Syrganos

The Isle of Syrganos is an islet located in the middle of the Sea of Caspaine. Concealed from sight and attack behind a magical paling, Syrganos is home to the supposed ruling powers of the province.

Established by an exiled branch of the Imperial family, Syrganos had spent the last six or so centuries making a poor name for themselves and mages everywhere, interacting with the surrounding country only to cause them problems. It is an arrangement that is generally frowned upon by the rest of the world government, and particularly despised by Caspaine itself. The Syrganians aren't very happy about it either.

History
After the creation of Caspaine in 641PC, the decision was made that the less desirable province should be held by the least desirable member of the royal family, and the clear choice for this was Duke Callum d'Mariere.

A relatively weak sorcerer, known for boasting and inciting problems, Callum, his mistress and his court were "rewarded" with sovereignty over Caspaine. It took them very little time to realize that this reward was no reward at all, and--finding himself unwilling and unable to act as administrator, due in part to his own immaturity--he threw a tantrum, releasing his powers in the process to destructive effect. Corva was less than pleased with this development, and informed the d'Mariere court that their punishment for humiliating and improper behavior was to remain in Caspaine indefinitely, where they could no longer shame anyone but themselves.

The assumption that this would stop any one of them from shaming anyone else was optimistic, at best.

See Also: Caspaine - History

The Founding of Syrganos
Now unable to return home, exiled with his court and soldiers, Duke Callum had the rest of his life to look forward to in the presence of the now hostile unwashed masses, whom were less than pleased with his grand show of power. The Caspaini settlers resolved that the best way to handle the interloper was simply to capture and drown him. Surprisingly, they made genuine attempts to do so, only to be cut down by his reluctant guard. The rebellion rose and fell, the magically-equipped soldiers having no trouble sweeping the weak and sickly people aside, despite their sympathy. As by that point, everyone wanted Callum dead. In time, the peasants simply went back to their lives, certain at least that their so-called lord would perish in his time. Meanwhile, Callum consulted with his muddied and frustrated court. They could not return to Corva, and the land to the south was untamed. What choice did they have to stay?

Then, Callum's mistress Syrga came up with a brilliant answer: why not make a place for themselves, and recreate the wonders of Corva away from its dirty inhabitants? The idea was immediately appealing, but efforts to construct such a place were inevitably bogged down (quite literally) by the fickle Caspaini wilderness. The swampy ground offered little support for the building of walls, and the crystalline beaches around the shore were plagued with storms and largely inhabited by people who would not like them there. Killing them (as Callum suggested) all was out of the question, as the Imperial court was bound to view such an undertaking poorly.

Then, while walking the shores one day, the answer appeared before him: a small island, perched at the very center of the inland Sea of Caspaine. The magi court combined their powers to reach it--leaving their soldiers to swim--and were pleased to find the land both firm and very fertile. No larger than a royal field, the little island would do to support them. They wasted no time in rallying the Caspaini people to provide them with building supplies, under threat of another firestorm (which admittedly, Callum did not know how to replicate), and set to work constructing a glorious series of chateaus, all surrounding a decadent central complex for the Duke himself. When the work was done, Callum and his court relocated to the island, taking only the least offensive natives along to act as menials on their new land.

The island was named Syrganos, in honor of the only person who's name the Duke could spell. And, shortly after reporting his development to an exasperated Corva, the island and its occupants disappeared--entirely, never to be seen again. Syrganos has continued existing in isolated excess ever since.

Governance
Syrganos is led by a Duke or Duchess, the current identity of whom is Adelaine Faire, one of the last remaining descendants of Duke Callum's troubled line. Though technically the sovereign of Caspaine, no one holding the position has done more in regards to governing than simply stating that they are in charge, and Her Grace is no different.

How much the Duchess actually governs Syrganos is also up for debate. Servants having fled the Isle describing life there as a constant state of excess and general chaos, with lavish events and gatherings taking place every night. There are no laws beyond what Duchess Adelaine says at any given time. The few existing rules apply almost exclusively to the court's private military and the servant staff, all of whom frequently face conflicting orders, dependent upon the moment.

Disputes between court members are not mediated, but settled instead in open combat, using grand and destructive displays of magic for the amusement of the others present. The winner is usually judged as being in the right, unless the other combatant's display was somehow superior, in which case the court decides by vote. There are no regulations in place to protect the servants or to moderate the restless soldiers, who themselves are little more than facade guards, having never received proper military training.

Foreign Relations
Syrganos maintains consistent contact with no other foreign presence but surrounding Caspaine, at the times when supply convoys must be sent to replenish their stores. This takes place several times a year, often on the whim of the court, with the gathered soldiers and a handful of ambassadors being magically transmitted to the mainland. This is the only time the paling comes down, leaving the Isle visible (and therefore assailable) for the duration. (See Interactions with Caspaine.)

Demographics
Several centuries spent sealed away on the Isle has left the Syrganians severely lacking in almost every arena. There is little variety of culture, almost no social structure, and only one spoken language.

