Kiyonouchi: The Echo of Estahiir

The island chain of Kiyonouchi was once a prosperous petty kingdom by the same name that lasted from the moment the mainland’s Empire shattered to its collapse centuries later. The chain extends from Estahiir’s western mountain range and reaches many miles into the northwestern ocean. It is isolated, which has resulted in the people inhabiting the lands there to develop a culture that is similar yet different from the rest of the continent, drawing heavy cultural inspiration from the sea and Maramel as a religious focus. However, the spirit of Estahiir remains in their blood, perhaps moreso than people realize.

History
Shortly before the shattering of Estahiir, the decision was made to settle the tactically and navally important island chain of Kiyonouchi as a forward naval base, supported by a civilian village. While the islands were rich in natural resources, farming was next to impossible due to the nature of the acidic volcanic soil. Thus the collective focus turned upon the sea, which shaped the island’s culture. When the old imperial government fell, the missive never made it to the base of Nosuichi from the cropping up of raider activity. Over the next few months, Nosuichi and Shaoshu struggled to survive without support from the mainland, and due to such, they had to abandon all other islands to congregate in Shaoshu to survive. After a time, the base of Nosuichi and the town of Shaoshu merged under a unified loyalist banner when a distant blood relative of the last true Emperor, who was serving in the navy aboard one of the 15 remaining ships in the isles, came forwards and accepted the throne.

After establishing self-sufficiency, the two establishments thrived enough to be bound together under one name; the petty kingdom of Kiyonouchi. Under the self-titled Emperor served a council which held the interests of the common man at heart. Art, culture, military advancement and traditional Estahiiri values were held together by the forcibly close knit community, fostering the growth of a fortress city to rival those on the mainland. In the end, none of it mattered. Generations later, the last Emperor grew ill and having not chosen a successor, the Council saw opportunity in the ranks. A member of the Council chose greed and dishonor over stability, and began to sway others around him to attempt to pull as much power away from the Emperor and to the Council as possible, leading to petty kingdom to ruin. As Kiyonouchi fell, families began dispersing through the seven islands to survive on their own. The city of Shaoshu still remains, inhabited by the few remaining individuals who stayed, but it is nasty place full of greed, hostilities, no centralized government and a hive for dishonorable practices; a common resting stop for privateers and criminals all the like. Festering ruins are all that remain of Estahiir’s last hope for retaining some semblance of the Old Empire.

Territory/Geography
The chain consists of 7 main islands, though only the largest three were settled. The main island, Entari, spans the width of 8km and the length of 14km. The second and third, Shimagata and Jinchun, span less than 3km in both width and length. Because of this, the two smaller islands are relatively flat and sandy, while the larger is rich in natural resources such as iron, lumber, tin and other such textile material.

One of three peaks on the island chain is situated on the eastern shore of Entari. Standing at 6km high, the peak of Anju was once highly volcanic, however, in time it cooled to the black peak it is now. The fairly volcanic nature of the mountain has resulted in the soil being far too acidic which in turn has made it so there is little to no arable soil on the island. This means the people of Kiyonouchi rely almost solely on what they catch at sea. The biomes around the island are relatively similar, however they have unique variations which place them apart. These places can include anything from the sandy foothills to the black-stone beaches to anywhere in between.

On the island of Entari, pre-collapse, there were two cities and one town. The first is Shaoshu, the capital of Kiyonouchi. The second is Tiren, the port city of the chain, while the third is Kapal, a small town at the leading southern end. Each city has its respective balances, however Tiren and Kapal are known for their shipping and jewelry respectively.

Naval Prowess
While the petty-kingdom of Kiyonouchi once boasted a complement of 15 ships from the old armada, all of them were torn down from years of usage and their resources stripped from their bones. Following this, the ancient art of shipwrighting was redefined. In the many years of Kiyonouchi’s operation the ocean has come to be a religious symbol, and therefore as did the creation of vessels to navigate it. Shipwrighting is reserved for only those who have proven themselves a capable follower of the Celestials associated with the water through bloodline and active practice. Now, since the old armada was completely gone, that is not to say Kiyonouchi’s ships are unimpressive in their own right. In their isolation, genius was rooted among the sands to give bloom to new vessel types which were more suited to operate among the reefs as opposed to solely military application. To this day, Kiyonouchi’s modest fleet of sampan-rigged vessels is feared by the mainland city-states, causing them to be mostly left in peace.

