Kuapuiwi

To most, the untamed lands of Kuapuiwi is a melting pot of natural wonders, diverse biomes, and savage beauty. To me, it's a land of unparralelled culture, with a unique tradition of living with the land, not against it. It's almost as if the land governs how life functions, and it's a sight to behold. - Ferdinand the Traveled.

Kuapuiwi
Hikinama'ukele, the Eastern Rainforests.

Description

Kuapuiwi is a relatively large expanse of land that is currently inhabited by the Kuapuiwi people - a rather nomadic and naturally inclined people who revere their ancestors and the primal forces of nature. Kuapuiwi itself is North-East of Shilo's Village and the Bliotothra Marshlands, South of The Ghostlands, and South-West of the now-ruined city of Beacon.

As it stands Kuapuiwi also includes the surrounding islands that run along its East facing coast, as a result of a lack of intelligent humanoid inhabitants. As a result of this, the people of Kuapuiwi are known for being relatively peaceful, if not simple people. They are also skilled fishmongers, sailors, and sometimes even pirates.

It is said that Kuapuiwi was the birthplace of the people of Lalotai, but the two have existed as standalone peoples for so many generations that the connection is only speculative at best.

Climate

Kuapuiwi has a locally situated and strong savanna tropical climate along its coast, meaning it has seasons of dryness and seasons of wetness (regardless, it's always quite hot.) The wet seasons tend to last longer than the dry seasons, taking up two-thirds of the year. Temperatures range on average 73°F to 95°F all year round, with rainfall reaching 12 inches a month at the height of the wet season to as low as 1.2 inches a month for the peak of the dry season.

This, of course, is mainly so because of the forces of nature that deem it so. It is not uncommon for weather patterns to be completely unique one month every year or two, and is often seen as a sign as to whether the primal forces of nature are happy or not. The gods may also play a part in the changing over seasons outside of the prescribed natural order of things, but the Kuapuiwi people believe that nature truly holds dominance over them.

The People

The people of Kuapuiwi are a strong, seafaring people with a strong inclination towards fishing, nature, and preserving

life so that it may be lived to its fullest. They are very jovial and happy people with a flair for mysticism, often interpreting the gods and primal forces through their own pantheon of beliefs.

Map of Kuapuiwi

The Kuapuiwi are a very diverse group of people, with 17,935 people spread across the roughly 7650 square miles of territory_{(Post Chapter 1)}. Demographically, the Kuapuiwi people are 35% human, 22% elves, 10% undine, 10% merfolk, 7% suli, 5% half-elves, and 3% half-orcs. The remaining 8% of Kuapuiwi's population is divided into various other races.

The majority of the population live in the sprawling city of Noho'okekai, otherwise known as The Seat of the Ocean. The population there is 11,966 people. The remaining 5,969 Kuapuiwi people are nomadic and live in various small villages along with the islands off the land's eastern coast.

A common trait that most of the people of Kuapuiwi have is that they are quite tall, widely built, and muscular and strong. They often have more melanated skin as it is always sunny, and their hair is coarser and thicker to protect from the sweltering heat. Most Kuapuiwi people are kind and gentle despite their stature, favouring to educate themselves so that they can preserve nature and ensure it thrives despite the growing population.

Culture

The people of Kuapuiwi revere the preservation of nature above all else. Coming from an ancestry of nomadic hunters and gatherers, the Kuapuiwi understand that nature is cyclical, and as such needs time to refresh itself and maintain a balance. While they've set up a home in the form of the Seat of the Ocean, otherwise known as the city of Noho'okekai, most resource gathering is actually done many miles away from the city proper and towards the various forests, wetlands, and coast that surrounds it.

The Kuapuiwi are a very religious people, however, have their own pantheon for the gods of the world. They are seemingly identical but revere the gods not as deities but as spiritual forces and aspects of nature itself. As such, the names of these spirits are dissimilar to their true deific counterparts but function the same. The myth of creation is quite different to how the rest of Etera believes it to be, as the entire spiritual pantheon rules under the guidance of Nature itself - a primal force that is embodied in everything from the ground beneath the feet of the Kuapuiwi to the outer planes, the stars, and the void between. There is also a strong connection to ancestry, and it is believed that when ancestors pass on they join the pantheon of spirits to act as personal spiritual guides for future generations.

As a coastal island people, the Kuapuiwi are expert fishmongers and sailors. While not as large and robust as the ships you see pirates command, the Kuapuiwi make up for it in sleek, shallower boats that are swifter on the water.

The people of Kuapuiwi, due to their reverence and protection over nature, abhor all forms of technology. Most encounters with technology are met with disdain, disgust, and outright anger. When they travel through Etera, the most difficult thing for them is noting that land is stripped to make room for kingdoms, villages, and cities instead of being built to exist with nature. It's quite rare for an individual from Kuapuiwi to be tolerable of such cities and technology, and even rarer for them to be curious to discover more about them.

