<strong>Dra Sirdu Information</strong><br/><span class="bbc_u">Ignorance (No Lore or Contacts</span>)<br/>Dra Sirdu is the land to which the Second Fleet of Expansion currently sails. It's supposedly fairly dangerous.<br/><br/>General Information (Lore or Contacts at Average or better)<br/>Dra Sirdu, meaning "little sister" in the common tongue*, is a very large island off the cost of<strong>Nuln </strong>(the mainland). Though only a few days sail from several coastal cities in the<strong>Dominion of Giris</strong>, it is surrounded on all sides by a dangerous region of mist-covered sea known as the "<strong>Grey Graveyard</strong>." Quite literally hundreds of ships have sunk in the Graveyard or wrecked themselves on the island's coasts. Only the recent First (and now Second) Fleet of Expansion, massive endeavors funded directly by the Girissi crown to explore, conquer, and eventually settle the island, have actually made it to the island and returned. However, the Fleets have encountered an number of delays, threats, and unexpected problems in their goal of settling the island.<br/><br/>*Due to linguistic drift, "dra sirdu" is currently used more for expressing deep, protective affection than to indicate the specific relationship between elder and younger siblings. It could easily be used between close friends, parents and children, or even lovers. Given how unpleasant Dra Sirdu is to outsiders, the name is much more ironic than it was intended to be.<br/><br/><span class="bbc_u">Historical Information (Lore)</span><br/>Dra Sirdu was once populated by two powerful civilizations, the<strong>Vuali</strong>, who populated the nearer western half of the island, and the<strong>Ikaran</strong>, who populated the more distant eastern portion. Relatively little is known about the civilizations. They arose well before any mainland society their equal (and some historians even argue that the modern powers of Giris or<strong>Taal </strong>would not match them at the height of their glory), and viewed all mainlanders with a disdain that could range from mild and pitying to brutal, even genocidal. Most contemporaries also agreed that they didn't seem to much like each other, either, with their conflicts occasionally manifesting themselves as proxy wars between mainland warlords and tribes. Lastly, and most unusually for a great civilization, they were exclusively human. Exactly what had become of the elves, dwarves, and other races living on Dra Sirdu (or, indeed, if there were ever any) is unknown. Doctor Seabreeze mentioned that she had uncovered some evidence the Vuali was the more dominant of the two powers on the island.<br/><br/>The two civilizations disappeared almost simultaneously, two hundred and thirty one years ago. Previous to the summer of AY 422, the great ships, fierce warriors and even fiercer merchants of the civilizations featured prominently in almost every record of mainland societies. A few scattered references to merchant or refugee fleets appear after that year, but nothing else.<br/><br/>One of the things particularly well-remembered about the missing civilizations is their skill at craft and magic. Vuali and Ikaran artifacts, automatons, and artistic treasures are still prized and fought over whenever they are discovered in old burial mounds or vaults. Beyond the massive expanse of land that the island offers to anyone who can conquer it, the civilizations likely left behind huge quantities of treasure, ripe for the taking. The hundreds of lost ships on the coasts and surrounding seas would also offer a significant bounty to anyone who could salvage them.<br/><br/>The Dominion of Giris is the only modern society that actually existed prior to the disappearance of the Vuali and Ikaran, due in part to its successful resistance of their influence. Their departure left a power vacuum that allowed the Dominion to destroy its rivals and establish itself as the dominant regional power.<br/><br/><span class="bbc_u">Current Information (Contacts)</span><br/>The island is cursed. Despite all its the lost treasure, as well as the incredible, quickly-spreading tales of rich soil, exotic plants, and mineral resources, it carries an awful doom. Evidence has been found of multiple settlements founded by wrecked sailors and travelers, but not one living person has been found. Some of them were clearly destroyed by violent attacks, others by madness and internal violence. Others simply have bird-picked skeletons laying about in grotesque mockeries of life, as though they died instantly while going about their day-to-day affairs.<br/><br/>Also, though few people know of it, it's become clear that the Second Fleet of Expansion isn't merely bringing reinforcements and supplies. Despite the best efforts of Commandant Lessa Vin,<strong>Point Respite</strong>has suffered a bizarrely high rate of discontent and internal strife. In addition from attacks by unfamiliar monsters, mundane wildlife and imported livestock have occasionally gone berserk, destroying patrols or groups of laborers alike.<br/><br/>Traveling to or from Dra Sirdu is dangerous and difficult, and communication is fairly limited. In the Grey Graveyard, ships mysteriously run aground, or they crash into difficult-to-track reefs. Mists come and go at random and spontaneous intervals. Oddly, however, this danger doesn't seem to increase that much with larger fleets. A group of four ships and a group of fifty ships might each lose two going across. This is why the Fleets are relevant, and why they deserve their own capitalization. In-world, long-distance magical communication is difficult and spotty at best, and Dra Sirdu makes it even more so. Some messenger pigeons were brought across for important messages, and they seem to have an easier time navigating the Graveyard, but getting access to them will be difficult.<br/><br/>Point Respite, itself, isn't a very normal town. It's at once a frontier town and a military fortress, with three notable population groups. The military is the largest, though soldiers fill many jobs usually done by civillians. Civilians, including merchants, skilled laborers, and the like, are noticeably in the minority. The Second Fleet brought across the third group, which actually outnumbers the civilians, and is only somewhat smaller than the military presence: penal laborers.<br/><br/>Brought across in huge, packed ships, these unfortunate individuals are effectively slaves, and include humans and non-humans of both sexes. Anyone found guilty of a serious enough crime can be sentenced to life service, it is in fact a much more common punishment for "capital" crimes than execution. The faces and backs of these prisoners are ritually scarified, which serves as a dual purpose. Not only does it make them instantly recognizable, it is also (should it become relevant) effectively an extreme consequence (a consequence that is so devastating that it takes the place of another one of the character's aspects) that can be invoked (have a fate point spent on it) to instantly determine the penal worker's location relative to the invoker, or to support any action that would lead to their recapture.