Earrach

Earrach, or the Earrachian Republic, is the northernmost state within Redoriv. It is named after the capital of the state, Dùn Earrach, now called Dùn Beinne. The archipelago of Earrach consists of two islands situated in Northwestern Eldham.

Description
The Earrachian Republic is a state within the greater Republic of Redoriv located in the continent of Katsura. It is the only state located in a different continent that most other states within the Republic. It is a constitutional republic ruled by a High Chief, themselves being elected by an assembly of chiefs of each Earrachian region.

Pre-History
The island of Eranor started out as big volcanic island. Volcanic ash and lava flow, forming what would eventually become Aran and Aukovai, making them very agriculturally rich areas. The volcano went dormant and began to erode away, eventually forming the jagged mountains of Mòr.

A native species of colossally large oak tree grew all over the island thousands of years after the eruption. However, a fungal disease took over the population at some point and killed all trees except for one, which would later be the tree that the citadel's tower is built in.

Shortly afterwards, possibly due to the aftermath of the volcano's eruption, the local area experiences a localized ice-age. Large ice sheets formed natural bridges between Earrach and the surrounding continents, allowing animals to cross, which would explain how Earrach's wild horses got to the isles. This period of extreme weather also significantly eroded the old volcanic core, with glaciers carving wide valleys through it and leaving a jagged mountain range behind. This period of glaciation lasted for many thousands of years.

Early Human Arrivals
A few thousand years before the retreat of the land bridge from Eranor to nearby lands, the first peoples arrived. They were hunter-gatherers who never settled permanently on the land, but rather used it as a place to camp seasonally to herd reindeers and occasionally fish. It is believed that both the Moray and Aukovai clans may be descendants of these early explorers.

First Permanent Settlement of the Isles
A few hundred more years after that, a tribe of people which Ravenna Samhradh is a part of arrived, falling from the sky and melded into the rocks of the Mòr Range's southernmost valley. They survived mostly due to the help of the hunter-gatherers that had been visiting the islands for many generations, and knew how to survive on it, showing them how to find food and shelter. Though native hunter-gatherers existed on the island, the tribe were the first to build permanent settlements on the island. They settled in a rotten out cavity near the base of this tree, cleaning the tree's bark and burned any infected pieces of wood, healing the tree, and keeping it alive.

When the first peoples of the island arrived, one colossal oak tree was all that remained, and it was very badly damaged by the fungus and was nearly dead. The recently arrived tribe built a stone structure around its base to help stabilize it, and began to build their homes further up the trunk of the tree, carving their way through it, but being careful not to do enough damage to kill it. They built the Citadel that would give the tree a base of support, the construction of which marks Year 0 in the Earrachian Calendar.

Invasion of the Os and the Army of the Dead
In Earrachian history, long after the land bridge receded permanently, The Earrachian Archipelago was once invaded by the people from beyond the shores now dubbed the Os. According to oral tradition, they invaded Earrach along with the army of the dead, after which they subjugated the entire archipelago for hundreds of years.

It was not until the rise of a folk hero blessed by Omhan named Fíochmhar that the Earrachians are able to fight the invaders of Os and force them back towards the ocean. Bearing the Réalta na Maidine, the Sword of Omhan, he also forced back the army of the dead behind a veil of light.

It is said that Fíochmhar fused with the Réalta na Maidine and took a deep and long slumber there, vowing only to return during Earrach's time of need.

Establishment of Omhanstad
Many hundred years later, a group of refugees related to the current people of Tuhrifel arrived on Earrach’s shore. Escaping unknown devastation, they settled in the south, building a floating town in the Region of Aran called Omhanstad to avoid the harsh shifts in climate and to provide and easy escape route. They intermarried with the native people of Aran, creating a tribe of Earrachian Humans distinct from their northern counterparts.

Florandian Landing
At Summer of 5244 in the Earrachian Year, soldiers and envoys from the nation of Florandia arrived and claimed the island as a part of their territory.

