Tanrei Island

An island off the South Eastern coast of the Belenus mainland.

It originally belonged to a native tribe of Mertral, who were hunted to extinction a few short years after the arrival of The First Settlers. During the reign of Emperor Yu'he, it functioned as the base of the Kingdom of O'Sine. Under subsequent emperors, it became less politically important even as it remained culturally so. After the Rift, it once again became the base of the Vei, though this time as a carefully monitored protectorate.

Etymology
Originally called Legacy Rock, the island was renamed Tanrei Province after the Sunling companion of the Iyn Princess Yu'na in 115KO, when the Emperor Yu'he began establishing a provincial system to rule over the lands he had conquered.

It became known as Tanrei Island colloquially during the reign of Empress Yujin, and then officially at the beginning of The Second Epoch.

Geography
Tanrei Island is separated from the main Belenus landmass by the 180km Tanrei Strait and has a landmass of around 35,000 km2. The island is characterized by the contrast between the eastern two-thirds, consisting mostly of rugged mountains running in five ranges from the northern to the southern tip of the island, and the flat to gently rolling plains-area which house its greatest cities.

The climate is marine tropical, with a sunny cool winter, a hot and humid summer and a typhoon-filled rain season.

Largest Cities
The Academy - The Academy is a city that sprung up around the original Duskglider Hall. Originally known as Yu'he'Jyn (Yu'he Capital), its name was changed to The Academy after the Empress Mamna established it as a base to better understand Rift Maegye. It functioned as an important research center during the Second Epoch for both formalizing the study of Maegye by non-Vei and for controlling and closing Rifts. It became a refuge for Vei during the disastrous Twelve-Heir War and now functions in The Modern Era as a campus for perfecting the Maegye arts.

Starfruit City - Located in the south west of Tanrei Island, Starfruit City is best known for the Southern Palace, which was created as a headquarters for Emperor Yu'he for ruling the southern part of Tanrei Island. In The Modern Era, it functions as a mixed-use municipal building, museum to the Kingdom of O'Sine and commemoration of Mertral history. Its port is one of the busiest trade centers for linking Rainshower's Islands to the Belenus mainland.