Ismaele's Clan

Ho visto nubi andare altrove, tu sei il cielo che e' restato

Ancient Lair

near the

Highland Sanctum

Clan Info

✽ TRINACRIA ✽

If you head towards the northern seas, away from the Earthshaker's domain, you may find you're not far from civilization just yet. In the ocean cliffs of a small island, surrounded by crystalline water and ivory sand, three siblings carved their home.

Soon after leaving Terraclae, Ismaele began to search for a suitable place to build his own lair. He ended up in northern Dragonhome, where he found a quiet archipelago not too far from the shores, and so he began digging and tearing his way into the steep walls of rock that towered over the beaches. It didn't take long for him to be joined by his kin, and more obelisks after them; more claws allowed for the lairs to be finished much sooner. But the community, as big as it got, didn't have a name at first. It was given by the travelers that later surged to this island: "Trinacria", so they call it, as a nod to the roughly triangular shape of the terrain.

A bag full of wheat and a glass jar with some whole pepper inside

CLIMATE

Trinacria has hot, dry summers and mild to cool, rainy winters. From late March to June and from September to October, the pleasant weather allows for plenty of time outdoors.

A hot and humid wind flowing northward from Dragonhome, known as Sirocco among the trinacrians, is just one of the many air currents to affect the Gelo Sea and the islands it surrounds. It is, however, the only one responsible for making the local climate considerably different from that of the Earthshaker's domain: the Sirocco's high temperature picks up moisture as it travels across the sea, thus causing clouds, fog and rain to reach the archipelago.

GEOLOGY

The typical trinacrian landscape consists of coasts and sun-baked cliffs. The terrain is 2109,21 km², or 3151,25 km² if the nearby islets are included. The island’s geological makeup is quite varied, with sulphur mines in the centre and volcanic activity in the east. Around the western area the coast begins to slope down to Marsala's salt marshes, followed by uniform and sandy beaches in the south, where most dragons reside.

Trinacria is the largest island in the Ancura Archipelago. Like the other isles, it is of volcanic origin, created by centuries of erosion, deposition, and land elevation. Its three corners, which give it a vaguely triangular shape, are the origin of its name.
The archipelago is in the central Gelo Sea, north of Dragonhome, from which it is separated by a narrow strait; at its narrowest point, between Marzamemi's port and the Highland Sanctum, it is just 4.2 km wide. Reaching Trinacria is no easy task, however: the strong winds and peculiar currents of the strait make it a potential hazard for both winged and earthbound explorers.

Although the cartographers, botanists, and biologists have long started working on a detailed compendium of the terrain and the flora and fauna, Ancura has not been added to the official maps of Sornieth yet. This, along with the dangerous travel conditions, is causing the islands' existence to remain unknown to most of dragonkind.

Golden jewelry adorned with a blue gemstone

Avorio Beaches

Avorio's beaches feature an array of sheer cliffs overlooking offshore islets, gorges, blow-holes and tunnels which have been carved out of the soft limestone by the wind and sea. Powerful wave action has also excavated caves along joints and bedding planes on the cliffed coast, some extending through headlands to form natural arches and isolated rock stacks; twelve of those towering stacks (named 'The Resting Deities' by the obelisks) loom out of the ocean near the Den's shore.

The white sand is mostly made of limestone and calcium carbonate from the shells and skeletons of marine organisms, as well as fragments of corals that are ground by the waves and mixed with the sand, creating patches of pink. Closer to Etna are beaches composed of volcanic rocks, including basalt and obsidian, which give them their characteristic gray-black color.

Additional kelp beds have been planted all around the islands to protect them from further erosion, though the urchins' recent appearance has made them a reliable source of seafood as well.

The fauna in Avorio is largely ornithological, and includes flecked bushrunners, quails, southern and blue-footed gulls, ducks, gooses, brown and spot-billed pelicans. Other critters are present, however: the most common residents of the seashore are the ghostcrabs and seashore diggers, as well as the seabed pinchers, aether hermits, white reaches crabs and blue swimmer crabs. Northern crayfishs, though rarer, also reside in the area; fissure crawdads prefer to hide in the narrow tunnels along the coasts, making them a difficult catch for bigger hunters - not a problem, as mussels and oysters grow in large numbers in shallower water.

Leatherback sea turtles come back to Trinacria's shores every year to lay their eggs. They are considered a good omen of plentiful harvests and successful hunts, thus making the capture of the adults and the dig for their eggs forbidden, unless absolutely necessary - and even then, the locals will provide harpies and dragons in need with other sources of meat. The turtles' arrival marks the start of the summer's festivities.

Striped seals live in the kelp beds nearby and are the carnivorous villagers' favorite choice for hunting meat. One or two obelisks may offer to help with the hunt: they will burrow in the sand, turn into stone to neutralize their smell, and wait for a seal couple to shamble close enough before jumping out to strike their prey.

Most obelisks prefer to live in high elevations, so they will dig a burrow in the cliffs, usually composed of three to six chambers of whatever size they find most comfortable. A semi-enclosed terrace is built in the outer part of the wall, usually bigger or the same size as the residence's main living room. Sets of stairs have been carved out of the limestone walls, so as to allow flightless visitors to reach the dens above.

