Oomura: (island info, etc. based on +bbread post 9/17 and RL Dominican Republic)

Some four weeks to the southwest of Southport lie a chain of volcanic islands known simply as The Islands. Tropical in climate, The Islands feature palm trees, brightly-colored birds, and white-sand beaches. The principal island is the island of Oomura. Although there are many different cultural groups, or tribes, most of the islanders are brown-skinned, dark-haired, and dark-eyed. The main tribe, the Oomurami, are easy-going in lifestyle but fierce in battle. Work divides along traditional gender lines, but women are considered social equals to the men, and men express emotion freely and cry without shame. Sex is treated as a natural thing, with few taboos and no shame attached.

The Islands has no centralized government; each tribe has its own set-up, primarily monarchy, with its own rules of succession. Because of the location and the lack of central government and codified law, The Islands attract traders, whalers, and pirates. Chief exports are coffee, citrus fruit, coconuts, and pineapples.

Weather: Oomura (and the other islands) have a primarily tropical climate, with more local variations in temperature than seasonal ones. August is muggy and hot, January a bit less so. There are two rainy seasons, October to May along the northern coast and May to October in the south. Oomura rain isn't your garden-variety 'just-enough-to-cool-things-off' precipitation - this stuff drenches waterfall-style and could easily last half a day.The June-to-September hurricane season might be worth missing; though the chances of one blowing through are miniscule.

Environment: Oomura is blanketed with lush rainforests teeming with diverse flora and fauna, including some 1500 species not found anywhere else. There are isolated pockets of untamed nature enough to satisfy the most adamant ecotourist.

The main challenges facing the environment are overpopulation and poverty. It's a familiar cycle: Forests are razed to provide firewood, building materials and farmland; the mountainous countryside and heavy rains conspire to send the fragile topsoil into the ocean; and the earth is rendered all but barren. Various organizations in Oomura are working to build a sustainable relationship between the growing population and the increasingly pressured ecosystem, but any such changes are difficult to make.

Despite all this, Oomura boasts some seriously beautiful countryside, from mangrove swamps to highland cloud forests, dozens of gorgeous blooming trees and more than 218 species of birds. Offshore the wildlife is even more spectacular, particularly the famous gathering of humpback whales in the Bahía de Samaná during the breeding season. Manatees, pilot whales and more than eight species of sea turtle call the waters surrounding Hispaniola home. All of this surrounded by white sand beaches most beautiful.