Sarantica

Pronunciation: sah-RON-tih-cah

Adjective: Sarantican (sah-RON-tih-con)

Capital: None.

Sarantica: (total of major islands): 40,620 sq mi (105,000 sq km) [Kentucky]

Population: ~6 million 

Government: It's a grab bag, but usually autocracy or oligarchy.

Economy: Sarantica's economy is wide and varied, but what islands are not producing the necessary staples of life typically produce luxury and climate-specific items, such as pearls, rare animals, tropical foods, 'native' art and crafts, and similar such items. They used to do brisk, if irregular, trade with their more southerly neighbors, but that has been dying off in recent years due to the increasingly aggressive stance of the Milanese vessels at their borders. Their economy as a whole has, naturally, slowed down because of this, but it has yet to actually stagnate, especially as merchants work diligently to find new internal markets for their wares.

Politics: Sarantica has always been a hot-bed for diverse ideas and polities, where you could not swing a dead cat without hitting half a dozen different radicals. In recent years, that trend has actually been reversing. As merchants flood domestic markets with Sarantican products and services, a grudging respect and appreciation for their fellow Islanders has arisen. Like in Afrene before it, Miln's blockade is serving to unify the population, although certainly not to the extent that it did Afrene and certainly for different reasons.

Religion: A few of the islands have embraced the Children of Iomei, but not many. Most have forms of ancestor or nature worship, and almost all beliefs end at the edge of a given island.

Social Systems: ?

Climate: Hot-temperate to tropical. The southern islands have been known to actually get snow now and again, but most Saranticans would be severely disturbed by the thought of frozen water falling from the sky.

History: It took a century or two before the refugees percolated throughout the entirety of the Sarantican Isles and even now, you can still find the odd little rock or two where humans are viewed more as an oddity than anything else. Small wars have been the rule, rather than the exception, with very few of them actually growing large enough to involve Sarantica as a whole. A half-dozen rulers have, at one time or another, attempted to unite Sarantica, although the closest is the current ruler of Ibaseos, who has mutual defense pacts and treaties with 90% of the Sarantican nations and is steadily insinuating herself into circles of power throughout the realm.

GodTouched: The Saranticans subscribe to a different paradigm than the rest of LItanaea and, as such, godtouched are generally accepted. As long as they don't cause a ruckus or abuse their powers. Some island-states require the king or council's authority for godtouched to use their powers, with others say only in a state of war, et cetera. Your mileage will vary, including some island-states that ritually sacrifice any godtouched they can get their sacrificial knives on.

     Albea (ahll-BEE-ah) – X

     Antardion (on-TAR-dee-on) – X

     Anysica (on-ISS-ick-ah) – X

     Botan (BOH-tahn) – Often described as "That little speck between Hibisova and Caspartaea," the island is home to one main village and a half dozen smaller family settlements. Not much to see and it has traditionally served only as a convenient port of call for passing vessels.

     Caspartaea (cass-par-TAY-ah) – X

     Ebon (EB-on) – X

     Ethasaia (eth-ah-SIGH-ah) – One of the more advanced island nations, Ethasaia was invaded by large sect of Thevan scientists and religious secularists fleeing their home island nigh on three centuries ago. All told, they did a decently fair job of inserting themselves into (or being absorbed by, depending on your point of view) the island's culture and then quietly setting up shop underneath the island in caves hacked and shaped and fortified within its living stone. The scientists suffered a bit of stagnation at being so cut off from the rest of the 'modern' world, but that same exile also shifted their paradigm significantly. Enough so that when ties were re-established with the Thevan mainland same seven decades ago, it was discovered just how useful an 'outsider' opinion could be for both sides. The two groups do not, strictly speaking, get along like sugar and spices, but they respect each other enough to keep the information channels open and to build up a healthy (if secret) rivalry.

     Hibisova (hib-ih-SO-vah) – X

     Ibaseos (ib-ah-say-ose) – X

     Livesti (liv-EST-ee) – X

     Manarnis (mon-ARE-niss) – X

     Rhodasis (row-DASS-iss) – X

     Sparisana (spar-ih-SAH-nah) – X

     Thandene (than-DEEN) – X

     Trisis (TRISS-iss) – X

     Zeelaseos (zee-LOSS-ee-oss) – X