The trinacrian harpies - who can be easily recognized by their white and pale gray plumage, black tipped wings and black hair - build their homes in the same fashion, and live just 10 meters away from the pride; they can be seen flying in and out of their nests alongside the obelisks.

New residents of different species usually build their own homes in another area or on a different island, sometimes with the help of the locals.

Alicudi Bay

Over the course of several years, the ocean waves have eroded the limestone cliffs of Trinacria, forming several horseshoe-shaped indentations along the coastline. The largest of these formations is Alicudi Bay, an hidden cove sheltered by steep rock and surrounded by native Avorio palm trees. There are several underwater caves and two high-ceilinged natural archways that form a tunnel-like passage through the limestone headland, connecting the three sandy beaches.

The steep cliffs of Alicudi Bay are home to a large colony of brown pelicans, as well as gulls, cormorants and oyster catchers. Tradewinds gulls are often trained as messenger birds for their innate homing skills, given by the magnetoreception sense they use to return to the nests, but also for their ability to swim against strong currents and adapt to sudden wind changes - which allow them to traverse the Strait of Ancura safely.

A little further from the shores are dense kelp forests populated by a large number of invertebrates, including sea stars, blue ring octopuses, bimac octopuses, bearded squiggles, feisty lettuce and sea lettuce. There are also several species of urchins like the ballroom urchin and pebble collector urchin, which are the favourite foods of the many lobsters, crabs and wrasses which reside here. Northern crayfish can be seen lining the crevices.

An endemic species of craylet, only found in the smaller bays of Trinacria, is known for its ever-changing exoskeleton which mutates in color depending on water and air's pressure and temperature, even long after death.

The flecks of the trinacrian craylet's shells are harvested after consumption to be crafted into ornaments; said trinkets are then hanged next to the front door for the purpose of keeping track of the passing seasons.
Larger pieces are set aside for mosaics, while smaller fragments are ground into pigments to create ink or dye fabrics; clothes that are stained with craylet shells are known to change their colors each month.

Marsala's salt marshes

Lipari is one of the largest islands in the Ancura Archipelago, almost rivaling Trinacria in size. Its recent appearance gave rise to Marsala's salt marshes, where the trinacrians build and mantain evaporation ponds to provide themselves with the much needed mineral.

Marsala's marshes are characterized by shallow saline water cover, high seasonal fluctuations in water availability and by considerable salt-content in the soil. They are covered by water between spring and mid-summer (average water depth reaching 30-50 cm) and often become dry till late summer due to intense evaporation.

Several halophytes and salt-tolerant species are present in the vegetation, including anubias nana, bulrush, broadleaf plantain and dustbowl ivy. In sites with moderate salinity dayglo thresh, golden milkweed and grassland grain can reach high cover scores. Several endemic species are also present in these wetlands, like avorio wolftail and trinacrian reed, which are farmed to obtain essential weaving materials.

The highly diverse mosaic pattern of marsh habitats (caused by the uneven distribution of the salt accumulation in the soil and water supply) contributes to the maintenance of landscape-scale biodiversity, and also provides favourable habitats for several species of fish, crustaceans, reptiles, minks and otters, but especially for breeding and migrating birds.

Marsala's marshes protect the shorelines from erosion by buffering wave action. They also reduce flooding by slowing and absorbing rainwater and maintain water's quality by trapping sediments. Due to the high algae concentrations, the ponds have a bright pink color that is very easily spotted even when flying high above. For this reason, these artificial salt pans are known to attract large numbers of migratory bird species looking for food and a safe place to nest - some of them being the mallard, the demoiselle crane and the redtail crane. In the colder months, Marsala is visited by drifting ducks and wood ducks instead.

The salt farmers have taken it upon themselves to look after the flocks whenever they stop by: they will take turns to protect the chicks by chasing away predators and ensuring that no dragons get too close and disturb the nests.

The safety provided by their guardians led the birds to come back more and more often to the point of nesting by the ponds every year; the vast number of species it attracts has made Marsala an important site for ornithologists and nature photographers - who are the only visitors allowed to get closer.

Mount Etna

Etna Volcano is the dominant feature in the landscape of eastern Ancura, rising to a height of over 600 m and covering an area of 350 km2. It is a stratovolcano, characterized by constant effusive eruptions and periodic intervals of explosive materials expulsions.
At the hub of Mount Etna's volcanic activity lies the summit cone, known as Cavuru, which is constructed of interbedded lava and tephra. It has a basal diameter of just under 2 km with a height of about 140 meters, its top truncated by the 400 m diameter Central Crater.

The igneous rocks contain an abundance of gemstones, such as different quartzes and garnets, andesine, moonstone, apatite, diamond, spinel, tanzanite, tourmaline, topaz and zircon. Amber is often found in the forests that are closer to the lava flow.

The pressure of lava within the volcano can often push out and breach a sector of the cone allowing lava to pour out at a high rate from the main crater, drastically changing its shape. Further modifications in morphology can occur during or after an eruption by collapses and, in just a few months, quite substantial changes may have taken place. For this reason no detailed description of Etna's features can remain valid for long.

