Post by amisi on Apr 23, 2009 23:49:55 GMT -5
Name of Island: Yetine Island
Size of Island: Small.
Location of Island: 30 miles south of Micqueot.
Inhabitants: A tribe of Longhands, about 4000 strong, are the only inhabitants of this island. They wear the same Chinese-inspired, specially tailored clothing as their families in the Grand Line, although often paired with heavy furs and snow boots to combat the cold. The primary industry is the maintenance of a vineyard full of ice grapes. The Longhands are severely under-compensated for their hard work. The ice grapes should sell for B50,000 per lug (36lbs.), but the wine-makers of Micqueot will pay no more than B10,000. The Longhands are aware of this disparity, but because their economy depends on the money brought in from Micqueot, they can't complain for fear of driving their trading partner away. The highest power in the tribe is the chief, who actually has little to do with the vineyard and spends most of his time in his dojo training the tribe's children in Longhand martial arts. Tailoring is also big business on the island, owing to the fact that most North Blue fashion designers don't make clothing suitable for Longhands. The tailors on this island are exceptionally talented, able to recreate a two-elbowed version of any design brought to them without even using a pattern.
The Current Chief: Jie Chan
Town(s)/Village(s)/City or Cities: The Longhand settlement is very large, spanning the entire northern half of the island. The entire southern half is given to the vineyards, which are carefully tended and harvested by the locals. The city bears a surprisingly large port, considering they only own two ships for trade and travel. The first thing visitors will see from their ships are the snowy hills of the city. The short Chinese style buildings are the only touches of color on the landscape. In the distance one can see hills that sparkle with thousands of lights like diamonds or stars; this is the vineyard. Upon leaving the ship, visitors find themselves in an area of the city with comparatively small buildings with narrow walks. The main street is three times are wide as the other streets, and it cuts straight through the city from the harbor to the chief's house. Attached to the house is a medium-sized dojo, where the children of the island go to learn Longhand martial arts from the best warrior, the chief. The buildings closest to the harbor are commercial buildings or houses with businesses, like inns or tailors, being run out of them. As one gets closer to the vineyard, the residences become private. The city is set on a series of steep hills, which can make walking up and down the streets a challenge on icy nights.
Flora and Fauna:
Flora: The most important plants on this island are the ice grapes. Small, spherical, light blue, and exclusive to Yetine Island, these fruits taste bitter and induce an allergic reaction in most people. However, the wine-makers of Micqueot have found a way to convert the useless fruit into a sweet pale blue wine called Micqueot Diamant, which costs B100,000 per bottle due to the rarity of the grapes. The grapes are unique in that they grow best in extremely cold conditions; the best crops are the ones grown under the snow and a heap of ice. Otherwise, there's very little by way of vegetation on this island, due to the chilly temperatures. Some coniferous trees grow here and there in the city.
Fauna: Seals are popular pets among the Longhands who live close to the sea. Otherwise, house cats and dogs are the pet of choice. The fish in the area are normal North Blue fish, though lately a Sea King named Child of the Sea God has taken up residence in a small cluster of underwater caves almost exactly beneath the island. The Sea King, a gargantuan purple eel-like monster with three rows of teeth, is very elusive and plagues the Micqueot trade ships coming to the island.
Island History: This island was originally uninhabited by humans, but a few decades ago a group of Longhands came into the area. They had fled Namakura Island on the Grand Line to escape the reach of the World Government, who allowed the sale of their people as slaves in the Sabaody Archipelago. For the first few years they kept to themselves, focusing on making their island completely self-sufficient. In the course of preparing land for building, they discovered a strange type of plant living beneath the snow. These were ice grapes, which grow only on Yetine Island. The Longhands tried eating some, but found that they were unbearably hard and bitter.
They uprooted the grapes and paid them no more mind until surveyors from Micqueot appeared in the harbor one day. The surveyors seemed surprised to see them there, and also very disappointed, but they were polite all the same and asked whether the tribesmen had found fruit on the island. The Longhands took them to the ice grapes that still existed on the south of the island. After that, the surveyors left quickly. A few weeks later a second ship turned up, this one carrying a prominent wine-merchant who took his time inspecting the grapes, at last offering to pay them B10,000 per 36 pounds. The Longhands were stunned. These worthless fruits were worth that much? They tried to caution the merchant that the grapes were inedible, but he laughed off their warnings and stuck to his guns. Now a little suspicious, the chief of the island acquiesced, and the first economic ties between Micqueot and Yetine Island were formed.
The chief put the islanders to work tending the existing ice grapes and replanting in the areas that had been ripped out. After some trial and error they found that heaping crushed ice over the plants made them grow larger. As the crop grew, so did the island's income. The B10,000 per lug of grapes became a great asset to the community. It was used to build the dojo, a school, and more houses. But one day, another merchant showed up, this time from the Frost Kingdom. He told them that their B10,000 per lug was an abomination; the wine merchants were making an obscene amount of profit from the shady deal; with the money the tribe rightfully deserved, they could build a hundred schools and a thousand dojos. The Longhands were skeptical at first, but the more they learned about the plant-- it grew nowhere else, and the merchants were charging B100,000 for 3 quarters of a liter of the wine-- they grew upset. The chief approached the merchant and asked for more money, but the merchant had a fit and stopped accepting the crop for two months. The grapes that had been turned away from Micqueot rotted on the ship. Money in the village began to dry up. At last, the chief couldn't justify allowing his people to suffer any longer and went to the merchant again, begging forgiveness for his audacity. The merchant accepted his apology and the exploitative trade relationship continues to this day.
