Skulldrome Isles

The Culldrome State of the Skulldrome Isles, more commonly known as the Skulldrome Isles or just Skulldrome, and formerly known as the Ninjiana Isles, is an island archipelago located south-east of the Culldrome mainland. Formerly an independent archipelago, Skulldrome was annexed into the Culldrome Isles after the ninja occupation of Culldrome during the late 1800s, and had a brief period of autonomy in the 1980s. Civil wars, such as the Porcyal War and Culldrome Civil War, in the 1990s and 2010s have resulted in the instability of the region, with its full integration into Culldrome a key issue. Many ninjas live on the islands, which have been well known for their ninja culture for hundreds of years; the culture is vastly different to that of the rest of Culldrome.

Early History


Penguins have inhabited the Skulldrome Isles before the Culldrome Isles were settled upon, possibly during the early High Penguin Confederacy. It is not known exactly when, but very old records reveal that the islands have been inhabited as early as the 5th century. Around this time, there were many small towns scattered around Skulldrome. Most of the towns were located on the coast and dedicated to fishing. There have been, however, records of a few small towns located inland, in the rolling hills of the isles.

It is believed that the penguins who inhabited the towns first arrived in the Skulldrome area from various parts of the Antarctic mainland. The penguins were a mix of High Penguins and Viking Penguins. The penguins were grouped into small tribes. Estimates show that there could've been over 200 different tribes in existence at the time. Towns expanded all over the isles, eventually expanding a large inland empire.

Soon, a large amount of Ninjas migrated in from Antarctica. The majority of the population consisted of ninjas, who began to spread their wise knowledge. Ninjas from Diamond Falls in Club Penguin also began to move to Skulldrome, spreading the art of Card-Jitsu along. The ninjas also spread around a different language and culture, Japanese. The Japanese ninjas influenced the isles heavily, with the language and culture still very prominent even today.

In the 8th century, the scattered tribes united under one kingdom. Officially the Kingdom of the Ninjiana Isles, the islands were ruled in a monarchy, with a king or queen having absolute power. After generations, the Ninjiana Isles became involved in sea trade. Penguins built large sailing ships and traveled all around the seas. Records exist of ninjas traveling to locations as far as the Ninja Archipelago. The kingdom also developed their mining industry and amassed a large amount of precious jewels, crystals and gold because of the trading. The ninjas also set up mining operations so that they could sell their own minerals.

As they mined they found strange, purple crystals. After experiments and tests, it was found that these crystals possessed extremely powerful powers. They named these crystals Porcyals. The ninjas mastered these powers and trained other ninjas about how to use these powers. Those ninjas train more ninjas, who trained even more ninjas. Soon, most of the ninjas in the Ninjiana Isles knew how to use the powers of the Porcyals.

Culldrome and the Occupation
When a group of penguins, including the legendary Mark the Warrior, explored the territory near the Ninjiana Isles they established a colony on what is now the Culldrome Isles. The explorers had seen the powers of the Porcyal and believed that they could be obtained in the area. The ninjas saw this as a threat and that they would lose control of the Porcyals. So in response, they invaded the newly founded colony.

The colony was ill prepared and their forces were swiftly wiped out. Culldrome became part of the Ninjiana Isles' territory for around 30 years. During these 30 years, the citizens were ordered to mine for Porcyals, which the ninjas would collect. Some of the citizens were also put to work in small factories, tasked with making silk clothing or timber products.

However, in 1890, Mark the Warrior, the penguin who had originally founded the colony, rose up and defeated the ninjas. He drove them out of the land with help from a small army he had formed. The ninja forces retreated back to the Ninjiana Isles. Many treaties were signed, ensuring that they wouldn't attack again (but, boy, did they break them...). The Ninjiana Isles were also renamed the Skulldrome Isles, due to the reign of tyranny that they forced on the colonists. With this, Skulldrome was also annexed to become part of Culldrome.

Under Culldrome Rule
Since Skulldrome was annexed into Culldrome, they gained many new things. Trade allowed the two to gain new goods and to grow larger. Culldrome also gave Skulldrome military protection. In the 1940s, electricity arrived to Skulldrome, as it was hooked up to the Governance network. In the 1960s, oil arrived and with it came cars, trucks, airplanes and better ships.

Cities and townships in Skulldrome began to grow due to increased population. The economy grew, and Skulldrome became wealthy. With the money, aging infrastructure, dating back to the 1910s, was rebuilt. Many buildings changed from old, wooden structures to buildings made out of brick and stone. Eventually, the Skulldrome ninjas and Culldrome inhabitants assimilated with each other, with the two vastly different cultures blending into one. Skulldrome also benefited enormously from its annexation, with a large population boost and growth all around.

In the 1980s, several movements began to grow advocating for the autonomy of Skulldrome from Culldrome. In 1985, Supreme Leader James Itkan granted this autonomy creating the Autonomous Republic of the Skulldrome Isles. The new state began to develop its own military and focused on its development and isolation from the rest of the world.