Large parts of the volcano's flanks are cultivated to provide for plant-eating dragons who aren't particularly fond of kelp. Despite the many eruptions and the bitter cold that freezes the terrain in winter, many species of wild plants have succeeded in colonizing the lava soil.

At high altitudes you can see sweet potato vines, fire flowers, cindermint, potash peaches and speckled fire lilies on the slopes. Stellaria media and anubias nana thrive in the more humid areas. Further down are woods of beech, birch, larch and Etna pine. Cottontail rabbits, weasels, ermines, pallas cats and brown spot toads are just some of the animals which can be seen roaming in these forests.

Precautions should be taken while gathering flamerest embers, as gyres and owlcats often fly above the area in search of prey.

Siino's Caves

Siino is a large underground system composed of more than 150 caves; the main entrance, located just a few kilometers away from Luce Village, stretches for more than 11 kilometres, it is 800 metres high and 900 metres wide, making it one of the largest in all Sornieth.
There's more than just limestone and calcite, however. The grottoes are punctuated by several dolines, from which sunlight can enter most sections of the caves and allow the growth of trees as well as other vegetation; the presence of an internal fast-flowing subterranean river gives Siino its own localized weather system.

Not too far from the entryway is the Granciu Hotel, owned by the siblings Nuuska and Alaimo. It is an extended stay hotel, intended to provide more home-like amenities to dragons in the midst of a relocation, and others in need of temporary housing.

The length of stay in these fitted apartments is varied with anywhere from a few days to months or even years. In exchange for being allowed to maintain the establishment in trinacrian territory, the spirals have agreed to avoid unnecessary damage to the caves' natural environment, and to let the island's inhabitants stay in the hotel whenever they wish, free of charge.

The Earthshaker’s Ear is a cave of limestone and marble, it is about twenty-three meters high, five to eleven meters wide and develops in depth for sixty-five meters. Horizontally, it bends in an approximate "S" shape, vertically it is tapered at the top like a teardrop. The Ear's features allow it to capture and amplify even the smallest of sounds, which is what the name originated from: it is in fact believed to be a mean for the Earthshaker to hear the prayers of the trinacrians, who live far away from Dragonhome's temples.
The high humidity of the cave makes it ideal for crafting cordage and is in fact used often by sailors to spin and weave sturdy ropes.

Gelo Reef

7 kms southwestward of Trinacria is the Gelo Reef, a broadly circular reef formation enclosing a wide lagoon - home to the undertides and the local maren beastclan. It is a small oval-shaped atoll with a land area of 0.86 km2 and reef areas to 120 m depth totaling 158 km2. The barrier reef is about 29 km in circumference and 13 km in greatest diameter. There is an opening on the southwest side through the reef to the shallow lagoon, but only small craft can enter.
Along the south side of the lagoon are one small island and two sand banks. The somewhat crescent-shaped island, Nucidda Islet, is approximately one mile long by less than half a mile wide and is located in the southeast corner of the lagoon. At the center is Cenere, a small basalt pinnacle about 54 meters high, which is the last remnant of the volcano still above sea level that formed the original foundation of the atoll.

Gelo Reef's substrate is primarily reef carbonate, which provides an abundance of diverse habitats, such as deep ocean reef slopes, terraces, spur and groove formations, pinnacles and mounds, caves and overhangs, and shallow perimeter reef flats.

The semi-enclosed lagoon gives protection from the destructive effects of storms and waves, and provides a constant flow of clean ocean water, thus promoting habitat diversity not found in exposed ocean reef environments. Due to the variety and quantity of its habitats, coral species diversity and abundance can be quite spectacular.

The Gelo Reef supports the greatest number of coral species in the Ancura Archipelago, with 41 species of stony corals documented. These include table, finger, and lobe corals. Some lobe corals like the reefsnail eggs, which are common throughout the Fishspine Reef, are also found in this area.

The reef is home to several species of butterflyfish, clownfish and a large numbers of discus. Bigger species are seen in the reef's open waters, such as snakeheads, fanfishs, eels and loaches, along with aberrant cat sharks and barhide cat sharks. Black diamond stingrays and spotted stingrays have also been observed. Livewire endlers are not hunted as food, but are instead caught in glass jars and used as a light source from maren and dragons alike.

The terrestrial fauna include striped and chameleon seals, two marine reptiles (the leatherback and flatback turtles) and several species of seabirds, such as boobies, albatrosses, seagulls, and pelicans. Endemic plants include the Avorio wolftail and the leguminous trinacrian shrub.
Most of the ridges are covered with two species of grass and the valleys are densely covered with shrubs and bushes. Driftwood and seashells are often found on the shores.

The most common invertebrates found are the starfish and the smaller encrusting species, such as sponges and urchins. Slightly rarer are sea slugs like the deepsea cucumber, glowslug, nudibranch and sea hare.

