For years following the Archknight Rebellion, the unification of Midania's republic of island clans has been the desperate objective of the sai'mul who longed for the recognition they earned for their role in ending Karen Blackstone's reign as Queen of Resta. It was unfortunately for most of this time that the sai'mul of Mainland Midania failed to make any meaningful connections with the other islands that once flew the banners of the Akisian Empire. Credit for the progress that allowed Midania to finally join with Katrine, Sister, Eagle Isle, and Ravager Isle in their new nation would ultimately go to the Mariknights, as well as the Avatar who sanctioned their revival. They would acquire the lost secrets the original mariknight fleet left behind on a deserted island in a remote corner of Midania's territory known as Turtle Island. This has allowed the newly formed fleet to reclaim its supremacy over the world's oceans and facilitate safer travel between the islands.
Since the Republic of Midania's official foundation, Turtle Island has been designated as an unincorporated territory. While it remains a place of some importance to the Mariknights and the Midanian government, travel there is restricted to those on official business. This island's shores are defended by Mariknights with the same ferocity usually reserved for the country's precious hopefish population. Little is known about this place, even within the public of Midania itself, but few would miss the almost perfect dome of stone that composes the island's only peak and comprises its namesake. But apart from the common knowledge that the island resembles a massive turtle, the island's entire nature is one of the world's largest mysteries. But ask the adventurers who claim to be experts on the island and you will hear only the tale of the people who once lived there before the dawn of the Akisian Empire.
It is said that in the First Age, a river ran along top of the mountain and created a gigantic waterfall that emptied into the ocean. It was under this waterfall, in a secluded cove that early mages first began to experiment with water magic. By manipulating the flow of this waterfall, the tribe of Turtle Island are said to have drawn Salica's attention to the islands in the first place. As the first practitioners of the Doctrine of Storms made their covenant with their new goddess, a strange light that was believed to be a sign of Salica's feelings for the people of Akis began to grow in the sky over Turtle Island. Believed to be a potential source of power, the first Emperor of Akis sent his sturdiest fifty boats with full crews of hardened corsairs to occupy this land. His ambition was to create a legacy that was great enough to erase that of his father-- the last chieftain of his once-modest island.
But when the corsairs attempted to assail the island, they were repelled by water mages and acolytes of Salica's new doctrine, who enjoyed nearly limitless power thanks to the might of the ocean itself. With their control of the water, they were able to keep the Akisians from landing entirely, although their attackers were undeterred by their miraculous abilities. For a year, the fleet rotated ships to keep the island under siege until the frustrated Emperor sent his entire fleet to overwhelm the island. Day and night, ships attempted to make a landing until the defenders fell from exhaustion. Turtle Island became the first island annexed into the Akisian Empire, but this heavy battle came at the cost of allowing the people of Turtle Rock access to influence their new countrymen with the Doctrine of Storms.
While the story that Turtle Rock is where the Doctrine of Storms originated is popular in most parts of the world, this is a fact that is critically debated among Restan theological scholars as well as the more remote citizens of the Midania. Indeed, while the events of the story are widely considered to be true, there is some confusion about the timeline of Salica's earliest interactions with Comalan among her devoted. Although no waterfall remains as evidence of the once-sacred source of water magic, one thing about Turtle Island remains clear: the ferocity of the mariknights who patrol the surrounding region and the absolute secrecy with which the island is regarded in the modern age speak of more than just historical reverence. That makes Turtle Island an enticing, but quite illegal, destination for any of the bravest adventures with the vision to hire the most skilled sailors to evade its naval patrol.
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