Post by amisi on Apr 9, 2009 21:14:46 GMT -5
Name of Island: Ice Nine
Size of Island: Small.
Location of Island: North Blue, about 50 miles/80 kilometers east of Lyneel.
Inhabitants: Most of the citizens are normal civilians, though in the past twenty years enlistment in the marines has become popular among young men and women as the nation strives to prove its worth as a member of the World Government. People from this island tend to have very pale skin due to the lack of sunlight. They're also renowned for their ability to wear shockingly light clothing in their famously frigid climate; while visitors pile on the furs and slip hot water bottles into their shirts, denizens of Ice Nine are content to go outside in normal winter coats and sweaters. More surprisingly, they never seem to suffer frost bite, hypothermia, or even get cold at all. They live in towns of about 100 people each. Each town is led by a vassal who answers to the chieftain of the entire island. The people who live here are generally kind and hospitable, but pirates are not tolerated, especially since Slush Town was razed by a crew of pirates six months ago. This is an island that strongly supports the marines and the World Government. Perhaps even more fascinating than their resilience to cold, the people of Ice Nine have managed to domesticate polar bears. A small taxi company uses the bears to pull carriages between the towns, and a special breed of pygmy polar bear is a common pet, especially for the elderly.
Town(s)/Village(s)/City or Cities:
Click for map
Snow Town: The oldest town on the island and also home of the island's only school. Most families with small children live on the same street as the school, and the schoolmaster herself lives in the one-room classroom. The houses are circular, squat, and built of sturdy red brick imported from Sedna, with a large fireplace set in the exact center of the main room. The buildings also bear blue and white geometric designs on the roofs and doors, a decorative motif that originated with the Chylee Tribe who settled the island; most residents here are descendants of that tribe. Besides the school, this district is purely residential; usually there isn't a lot to do or see. The days are filled with bundled up old men toddling back and forth with rods and pails for ice fishing, the second national sport of Ice Nine. The primary national sport of Ice Nine is a nightly event marked by lots of drinking and singing; the legendary freezing contest, where competitors sit stark naked in the snow and ice. The last one remaining wins the grand prize... which is more booze.
Ice Town: As an extension of Snow Town, Ice Town is similar in many ways. The circular buildings are all made of red brick; however, the buildings here are much larger than those in Snow Town, often with two or three stories and housing two families each. Since most of the people who live in this town are immigrants or the descendants of immigrants, the flags and decorations of other nations can be seen in windows and on doors. The citizens here can't be seen outside often since they're more sensitive to the cold than native Ice Niners; however, this means that they're more sympathetic to freezing visitors and are more likely to invite them inside for a hot drink, whereas Snow Towners often laugh off the discomfort of out-of-towners. A lot of the children in this town take the polar bear carriages to the school in Snow Town, but most are home-schooled. Although Ice Town doesn't have a school of its own, it boasts the island's only clinic. Ice-fishing and the freezing contest have never gained much popularity in Ice Town; the usual pastimes here are Foosball, normal drinking contests, and poker, all activities that are enjoyed in front of a roaring fire. Like Snow Town, Ice Town is residential. The people who were driven out of Slush Town are now taking refuge in Ice Town.
Sleet Town: When Snow Town, Ice Town, and Slush Town were first settled, each district had its own collection of stores and workshops. However, none of the districts had every store that they needed, which opened the door to a lot of crooked activity, like charging a 'foreigner tax' to people from other districts and trying to lure shops away from a rival district. This situation caused such unnecessary strife that the chief decreed that all shops would operate in a completely separate district, and all merchants selling from Snow Town, Ice Town, or Slush Town would be banished. As such, Sleet Town is a purely commercial district, although merchants and their families typically live in the same building as their shops. The stores are all circular and red brick in Ice Nine fashion, though instead of national emblems the windows and doors display shop signs. The polar bear carriage service operates out of this district; any trip to any point on the island costs B100. This is also the place to purchase a pygmy polar bear, for B5000 each.
Slush Town: Formerly a third residential district, Slush Town was sacked by pirates six months ago. Only burned out ruins remain. The people who used to live here have since taken refuge in Slush Town or moved back to their home countries.