ECONOMY AND CRAFTS

Trinacrians are self-sufficient and very rarely need to buy essentials from outside their island: whatever they need, they build it themselves or gather it from the territory. They do however sell whatever extra resources they may have in their hoard, if there is the need to buy scrolls of various kinds - or to collect treasure as offering to the Earthshaker.

From the start, the trinacrian obelisks seeked to establish traditions and a culture to call their own. They practiced many trades, and the artisans slowly specialized in pottery, jewellery, metal working, glassblowing - indeed, all crafts born from the stone became their favorites; the need for fishing nets and traps made them masters in textile production as well.

The trinacrian craft has now become quite popular in some regions of Sornieth, which has incentivized the (few) adventurous merchants to traverse the northern seas in hope to trade. No need to worry for the journey back home: if asked to do so, the obelisks will escort visitors and their luggages to Dragonhome's shores.

Weaving

The Avorio Wolftails and Reeds are perennial plants with hard and linear leaves that are grouped in fascicles sprouting in the spring. In summertime, after the hottest hours of the afternoon, the obelisks go outside to talk and weave utensils on the shore, taking advantage of this free time to arrange tools and work on projects. These moments represent a learning opportunity for sharing skills, knowledge, and techniques.

In trinacrian tradition, the main way to use the plants' fiber for basketry is raw and crushed after soaking it for a few hours, either by immersing it in water or wrapping it in a wet cloth. The finest artisans carefully select their leaves, discarding the rotten ones and always using leaves with the same size and diameter.

Other plants are also used for weaving, but no other species is comparable to wolftails and reeds with regards to maximum diversity in techniques and items made with them. There are specific techniques just to make one artifact. There is, for example, a unique stitch applied to weave a basket for collecting land snails and sea mollusks.

The fibers are also suitable for fine, high quality papers with good tensile strength and opacity, making them an essential material for the local book makers; wolftail paper has a superior resistance to shrinkage and stretching - and the bulrush makes for a well-filled, dense paper with excellent inking qualities. Both have very good folding properties.

Most craft tools for farming and livestock in Trinacria are made with Avorio wolftails and reeds, such as containers/sacks for carts, cords, harvesting baskets, clothes, and items for the home.

There is a huge variety of utensils, many of which are well known and have a specific use, but others are the product of a special personal need or a free creation, such as toys for hatchlings or familiars. Pieces of furniture - such as stools or chair seats - are created as gifts for the beastclans or smaller dragons.

Pottery

The development of pottery has been encouraged by the abundance of clay in the archipelago. The trinacrian artisans draw the raw material for their work from marine sediments, geothermal fields and volcanic deposits, establishing themselves as one of Sornieth's most important producers of ceramics.

The provenance of the raw materials determines their features and properties such as their color and sedimentary structure as well as their mineralogical and geochemical composition. For example, sediments placed in marine environments are rich in planktonic foraminifera, which is deposited in the deep Gelo Sea. In contrast, benthic foraminifera are characteristic of warmer depositional environments such as Marsala's shallow, coastal saline waters.

The clay can be stored for a long time, several months or even more than a year, without losing the properties required for the manufacture of ceramics. To properly preserve the clay, it is kept wrapped in textile fibres or wet clothes, and stored in a cool place, avoiding locations with high risk of freezing.
Also a primary ingredient in many natural building techniques, it's used to create adobe, cob, cordwood and building elements such as wattle, daub and ceramic building material. Obelisks may ingest clay to soothe an upset stomach.

Whitewares are mostly shaped into everyday utilities, including tableware, cookware and sanitary wares. Painted tiles, along with wall vases and flower pots, adorn all surfaces of the harpies and obelisks' dens with beautiful refined motifs, declined mainly in blues, greens and yellows. Ceramic pinecones are hanged above the front door as a wish for health and good luck to the residents.
Plants are the sole subjects of this craft: you won't see dragons or the beastclans on the white surfaces, but only leaves, succulents, flowers and the native citrus fruits, like the oranges, lemons, and mandarins. Grapes and pomegranates, though not as commonly, are also painted on pottery pieces. One exception is the obelisks' carved staircase, whose steps are covered by ceramic tiles depicting the discovery of Ancura Archipelago, the building process of the Pride's Den and the foundation of Luce Village.

Pigments are selected from organic substances like clipper chitins, seashells and flower petals - or iron oxide nodules and copper oxide, which occur naturally in the environment.
When the dragons' sizable claws can't get the job done properly, the harpies will gladly aid in the creation of the dyes. On these occasions it's considered common courtesy for the pride to invite them over for dinner (or lunch) and prepare a warm meal. The obelisks' white balconies are often adorned with large colourful murals whenever they host a harpy family with kids.

Organic materials

For the obelisks of Trinacria, all ores and precious gems are considered a sacred gift from the Earthshaker and are thus mined exclusively to be crafted into magic ornaments. For the creation of certain tools and utensils, durable animal materials are chosen as substitutes of metal.

Mollusks are a source of food and their shells a valued raw material, variously employed to create inlays, personal ornaments, pigments, seals, and utensils. The manufacture of shell does not offer significant problems; it is one of those natural materials whose varied forms lend themselves very often to practical

and ornamental purposes with minimal modifications. Natural shells, particularly small bivalves, make excellent containers and are exploited to hold cosmetic pigments. They are also a perfectly appropriate material for spindle-whorls and the production of colored glass.