Architecture
As contrary to the term ‘sinks like a stone’ as something can get, another example of their difference is their affinity to to the rock-hard material. When you live next to the ocean, textiles like iron or wood decay incredibly quickly due to the salt and constant beration by the sea. Because of this, architecture in Kiyonouchi is almost entirely stone, contrasting much of continental Estahiir. Some examples seen are granite, basalt and slate. Because of the nature of the material, all buildings in Kiyonouchi are one story save for those in the military complex. There, they have treated the wood as they would a vessel and therefore waterproofed it, allowing it to stand the test of time.

Cuisine
Due to the lack of arable soil, Kiyonouchi’s cuisine is based almost entirely on the sea. The most common meals include a portion of rice with separate portions of mollusk, fish, and greens collected from the ocean such as seaweed and kelp. The gonads of the sea urchin, or Uni, are considered one of the more common delicacies to the Kiyonouchi culture and are seen almost nightly in family homes. Following along these lines, abalone, a type of rock-anchored mollusk, is considered reserved for high-ranking officials and those who can afford it. Sometimes, their shells are crushed and added to various dishes as a thickener and nutrient supplement. There are certain fish forbidden from being caught or eaten, one of which is the Opah, or moonfish. They are considered sacred to Maramel and are not to be touched.

Unique Customs
While Kiyonouchi has developed unique customs over time, the culture is still unmistakably Estahiiri. Perhaps the greatest differences are found in everyday aspects of life. One example is that the garb of the local families is fabricated from seaweed, kale and palm-tree fiber as well as most every individual in Kiyonouchi knowing something to some degree of seafaring and its associated vessels.

Tattoos
Plenty of similar and different community rituals are are seen in comparison from the mainland. For example, tattoos hold a variation from the mainland’s own practices when it comes to religious matters. While there isn’t any direct statement from religious texts that tattoos are inherently sacred, it was normalized in Estahiiri culture over the centuries of the Old Empire’s success. However, in the islands, the practice of tattoos quickly faded from religious practice due to the focus that was taken up on Maramel and her influence of the ocean. As tattoos are given, they need to be protected, and since those in higher positions of political and religious tact would have been required to be on the sea as often as possible, they cannot get tattoos without them growing infected. Because of this, tattoos faded from religious importance and instead the opposite was rendered true; bare, unmarked skin is the symbol for religious purity as opposed to tattoos being the symbol for religious devotion.

Furthermore, as there were more women than men in the Kiyonouchi Isles when it was founded, there are naturally more women than men in higher positions of political or religious importance which drops the statistic down to men having more visible tattoos than women.

Sacredness of hands and feet
One of the more visible aspects of change about the people of Kiyonouchi is their belief that the hands and feet are sacred. To them, the ocean belongs to Maramel and is a symbol of an emotional maelstrom. To navigate the ocean is considered to navigate oneself, which in turn means they are living life to the fulfilling possible way under Maramel’s watchful eye. In order to sail on this ocean, you need your feet to read the vessel and your hands to bend it to your will. By marking the hands and feet in any way, you muffle or even block entirely the true ability to do either of those things. This makes it impossible for one to navigate correctly, and thus are considered wayward, as they will have no idea where they are in relation to navigating Maramel’s might. The marking of hands and feet in this culture is almost unheard of and is considered taboo and dishonorable.

Dances
And finally, a practice held by those who hold Maramel deeply to heart, is only carried out by the eldest matriarch in a family. Every family has a dance that is designed for Maramel and Maramel alone. It is a dance paired with a chant that has been passed down from family to family for many generations, and it is symbolic to show who the dancer is, literally speaking. The dance is supposed to entail their core traits and personality, their identity that never changes- their story. It can be several minutes to almost an hour in length depending on how much someone wishes to tell Maramel about themselves.