Deep Freeze: The municipal district, trips to Deep Freeze are extremely rare. The area is surrounded by a 12ft high carved ice gate; inside is the chieftain's complex, which includes the chieftain's home (a normal Snow Town style house where meetings between the chieftain and his vassals take place), the huge ceremonial palace which is also carved of ice, and the library, which is the only rectangular building on the island, having been built by an immigrant from Frost Kingdom. Beneath the complex is an underground ice prison, where the island's worst criminals are kept to freeze to death, guarded by enormous guard polar bears.
Flora and Fauna: No plant life exists on this island, and most animals find it difficult to live here as well. The most common animals are the domesticated polar bears, which used to feed on the wild penguins and seals who live here. Now, as pets, they survive mostly on Chylee Fish that the humans catch for them, since the Ice Niners find it distasteful to feed penguins and seals to the bears. The penguins and seals are in the process of being domesticated and bred into pygmy forms like the polar bears were. The penguins and seals feed on the Chylee Fish too, which is a type of fish with a squared-off shape and large eyes. The fish is also transparent; they would be impossible to see in the water if not for their internal organs.
Island History: The first known inhabitants of Ice Nine were the Chylee Tribe, who settled Snow Town three hundred years ago. Whereas everyone who had tried to settle the island before failed due to the extreme cold, the Chylees seemed to thrive here and soon expanded north to found Ice Town. Attracted by the burgeoning economy and the free land, people began to immigrate from Lyneel and The Frost Kingdom. The people from Lyneel turned around and sailed back home right away; the people from Frost managed to stick it out and mixed with the Chylee tribe, diluting the native blood but not the native spirit. After some initial problems with the polar bears eating some of the townspeople, Faye, the chieftain at the time, managed to break one and turn it into her personal pet.
Driven by exports of seal blubber, polar bear furs, and the bones of Chylee fish which can be polished to look like small rods of diamond, Ice Nine grew more prosperous than anyone could have imagined, even establishing a strong trade relationship with the normally reclusive Sedna Island. They were so successful that they drew the attention of the World Government, who approached them with an offer of partnership twenty years ago. The chief and vassals immediately accepted. The townspeople were ecstatic; their small island was finally gaining worldwide importance and recognition. Overwhelmed by national pride, many Ice Niners, both natives and immigrants, began to join the marines as soon as they would be accepted.
A few months after their acceptance into the World Government, the chief and vassals began to push for a marine base to be built on the island. The push got stronger than ever after Slush Town was looted and burned by a crew of pirates. Although the World Government appears to be ignoring the chief's pleas for a base, the requests are still being sent in every month.
NPCs:
Kashta: The chieftain of the entire island. A very kind elderly man, though maybe a bit loony. He's determined to have a marine base built on Ice Nine before he dies.
Faye III: The great-great-granddaughter of Faye, the first chieftain, and the displaced vassal of Slush Town. Although Faye III put up a great fight when her district was attacked, she was knocked unconscious before the night was over and woke up in a clinic in Ice Town. She's middle-aged with graying blonde hair and green eyes.
Frederic: The vassal of Ice Town and an immigrant from Sedna Island, Fred is a humorless young man with dark hair and gray eyes. He doesn't speak very much, but he's very loyal to Kashta and does whatever is asked of him.
Marius: The vassal of Snow Town, Marius is a pure-blooded Chylee and very proud of the fact. He can be very xenophobic, especially where people from other Blues are concerned. He's a tall, built middle-aged man with an unusually large jaw, a bald head, and deep-set black eyes.
Guilder: The vassal of Sleet Town and an immigrant all the way from the Ciudadela Queendom in South Blue. At first glance, he appears to be a very overweight man-- almost perfectly spherical. Actually, he's thin as a rod; all of the extra bulk comes from the twenty layers of clothing he laboriously dons every morning to keep out the "damnable cold," as he says. He has mousy brown hair, a handlebar mustache, bright blue eyes, and an almost religious compulsion to sell anything and everything people will buy. He's also the owner of the polar bear carriage service, though he's personally frightened of polar bears.
Lunette: The only school teacher on the island. She's very young and pretty with short dark hair and bright green eyes, but she's often very mean to the children she teaches.
