Xhequal Iron Islands
Xhequal Iron Islands Xhequal Iron Isles | |||||
| |||||
Map of the Iron Islands, east of Xhequa and the Omere Channel | |||||
Nation | |||||
Official languages: | Atraelish (Xhequan dialect) | ||||
Demonym: | Xhequal Iron Islander | ||||
Politics | |||||
Government: | Colony | ||||
Part of: | Xhequa | ||||
State religion: | Igniscism (Classical) | ||||
Conquered: | colonised 1644 | ||||
Geography & Demographics | |||||
Time zone: | SMT +7 | ||||
Economy | |||||
Currency: | Ishral(?) | ||||
Core industries: | Guano, seafood, tropical fruits | ||||
[Source] |
The Xhequal Iron Islands is a island colony of Xhequa that was colonised in 1644. The island cluster has for centuries been a crucial centre of trade and nexus for state-commissioned pirate hunters patrolling the trade routes between the Omere channel and the rich islands and shores of Urcinne, with less patrolled waters being frequently scoured by pirates and privateers.
The origin of the islands' name is disputed, since no profitable ore veins of any kind have ever been recorded on the islands, with the oldest currently known historical mention of "Iron Islands" appearing in a bill of sale from the then Chancellor of Xhequa to a slave trading company dated to 1650. A popular explanation is that the islands were named both after the iron ball-and-chains worn by slaves who frequently stopped at the islands on their way from Urcinne to Cymlun, as well as the anchors of the dozens of ships that made their stops on the islands' ports every day. Ahistorical as they may be, these two symbols were later enshrined in the official colony flag that was adopted in 1705.