This event shook the status quo of inter-tribal relations and the geopolitics of Eranor like never before. In reaction to this event, the chief of a tribe of Minotaurs gathered all tribal chiefs of Eranor and sought to unify the tribes of Earrach in the hopes of creating a single polity to better weather geopolitical changes around the isles. This subsequently created the Council of Chiefs, which set the stage for the current Republic.

After the tribes of Earrach joined Florandia, the chief of the Minotaurs sent her daughter, Ravenna Samhradh to the mainland to act as a representative of the islands. There, she met Kuroici, a citizen of Florandia who would soon be engaged with her.

The interactions between the islanders and the Florandians remained largely peaceful and the newcomers agreed to let them continue on their ways so long as they recognized their homelands as being a part of Florandia. Soon after, he passed away without any siblings to contend with.

Soon after, the disparate but coexisting tribal groups on an island united under a common cause and established a full-fledged polity encompassing the entire archipelago called the Earrachian Republic. The Republic established its own common set of laws, a governing institution, and a unifying religion under the leadership of an elected High Chief, the role of which was filled by the daughter of the chief of the Minotaur tribe, Ravenna Samhradh, after an election among the Chiefs of Eranor.

The Redorivan Revolution
At, or the 1st House of Silence, 5254 EY, Florandia was embroiled in a revolution. The Counts of Florandia had risen up against King Kyborg of Florandia for his percieved ineffectiveness as a ruler and his difficulty to cooperate with the counts in establishing a constitution and the laws governing the kingdom. Though initially siding with the King, the High Chief decided to stay neutral in the conflict after her fiancé, Kuroici, approached her and told her that he was siding with the rebels. Vowing to fight neither him nor the rebels, Earrach sided neither with King Kyborg nor with the revolutionaries. Earrach became a constituent state of the Republic of Redoriv soon after. It was not until after the Redorivan Revolution that non-native crops like potatoes, carrots, and cocoa, were introduced to the isles by the first President of the Republic of Redoriv, Cdrpossum, as a gift from the newly formed Republic of Redoriv to Earrach in particular. Before this, the farms of Earrach grew mainly wheat and berries.

Làithean Dorchadais (Days of Darkness)
In, or the 1st House of Samhradh, 5269 EY in the Earrachian Calendar, the Sun disappeared from the sky for almost two years, engulfing the world in darkness. While most Earrachians stayed within their homes for an unrelated epidemic that struck even the High Chief, Alasdair Moray, then Lord-Protector of the Isles during the High Chief's absence for duty, gathered a group of unaffected Earrachian citizens for an island-wide relief work.

In their journeys across the isles, they encountered the creatures of darkness from beyond the world border, like the Nuckleavee and Banshees. The relief workers had to maneuver through creatures set out to kill them to deliver food and aid to other citizens staying in their homes. This event was thoroughly recorded in Alasdair Moray's book, titled "Days of Darkness."

Syncretism of Madacuain with Muranism
Earrach and Tuhrifel had been growing close as political entities within the greater Republic of Redoriv. They also realized that Tian and the Patron God of Tuhrifel, Mura, shared some attributes like their association with time and their serpent/dragon forms. This culminated in the ceremony held in Earrach, where Zukaus Tidebringer, one of the Archons of Tuhrifel, laid at the center of the Temple of Tian in the presence of the High Chief Ravenna Samhradh, where she recited some prayers to the Deity of Storytelling themself in an act of unifying both peoples and their religions.

