracy. He used enslaved 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 sheer distance between Venceia and Escal made virtually impossible at the time for the Imperator to actually 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 as well as 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 own government as a constitutional monarchy with a high level of self-government within the Imperium, as well as its own legislature and fiscal independence. The Imperium would still assert itself in areas of diplomacy, international treaties, defense and security.

The Escal Isles are a major tourist destination, with over 10 million visitors per year. This is due to their beaches, subtropical climate, and important natural attractions. The islands have warm summers and winters, owing to its predominantly temperate maritime climate and includes green areas as well as 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.

Etymology

The native population of the Escal Isles archipelago refer to their land as Tûsapuopelũ, an Austronesian 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 actually 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.