Mar Vahira
| File:Sun-3-256.png | |
| Nation | Mar Vahira |
|---|---|
| Planet | Disparatus |
| Government | Anarchy |
| Motto | "It's sunnier here." |
| National color(s) | |
| Population | Estimated 3,500 |
| Demographics | 96% Human, 4% Other |
| Location | Equatorial, between the United Provinces and the Arenan Alliance |
| Primary Languages | Dialect of Universal |
| Founded | Unknown |
| Capital | Vo Vahira |
| Owner | Daniel |
Overview
The island nation of Mar Vahira, located on the equator of the planet Disparatus between the United Provinces to the north and the Arenan Alliance to the south, is a small, tropical island of volcanic origin. The weather is warm almost all year round, excepting a small chill during the rainy season that rarely gets close to freezing.
The population is mostly human, with skintones ranging from dark mahogany to a tanned cream. The most common skintone, associated with islanders whose families have presumably been there for generations, is a golden caramel. There's no formal form of governance. Aside from rich soil and a diverse ecosystem the island is lacking in any useful resources.
The primary native industry is subsistence farming, though the island also has numerous craftspeople who produce pottery, clothing, tools, and other useful goods. Despite being a mostly agricultural society, they have some industrial technology, including a mill.
Military
Mar Vahira has no standing military or police force.
Foreign Relations
Due to having no useful resources, a remote location, an agrarian economy, and no tactical value, some foreign powers do not even acknowledge Mar Vahira's statehood. Mar Vahira has no diplomatic ties to any particular nation.
History
Mar Vahira has no written history, and the population seems to be disinclined to write one. Dating preformed by visiting scientists has failed to find any definitive evidence of human presence prior to 1600 AE, but due to the carefree attitude of the population and their preference of organic construction materials, it is possible the island has been populated for longer. Sherds of pottery found on the beaches by the archaeologist Dr. Sohn Farr (2210-2281) indicate a possible human presence around 1100 AE, but with recent revelations about plagiarism and false evidence by the doctor, it has been discarded as serious evidence of anything.
The linguistic differences between Universal and Universal-Vahiro do not seem strong enough for a six-hundred year old culture, but due to the influx of new people from outside the island, it isn't impossible for the language to have retained a level of recognizability.
Geography
The central caldera is a gently sloped crater in the middle of the island. From it, the ground rises to the rim, before rolling out seaward in a a sprawling mix of grassy fields, dense vegetation, and the occasional bit of human architecture. A myriad of streams pour out of underwater springs and run to the ocean as well. The sand near the sea is a brilliant, clean white.
The island itself is surrounded by a crescent moon of stone, a jagged series of bare peaks which form a tidebreak and a bay around the island. Beyond, reefs and choppy waters endanger ships for quite some distance. Due to the central location of the island between continents, it lies in the midst of the gyre that tidal forces form between continental masses. This location accounts for a large part of its population: ships in doldrums along the equator often smash against the reefs, and their sailors find their way to the island across the calm bay.
Fal Vahira, the Sunny Waters
The island is centered around a long-dormant volcanic caldera, which has since become a vast reservoir of water, and through a series of ocean-ward tributaries, the islands' primary source of water for drinking, bathing, and irrigation.
Due to the presence of a currently undertermined contaminant (either a microscopic lifeform, or mineral deposits) the water has several fascinating effects. The most noticeable visual difference is a slight, luminescent glow in both liquid and vapor form, a pure white sheen that lights up the island at night as steam from the caldera lake boils into the air. Slightly less noticeable is its gradual effect on individuals who consume it on a daily basis, eat food grown in soil watered with it, or bathe in it regularly. Humans seem to be the most consistently affected and in the most 'pleasant' manner, and thus the most well documented. Affected individuals (Vahiro) have noticeably lowered aggression and become more cheerful and amicable, as well as more sociable. They will go out of their way to befriend other individuals (particularly other Vahiro) and seem to be able to maintain those friendships even after long periods of separation after short encounters.
A sociological study conducted by the late Dr. Imar Sashir concluded that this social effect can be boiled down to a sharp spike in Dunbar's Number for affected individuals, that is, how many stable relationships they can form. People on the island seem to have no problem recalling and fondly discussing upwards of two or three thousand individuals. Dr. Sashir was unable to find any two individuals on the island with more than a two degrees of separation: that is, every single person on the island is either a friend, or a friend of a friend. At the same time, this increased mental capacity comes at a price: inhabitants have reduced capacity to form long term memories unassociated with direct 'relations', decreased curiosity towards the natural world, and decreased desire towards technological advancement. This is the primary reason for the agrarian lifestyle of the inhabitants.
Settlements
Countless farms dot the landscape, mostly low, wooden buildings surrounded by unfenced plots of land. The capital 'city' of Vo Vahira is more of a small town or gathering place, with a small actual population, but with a constant flow of coming and going people. Goods and services are exchanged at seemingly arbitrary prices, people laugh, drink, and eat together. It is built at a dip in the rim of the Caldera, and straddles the main river. A dozen bridges span it, though the current is slow moving, and it is rare for the bridges to not be full of people who dive into the waters below to swim with the multitudes of people who steer clear of the diving areas.
Culture
Inhabitants
A scattered, friendly bunch, the population is universally welcoming and encourages visitors to stay with them, with the standard phrase being "It's sunnier here." That said, they do not push people to stay, and are happy to see them off.
Religion
There is almost no strong religious presence, but a central mythology and folklore surrounding the Fal Vahira exists. Islanders will cheerfully explain to any visitors the moon god, envious of the brightness of his sister, the sun, stole her radiant underclothes while she slept, and dropped it onto Disparatus. They landed and became one with the volcanic waters, creating the Fal Vahira. Whether any of them truly believe this story is unclear.
Noteworthy Locations
- Vo Vahira: The 'capital' of Val Mahira, a small town where few people live, but many congregate for trade and entertainment.
- Lau Vahira: The central crater where the sunny waters spring from and around which the island is centered.