Mac's Turn towards the Dark Side
After the news of Segra's appearance spread to Redoriv in, or the 2nd House of Silence, 5330 EY in the Earrachian Calendar, Zukaus Tidebringer, a Dragonguard of Tuhrifel, travelled to Earrach and met with Archibald Moray, one of the Chiefs of Earrach. He arrived with the news that their fellow Dragonguard, Mac Varosja-Fielinya, has been corrupted by Segra and to request for aid from Earrachians. Though named the "Goddess of War" by the people outside of Earrach, Earrachians themselves interpreted Segra as Rùs, the Madacuain God of Deception and Trickery. Archibald, in turn, spread the news to the High Chief Ravenna Samhradh, during which she prayed to the Gods of the Madacuain for directions during this unexpected turn of event.At roughly the same time that this event transpired, the seas around Omhanstad had been boiling and writhing, trapping Tuhrifelian merchants in the ports of the floating city. Most citizens of Omhanstad, save for two citizens named Niamh and Basil, stayed within Omhanstad, preparing their weapons to face something that might come out the surface of the sea. Then, a chaos beast in the form of a giant hermit crab appeared from the waters near Omhanstad. The people of Omhanstad, save for the two citizens and Speaker Ferdiadh who stayed in Oreclad during this whole event, died soon after.

Meanwhile, Archibald Moray had been praying in the temple to Srios, praying to Roh, the Madacuain God of War, for strength. He had planned to assassinate the High Chief Ravenna Samhradh before this, planning a coup for his disagreements with the High Chief on how to effectively deal with the events at that time. He was killed by an unknown assailant soon after, inheriting his chiefdom to Alasdair Moray II, his nephew and son of Alasdair Moray.

Ferdiadh Do Mhathair's Assassination
In, or the 2nd House of Oharan, 5390 EY in the Earrachian Calendar, Ferdiadh Do Mhathair, Chief of Omhanstad, had been assassinated by a gang of Madacuain extremists dissatisfied with foreign influence encroaching over Earrach since the Florandian Landing and, as a result, loyal to the xenophobic Archibald Moray. The group carried out their assassination well after rumors reached their ears of Ferdiadh's election to the position of High Chief, inheriting Ravenna Samhradh's long reign as High Chief of Earrach.

They had planned to assassinate Ravenna Samhradh and speaker Ferdiadh during a huge celebration at the citadel's banquet hall and install Alasdair Moray II as High Chief of all of Earrach. They killed Ferdiadh with five arrows through their crossbows, with four of them hitting Ferdiadh who dived to save the High Chief and one shot wide, piercing through a barrel of wine. Though Alasdair Moray II had been trying to warn the high chief of the events, the assassins had encountered the High Chief and Ferdiadh before he could reach them. An Aukovaian druid was summoned to heal Ferdiadh of his wounds, to no avail.

After Ferdiadh's death, High Chief Ravenna went on a violent rampage against some of the assassins that the guards had not been able to escort to the prison. She used her stone-covered fists and sharp horns to strike any of the murderers that were within her reach, violently beating them. Some of the guards and civilians had tried to stop the High Chief. Some civilians tried holding her back and the guards fired crossbow bolts at her, though they missed her heart and brain, rendering them ineffective. She only stopped her rampage after seeing Alasdair Moray II among the stampeding crowd by the exit. The incident left many citizens and the High Chief herself badly injured, with High Chief Ravenna herself losing a lot of blood from the crossbows fired at her.

Then, what appeared as a light emerged from the central spire of the Citadel. A man, dressed in white robes with shimmering gold thread woven through it, similar to those that Ferdiadh wore had entered the Citadel. In the stranger’s hand sat the Realta na Maidine, humming in a chant of some long lost language. Then, his form changed from physical to almost ghost like, and he became indescribable. If one was able to make out the shapes, one looked vaguely humanoid, while the others looked like that of a wild cat, another of an ox, and the final of a bird of prey. Two sets of wings sprang from his body, enveloping the air around him in a hum of energy and light distortion.

He killed all of the assassins with a sword in his hand while the guards backed off, perhaps because of his wings but maybe it was a combination of cowardice and awe that held them back. After all the assassins have been killed, he plunged his sword to the tile and turned to Ferdiadh's dead body. He set it alight with white flame, leaving no ash behind. He turned to the High Chief soon afterwards and healed her of her wounds.