While the people of Kuapuiwi are nature-loving and kind people, a rarely known fact about them is that they are fierce fighters and are adept in sea warfare. As a result of their attunement to nature, it is not uncommon for warriors of the land to actually be Rangers, Hunters, Barbarians, Bloodragers and Druids. The mix of magic and martial proficiencies make them a versatile and easily underestimated foe, which allows enemies to fall directly into their hands and quickly make their weaknesses known. The warriors of Kuapuiwi don't often need to engage in combat, and will only do so if nature is being disrupted or if piracy occurs in the waters of Kuapuiwi.

Flora and Geography

Kuapuiwi is divided into four main environments: Rainforest, Forest, Wetlands, and Ocean. On land, the Rainforests and Forests take up a combined landmass percentage of 60%, divided pretty equally between the two. The wetlands take up a further 30%, and the remaining 10% is made of plains and hills that mark the split between the two kinds of forest.

Rainforest

The Rainforests of Kuapuiwi lie in the North-East part of the land. To the people of Kuapuiwi, it is named Hikinama'ukele, or the Eastern Rainforests. Due to the tropical climate, the rainforests are constantly lush with various colourful and tropical plants, such as ferns, orchids, bromeliads, lichens, nepenthes. Trees usually include various palms and eucalypts, but there are also many tropical fruit trees such that bear guava, plums, bananas, coconuts, and papaya. Because of how wet and fertile the land is, it is not uncommon for plants to grow on top of each other, especially on top of trees. Due to this these forests are densely populated with flora and are often difficult to navigate, easily spelling doom if one strays far from prescribed pathways.

Forests

The temperate forests of Komohana’nahele

Heading towards the mainland on the western side of Kuapuiwi lies the more temperate forests named Komohana’nahele, or The Western Forests. These forests don't see as much rain as their Eastern cousins, and as such are not as densely populated with flora. These forests are not as colourful, mainly consisting of eucalypts, beech, and gum. Occasionally one may find spots of Lilly pilly, myrtle, and Proteaceae such as banksia.

Wetlands

The wetlands of Kuapuiwi are mainly freshwater, with some instances of saline wetlands along the coast where sandy beaches are not present. Both types of wetlands exhibit wholly unique flora (and fauna) as a result of the salt in the water in saline wetlands.

Fresh Wetlands

Given how they are directly adjacent to each other, the freshwater wetlands of Kuapuiwi shares many of its shrub, floor, and water flora with its rainforest cousin. There are exceptions of unique flora though, as the wetlands tend to be more swampy than that of the rainforest. Lily pads, tea trees, and swamp banksia are all common in this part of the land.

Saline Wetlands

As the wetlands grow closer to the coast, their salt levels increase. Those travelling Kuapuiwi's wetlands will notice this as trees start to grow ever sparer, and the general floral changes. Upon examining the flora closely, one will find that they are waxier than other plants, and hold more moisture. Typical breeds of flora include pigface, marine couch, creeping brookweed, and swamp weed, which have all adapted over many generations to live in these saltier conditions. Of course, as one travels closer to the ocean, even these plants become somewhat scarce.

Plains

While there is no recollection as to whether it is naturally occurring, there exists a several mile wide divide between the Western Forests and the Eastern Rainforests, and it consists solely of grassland. This is what the people of Kuapuiwi have used to make roads out of their lands and into the remaining territories of Etera. The flora here is a unique mix of both of the forests on either side but spread sparsely and inconsistently.

Fauna

Kuapuiwi has a very diverse fauna across its many environments. Due to a vast majority of the land being occupied by various forests, there is a large population of avians, prime apes, bats, and arboreal marsupials and rodents.

The plains are home to many wild grazing mammals such as goats, sheep, and some deer. There are even the occasional sightings of rhinoceros and other herd mammals.

The wetlands contain various fishing birds, alligators and crocodiles, hippopotami, and fish. Depending on which part of the wetlands you are in, the alligators, crocodiles, and fish are either fresh or saltwater.

With so many herbivorous animals in the land, there's a noticeable lack of carnivores apart from birds of prey, crocodiles, and alligators. There is the occasional pack of lions, leopards, and tigers, but they tend to focus their attention more inland. In the Eastern Rainforests and Wetlands, venomous snakes are also extremely common.

Due to the humidity of a wet, hot, tropical climate, insects are also quite common and in vast quantities. Swarms of insects are a regular occurrence and hindrance to the people of Kuapuiwi, and periods of time where swarms are at a constant are uncommon, but not too rare that the people remained unprepared for such an event.

The Seas

The oceans of Kuapuiwi are filled with an array of tropical fish, corals, sea flora, and other marine life. It is a lush haven that is densely populated all year round even with the fishmongering efforts of the populace. Off the coast and further into the ocean, small pockets of merfolk and undine live in underwater villages to help facilitate the growth and continued survival of marine life. Some of these folk identify as Kuapuiwi, but most have their own ancestral ties elsewhere in the world.

