The Island
Arios is an island in the
Nesocratic Federation of Eunesia.
Description
Arios is noted for its thick, enormous forest with trees that tower to 1000 feet in height or more. The combination of warm weather and rain has given Arios an abundance of unique plant life. The beaches of Arios are not like the beautiful white sand beaches of
Ieffreon, but are made of grey, smooth stones. Like most islands, Arios is hilly and a bit mountainous towards the center. There are few rivers and lakes in Arios, despite all the rain.
History
Arios has a long history, matching in length the other Eunesian cities of
Ieffreon,
Olympia, and
Secyclion. Arios was founded by a group of Quel'anthasan
Elves from the distant country of
Trelore. This particular group got separated from their party and ended up on the island of Arios. There they founded the city of Arios, but then it was known as Aeleaeri’i. For a long time, it was just the
Elves that lived their, developing their own unique culture that was derived from their Trelorean roots.
Further Reading: Quel'anthasan
Elves
Geography
Terrain
Arios is noted for its thick, enormous forest with trees that tower to 1000 feet in height or more. The combination of warm weather and rain has given Arios an abundance of unique plant life. The beaches of Arios are not like the beautiful white sand beaches of
Ieffreon, but are made of grey, smooth stones. Like most islands, Arios is hilly and a bit mountainous towards the center. There are few rivers and lakes in Arios, despite all the rain. The trees within the forest grow thick and tall, reaching sometimes over 1,000 feet in height. Their leaves are thick and a lush
Shade of green and their branches are as thick as normal trees' trunks and snake together in an unmanageable weave of bark. It is often hard to tell where one tree stops and another starts. The forest floor is also dense and hard to traverse. Thick growths of ferns choke out other plants and moss and vines cover the tree trunks, swathing everything in green. Mists, protected from the burning heat of the suns' rays, float in eerie grey pools. Plants grow extremely quickly in Arios. A tree that is one thousand feet in height that is cut down will re-grow completely within one night.
Climate
Like all the Eunesian Islands, Arios maintains a warm, humid climate all era long, though it is slightly cooler than its neighboring islands. Arios’ temperature ranges from 70-85 degrees in the spring and fall and a slightly cooler 65-75 degrees during their monsoon seasons in the summer and winter. Arios also gets an enormous amount of rainfall. During the dry seasons, spring and fall, Arios tends to get on average three brightenings of hard rainfall a cycle with intermittent light rain. Patches of clear sky and warm brightenings occur occasionally during the dry season. During the monsoon season, summer and winter, Arios gets heavy, intense rainfall almost every brightening of the cycle with rarely any relief from the torrential downfalls. Rain, though, is welcomed in Arios and it rarely bothers the citizens.
Natural Hazards
- Tropical Storms
- Hurricanes
- Monsoons
- Rip Tides and High Surf
- Coral Reefs
- Marine Wildlife (sharks, whales, barracuda, poisonous fish, etc.)
- Tropical Forest Wildlife (jaguars, snakes, poisonous frogs, etc.)
Unnatural Hazards
- Pirates
- Dark Fae
- Tree-dwelling Barbari
Land Use
There are no farms on the island of Arios, with small, home gardens and the forest itself being a source of most of the locals' food. With hunting difficult in the thick forest, few bother to attempt it. Fishing remains one of the most dominant source of food and income on the island. The trees themselves, quick growing and tall, are a great source for many products exported from the island.
Natural Resources
- Fish and Sea Products (pearls, whale oil, etc.)
- Coffee
- Ariosian Wood Products (raw lumber, paper, wood crafts, etc.)
- Medicinal Herbs
Points of Interest
The main areas of interest on the island of Arios.
Cities and Towns
Other
- The Black Dome
- The Ancient Tree of Song
- The Fae Fall
- Enchanted Glade of Arios
The City
A forested island in the
Nesocratic Federation of Eunesia island chain.
Description
The Island of Arios boasts of a unique type of architectural style, building their structures out of a unique, glass-like stone called Ariosian Crystal. They shape this crystal into tower-like structures that seem like drills coming out of the ground. The stone is opaque and very smooth to the touch, like glass. It is extremely durable and there are buildings in Arios constructed thousands of eras ago without the least sign of age.