Bones, primarily of sheep and goats, but also at times of wild animals like rabbit, are used mainly for light or heavy-duty awls, arrow and spear points, needles and fish hooks. Additionally, they are fashioned into tools such as spoons, forks, pins, flakers, hide scrapers and reamers.

A knife or wand can be made from any large animal's rib, the end rounded, the blade flattened and roughly shaped. They are then given baked clay or bitumen handles. Bones are also used as handles or for the inlay plates of stone and obsidian daggers, since they have a natural socket especially suitable for the tang of weapons and tools, or mirrors.

Antler is an outgrowth of bone, but for all practical purposes a significantly tougher material, better able to sustain shocks: it is in fact preferred for building farming tools, like sickles, rakes and hoes, and is occasionally used to craft components for some farming devices such as flakers and rice hullers.
The most desirable antlers are found soon after being shed (as they can be damaged by weathering or being gnawed by small animals) so they are harvested in Etna's forests for all the duration of the shedding season, and then stored for later use. They can be softened in water to facilitate working.

Horns are a modified, non-deciduous skin tissue more prone to decay and disintegration in the ground than antlers or bones. However, they are still used every day as music instruments and portable natural containers for liquids, notably oil and wine, for which they need little modifications.

Claws are most commonly chosen for producing excavating tools and grooming utensils such as scale scratchers and fur combs, and in the case of larger specimens, they are also used as blades for scythes.

Agira farms

The islands of the Ancura Archipelago present different environmental and micro-climatic conditions from the landscape of Dragonhome, making them suitable for the cultivation of a larger variety of crops. Most notably, Trinacria's mountains are characterized by greater precipitation and numerous streams; the porous limestone structure permits the absorption and retention of rainfall which later issues forth as springs, used for irrigation during the dry period when streams and rainfall are insufficient.

Additionally, the volcanic ash soil surrounding Etna provides an environment conducive for deep rooting, and can supply the large amounts of nutrients and water necessary for vigorous plant growth, making the foot-slopes of the volcano another example of the most productive lands in the Ancura Archipelago.

The dragons and the beastclans have therefore chosen the aforementioned islands to grow most crops and keep livestock, establishing what are now known as the Agira Farms.

By far the most important from the point of view of value is the cultivation of citrus fruit, which includes the raising of lemons, oranges, tangerines, and limes. Because they require warm temperatures and plenty of moisture, they are found on the northern and eastern coastal trinacrian plains and on the lower slopes of Etna, in the areas of most abundant moisture both from rainfall and streams. Besides the fresh citrus fruits, Trinacria produces various derivatives such as lemon juice, lemon and orange essences, citric acid, and candied and salted peels, with the addition of the recently imported sour kelp.

A second important intensive crop is the vine. The vine is well dispersed over the whole of Trinacria but in the northeast and northwest corners are two zones of major importance producing two-thirds of the grapes of Ancura and about 52% of those of all Dragonhome. Without the characteristic dry season of the local climate, the juices would not become concentrated and rich in sugars - conditions needed for good wines.

Ordinarily where the climate is not too dry, the vines are trained along the lower branches of olive trees or else are suspended on wires, but where the dry period is too prolonged as in the more southern regions of Ancura, the vines are often placed in trenches where evaporation is less pronounced.

Although the cultivation of the olive is not so intensive as that of the two previously mentioned products, in certain areas on the northern and southwestern coasts are numerous carefully tended groves of olive trees. The olive can well stand the dry seasons of the trinacrian climate because of its protective bark and the small glossy leaves which retain moisture within the plant. It also requires less water than many other crops and will thrive on thin, stony soils and on steep slopes.

Because of the scarcity of animal fats in Dragonhome and also because such fats would not keep well in its climate, a good portion of the olive crop is used to produce oil to trade.

There are other tree crops of considerable importance, the most important include the almond, the pistachio, the chestnut, and the hazelnut. The carob, whose fruit furnishes fodder for livestock, and the mulberry, which supplies food for the few silkworms Ancura has, are others. With the exception of the mulberry and the chestnut, these crops are produced in the dryer regions of south-central Trinacria.

In the interior of Trinacria are found the sown crops which occupy fully 62% of the cultivable and forested area. Wheat and the fava bean are the most important of these sown crops, in fact between them they account for more than 40% of the total cultivable area.

Fave production is very closely associated with that of wheat because this leguminous plant is used to enrich the soil prior to the planting of wheat. It also supplies food for the local residents and provides food and bedding for livestock. It is produced all over Trinacria, but the zone of greatest importance is in the limy, clay soils of the south-central part.

Wheat occupies on the average about one-third of the cultivable land except for the rocky and forested terrain in the extreme northeast. However, the main area of wheat production is in the dryer interior. Here the climate is suitable for grain production because the rainfall is generally sufficient for growth, and the warm dry season in summer is fine for the maturing and ripening of the hard wheat.