Size of Island: Small.
Location of Island: North Blue, about 50 miles/80 kilometers east of Lyneel.
Inhabitants: Most of the citizens are normal civilians, though in the past twenty years enlistment in the marines has become popular among young men and women as the nation strives to prove its worth as a member of the World Government. People from this island tend to have very pale skin due to the lack of sunlight. They're also renowned for their ability to wear shockingly light clothing in their famously frigid climate; while visitors pile on the furs and slip hot water bottles into their shirts, denizens of Ice Nine are content to go outside in normal winter coats and sweaters. More surprisingly, they never seem to suffer frost bite, hypothermia, or even get cold at all. They live in towns of about 100 people each. Each town is led by a vassal who answers to the chieftain of the entire island. The people who live here are generally kind and hospitable, but pirates are not tolerated, especially since Slush Town was razed by a crew of pirates six months ago. This is an island that strongly supports the marines and the World Government. Perhaps even more fascinating than their resilience to cold, the people of Ice Nine have managed to domesticate polar bears. A small taxi company uses the bears to pull carriages between the towns, and a special breed of pygmy polar bear is a common pet, especially for the elderly.
Town(s)/Village(s)/City or Cities:
Click for map
Snow Town: The oldest town on the island and also home of the island's only school. Most families with small children live on the same street as the school, and the schoolmaster herself lives in the one-room classroom. The houses are circular, squat, and built of sturdy red brick imported from Sedna, with a large fireplace set in the exact center of the main room. The buildings also bear blue and white geometric designs on the roofs and doors, a decorative motif that originated with the Chylee Tribe who settled the island; most residents here are descendants of that tribe. Besides the school, this district is purely residential; usually there isn't a lot to do or see. The days are filled with bundled up old men toddling back and forth with rods and pails for ice fishing, the second national sport of Ice Nine. The primary national sport of Ice Nine is a nightly event marked by lots of drinking and singing; the legendary freezing contest, where competitors sit stark naked in the snow and ice. The last one remaining wins the grand prize... which is more booze.
Ice Town: As an extension of Snow Town, Ice Town is similar in many ways. The circular buildings are all made of red brick; however, the buildings here are much larger than those in Snow Town, often with two or three stories and housing two families each. Since most of the people who live in this town are immigrants or the descendants of immigrants, the flags and decorations of other nations can be seen in windows and on doors. The citizens here can't be seen outside often since they're more sensitive to the cold than native Ice Niners; however, this means that they're more sympathetic to freezing visitors and are more likely to invite them inside for a hot drink, whereas Snow Towners often laugh off the discomfort of out-of-towners. A lot of the children in this town take the polar bear carriages to the school in Snow Town, but most are home-schooled. Although Ice Town doesn't have a school of its own, it boasts the island's only clinic. Ice-fishing and the freezing contest have never gained much popularity in Ice Town; the usual pastimes here are Foosball, normal drinking contests, and poker, all activities that are enjoyed in front of a roaring fire. Like Snow Town, Ice Town is residential. The people who were driven out of Slush Town are now taking refuge in Ice Town.
Sleet Town: When Snow Town, Ice Town, and Slush Town were first settled, each district had its own collection of stores and workshops. However, none of the districts had every store that they needed, which opened the door to a lot of crooked activity, like charging a 'foreigner tax' to people from other districts and trying to lure shops away from a rival district. This situation caused such unnecessary strife that the chief decreed that all shops would operate in a completely separate district, and all merchants selling from Snow Town, Ice Town, or Slush Town would be banished. As such, Sleet Town is a purely commercial district, although merchants and their families typically live in the same building as their shops. The stores are all circular and red brick in Ice Nine fashion, though instead of national emblems the windows and doors display shop signs. The polar bear carriage service operates out of this district; any trip to any point on the island costs B100. This is also the place to purchase a pygmy polar bear, for B5000 each.
Slush Town: Formerly a third residential district, Slush Town was sacked by pirates six months ago. Only burned out ruins remain. The people who used to live here have since taken refuge in Slush Town or moved back to their home countries.
