Barrier Islands

The Barrier Islands are an archipelago in the Empty Sea, stretching from the Belt Oasis of East Tombi much of the way to Earini in Ambaya.

It consists of over 10,00,000 islands, most of which are very small. They are set upon a massive sandbar 26 miles in width and over 3,000 miles in length. This presents a major obstacle for large boat sailors, since the sea is only passable in the far East near Earini. The islands are very close together, and due to their size, many cities and villages span multiple islands, often close enough to be bridged, swam, or even waded between. It is potentially possible to swim all the way from East Tombi to the end of the barrier islands, 300 miles west of Earini, going from island to island. The furthest swim would be less than a mile.

The majority of the Barrier Islanders share a common culture, but they are fractured into a myriad of city states. The states are relatively underdeveloped, but are notably skilled in metallurgy, which they use chiefly for ornaments, but also for weapons. They are not a very warlike people, but have resisted attempts at conquest (most notably by Shemjhu) due to their isolation.

The most widely spoken language, and lingua franca among the Barrier Islanders in the Central Standard Barrier Island language. Their language and culture has a shared ancestry with Earini and Shemjhu. The Barrier Islands are also considered home to the most beautiful women in the world.