Marzamemi's port

Marzamemi is a fishing village built along the southern coasts of the archipelago. Here the sailors build their homes, craft equipment and hold meetings to discuss newly acquired knowledge about the marine flora and fauna, as well as new and improved fishing methods. It is also the preferred site for the construction of the tonnaras, where the cleaning, processing and storing of seafood takes place.

For the preservation of small aquatic organisms - such as shellfish, anchovies, sardines and mackerel - a container made of terracotta is the preferred choice. The gutted fish is arranged in rows, between layers of copious amounts of coarse salt, and then sealed with a cork; a weight is then placed on top, so as to exerte enough pressure to drain the excess liquid. This salting process, known as "colatura", takes roughly two months.

As for bigger prey, the preparations take place long before they reach the shore. The amount of fish present on the ships is reported with the use of flags: a white flag on the southern side signals ten, or twenty if the same color is hanging above the center. A red flag is used for thirty, whereas three flags - one in the center and one on each side of the vessels - mean that fifty fish have been caught. In the case of an hundred or more, a piece of coat is displayed instead.

All these clues allow the workers of the tonnaras to arrange the winches accordingly, and to prepare themselves for the transport and the cleaning of the fish. After being rinsed in clean water, thus preventing the blood from spoiling the meat, the smaller specimens are given to the maren. The rest is hung by the tail on the "apindituri" and then left to bleed out for the next twenty-four hours. It's not just the meat that is extracted, afterwards; each and every part is used, including the eggs, which are usually dried under the sun, and the head, guts and fins, pressed and boiled to obtain oil and fertilizer. Because of their slim, tapered shape, the bones can serve as sewing needles; additionally, they can be roasted and then ground into powder to provide another source of essential nutrients, such as calcium.

The ancurian swordfish is one of the most symbolic fish of the Gelo Sea, known for its characteristic “sword", a long, flat, pointed bill that it uses to defend itself and to stun its prey. This large pelagic predator, which can grow up to 9 meters and weigh up to 870 kilograms, is particularly abundant in the waters of the Strait of Ancura; the strong currents bring nutrients from the seabed to the surface, creating an environment rich in prey and thus making it the ideal habitat for the swordfish.

Because it is both elusive and particularly sizeable - enough for it to be capable of injuring even the biggest breeds of dragonkind - maren, dragons and harpies alike have joined forces to develop a new technique that strays far from the more traditional methods. In fact, the fishing of ancurian swordfish is seen more as an active hunt: catching even one of these large creatures requires communal effort, plus a combination of keen eyes, great precision and agility.

Just as important is the contribution of the "feluca", a long, narrow boat specifically designed for such a tedious task. The slender, tapered shape, combined with the light weight, allows it to move quickly and nimbly through rough waves and fast, unpredictable currents. One of the most distinctive features is the central mast, up to 45-50 meters high, equipped with an observation platform on top. The feluca is also equipped with a long, narrow gangway, which extends 35-40 meters from the bow of the boat.

Between the end of May and the beginning of August, the swordfish's annual migration to the spawning grounds takes place; it is during these months that it tends to swim closer to the surface, making it easier to spot from up above - and, consequently, easier to catch.

For this reason, spring and summer are the chosen seasons for the swordfish hunt. The latter adheres to the following steps:

Sighting; the "torriddos" - or lookouts - carefully observe the ocean's surface for signs of the swordfish's presence. They must have sharp eyesight and a deep knowledge of its behavior, so as to be able to see it from any depth and predict its movements. Torriddos can keep watch up in the sky or in the sea, or both, if part of a water-aligned flighted species; be it dragon, maren, or harpy, the distinctive call that signals spotted prey is always the same, although it may vary slightly, depending on how far away it is swimming from the feluca. For every cry that resonates in water or air, another is sung just next to it, until the last one reaches the main ship through word of mouth.

Pursuit; the captain of the feluca quickly steers the vessel towards the origin of the torriddos' call. In the meantime, the "pasturis" - or herders - are to reach and redirect the swordfish's route until it meets the ship, or vice versa.

Harpooning; when the feluca is close enough to the swordfish, the lanzataris - or harpooners - prepare themselves on the gangway. The harpoons are attached to sturdy ropes and are filled with extracts of blue entoloma, which are injected into the muscles upon impact; the spores of this fungus cause the swordfish to enter a state of torpor, thus preventing it from escaping or injuring the fishers.

Retrieval; the fishers work together to haul their catch on board. A cross mark is carved on the skin of the fish, both as thanks and as a sign of respect, before it's moved to the bottom hold of the ship to be stored in ice.

Tarì's archaeological site

Sometime during the Second Age, at the hey-day of the northern ancient civilizations, a major eruption took place on Trinacria, causing a volcanic disaster of epic proportions. Etna's eruption was fatal for the island and affected the rest of the archipelago as well; it took many years for nature to establish a new equilibrium that was viable enough to attract new life.

