Post by Jade on Oct 31, 2015 19:39:03 GMT -5
Bupae
Other Names: Brightnight Island
Theme: Korea
Location: Paradise
Size: Small
Affiliation: Independent
Climatic Type: Spring
Log Pose Time: 10 Days
Previous Island: Athens Island
Subsequent Island: Noro Island
Terrain & Geography
Bupae is a smaller country located in the first half of the Grand Line, founded on a single, roughly diamond-shaped island known as Brightnight Island. It is a hilly and mountainous land, dominated on one side by a towering mountain range interspersed with lush valleys and a large mountain lake nestled within the more central areas of the island. Dense jungle vegetation populates much of the remaining hills and landmass, creeping up at the bases of the mountains to cover most of the island. Deep ravines formed by streams descending from the mountains often blend with the roots of trees to create deep, dark swamps, in contrast to the open peaks of the mountains.
Climate & Weather
Pitted in what is effectively an endless night, Bupae is a Spring Island, meaning that its vegetation is always active all year round, lending to the dominance of greenery. It’s moderately warm, but not oppressively hot, but cools down during the true night cycles. Light rain is a common occurrence, with a steady amount of precipitation per month that barely deviates, giving much of the island a dreary and glum atmosphere. What makes Bupae’s climate more unique is the toxicity of its atmosphere that has become prevalent due to an industrialist regime and its own flora, blanketing the island in poisonous mist and mildly acidic rainfall whose effects are most noticeable in the depths of the island, but leaving the upper reaches relatively clean.
Flora & Fauna
For its size, Brightnight Island has a wide variety of flora and fauna, primarily due to its climatic type and greenery, which support numerous ecosystems. Various trees dominate the jungle landscape, as do creeping vines and flowering plants, while various primates and other beasts dwell within the dappled shade of the dense greenery. The most iconic feature of Bupae’s natural life is its bioluminescence, with most animals and various plant species demonstrating the ability to produce light, usually as a result of processing toxins in the atmosphere, water, and diet. Several plants have been domesticated as a result, including Brightvine, which is grown within Bupae City to create brilliant signage on the sides of buildings. The most notorious plant is the rather unassuming but naturally poisonous Fairy Flower, which has significant historical significance to the country. Unique specimens of fauna include the dangerous Ghost Tiger, filling the role of apex predator in Bupae and adjusting the color of its bioluminescent fur to blend into its environment, and the Whisper Foxes, small vulpines who are known to copy human speech in a similar way to parrots and other birds, chattering in a manner similar to loud whispers. Another fierce form of fauna is the massive, predatory Orchid Mantis, a savage ambush hunter whose body resembles a large blooming flower, perhaps made more terrifying by the fact their floral counterpart the Mantis Orchid is an equally predatory plant with a striking similar appearance.
Settlements & Landmarks
Brightnight Island’s sole major settlement has become the country’s namesake, Bupae City, with the bulk of the island’s population residing within its streets and buildings. The city dominates an entire portion of the coastline and stretches several miles deep and to a decently high elevation, illuminated by various forms of flora used to create streetlights and signage. It ranges from low and narrow streets squeezed between its stone buildings to towering structures in the wealthier and more prestigious points of the city. Among the city’s most prominent landmarks are the Royal Palace—perhaps the oldest structure that stands overlooking the city—and the Red Sparrow Trading Company Headquarters, the latter of which also features a specialized greenhouse structure referred to as the Sparrow’s Nursery, in which large quantities of Fairy Flowers are grown. The Red Sparrow Trading Company also plants and tames Mantis Orchids and Orchid Mantises within the nursery. Beyond these, there are few other notable structures within the city, though a handful of very small settlements exist within the mountains, far from the city’s own reaches.
Groups & Organizations
Bupae’s Dong-Geun Family serves as the primary ruling body of the country, but decades of greed and manipulation have established the current royals as little more than political figureheads, leading the country to be primarily run by its commercial successors: A camarilla of business executives controlling almost every aspect of the country. The most prominent of these is the Red Sparrow Trading Company, whose various commercial ploys and products place them as the wealthiest force on Bupae, as well as being those who are responsible for the careless mass-production of “Fairy Dusk”—a performance-enhancing and yet highly toxic pill used by various gangs and crime circles made from the Fairy Flower. Admittedly, this dangerous and weak iteration of Fairy Dusk is very much a corrupt and commercially-focused version of an ancient traditional craft practiced by the now diminished and mostly hidden Hibiscus Order, whose ancestors are now integrated with Bupae society on various levels, and whose remnants are concealed within the mountain villages.
Culture & Traditions
Despite its feudal history and royal lineage, Bupae’s entire culture is now primarily dominated by money. As such, its people suffer a drastic rich-poor divide, where the wealthy and powerful command almost every imaginable aspect of daily livelihood. Poverty and homelessness is far from an uncommon thing for those on the opposing end of the spectrum, and the extremely cramped living conditions of most of the island’s residents form a dichotomy with the spacious penthouses and ostentatious living quarters of its elite. In the shades of the streets, it’s not uncommon for loan sharks, gangs, and other groups to extort and exploit, their efforts funded and supported in secret by the business tycoons and moguls. A lot of the country’s cash flow is managed through its casinos, with a high amount of gambling taking place. The most famous holiday is the Flowering Festival, an ancient celebration of the island’s Fairy Flowers that has been turned from religious and symbolic to a commercial exploit by the various big businesses, especially the Red Sparrow Trading Company.
History
At its historic roots, Brightnight Island was not known by the current name of Bupae, and was split into various smaller cultures that focused heavily on agriculture. Over time, these various farming communities became more and more established, their populations growing and forming into small civilizations that established a feudal system. After many decades of competition, however, the people of the island were eventually unified under a single banner by the first monarch and greater ancestor of the current royal family, thus beginning the Dong-Geun Dynasty.
Unified and prospering under its rule, the royal family established a warrior caste to defend their country from invaders, which would become known as the Hibiscus Order. Using their extensive agricultural knowledge and medicinal skills, the Hibiscus Order would become a rousing success against invaders, developing a unique compound from the native Fairy Flower known as “Fairy Dusk”, which would allow them to massively boost their physical abilities.
Things would change, however, when a pirate crew was marooned upon the island. Run ashore by freak weather common to the Grand Line, the ship was damaged beyond repair and many of its crew had died, leaving their captain and a few other deckhands as the only survivors. Weakened and trapped, the pirates were forced to integrate into the country’s society, with members of the Hibiscus Order escorting them to an audience with the current monarch. With outside knowledge of the world, the pirates were surprisingly valuable to the monarchy, allowing them to rise through the ranks as they gained the trust of the upper echelons. Eventually, they would even be given their own seal by the royalty, taking inspiration from the Jolly Roger they once flew as pirates—the Red Sparrow.
As years further passed, Bupae had grown significantly, establishing commercial and political ties with its neighbors and condensing its increasing population into a single city and progressively lessening the need for the Hibiscus Order. Though it maintained individuality as a nation, Bupae still formed business connections with the World Government, but the shift of power within Bupae’s own political structure has since transformed its royal lineage to little more than a figurehead, with its various wealthy businesses forming a camarilla. As of now, the descendants of the pirates who were marooned upon <NAME> Island maintain the Red Sparrow Trading Company, who manipulate the city for their own gain, contributing to pollution that has heavily affected the island.
Recent Events
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