Maiko's Note
There are places on Madun where silence is not absence, but memory. The Pashkeldjani han Daninsha are among them. I’ve studied transmissions from orbit, topography scans, even wave patterns — and still, something in that chain of islands resists being known.
The locals call them stepping stones to the goddess. I’m not so sure they’re for stepping forward. Sometimes, things are placed on the path not to guide you, but to see who dares walk it.
The Islands Towards the Sun
Shindjal: Pashkelani han Daninsha
Faction:
Imperi kòu Hanjelani
"Where the sun walks low and the sea forgets the land, the scattered stones still dream of gods."
— Traditional sailor's rhyme, translated
1. Overview
Known in Drabàshabal as Pashkeldjani han Daninsha, the Isles Toward the Sun, the Southern Isles are a long chain of rocky tropical islands stretching southward from the tip of Shawadjàn. As they reach into the southern sea, the intervals between them grow wider and their nature more wild. The terrain is a contrast of jagged cliffs, bleached rock, shallow coral bays, and soft, empty beaches. The sun rises hot over the eastern sea and sets slowly over the western horizon - but in the isles, the sun dominates the sky, ever present.
To many, the Southern Isles represent the edge of the known world - beautiful, remote, and only half-understood.
2. Usage and Access
Despite their distance, the Pashkeldjani han Daninsha are accessible during periods of calm weather. Their open bays and calm inlets invite exploration. But at irregular intervals, terrible storms strike with little warning, slamming the islands with violent winds and rain. During these storms, all travel ceases, and the isles become isolated for entire cycles.
Because of these conditions, few people settle here permanently. Most inhabitants are seasonal fishermen, or rotating labor crews working under contracts issued by the Empire or wealthy Nodilani factions. There are no tribal societies here, only clusters of tents, toolsheds, and boatyards - structures meant to be left behind when the wind turns.
3. Imperial Presence
The Imperi kòu Handjelani have shown a growing and secretive interest in the Southern Isles. While not a heavily militarized region, the Empire has funded work camps, authorized restricted excavations, and silenced inquiries about what is being removed from the rock or seabed.
Rumors abound - that the Empire has discovered fragments of pre-landing relics, that a Theseus-era vault sank into the southern trench, or that a mineral unique to Madun lies buried here. Whatever the truth, Imperial ships patrol the central isles, and outsiders who approach during certain cycles are turned away with soft threats.
4. Environment and Unknowns
The climate of the Southern Isles is tropical, but its vegetation is strange and subdued. Trees are short and gnarled, their leaves dark and stiff. The beaches are littered with petrified driftwood and spiny, curling vines. Fishermen speak of fruit that hums in the hand, or shells that never dry, but none of these have been properly studied.
No great beasts are known to dwell here - but even the "birds" are strange, flying low and vanishing quickly when watched.
5. Linguistic Note
The Drabàshabal name for the Southern Isles is Pashkeldjani han Daninsha, which translates to “The Isles Toward the Sun.”
pash = water
kel = small
djan = land/place
-i = plural suffix
han = toward
Daninsha = our star (the sun goddess)
The phrase does more than indicate direction - it reflects the way the Nodilan people understand space and sacredness. To move han Daninsha is not just to go south, but to move closer to the divine warmth of the sun. The islands, therefore, are seen by some as stepping stones toward Daninsha herself - even if their surfaces are carved by wind and salt.
6. Cultural Beliefs & Superstitions
Among both sailors and landfolk, the Southern Isles carry an air of unease and reverence. While beautiful to the eye, the isles are rarely seen as welcoming. Those who stay too long return changed - quiet, distracted, sometimes unable to sleep for nights.
Superstitions include:
Never speak a wish aloud while on the isles - the sea listens.
Never take stone from the pashkeldjani - it may be part of something that still remembers.
When the storms come early, it means Daninsha is displeased.
7. In the Words of Sailors
“You can hear the wind hum through the rocks like a voice. Sometimes it’s Sulmalan. Sometimes it’s something else.”
— Drabàshi deckhand“I saw lights beneath the water once. Not Pashunarak. Not fire. Like ruins dreaming.”
— Endulani fisherman, retired“I’ve been there four times. Never the same. Never felt welcome.”
— Imperial transport pilot
Maiko's Note
There are places on Madun where silence is not absence, but memory. The Pashkeldjani han Daninsha are among them. I’ve studied transmissions from orbit, topography scans, even wave patterns — and still, something in that chain of islands resists being known.
The locals call them stepping stones to the goddess. I’m not so sure they’re for stepping forward. Sometimes, things are placed on the path not to guide you, but to see who dares walk it.