The new draconic settlers arrived much later under the guidance of Ismaele and his obelisk kin. They were completely ignorant of the presence of earlier habitation on the island, a well kept secret hidden under its thick volcanic mantel. The sealed doors of the prehistoric settlement were to be trespassed during the extraction of large quantities of volcanic ash that was being removed and sent to the Den for the construction of the underground trading post. This ash, known as Etna earth, is an excellent material for hydraulic concretes (i.e., concretes that can harden under water). Once the thick mantle of ash was removed, the remains of a venerable civilization appeared in the quarry area.

It was a few years later, however, that systematic research began. In ten years time the excavation covered an area of approximately 10,000 square meters. The picture was soon relatively clear: the trinacrians were bringing to light a uniquely preserved town, once a flourishing harbor city thriving on trade and seafaring, then seemingly destroyed around the middle of the Second Age by a fatal eruption.

It took years of hard work by many scholars of the Dragonhome Preservation Guild to arrive at the conclusion that the Etna volcano was most probably not the main or the only reason for the fatal events on the ancient Trinacria.

Yet, the issue is far from being resolved; to the various theories expressed regarding the two places and their relationship, a new doubt has raised its shadow, that of the date of the eruption. The calibrated radiocarbon sets it at the early stage of the Second Age, but dendrochronology, ice-cap dating, and climatic perturbations give different estimates. Dating is a major issue of common interest and strong debates between scholars of varying disciplines (much to the amusement of the locals), for each time a date is changed a whole sequence of interrelated events is carried along, greatly affecting the fragile timetables set for the nearby regions.

Despite the overwhelming preservation of the material culture at the site, the questions that are yet unanswered are many. This civilization reached an incredibly high level of culture in all aspects, and yet none of their remains have been found. The only clues of what they used to look like are fading depictions of puzzling creatures, whose upper-bodies appear to be the same as centaurs, serthis and maren, yet their lower limbs are nothing like those of other living beings.

FESTIVITIES

When leatherback sea turtles swim back to Trinacria to lay their eggs, the dragons and the beastclans gather together to celebrate the start of the summer festivals with bonfires and abudant homemade meals. Locals from the rest of the archipelago - as well as travelers from all Sornieth - often join in every year and bring their own offerings to Trinacria's residents.

Each festival lasts for a week and occurs one after the other (most of them on the sea shore, to allow marens and undertides to partecipate too), with three days in between to allow additional preparations.

Fiore Festival

The Fiore Festival is celebrated by covering the entire den with flower petals arranged into intricate patterns. Every harpie and obelisk can choose their favorite colors and shapes for their own design and are thus encouraged to pursuit a variety of plants in anticipation to the festival.

While some trinacrians may decide to leave the island to bring home seeds from other regions of Sornieth, flowers are mostly gathered from nearby forests or grown in the Den - some examples include Alstroemeria, Tulips, Myosotis, Mums, Satin violets, Stellaria Media and Bluelipped Thresh.

White roses are given tinted water to acquire tones that don't normally occure naturally; Obelisks will also add scents to their colourful mosaics with Winterbelle petals, which gives them a pleasant sugary aroma that doubles as a bait for insects.

Dayglo Thresh is a favorite among spells users: normally of a pastel hue, this plant flares to a brilliant glow when magics are worked in its vicinity, allowing for impressive spectacles of light during the darker hours.
Juneflowers are abudant but mostly used in garlands and necklaces that are worn during the summer solstice.

Scirocco

During Scirocco, the trinacrians honor the breezes of Trinacria. It starts with the previous festival's petals being trown off the ocean cliffs to watch them float away. Several competitions will then take place, one for each day of the week.

Day 1: Boat sailing; a flightless beastclans-only event, a team of five must get their wooden boat to the goal before anyone else. Unlike the flight races, it is allowed to try and sabotage the opponents, but causing physical harm and using electricity is not authorized. This is a one-design racing class competition, therefore all sailboats are identical.

Day 2: Flight target shooting; a team of two, a dragon and a member of the beastclans sitting atop, attempts to hit as many targets as possible in a sky course. The tracks are of various sizes, all of them made of suspended rings the dragon must fly through as fast as possible, though not so fast as not to allow their teammate to fire their bow. Accuracy is rewarded but not necessary to win.

Day 3: Flight races; the routes are now made longer, and the only goal is to get to the finish line first. Anyone capable of flight can compete, be it winged creatures or magic users. Use of machinery is normally not permitted, however any kind of artificial wing will be allowed if meant to be used as prosthetics by disabled folks.

Day 4: Kite flying; the goal is to build the prettiest kite, though how well it flies and for how long will also affect the final results. This day many wind-aligned dragons come all the way from Windswept Plateau to visit - both as audience and contestants.

Day 5: Kite fighting; kites are built smaller, with ordinary string for the ground end and a set length of a sharp, abrasive coated line higher up. The contestants fly their kites at the same time and attempt to cut the others' line: the last one standing is the winner.

Day 6: Hot air ballooning; the goal is to fly as close as possible to one or more targets drawn on the beach's sand. Once a pilot has directed the balloon above or next to any of the circles, a weighted marker with an identifying number is dropped below. The distance between a pilot's marker and that target determines their score.

Day 7: Crafting; crafters build the best possible offering to the Trinacria's winds. Anyone from outside the island can partecipate as well - dragons and beastclans alike - only trinacrian's tools and materials may be used, however. Any object that can be somehow affected by the drafts will count towards the competition.