He introduced himself to the onlookers as Raphael, sword of Omhan, child of the Sun, the planet Jupiter and Cherubim of Earrach, coming to defend those who do good for this nation from those who do it harm. He ordered the citizens of Earrach to bury the dead assassins, treating them with kindness, and convened the Chiefs of Earrach in a council session. Turning himself human again, he announced that because he spent most of his divinity on healing the High Chief, it will emerge again in short bursts only, his only difference with the mortals being his ability to wield the Realta na Maidine.

Ravenna Samhradh, overcome with grief for the death of her friend and guilt from the violent incident that followed, stepped down from the position of High Chief. The Chiefs of Earrach elected the divine Raphael soon after. Alasdair Moray II's fate is still being decided after this turn of events.

Geography
The state of Earrach is an archipelago consisting of two islands named Eranor and Eilean, located in the northwestern quadrant of Eldham, southwest of the region of Katsura. Being a maritime region, Earrach has no land border with other Redorivan states or other neighbors. Located near Earrach are nations such as Aquaris to its south, Sylvania to its east, and Ashai to its north.

Earrach is divided into 5 geographical regions, with the large island of Eranor being divided into 4 regions and the small isle of Eilean being its own region. Each region in the Isles of Earrach has its own geographical features to note.

Earrach Region
In the region of Earrach is its seat of government called Dùn Beinne, formerly called Dùn Earrach, the first settlement made on the isles. The region’s borders are defined by the expansive peaks and valleys of the majestic Mòr mountain range, which cuts through the center of the isle. The valleys of the region are where the community farm is located, producing wood and a variety of crops that supplies the state with food. High above, on the peaks of the southern mountains, shrines to three local deities have been constructed. Near the center of the Mòr range, near the peak of Mt. Bàs, there is a standing-stone temple dedicated to the Creation Whale, which is said to have formed the universe from its own breath. This ancient standing stone temple is called “Smallhenge” by the locals. Along the side of the temple lay several fossil remains of an extinct species of whale which was once found in the waters surrounding the Earrachian isles, and whose remains are often considered to be sacred relics to the Earrachian people. Slightly south of Smallhenge, on Mt.Forsa, is the standing stone shrine of the God Srios the silent, who is a god of darkness and decay, and one of the few gods who remain to watch over humanity during harsh winters.

Along the southernmost peaks of the range lies Mt. Fìochmhar, at the top of which a large and very sacred ash tree called Fuinseog looms over the shrine of the God Omhan, and guards Rèalta na Maidine, Omhan’s divine sword. Omhan is a god of light, justice and creation, and is the patron god of the Omhanian faith, a subgroup of the broader Earrachian folk religion. Several wood and rope bridges span across the great distances between the mountains, providing easy travel between Dùn Beinne, the sacred shrines, and the southern region of Aran.

Rùsliath
The Region of Rùsliath is a birch forest located at the northern edge of the isle of Eranor. Rùsliath is the homeland of the Aukovai clan, who dedicate themselves to agriculture and the production of consumable goods, like drinks, jams, and cheese. Over many generations, they have become masters of their trades and are considered the greatest bakers and brewers in the entire region. Within their village, the Aukovai clan has made a standing stone temple dedicated to Oharan, the local deity of autumn and the harvest. Oharan is a patron of farmers, bakers, brewers, and is said to help gather and preserve food for the winter or other harsh times when food might be scarce.

This Region is currently led by Chief Lunadaat Aukovai of the Aukovai clan.

Sìos
The Region of Sìos is a rocky valley sandwiched between the Regions of Earrach, Rùsliath, and the World Border. The region slopes downward from the mountains of the Mòr range to Rùsliath.

The region is currently in the jurisdiction of the Aukovai clan. It has a tunnel built into a mountain that connects it to the Valley of Mt. Bàs. It is also home to the Favionus Campus, one of the four campuses in Earrach University specializing in animal husbandry, food making, and crafting.

