Sribia and The Great Eternal

In the Western hemisphere on the planet Wenga is a vast ocean whose turquoise waters span thousands of miles wide and thousands of miles deep. The waters of this ocean are choppy and temperamental in some parts and no vessel, man-made or otherwise can navigate these waters. This great ocean is known as Noyi.

At the Western most front, the fearsome waters crash against the jagged, black cliffs of Brato; eternally reaching for the cliff’s edge. In the past, at the time of the Great Earth Shaking, it is said the ocean managed to raise itself up onto land and all who called the plateau home were swept away by it. For this reason, these waters were nicknamed, The Eternally Scorned for their rage never ceased. 

Other stretches of the ocean were far less volatile, preferring to be more discreet about their strengths. Further North East, Noyi was much calmer and mankind and Sribian’s ventured onto these waters for centuries. With far less volatile waters, the human tribes of this region crafted boats and set sail on fishing expeditions. Their wooden, flat boats had wide surfaces on which several persons could stand as the ocean gently swayed the boat. It wasn’t uncommon for people to laze the day away on a flat, wide boat anchored to the shore, as the suns beat down on their bodies.     

The Sribian’s are a peculiar race of people, not necessarily in appearance but in manner. They are exceptionally skilled in matters that modern science debunks. It is as natural to a Sribian to move physical objects merely by thought as it is to breathe and eat. Additionally, they are capable of reading unexpressed thoughts and inserting thoughts into another’s mind. With these skills, the Sribian’s have molded for themselves a marvel in the archipelagos of the Western hemisphere.  

Punctuating the expanse of turquoise were many, many islands, some stood in clusters, others stood on their own like anti-social pariahs. Some islands were small, so small that one could throw a volcanic rock from one end of the island to another without great effort.  Other islands were large enough to sustain plant and animal life, including the lives of some 2,500 Sribians. 

In total, there were 32 islands in the Noyi archipelago and the industrious Sribians occupied and utilized  each island both actively and passively. 

The outermost island of the archipelago is a triangular mass of rock jutting out of the shimmering waters. The suns beat down on this rock outcrop and the dark rocks retain the heat. From beneath Noyi’s surface, seals often emerge to feel the warmth of the suns rays on their bronze-gold bodies. The seals that swim these waters are native to Noyi and can’t be found anywhere else on the planet Wenga. 

Sribian’s marvel at these large yet majestic creatures and revere them as gods. 

It is Sribian lore that the islands of the Noyi archipelago were, once upon a time, the summit of a mighty mountain range called J’Neer. It’s impossible to picture a single mountain ever being a part of this landscape let alone a mountain range yet the legend persists amongst the Sribian’s who aren’t known for their storytelling. It’s even speculated that the Sribian’s were descendents of the gods that used to roam the land and sea many unthinkable years ago, hence the peculiar skills they possess. Whatever the case, the seals are undisputed gods to the Sribian’s for the mere fact that they have been in these waters and parts ever since the days J’Neer allegedly scraped the sky’s belly. 

After a needless and foolish war, humans ceded all the islands to the Sribians and occupied the mainland, known as Sufficient. 

Sribian society structures itself in much the same way as the human societies of the mid 20th Century as far as technological advances go. As a general rule, the Sribian’s only adopt a technology when it directly advances their condition and supports the minimal lands they call home.  

 Islands 2 to 20 were named The Illustrious Cluster for they were bountiful in flora and fauna. These islands huddled together and sported lush green vegetation and jet black, volcanic sands that nurtured the smallest seeds into towering stalks. These islands are the breadbasket of the entire archipelago and are teeming with indigenous and exotic plants and crops which are grown on a rotational basis by Sribian farmers. 

Half of the islands in the Illustrious Cluster are untouched save for the man-made paths and storage houses built on the fringes of the island's dense vegetation. 

Clearly laid out paths lead into the heart of the green and colorful insects buzz throughout the canopy. The heat of the suns is trapped in the trees and mingles with the moist air from the sea, creating optimal conditions for growing and cultivating sweet potatoes, okra, peppers, zucchini and various squashes. Wild boars on the islands took a liking to the squashes in particular and so a few of the islands which had a population of boar included patches of squashes grown specifically for them. 

It wasn’t merely altruism displayed to another species by the Sribian’s when they did this, no. Trained hunters occasionally lay in wait for the wild boars and strike them down for meat while they were gorging themselves on squash gourds. It is far more difficult and dangerous to trap and kill wild boar without this distraction.  

When a tree falls and dies, the roots of other trees simply grow over and around their fallen comrade. The perennial humidity of the interior decomposes the tree until it withers and merges with the ground from which it first sprang, adding yet more vitality to the rich soil. 

As Sribian society advanced, they saw it fit to have constant and reliable energy. Over the course of years, seawater pumps were developed and distributed to islands 21 to 25. Supporting infrastructure was built and from the churning waters of Noyi, the Sribian’s generate enough electricity to provide power to all inhabitants of the archipelago. 

The five power stations are manned by capable technicians who live on site with their families, for those that have families at least. The technicians oversee the smooth running of the pumps and train new candidates who give support and relief to their seniors from time to time. 

Islands 26 to 30 are allocated for housing the population of 2,500. These islands sport less dense vegetation and all animals deadly to Sribian life had been tranquilized and relocated to other islands in an operation called NOAAH, which was an acronym for No Overly Aggressive Animals Here. 

With the threat of murderous carnivores eliminated, the Sribian’s thrived. They built homes, schools and clinics from the felled trees and dedicated their lives to each other, the islands and The Great Eternal. 

The Great Eternal is an ancient and sacred path whose beginning and ending is unknown. It is at once a powerful force, driving life itself while also being invisible and unquantifiable. Yet, all Sribian’s are brought up with an understanding that The Great Eternal is as real as the very indescribable powers they each have. To deny The Great Eternal is to deny existence itself. 

So strongly held is this belief that Sribian children of a certain age undergo a string of tests to come into their own understanding of The Great Eternal, separate from the teachings given them by their parents and authority figures around them. 

The last 2 islands are the sites for these tests which aim to usher successful participants from children to young men and women. At about the ages of sixteen and seventeen, small groups of teenagers are sent off to one of the two islands with little more than a burlap sack containing a week’s worth of food and provisions, a dual use knife-shovel tool and a one person tent. Teachers and school aides then deploy each child to a designated campsite on one of the twin islands and give them one last rundown of the instructions and expectations before departing, only to return after a month. 

The expectation is that the parents, guardians and schools take their role seriously in preparing children for life so that by the time the test comes, they can not only survive but thrive independently. The week-long supply is not replenished nor is anyone on standby to come to the rescue. If anything is needed as a matter of urgency, the teens are supposed to activate and utilize their telepathic powers to send effective communication to the home islands. 

The twin islands were the threshing floor on which immaturity is flailed out and a personal knowing of The Great Eternal is forged. It is vital to Sribian life and it is their duty and honor to uphold their way of life.

The planet Wenga is a sprawling behemoth teeming with life and wonder. The Noyi archipelago is but a tiny sliver of what Wenga holds and the Sribian’s are but one race of fascinating species on this planet they call home.