Isle of the Invincible Willow

Rating: ••••

Aspect: Wood. 

Hearthstone: Stone of the Craftsman Planting the Sacred Seed (•)

Bearer: Seventh Season

Attuned: Cynis Saki, Cynis Ataxis, Peleps Archao, Peleps Nyabe, Sesus Chenow, Nellens Malakai, ? 

Geography

The Isle of the Invincible Willow is a small island of the Open Seas in the Western Threshold, located on the trade route between Sushima and the Wavecrest Archipelago, named for the massive willow tree that grows at its center, rising nearly a thousand feet into the air.

The tree itself is a manse, its geomancy shaped to aid the growth of various plants and mushrooms. At the center of the manse, ancient control systems allow one who understands them to control the growth and shaping of the giant willow and the other plants of the island in many ways, and this power in addition to the horticultural skills of the inhabitants mean that the islands structures and dwellings are organic in both shape and nature, shaped of living wood, with the exception of the Palace of the Imperial Satrap, constructed of imported green-white marble, and a handful of small laboratories made from heavy imported stone and buried along the shore, for conducting dangerous experiments. Food on the island is plentiful, borne by various trees and bushes springing up around the central willow. This abundance means that the residents of the island need not work to sustain themselves, and their society reflects this freedom (so rare in the Age of Sorrows).

The island itself is located where several Wood dragon lines meet, creating an abundance of life energies to push aside the surrounding water. The manse, though powerful, produces only a very weak hearthstone, as nearly all of its power is devoted to sustaining the growth and abundance of local flora.

History

The architect of the manse is unknown, its early records lost to history, though savants likely judge it a product of the Golden Age from the quality of its craftsmanship. The island was discovered in the wake of the Great Contagion by a thaumaturge, who after long efforts managed to unlock the secrets of directing the islnd’s plant life to provide shelter and sustenance. A reasercher and academic before the Contagion, she gatherted a small population of sages and savants on her island, where freed of the need to support themselves they could instead devote their time to studies of herbalism and alchemical preparations.

Politics

Willow Dean: Seventh Season. An alchemist and thaumaturge, Seventh Season is master of the manse at the center of the island, bearing the title of Willow Dean, and though not eager for administrative power (like most island residents he favours spending time on research) takes to his duties with resigned competence, seeing to matters of supply, budget, and quota to keep the island operating smoothly, and working out disputes between sometimes-passionate academics. The post of Willow Dean is an elected one, chosen by an assembly of residents upon the death of the previous office-holder, and while few will offer themselves up as candidates the sages have a keen eye for those amongst them who will prove competent enough to let the rest get back to work with little interruption.

Imperial Satrap: Cynis Saki. House Cynis has held this satrapy for most of its existance, and does not pay significant attention so long as the drugs continue to flow. For their part, the island’s savants are willing servants of the Realm, seeing no need to end an arrangement that has proven beneficial for their work.

Economy

The Isle of the Invincible Willow is prosperous, due in part to the high value of the goods it produces, and the small number of people who share in the profits, and in part to the fact their island provides their basic necessities without need to spend their coin. House Cynis has used the satrap’s post to achieve a prominent position in local trade, both as importer and exporter of goods: drugs and medicines leave the island, while slaves, luxuries, and metalwork come in. Local plants and alchemical preparations, as well as a few imported components the manse is unable to replicate, allow the satrapy to produce a number of products, the most valuable being Age-Staving Cordial, Seven Bounties Paste, and Sweet Cordial.

Slaves purchased by the islanders are not treated poorly, thought they are certainly viewed as tools to accomplish tasks rather than people. They are set to the various household chores and menial labour which the island’s sages hope to avoid so they might concentrate on their research.

Due to the source of their foodstuffs, the island’s population eats a vegetarian diet, with the exception of feasts organized by the Satrap to serve imported meats and the (possibly meat, possibly not) flesh of Flowering Sea Cows which grow in small numbers within the waters off the shores of the island.

Source: Adapted from original by BrilliantRain on the unofficial Exalted wiki.