Size of Island: Small.
Location of Island: 30 miles south of Micqueot.
Inhabitants: A tribe of Longhands, about 4000 strong, are the only inhabitants of this island. They wear the same Chinese-inspired, specially tailored clothing as their families in the Grand Line, although often paired with heavy furs and snow boots to combat the cold. The primary industry is the maintenance of a vineyard full of ice grapes. The Longhands are severely under-compensated for their hard work. The ice grapes should sell for B50,000 per lug (36lbs.), but the wine-makers of Micqueot will pay no more than B10,000. The Longhands are aware of this disparity, but because their economy depends on the money brought in from Micqueot, they can't complain for fear of driving their trading partner away. The highest power in the tribe is the chief, who actually has little to do with the vineyard and spends most of his time in his dojo training the tribe's children in Longhand martial arts. Tailoring is also big business on the island, owing to the fact that most North Blue fashion designers don't make clothing suitable for Longhands. The tailors on this island are exceptionally talented, able to recreate a two-elbowed version of any design brought to them without even using a pattern.
The Current Chief: Jie Chan
Town(s)/Village(s)/City or Cities: The Longhand settlement is very large, spanning the entire northern half of the island. The entire southern half is given to the vineyards, which are carefully tended and harvested by the locals. The city bears a surprisingly large port, considering they only own two ships for trade and travel. The first thing visitors will see from their ships are the snowy hills of the city. The short Chinese style buildings are the only touches of color on the landscape. In the distance one can see hills that sparkle with thousands of lights like diamonds or stars; this is the vineyard. Upon leaving the ship, visitors find themselves in an area of the city with comparatively small buildings with narrow walks. The main street is three times are wide as the other streets, and it cuts straight through the city from the harbor to the chief's house. Attached to the house is a medium-sized dojo, where the children of the island go to learn Longhand martial arts from the best warrior, the chief. The buildings closest to the harbor are commercial buildings or houses with businesses, like inns or tailors, being run out of them. As one gets closer to the vineyard, the residences become private. The city is set on a series of steep hills, which can make walking up and down the streets a challenge on icy nights.
Flora and Fauna:
Flora: The most important plants on this island are the ice grapes. Small, spherical, light blue, and exclusive to Yetine Island, these fruits taste bitter and induce an allergic reaction in most people. However, the wine-makers of Micqueot have found a way to convert the useless fruit into a sweet pale blue wine called Micqueot Diamant, which costs B100,000 per bottle due to the rarity of the grapes. The grapes are unique in that they grow best in extremely cold conditions; the best crops are the ones grown under the snow and a heap of ice. Otherwise, there's very little by way of vegetation on this island, due to the chilly temperatures. Some coniferous trees grow here and there in the city.
Fauna: Seals are popular pets among the Longhands who live close to the sea. Otherwise, house cats and dogs are the pet of choice. The fish in the area are normal North Blue fish, though lately a Sea King named Child of the Sea God has taken up residence in a small cluster of underwater caves almost exactly beneath the island. The Sea King, a gargantuan purple eel-like monster with three rows of teeth, is very elusive and plagues the Micqueot trade ships coming to the island.
Island History: This island was originally uninhabited by humans, but a few decades ago a group of Longhands came into the area. They had fled Namakura Island on the Grand Line to escape the reach of the World Government, who allowed the sale of their people as slaves in the Sabaody Archipelago. For the first few years they kept to themselves, focusing on making their island completely self-sufficient. In the course of preparing land for building, they discovered a strange type of plant living beneath the snow. These were ice grapes, which grow only on Yetine Island. The Longhands tried eating some, but found that they were unbearably hard and bitter.
They uprooted the grapes and paid them no more mind until surveyors from Micqueot appeared in the harbor one day. The surveyors seemed surprised to see them there, and also very disappointed, but they were polite all the same and asked whether the tribesmen had found fruit on the island. The Longhands took them to the ice grapes that still existed on the south of the island. After that, the surveyors left quickly. A few weeks later a second ship turned up, this one carrying a prominent wine-merchant who took his time inspecting the grapes, at last offering to pay them B10,000 per 36 pounds. The Longhands were stunned. These worthless fruits were worth that much? They tried to caution the merchant that the grapes were inedible, but he laughed off their warnings and stuck to his guns. Now a little suspicious, the chief of the island acquiesced, and the first economic ties between Micqueot and Yetine Island were formed.
The chief put the islanders to work tending the existing ice grapes and replanting in the areas that had been ripped out. After some trial and error they found that heaping crushed ice over the plants made them grow larger. As the crop grew, so did the island's income. The B10,000 per lug of grapes became a great asset to the community. It was used to build the dojo, a school, and more houses. But one day, another merchant showed up, this time from the Frost Kingdom. He told them that their B10,000 per lug was an abomination; the wine merchants were making an obscene amount of profit from the shady deal; with the money the tribe rightfully deserved, they could build a hundred schools and a thousand dojos. The Longhands were skeptical at first, but the more they learned about the plant-- it grew nowhere else, and the merchants were charging B100,000 for 3 quarters of a liter of the wine-- they grew upset. The chief approached the merchant and asked for more money, but the merchant had a fit and stopped accepting the crop for two months. The grapes that had been turned away from Micqueot rotted on the ship. Money in the village began to dry up. At last, the chief couldn't justify allowing his people to suffer any longer and went to the merchant again, begging forgiveness for his audacity. The merchant accepted his apology and the exploitative trade relationship continues to this day.