Omen Islands

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Situated so far off the coast of the Eastern Continent that for centuries it remained uncharted, the Omen Islands are an archipelago of ten islands and a number of uninhabited islets. Despite its small area, Omen Islands are home to a great variety of exotic flora and fauna due to the numerous habitats its islands provide.

The largest of the islands makes up three-quarters of the archipelago's total area and features richly forested peaks: towering reminders of the island chain's volcanic origins. While some might consider it a tropical paradise, it is a deceptive one; its pristine, palm-shaded shores lead up to a tangled jungle so dense and impenetrable that even modern research has failed to uncover all of its savage secrets. The island cluster's name was in fact established by merchant sailors who found themselves inexplicably shipwrecked along its ragged coasts.

The Omen Islands have a tropical climate, with weather conditions ranging from pleasantly warm and breezy by the sea to oppressively hot and humid in the forest interior. The islands experience the most extreme weather throughout rainy season, during which the temperatures are at their highest.

People

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While outsiders would find the rugged terrain of the Omen Islands uninhabitable, two distinct populations call it home. Its native population inhabits the main island's forest interior, while a settlement of pirates is centered around a cove on one of the smaller islands to the northeast.

Native Subetans, Omen Islanders are humanoid in appearance with dark hair, tan skin, blue-green eyes, and compact figures. Most islanders resemble human immigrants more than they do indigenous Subetans of other continents in that they lack pointed ears and distinctive features such as horns and markings, while other islanders do have pointed ears and features such as scales.

The pirates, on the other hand, are a diverse group of humans, native Subetans, and hybrids alike. A ragtag bunch, the only thing they have in common is that they don't belong in civilized society.

Government

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While a colony of Sebastian Phoenix, it is only that in name; neither islanders nor pirates recognize his authority. The pirates operate by their own codes of honor and have various ship hierarchies (often upset by mutinies), but they do not have anything resembling an organized government. The islanders have their own social organization based on inherited roles, but ultimately, they only recognize the power of the sea.

Culture

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Much of Omen Islander tradition remains to be understood. Face and body tattooing seem to have ritualistic significance to these islanders, but current anthropologists have not been able to determine what the geometric symbols the islanders display on their bodies mean.

Islanders adhere to rigid social hierarchies determined chiefly by family lineage. Respect for authority and for the elderly is emphasized, and brave warriors are honored. These warriors, in turn, are fiercely protective of their family members and fellow islanders. The most respected figure within society is the high priest, to whom everyone readily submits.

Anthropologists are still working to understand Omen Island culture, but clearly, the ocean plays a large role in islander life. Having lived next to the sea for countless centuries, the people have learned to love and fear the sea, sometimes personifying it in myths and folklore.