Erostil

Erostil is one of the Shifting Isles, originally to the south of the land before the Breaking of the World. Under the rule of a constitutional democracy, Erostil is a tropical paradise, a popular travel destination, and home of the world-famous Erosti Leisure Guild.

Though in constant motion thanks to the shift cycle, Erostil remains mostly at or below the equator, giving it a warm, tropical climate. The Isle does get frequent rain, but never so severe as to hamper tourism. The weather sustains lush vegetation and tropical wildlife, including one creature that is entirely unique to the Isle: the shadowfish. By day, the shadowfish is exceedingly difficult to see despite being slow to move, so it is hunted for sport. By night, however, moonlight creates a bioilluminescent effect on the fish’s scales and greatly enhances the flavor, so hunting the fish at night, in addition to being effortless, affords the hunter a rich delicacy for his table.

The pure-blood Erosti are characterized by their perpetual tans and complete lack of hair. Being bald from head to toe, they are easy to recognize, besides being of a propensity to simply walk about naked wherever they go. The Erosti are pansexual, and celebrate the body in all its forms. As such, rape is the most heinous crime one can commit, and is punishable by surgical removal of the genitals, followed by three days of public humiliation. Pure-blood Erosti (and even many half-Erosti) are immune to all known sexually transmitted diseases, a fact which has been under extensive study by doctors on Agoran, leading to synthesized cures and even complete eradication of many of those diseases throughout the world.

Erostil is mostly known for the Erosti Leisure Guild, a union that trains and certifies Guildmates and Guildmistresses in all manner of bodily pleasures. Despite the majority of the world considering prostitution immoral, members of the Guild are highly respected and sought out around the globe for their varied talents, ranging from sex to cooking, from music to massage. The Guild focuses on all bodily pleasures, enticing all the senses, and the training is rigorous: A prospective member must pass exams in all required talents in order to achieve certification. A black market has developed from those who failed their exams. The Guild is also a worldwide supplier of various performance-enhancing and experience-enhancing drugs.

Marriage on Erostil is exceedingly rare, as is one’s knowledge of the identity of one’s father. Sex is given so frequently and so freely that it is often difficult to determine paternity without a genetic test, and those are rarely wanted. As such, a child is given its mother’s surname upon birth. The Erosti are also pacifists, and avoid involvement in the various wars throughout the history of the world, thus making them easy to conquer. Prior to the Breaking of the World, Erostil was under the Ceynesian banner, but the physical separation of the lands made Ceynes‘s hold on the new Isle impossible, and so a constitutional democracy formed instead.

The flag of Erostil is quartered diagonally, with the top and bottom triangles in green while the left and right are blue.

Erostil is featured in:

• The Five-Hour Wife (Shifting Isles Series, Book 5)
• Betrayal (Shifting Isles Series, Book 6)
• Second Place (Matchmakers Trilogy, Book 3)
• “Anchors Aweigh”
• Blindsighted (Shifting Isles Series, Book 8)
• Heavens Aground (Treble and the Lost Boys Trilogy, Book 2)
• Libertas (Shifting Isles Series, Book 9)
• Penetration (Shifting Isles Series, Book 11)