The region is notable because the first tribes to settle on the island found horses on the valleys of Sìos. All horses currently living on the island are the descendants of this ancient herd.

Aran
The Region of Aran lies south of the mountains of the Region of Earrach. This part of Eranor is dominated by a rocky meadow biome with an abundance of wildflowers which have spread all around the region. There are patches of wetland and swamps around the coast of Aran, and a small field of wild wheat which mainly grows within the northern bay area. This wheat field is believed by locals to be where the first wheat plants grew and where bread was first made in the isles. Some cultural sites in this region include a church dedicated to the god Omhan which was built by Omhanians as a place of prayer, a large hillfort topped with a village of roundhouses, and the city of Omhanstad which is located along the northernmost shores of Aran. The people of Omhanstad have built piers and floating platforms which extend far into the sea and connect to the isle of Eilean, upon which they have built much of their city; there are houses, farms and markets, all built upon the water.

Eilean
The Region of Eilean is a small mushroom isle located east of the island of Eranor. Eilean is strongly associated with the local deity of the moon, Rè, with a standing stone temple and a lighthouse dedicated to the deity. It is the central marketplace of the state, and has several fishing docks and market stalls, as well as piers which connect it to the floating city of Omhanstad and its marketplace.

Deascrag
Ferdiadh do Mhathair, having been embroiled in a court case against Brandamir, King of Praesidium, the northernmost state of mainland Redoriv now part of Lome, acquired the islands of Deascrag after a court victory. The two islands currently makes up the southernmost region of Earrach. It is now used as a personal resort for the Chief of Aran and the leaders of Lome.

Beyond the World Border
To the west of the map of the archipelago (beyond the world border) is an uncharted region of Eranor. Earrachians believe that the creatures of horror, like the Nuckleavee and the Banshee, reside in the region and will migrate east of Eranor at certain times (such as when the sun didn’t rise for a week on the /1st house of Samhradh, 5269 EY).

Politics and Government
As a state within the Republic of Redoriv, Earrach operates within both the Constitution of Redoriv and the local laws of Earrach, devised by, and enforced by, the High Chief and the Council of Chiefs. The Constitution of Redoriv grants the Archon (head of state) of each state a seat within the senate of Redoriv. This position is filled by the High Chief of Earrach. The High Chief can appoint a citizen to be the Speaker of the High Chief, a role analogous to that of a Senator in the Republic of Redoriv.

Earrach has a High Chief as its head of government and a final arbiter of local affairs, with the Council of Chiefs as an advisory and legislative body. The Council consists of the Speaker of the High Chief, Chiefs from each clan, and Leomhanns, experts in certain fields which are picked by the Council for their skills.

High Chief of Earrach: Raphael (since /3rd House of Silence, 5390 EY)

Council of Chiefs:


 * Raphael, Chief of Omhanstad and Speaker of the High Chief (since /3rd House of Silence, 5390 EY)
 * Lunadaat Aukovai of the Aukovai clan, Chief of Aukovai (since /1st House of Oharan, 5282 EY)
 * Alasdair Moray II, Chief of the Earrach Region, Valley of Mt. Bàs in particular (since /3rd House of Silence, 5357 EY)
 * Ravenna Samhradh, Chief of the Earrach Region, Dùn Beinne in particular (since /3rd House of Silence, 5390 EY)

Leomhann:


 * RedANDuwu, Leomhann of Defense (since /3rd House of Silence, 5390 EY)

Constitution
The Earrachian Constitution, ratified at the 2nd Full Moon of the 2nd House of Silence, 5299 EY by the Council of Chiefs, includes clauses on its territories, roles of governance, elections, and the common laws governing the nation.

Races
Earrach consists of mainly two races: Earrachian Humans and Highland Minotaurs.