Deep Freeze: The municipal district, trips to Deep Freeze are extremely rare. The area is surrounded by a 12ft high carved ice gate; inside is the chieftain's complex, which includes the chieftain's home (a normal Snow Town style house where meetings between the chieftain and his vassals take place), the huge ceremonial palace which is also carved of ice, and the library, which is the only rectangular building on the island, having been built by an immigrant from Frost Kingdom. Beneath the complex is an underground ice prison, where the island's worst criminals are kept to freeze to death, guarded by enormous guard polar bears.
Flora and Fauna: No plant life exists on this island, and most animals find it difficult to live here as well. The most common animals are the domesticated polar bears, which used to feed on the wild penguins and seals who live here. Now, as pets, they survive mostly on Chylee Fish that the humans catch for them, since the Ice Niners find it distasteful to feed penguins and seals to the bears. The penguins and seals are in the process of being domesticated and bred into pygmy forms like the polar bears were. The penguins and seals feed on the Chylee Fish too, which is a type of fish with a squared-off shape and large eyes. The fish is also transparent; they would be impossible to see in the water if not for their internal organs.
Island History: The first known inhabitants of Ice Nine were the Chylee Tribe, who settled Snow Town three hundred years ago. Whereas everyone who had tried to settle the island before failed due to the extreme cold, the Chylees seemed to thrive here and soon expanded north to found Ice Town. Attracted by the burgeoning economy and the free land, people began to immigrate from Lyneel and The Frost Kingdom. The people from Lyneel turned around and sailed back home right away; the people from Frost managed to stick it out and mixed with the Chylee tribe, diluting the native blood but not the native spirit. After some initial problems with the polar bears eating some of the townspeople, Faye, the chieftain at the time, managed to break one and turn it into her personal pet.
Driven by exports of seal blubber, polar bear furs, and the bones of Chylee fish which can be polished to look like small rods of diamond, Ice Nine grew more prosperous than anyone could have imagined, even establishing a strong trade relationship with the normally reclusive Sedna Island. They were so successful that they drew the attention of the World Government, who approached them with an offer of partnership twenty years ago. The chief and vassals immediately accepted. The townspeople were ecstatic; their small island was finally gaining worldwide importance and recognition. Overwhelmed by national pride, many Ice Niners, both natives and immigrants, began to join the marines as soon as they would be accepted.
A few months after their acceptance into the World Government, the chief and vassals began to push for a marine base to be built on the island. The push got stronger than ever after Slush Town was looted and burned by a crew of pirates. Although the World Government appears to be ignoring the chief's pleas for a base, the requests are still being sent in every month.
NPCs:
Kashta: The chieftain of the entire island. A very kind elderly man, though maybe a bit loony. He's determined to have a marine base built on Ice Nine before he dies.
Faye III: The great-great-granddaughter of Faye, the first chieftain, and the displaced vassal of Slush Town. Although Faye III put up a great fight when her district was attacked, she was knocked unconscious before the night was over and woke up in a clinic in Ice Town. She's middle-aged with graying blonde hair and green eyes.
Frederic: The vassal of Ice Town and an immigrant from Sedna Island, Fred is a humorless young man with dark hair and gray eyes. He doesn't speak very much, but he's very loyal to Kashta and does whatever is asked of him.
Marius: The vassal of Snow Town, Marius is a pure-blooded Chylee and very proud of the fact. He can be very xenophobic, especially where people from other Blues are concerned. He's a tall, built middle-aged man with an unusually large jaw, a bald head, and deep-set black eyes.
Guilder: The vassal of Sleet Town and an immigrant all the way from the Ciudadela Queendom in South Blue. At first glance, he appears to be a very overweight man-- almost perfectly spherical. Actually, he's thin as a rod; all of the extra bulk comes from the twenty layers of clothing he laboriously dons every morning to keep out the "damnable cold," as he says. He has mousy brown hair, a handlebar mustache, bright blue eyes, and an almost religious compulsion to sell anything and everything people will buy. He's also the owner of the polar bear carriage service, though he's personally frightened of polar bears.
Lunette: The only school teacher on the island. She's very young and pretty with short dark hair and bright green eyes, but she's often very mean to the children she teaches.
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