The structures also have grooves that spiral and twist down the sides, accentuating the drill like quality, that are designed to channel rainwater through them. This serves to cool the interior of the building as well as provide systems for rudimentary indoor plumbing like basic showers.
The grander the structure, the taller it is. Ariosian build their homes up to show wealth, though each floor gets smaller and smaller. Large houses have a large bottom floor with numerous rooms and the multiple floors each smaller than the next and containing fewer rooms. To go from floor to floor, Ariosian use ladders and not stairs.
History
Arios has a long history, matching in length the other Eunesian cities of Ieffreon,
Olympia, and
Secyclion. Arios was founded by a group of Quel’anthasan elves from the distant country of
Trelore. This particular group got separated from their party and ended up on the island of Arios. There they founded the city of Arios, but then it was known as Aeleaeri’i. For a long time, it was just the elves that lived their, developing their own unique culture that was derived from their Trelorean roots.
During the Pan-Eunesian War, the
Mages from both Ieffreon and
Olympia became so fed up with the war and defected, running and seeking refuge among the Quel’anthasan elves in Aeleaeri’i. The elves, who preferred their quiet, were hesitant about letting the
Humans join them, a race that they did not trust and knew little of. The arcane abilities, however, impressed the Aeleaeri’ians who also loved arcana and the Eunesian human
Mages stayed.
When Viceroy Iefferus Polytrops Panthoretes discovered the Eunesian islands for the
Aelyrian Empire, the name of the Aeleaeri’i changed to Arios as part as negotiation agreements. Ieffreus successfully negotiated with the Aeleaeri’ians to admit the island-village into the Nesocratic Federation. It was named for Ieffreus’ friend Imperial Consul Ario. While the name was officially changed, it took a long time the citizens to begin using it because they only joined the Federation so that they could avoid conflict. They simply wished to return to their isolationist ways.
Culture
Magic is life in Arios; almost every single Ariosian is a practitioner of some sphere of arcana, though
Necromancy is heavily frowned upon in Arios. Also, due to Ariosians' obsession with arcana, many of the citizens choose to become
Hedgemages and this is not looked down upon at all. Citizens of Arios that do not practice arcana, however, are looked down upon and are often treated as second-hand citizens. Formal schools used to exist in Arios but they decreased in popularity because of the rigidity and formality of the education.
The citizenry of Arios are, in general, a friendly, easy-going group of individuals. But they are known for their fiercely independent spirit and, like all Eunesian cities, scorn for mainlanders. No Ariosian will treat a mainlander with disrespect, however, until either the mainlander has overstayed their visit or has shown disrespect first. The Ariosians mentality can be summed up by saying that Ariosians keep to themselves and would prefer if the rest of Telath would just let them do so. They have no interest in the government of Aelyria, and could not care less if the ruler was a Prince or an Emperor as long as the ruler left them alone. They will do what they have to, like electing a
Thane, so that they can be left in peace.
Local Government
Arios’ government is setup in accordance to the Articles of Imperium, headed by a
Thane who is aided by an Assistant
Thane. The pair jointly run all the political needs of the city with the only other political figure being the Aedile. Due to Arios small size, the Thane assumes the duties of the Prefect as well. There is no militia or guardsmen in Arios; the people rely on arcane protection from the priests and priestesses of the temples as well as the dutiful watch of the Kalans.
Further Reading: A Primer to Aelyrian Politics
Arios still is loyal to its ancestral roots and relies on democratic means to reach conclusions. This includes every citizen voting to elect the Thane, who is later ratified by the
Governor, as well as voting on all major issues. Whenever the Thane needs to make a decision, he holds a meeting in the Ariosian Center for all to attend and voice their opinions. Only after all have been heard does the Thane make a decision.
Statistics
- Population: 200
- Culture: Elves, human, Faeries
- Trade: Lumber, Woodwork, Coffee, Paper
- Landmarks: Temple of Carmelya, Lealaova'a Manor
Credit
Ensnare