 Earrachian Humans 

Earrachian Humans' descent depend on the geography. Northern Earrachian Humans are descended from the ancient hunter-gatherers that first settled the island after the land bridge receded. Southern Earrachian Humans, on the other hand, traces their descent back to the refugees related to the people of Tuhrifel that sailed to the southern part of the isle of Eranor.

Both look and also grow much like ordinary humans until they hit about 20 years of age. After that, their adulthood would last for about 200-250 years before they enter their old age.

 Highland Minotaurs (Bò) 

The Highland Minotaurs of Earrach, or Bò in Scandari, were the people that fell from the sky to the isle of Eranor and melded with the rocks of the mountains of Eranor during ancient times. This tribe of Minotaurs were the first people to build permanent settlements on the island.

The Minotaurs of Earrach are near immortal, meaning that they age very slowly. As an example, the First High Chief of the Earrachian Republic and its founder, Ravenna Samhradh, was an infant, much like a 5 year old human, when the first settlement of Earrach was founded. She is now in her adulthood more than 5000 years after the founding of the settlement. They are not immune to death by external factors, such as disease and violence, despite their near immortality.

Religion
Earrach operates as a quasi-secular state, where people are free to practice their respective religions so long as those beliefs do not hurt citizens of the isles of Earrach or degrade native practices and beliefs. Actions of which include the desecration of local temples, proselytization of beliefs originating from outside the isles, and a crusade against the native religions of Earrach, among other things.

 Madacuain 

Naomh-Òrain a ’Madacuain (Song of the Whales), sometimes shortened as Madacuain or Tianism, is a polytheistic animist native religion of the Isles of Earrach which has a slight lean towards agnosticism. The religion is currently isolated within the Earrachian Archipelago, with the majority of Earrachians venerating at least one deity from this religion.

 Omhanism 

Omhanism is a religion derived from the greater Folk Religion of Earrach. Believers of this religion venerates Omhan over every other deities in the Earrachian pantheon. "The Omhanian", written by the faith's founder, Ferdiadh Do Mhàthair, is Omhanism's most important and holy book.

Some Madacuainists, such as a former chief of the Earrach Region, Archibald Moray, has looked at the rise of Omhanism with suspicion for its splinter with the practices and beliefs of Earrach. However, no religious tensions occurred between believers of Omhanism and the Madacuainists shortly after their emergence.

Where tensions existed, however, reached a boiling point when a group of extremist Madacuain adherents assassinated Speaker Ferdiadh on the 2nd House of Oharan, 5390 EY.

Cuisine
Before mainland Redorivian crops arrived on the shores of Earrach, the diet of the isles' natives consisted mainly of wheat, berries, meat, and cheese. Crops like potatoes, carrots, beetroots, and sugarcane arrived much later after Possum, the first president of Redoriv, presented these crops as gifts from the newly founded Republic.

 National Dish 

It was not long after the arrival of new crops until the citizens of the regions ruled by the Aukovai clan took these ingredients to improve upon an existing pie dish of Earrach and made the dish now called the Earrachian Pie, or the Pìos an Earraich in the native Scandari language.

The pie is made out of the base ingredients of wheat flower and meat, usually mutton. The meat is usually cooked with vegetables, like carrots, beetroots, and, in some recipes, mushrooms or berries. The pie is usually topped with a lot of potatoes, used to cover the cooked meat filling, and cheese.

The pie, created by the skilled bakers of Aukovai, became a favorite of the Earrachians and became staple of the Earrachian diet. It is for this reason that the dish became the national dish of Earrach. It is now a favorite of many families in Earrach, especially in feasts and celebrations.

Literature
Despite its small population, Earrach boasts a rich native literary scene, with books written by various religious leaders and ordinary Earrachians. Some examples of books written by Earrachians include:


 * Earrach, by notwaffle
 * The Omhanian, by Ferdiadh Do Mhàthair
 * Naomh-Òrain a ’Madacuain, by Ravenna Samhradh
 * Timekeeping, by Alasdair Moray