Physical Characteristics
Due to their Corvite heritage, the seldom-seen residents of the Isle of Syrganos display entirely different genetics, more akin to Corvite and Kyravellan. Few statistics exist for the prevalence of traits. It is assumed that their thinning gene pool has had some form of physical and psychological effects on newer generations. Whether inbreeding has led to a rise in physical deformities is unknown.

It is theorized that the inclusion of local witches into their number in the last hundred years or so might result in a variance of features, as Caspaini blood is known to give its bearers darker skin and occasionally to throw redheadedness into the traits.

Other Information
As with everything, very little is known about the details of life on Syrganos, with the main sources being those who have made it back. (And not many have.) The language spoken is said to be a form of Crowne similar to that spoken in Corva. Despite their Corvite roots, Syrganians seem to worship no gods, resorting to a self-centered sort of hedonism in place of any formal type of religion. The nearest they get to any sort of worship is demanded deference shown to the Duchess, who considers herself the only presence worthy of praise.

Social Issues
Syrganos exists as a separate entity from Caspaine, both physically and socially. They are so rarely seen that portions of the population even doubts their existence, but many are aware of them if only because of the trouble their presence invites.

The court of Syrganos--descendants of its original founders--live in near-complete seclusion behind the safety of a summoned paling, which renders the Isle invisible up to a certain distance in any direction. Though living in relative luxury, the noble-born Syrganians have suffered multiple societal complications due to their prolonged seclusion from the outside world, and have in recent years been forced to address these things by increasingly desperate measures, up to and including making voyages to the mainland, something that is greatly despised by them.

Genetic Diversity
As the Isle was populated only by the banished Corvite noble houses and their servants, the original 50 or so members of the court struggled to find ways to recombine their genetics through marriage, until the lack of variation made the threat of inbreeding a reality, even among their staff. This is what first drove them to bring down the paling and venture across the Sea, in search of new blood to add to their own.

At first, the goal was to return to Corva in order to encourage other houses to join them. These efforts failed, the standing Corvite nobility seeing little gain in joining the Syrganian outcasts in exile on an island hardly the size of a city. With this option nixed, Syrganos turned its attentions outward to Caspaine itself, a place rife with magical blood, in which it held jurisdiction.

They began a process called recruiting, in which their ambassadors would venture into the populace in search of those with Gifts to bring back to the Isle. Loath though they were to mix with the native Caspaini population, the prominence of power or attractiveness in potential converts made the concept easier, and so they sought only those suiting such criteria. Those who met their requirements were offered positions in their wealthy and privileged society. In return, they were placed into carefully-arranged marriages, designed to produce children and add much-needed variety to their ranks.

The system of integration successfully relieved the strain on the limited Syrganian gene pool, and remains a common practice.

Interactions with Caspaine
During their infrequent forays into the outside world, the Syrganians set out to recruit new mages into their ranks, searching larger villages for those with the Gift. This is thought to be one of the many reasons that the Caspaini people banish mages from their settlements, for fear that their existence might invite the presence of the Syrganian court, whose appearances invariably end in misfortune. Crop failure, freak weather changes, and disappearances are common complaints during these visits, and often result in the peasants becoming even more hostile toward local magiborn, Syrganian and otherwise. Having no equals on land, the visiting sorcerers often respond to aggression as they do at home--with magic, a practice that is often wildly destructive, serving only to further sour public opinion of them. Violence against magiborn spikes around this time, as uninvolved mages suffer blame for these events, their presence believed to be the cause.

Though widely denied, it is believed among Caspaini peasants that the Syrganians also use this opportunity to replenish their servant ranks, abducting children and teenagers lacking magical talent to take back for this purpose. Magiborn have also been known to vanish, said to be taken against their will in order to address ongoing Syrganian population issues. Ambassadors of Syrganos firmly denies this, insisting that able-bodied peasants are hired into their service and brought back willingly, mages recruited with promises of rank and wealth. Though no proof of these abductions exists, the fact remains that more people go missing around the visits than at any other time during the year.

Other Conflicts
Despite persistent claims of innocence by the court of Syrganos, the issues caused during convoy trips is such that the neighboring countries have began to make gestures to address the rampant chaos they cause.

In recent years, Kyravelle made itself known to Syrganos when it established a major Temple on their side of the border. The intention was to ensure the presence of the Order of Adavarion, in the event that visiting sorcerers began making trouble, or attempting to cross Kyravellan borders in order to recruit. Though there have been no recorded confrontations between the Order and the Syrganian ambassadors, the Order's presence in the border towns is consistent, and the number of disappearances and catastrophic events in those areas have grown fewer in recent years.

The court of Syrganos is said to have made enemies beyond the Black Pall Mountains as well. Though a separate entity long before the Isle's founding, Corva holds notoriously strict regulations regarding the behavior of their own nobility. Being exiled Corvite nobles, the Syrganians are considered at least partly beholden to these regulation, which they regularly violate  with their rampant abuse of magic. Though no gestures have been made to rectify this poor behavior, rumor has it that Corva's dreaded Sentinelle is aware of what has been going on. The possibility of their intervention is the greatest threat to Syrganos, as the Sentinelle gives no warnings, its purpose once invoked lying solely in destruction.