Several miles off the coast, underwater volcanic systems connect the neighbouring islands. These provide the ocean with more warmth in localised areas, as well as an abundance of nutrients and minerals that further diversify the underwater flora and fauna.

The waters of Kuapuiwi are not known to contain pirates, as the people are relatively peaceful and respectful. However, if pirates were to enter their waters, they are quick to redirect them or punish them if they commit to the act of piracy after breaching the ocean borders.

Other Resources

The most notable trade the people of Kuapuiwi deal in other than fish is actually recycled materials. As they are strong believers in the natural cycle of things, the Kuapuiwi will do their best to ensure their impact on the environment is minimal. When the need calls for it, the Druids of Kuapuiwi specialise in growing raw materials so that nature is left mostly undisturbed, but will usually use sea wreckage and ruins for most of their materials.

The Druids of Kuapuiwi have spent generations to develop and bless stone so that it may be worked and treated as if it were rare metal materials. They did this to ensure that they were well protected in case any invaders came from inland, or they were attacked by a well-equipped armada. These stones were named after the ritualistic requirements that strengthened them, and are the Moon Blessed Granite, and Sun Blessed Quartzite. These stones are often worked like Mithral and Adamantine, respectively, albeit with some subtle differences as they are still of course stone. These materials are quite strictly guarded and are usable only to the people of Kuapuiwi, and it is not uncommon for owners of blessed stone to destroy their belongings if they found they were in a position where the items would be taken from them. After all, if they were wrong it can always just be reformed and recycled.

Noho'okekai

_{For more information, see Noho'okekai.}

Noho'okekai

Noho'okekai is a port city built over on the eastern coast of Kuapuiwi. It is separated by a bay that flows upwards in a reverse waterfall to a lake beyond it. A giant natural archway spans right over the reverse waterfall, joining the two sides of the city together.

The city is mainly made of natural and repurposed materials strengthened via magical and divine sources. This ensures that nature is not ruined further than what it already has been from other sources. The structures are built in concert with the surrounding nature, creating hybrid structures that are organic and interconnected.

Noho'okekai as a city is mainly used to house the majority of the population when they are not outperforming their ordained duties. It's also the religious capital of the land and serves as the grounds of which rites are performed. As it is built around a bay, it's also used as a port for which trading occurs.

Landmarks and Wonders

Huikalaloko - The Cleansed Lake

If one were to ask what the pride and joy of the Kuapuiwi people were, the answer would always be the lake that is formed from the reverse waterfall in Noho'okekai. The reason for this is due to the esoteric knowledge passed through the generations of the head religious family of the land, who are also the family that is present for every divine and arcane rite that needs to be undertaken. What was once a dried out plateau transformed into the wondrous lake when the first generation of the Kamaka family called upon the spirits to bring water to the then-budding town. At the exchange of the life of the first Kamaka, water was pulled from Noho'okekai's bay and into what is now Huikalaloko, or Cleansed Lake. The following generations of the Kamaka family devoted their time to perfecting a way to cleanse the water of all the salty impurities as it was pulled from the bay, leading to a seemingly endless supply of fresh, clean water for not just the people of Kuapuiwi, but the surrounding nature as well. As a result, the land turned a lush green and provided a well-flourished base to build into.

The Underwater Ruins

Once Undine and Merfolk became common enough in the population of Kuapuiwi, it was only natural that they would seek to expand into the waters off the eastern coast. While this allowed for small underwater villages and communities to form, an ancient ruin lies 40 miles off the coast, at about 0.6 miles deep. Due to the volcanic networks in the area, the ruin is dangerous to visit for most humanoids who are ill-prepared, and those who dare visit and manage to come back tell tales of a fearsome volcano spirit that guards it.

The Story of the Parted Path and the Forest Twins

While seemingly natural to most outsiders the Wāhi’ala, or Parted Path, actually has a bit of history and legend associated with it. Legends say that the Western and Eastern Forests are actually the manifestation of twin spirits who wanted to see Etera flourish, but they were both jealous and vain. They sought to see who could grow the most, proving that the winner was the better sibling. While the Western Forest grew outwards and spread west further inland the Eastern rainforest grew north along the coast at a much slower rate, preferring to grow itself in a much densely packed fashion. Of course, they were different kinds of Forest Spirits, so were not compatible to grow directly adjacent to each other. Many thousands of years ago, the twins collided in such a way, causing a large war between the spirits. The results were catastrophic to the general environment, until their father, the Sky, thundered down from the heavens and smote them both in the middle of their battle. He cleaved the forests and bound them apart, so they may never meet and fight again. As punishment for their foolishness and arrogance, each spirit was said to have been sealed inside a tree in their respective forests, so that they may never expand and grow more than what they have already achieved.