nockyo

~Hammer Islands~
The Islands of the Hammer are another one of the member archipelagos of the League of Fifty Islands. Though older than the Southern Archipelago, the Hammer Islands share a common piece of major history in the Eagle War and the circumstances that led up to it, and thusly have a shared culture that is strong on most of the islands. The values espoused by those on the Hammer Islands tend to be hard work and industriousness (hence the name), defiance, sternness, or a combination of the above. They also have overall something of an emphasis on religion and light magic. The Hammer Islands get along far better with some League archipelagos than others, as a note.
The Hammer Islands consist of Nock, [and a bunch of other islands I’ve not yet made]
Nock: The island of Nock is the most populous and largest island of the Hammer Islands, and the second most populous of the Fifty Islands. It’s in many respects a (fierce) rival for Corolla, though it doesn’t quite dominate its archipelago.
Nock’s large enough that its geography was inevitably going to have *some* variance, but most of the island is dominated by plains and meadows, flat expanses of grass varying from humid to semi-arid, crossed by rivers. The island does have in its southwestern and southeastern corners areas of swamp and desert, respectively, however.
Despite its relative homogeneity, Nock is a rather big place with a lot of people, and thusly it has a good few places of note. Nock’s plains are naturally the preferred ground of beasts such as cattle and horses, and the way of life there is defined by herding and riding across the rolling prairies to the horizon, an active but sufficient life – aided by business with the cities and forts that do dot the plains. The desert corner of Nock tends to bring forth instead careful hikes under the beating sun, often encouraging people to take up anima or light magic instead of hot, hard physical combat. The fertile marshes are rich with life, leading to quite the bounty of agriculture. The city of Magnolia (the islands largest) lies on the verge between the swamps and the plains, and gets the ¬¬best of both worlds, a thriving metropolis profiting from herding and agriculture. Its capital, Strange, is similar in that it sits between the desert and the plains, but rather than a fusion it is a, well, strange pocket of intense culture and music, and proud of it.
Nock’s culture is one that puts high focus on defense and bows, but it wouldn’t quite be accurate to call Nock a martial culture - though it emphasizes that too, it emphasizes militias more; the idea of each man carrying his own bow and being prepared to make the life of any would-be invader a hellish one is rather prevalent. Nock was at the center of the claims that started the Eagle War, and took the first wave and brunt of the ensuing invasion. The League settlers of Nock proceeded to become very familiar with guerilla war, and their harrying, asymmetrical warfare was bloody for all involved… and greatly helped win the war. Nock takes profound pride in this.
Though Nock’s a big and oft-varied place, Nock’s pride and joy comes in the form of its archers. Whether an infantry archer sharpshooter or a nomad performing hit-and-runs, Nock found great success against the Empire of the Eagle with archery, and thusly Nock keeps its archery tradition at the forefront (it's the reason for the island's name). That said, it also puts out mages from the desert, soldiers from its forts, and performers from Strange, so it’s hardly limited.