What You Should Know

We realise that it can be difficult, sometimes, to keep up with all of the new canon generated by/for the exiles. Thus: this page. We hope it will provide a useful, quick primer to life on the islands.

General

• The exiles live a very communal lifestyle.
• The comet pass hit the exiles harder than people in the mainland: without warning, they were often caught out when thread fell, resulting in heavy casualties.
• The exiles currently have a single trained harper: seventeen-turn-old Emmeline. She has recently been required to take Seani as her apprentice. Harper-duties are focused primarily upon the teaching of children, but may also involve advising the council as required.
• Marriages are often decided by the council of elders. Sometimes, people are allowed to choose their spouses, but all must be approved by the council.

Climate and Geography

• The island(s) are roughly west of Tillek, giving them a very similar climate: wet, cool, misty.
• The islands are rocky and bare, and made moreso by the Thread that has fallen for most of the time the exiles have been living there.

Leadership

• The leader of the exiles is Cason, a direct descendent of Henret.
• In addition to Cason, the exiles are governed by a council of elders.
• Shimana is also on the council.
• Iolene's grandmother, also known as Grams, is the keeper of the stores/Headwoman and thus has a presence of the council.
• Viremi, grandfather of Devaki, Evali and Kiami, mostly retired mindhealer, still serves on the council of elders.

Food and housing

• During the Thread turns, the exiles lived in the cave system. Since then, most people have moved into rock-and-mud huts around the settlement area.
• Families tend to live together, but unmarried people may move into communal huts.
• Fish, seafood, mosses and seaweed formed the basic diet of the exiles for most of their time on the island. Some plants were grown during the first couple of turns, the period between the end of the pass and the beginning of the comet pass, and since the end of the comet pass.