The Island of Obojima

The Island of Obojima

Type	Island
Government	No formal government, varies from town to town
Inhabiting Race	Humans, Obojiman Elves, Nakudama (Frog people), Dara (Clay Idol People), Oni-Kin, Lionfish, Spiritfolk

The Island of Obojima is an island that no one knows the location of, and yet it exists. A picturesque, peaceful island surrounded by clear blue waters on all sides with no sign of other land in sight, it is the perfect ideal of paradise...if anyone could find it. The name has come up in Quelmar's lore many times, and yet any explorer who has attempted to find it has always failed.

About

To the people who live on the island of Obojima, everything starts and ends at the shoreline. The ocean surrounds Obojima, and extends out in all directions as far as the eye can see, with nothing on the horizon. With such an isolatory place, it begs many questions about the people who live there.

HOW DO OBOJIMANS LIVE?

Obojima is a small enough island that there is generally one predominant culture surrounding it, but that culture can be pretty easily defined into three key aspects due to the island's history - the culture of humans, the culture of the Nakudama, and the culture of the spirits. Spirits from the Spirit Realm, gadgets from the forgotten age of humans, and magic from the ancient Nakudama all have a place in the culture of Obojima.

With few exceptions, a majority of the people of Obojima live in villages and settlements scattered across the island. There is no formal ruler or governing party over the island as a whole, and places vary on the way they view leadership. Some settlements form a coalition with each other in order to strengthen their power, and others look to village elders or elect mayors.

However their home is governed, most Obojimans make a living as simple sustenance-based jobs, such as fisherfolk or farmers. Other common jobs on Obojima include various trade artisans, merchants, chefs, potion makers, mechanics, and anything that can reasonably contribute to an island whose main "quirk" is the intersection of magic and technology.

The independence of all the civilizations on Obojima means that all of them are each individually responsible for their own defense forces. Bigger cities, such as Sky Kite Valley and Yatamon may have town guards or militias, while other smaller villagers will largely have smaller defense forces or possibly even rely on solitary champions to defend their home. Because of this, Obojima is never in short need of adventurers, though situations are never particularly "dire."

WHAT IS THE CURRENCY ON OBOJIMA?

Though bartering is a commonplace practice on Obojima, especially in the more rural areas of the island, everyone has generally agreed on a currency provided by the Dawn Blossom Guild, a guild of sages on the island that is not too dissimilar to a coven of witches, though they have a much more profound standing. To the Dawn Blossom Guild, the transfer of money is the same as the transfer of energy, and all coins they produce are infused with magical energy that give them a clinking noise that is quite pleasing on the ears (in contrast, forged coins simply sound dead.)

There are three coins present on Obojima. The first is the copper bud, a small, oblong ingot of copper etched to look like a dawn blossom flower that has yet to bloom. 100 copper buds are equivalent to one gold flower. The second is the sea petal, which are unique among the three coins as they are not made of metal, but glass pressed and formed to look like the petals of the Dawn Blossom. The secret behind their creation is a trade secret, but what is known is that a specific sand from the shores of Obojima is used. 10 sea petals are equivalent to one gold flower. The last, and most notable of all, is the gold flower, a circular coin with the likeness of the dawn blossom in full bloom embossed on both sides. The "plunk" sound of a gold flower on a table is unmistakable. Because of their spiritual energy, gold coins can still exist in the Spirit Realm, and spirits will readily trade in gold for goods and services. Some spirits, however, do not care for the metal coins, and would rather barter for material goods.

WHAT LANGUAGES ARE PRESENT ON OBOJIMA?

All Obojimans speak a dialect of Common known as Obojiman, which is known far and wide amongst the island. Other races on the island may have more distinctive languages based on their history. Most Nakudama on the island also speak the ancient Nakudama language of Naku Naku, to the point where it's just as common as Obojiman. Another well-known on the island is Torum, the language of the Spirit Realm. Lastly, though not a verbal language, is the Dara's ability to communicate through glyphs.