Coccinella's Carnival

The carnival is a time of masquerades, pranks, dancing and eating pastries - peraphs the most anticipated week of the younger residents of Trinacria. The first two days are dedicated to a parade of colourful floats, which are carried along the island's coast. They are large paper mache structures, all depicting animals and plants native to the archipelago, moved by tugging several ropes tied to a wheeled platform.

Wooden planks must first be laid on the beach, as the wheels are not suited for traveling on sand. It has recently become a tradition to build small floats, which are meticulously made from leftover paper and hand-painted before being placed next to the home's entrance. Most will represent someone or something of significance to the family; some dragons believe that building miniatures of past years' floats will bring them luck.

In the following three days, fruits and pastries of all shapes and colors adorn the tables. Dragons don't digest milk easily and can only occasionally eat sugars, so sweets are mostly meant for the beastclans.

A favorite among the little ones are Chiacchiere - or Bugie - sweet dough strips with citrus aromas, deep fried in oil and then topped with powdered sugar or dipped in white chocolate.

The most popular among adults is probably the Cassata, a ricotta-filled sponge cake decorated with marzipan, iced, and crowned with large pieces of candied fruits; another is the Cannolo, a cylindrical fried dough stuffed with various fillings. Sugar paste is modeled after objects, animals and fruits, which pastry chefs love to make as realistic looking as possible to confuse foreigner plant-eating tourists.

Dancing and music events take place in the weekend, during which the participants are expected (but not pressured) to attend in costume wearing a mask. Maskmakers sell their wares only during the first morning, after which they close shop to join the masquerade ball.

The tipical trinacrian masks are made of stark white porcelain or thick bone, frequently gilded and decorated with gems or precious metals, and are commonly worn with a tricorn hat.

Among the many mask designs the most commonly seen are the following:

The Larva is characterized by the inclusion of an over-prominent nose, a thick supraorbital ridge, a projecting "chin line", and no mouth. Its beak-like chin is designed to enable the wearer to talk, eat, and drink without having to remove it. Its wearer may also carry a cane and wear a black clasped cape.

The Volto covers the entire face, extending farther to the whole of the chin, just before the ears and upwards to the top of the forehead, making it a much tighter fit than the Larva; it does however depict a much bigger range of facial expressions. It's worn with a headdress, scarf, veil, or a combination of all three.

The Colombina is an half-mask, meant to hide the wearer's eyes, nose, and upper cheeks, but not the mouth. It can have simple patterns or be highly decorated with gold, silver, crystals, and feathers. Like most other masks, it is tied with a red ribbon, but can also be held up to the face by a baton, usually made out of gold shaped into flowers or serpentine creatures such as snakes or spiral dragons.

The Bestia doesn't have a unique design, but rather represents a vast array of creatures from all around Sornieth. Maskmakers may use different materials to accomplish the best results, depending on the subject.

Hatchlings love to craft their own masks with the adults' leftover paint and adhesive tape, resulting in paper caricatures of various dragons breeds.

✽

Ismaele
Italian • English
Adult

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He/Him • They/Them
Asexual
Aromantic

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Earth/Light/Water Flight
FR time +9

Articles/books I used to build my clan's lore:

• The influence of rock structures on coast-line and cliff development around Tintagel, North Cornwall
Gilbert Wilson

• Akrotiri, Thera: An Architecture of Affluence 3,500 Years Old
Clairy Palyvou

• Archaeomineralogy
George Rapp

• Ancient Mesopotamian Materials and Industries: The Archaeological Evidence
P. R. S. Moorey

• A Day in the Salt Marsh
Kurtz Kevin

• Salt Marshes: Ecosystem, Vegetation and Restoration Strategies
Hong-bo Shao

• Carolina Bays: Wild, Mysterious, and Majestic Landforms
Tom Poland

• New Zealand - Visitor Guide
The Coromandel

• Agricultural Sicily
David G. Basile

• La Feluca e la Pesca del Pesce Spada
nello Stretto di Messina
Marcello Guadagnino

• Mount Etna: The anatomy of a volcano
D.K. Chester, A.M. Duncan, J.E. Guest, C.R.J. Kilburn

• Mt. Etna: Volcano Laboratory
Alessandro Bonaccorso, Sonia Calvari, Ciro D. N., Mauro Coltelli, Susanna Falsaperla

• Coastal Geology
Juan A. Morales

• Physical Geology, 15th Edition
Charles C. Plummer, Diane H. Carlson, Lisa Hammersley

• Glossary of Geology
Klaus K.E. Neuendorf, James P. Mehl Jr., Julia A. Jackson

• Traditional Craft Techniques of Esparto Grass (Stipa tenacissima L.) in Spain
J. Fajardo, A. Verde, D. Rivera, C. Obón, S. Leopold

• Ear of Dionysius and Carnival of Venice
Wikipedia

• Tonnara di Marzamemi: La Storia
Salvo Sorbello

• Il Pesce azzurro a Marzamemi
Salvo Sorbello