Religious differences
While the people of Kiyonouchi have religious practices comparable to the mainland, the most notable changes are in the practices of worship towards the Celestials. In terms of perception, Komaris is essentially the same, though they hold fire as symbol of his passion and will. Maramel is notably different in the form that they do not fear her but openly oppose her. It is easy to cross the line of disrespect, however they hold true to the belief that Maramel has influence over the tides. Therefore, Maramel is the Ocean, as they both have a silvery sheen when met together. This is where the importance of the hands and feet is seen, as without being able to navigate Maramel and her treacherous emotional hold on the world, you will die having disrespected Maramel by daring to ignore her instead of opposing her and proving your worth.

Maramel is considered much more of a rogue warrior type than anything else, and of course has gained the needed respect of an all-powerful matriarch who battles Komaris and passes death to all. Conversely, the Kowithu are largely the same save for that they seem to be culture’s source of the extended cheer and celebration. They are seen as jovial spirits that resemble more of children than anything supremely divine. Their worship practices revolve around celebration.

In contrast to the rest of Estahiir, everyday sacrifices at shrines hold much less importance in Kiyonouchi. For its denizens, special practices are the ultimate form of sacrifice or gifting. At least one such practice exists for each Celestial.

Komaris
A fire is made on the eastern shore of an island, and kept alight for the entire day. During this period, the villagers gather around the flames at their own discretion and give personal thanks to Komaris for the benefits he grants them. At dusk, a chosen few from the village will be tasked with taking fire from the eastern shore and delivering it to a pyre made on the western shore. As Komaris sets, the villagers will bring a portion of their harvest crop to place within the pyre as an offering to Komaris by merit of fire. The pyre is lit and all present wait in celebration until the pyre dies down. The next morning, the ashes will be brought to a prepared field to be tilled into the dirt. If Komaris liked their offering, they would be met with a healthier crop the next year. Strangely enough, variations of this custom also occur on islands off the eastern coast of Estahiir.

Maramel
On the full moon of the winter solstice, an individual who wishes to perform this practice will take a sentimental item that has some form of connection, emotionally or by physical heritage, to someone who has recently passed onwards. Taking this as a token to show Maramel that they have not forgotten who is the one who deals death, they will take a handwoven basket that is suitable for the sea and send it off several hours before moonrise. On this day, at that time, the tides will roll back farther than they have all month, and in that fashion the ocean will carry the token deep into sea, right into Maramel’s grasp.

That night, the individual is required to return at the rising of the full moon. They will know Maramel is watching and present as the tide will have returned in force to crash against the crags of the isles, sending spray closer to the stars and further inland than previously. Her rage will be palpable and is usually accompanied by a storm.

During the ritual, they will execute their dance as aided in design by the family matriarch. At the end of the dance, they are to pick a sound, name, or anything they can verbalize to symbolically link to the concept of who they want to become in the upcoming year. Under the full moon, the individual performs their dance under Maramel’s unblinking eye, and does so passionately for a number of reasons. The main of which is they are solidifying their right to live by showing their defiance and progress, proving their worth to Maramel. At the end of their dance, they shout the name they chose to be in the upcoming year, and end the ceremony usually with a bit of Sake.

Kowithu
The celebrations of the Kowithu are by far the most relaxed. The rituals for them are entirely community-driven, just as the stars are closely packed together, much the same as a fleet of ships. Because of such, to help guide the community, everyone is called to a celebration lasting two nights under the stars, where everyone with the skill will record and create starmaps of the region. During the celebrations, the starmaps can be won, earned, or simply gifted away. The celebration is important as it keeps the maps updated and usable by the seafaring community as a whole.

Among the starmaps can be found maps of the tides, as the tides around the island are treacherous and are unable to be navigated on certain days of the month or hours of the day. They change positions frequently, much like the stars, so they therefore have just as much importance. Many other positions of importance can be found during the celebrations such as artists, copiers, salespeople of every specialization and those who sell navigational instruments and even vessels. All in all, the celebration is extremely good for the community’s economy and health as a whole. After the celebration, everyone heads home refreshed and prepared for the following season.