Porcyal War
Main article: Porcyal War

During the late 1980s, a rebellion force began to develop, spurred on by the Porcyal Order. The rebellion consisted of many ninjas, politicians, high ranking officials and normal citizens, who secretly wanted to overthrow the Culldrome government. The rebel group wanted full control of Culldrome, just like before the colonisation of the archipelago decades before. Tensions began to rise, until, in a surprise move, Skulldrome invaded the Treshurr Isles, putting the whole archipelago into a civil war. After countless battles and many losses, the battle eventually ended. In the aftermath, Snelten Island was (accidentally) created and many laws were changed and introduced, much notably the Treaty of Treshurr. The treaty prohibited the use of Porcyals as weapons. Eventually, this certain law was amended in 2013.

Culldrome Civil War
In the 2000s, Skulldrome had thoroughly recovered from the war. Technology vastly improved, bringing in things like large transportation systems to sustainable energy solutions. The economy also improved, making Skulldrome wealthy. In 2012, the small rebellion group attacked again in the Nightmare of Culldrome. This caused heavy criticism of Steven Snowen, Supreme Leader of Culldrome. This made the public support Blizzard Dux, Steven's rival. In 2014, Blizzard seceded Skulldrome and Culldrome Yow, forming the Confederacy of Independent Culldrome. A day later, they attacked Culldrome, once again entering a period of civil war.

The Confederacy briefly swelled up in territorial size and power before being recaptured by Culldrome again, ending the war. In the aftermath, the Confederacy was destroyed and disbanded. Skulldrome was rebuilt after its war time destruction. Today, Skulldrome continues to grow and attracts many ninjas from around Antarctica, who now call it their home.

Map and Locations


The Skulldrome Isles consists of a total of 6,361 islands. Most of the islands are very small, uninhabited and unnamed. The largest 151 islands are named, but only the 15 largest islands are usually featured on maps, due to their size and prominence. The largest five islands themselves together hold 97% of Skulldrome's population.


 * Skulldrome Island: The main and largest island in the isles. It is an economic hotspot and there are many cities here.
 * Ninja Island: Full of hills, this small island is where the largest Dojos in the isles are located. Many ninjas train here.
 * Water Island: There are many lakes, waterfalls and rivers on this island. Rain is very common here.
 * Ice Island: It is traditionally believed that this island was actually an ice berg. However, it is actually a mountainous island with lots of snow and ice.
 * Fire Island: This island is actually volcano that grew so large that it broke sea level and became an island. It has been errupting since the 1800s.

There are also a few settlements located around the isles, most of them situated on Skulldrome Island.


 * Shadow City (かげ シティ) - The capital city of the Skulldrome Isles. It is the bustling center of the isles and houses 60,000 citizens.
 * Warrior Town (戦士 タウン) - A small mining town nestled in between hills and mountains.
 * Carp Town (コイ タウン) - A port town located on the coast of Skulldrome Island. It's largest industry is fishing, and provides most of the mainland with seafood.
 * Sky Town (空 タウン) - A town located high up in the mountainous area of the mainland. It is very isolated from other towns and can sometimes be empty.

Cuisine
Today, Skulldrom cuisine is much like Culldrom Cuisine. Fish is a common food eaten, especially during dinner. Vegetables, such as mashed potatoes or carrots, are also commonly eaten. Rice is a very common food that accompanies fish and vegetables, as it is abundant and was a traditional meal. Other traditional foods include Asiapelagoian noodles and soup, which continue to be eaten, even today.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, the ninjas were said to have traded with the far off Gentoo Island. There, they discovered one of the first variations of Cream Soda. From then on, it became a famous drink that was drunk at celebrations. Wealthy penguins, though, could afford the price of Cream Soda and could drink it whenever they wanted.

Lifestyle
Skulldrom lifestyle is still somewhat similar to traditional lifestyle. Even though the penguins usually inherit their position, they still train to become a ninja. Many begin their training between the ages of 13 and 20, though some can even start training at the age of 8. The training lasts for a long time, and eventually, the trainees earn their belts and become ninjas. These ninjas usually undergo even more training, to wield the elements of fire, water and ice. Some ninjas, after becoming masters of these elements, train even more. The Skulldrome Isles have been known to raise many skillful ninjas.

During training, only the greatest and most skillful get to learn the age old art of using the powers of the Porcyal. However, due to laws set up, actually using the Porcyal outside of Dojos is considered illegal. Porcyals, and their wielders are often monitored greatly so as to not use them for evil.

There are many Puffles in the Skulldrome Isles. As Puffle ninjas became more common in places like Club Penguin, it also became common in Skulldrome. Due to this, a large portion of Skulldrome's Puffles are also ninjas.

Architecture
Due to the ninja heritage, Skulldrom architecture is a mixture of Japalandese and traditional ninja architecture. Structures are usually made out of wood, with grass roofs. Stone and bricks are increasingly becoming common in Skulldrome. In more modern areas, such as big cities, modern architecture is used. This consists of tall concrete and glass skyscrapers or bricked buildings. Roads are usually constructed with cobblestone or just dirt. However, in big cities, roads are constructed with modern asphalt. For indoor areas, the structure usually compromises of wood. The wooden floor accompanies the walls, which are made out of rice paper that is framed with wood.



Military
Despite the providing Skulldrome with protection, Skulldrome also possess a small army, mostly consisting of ninjas. These ninjas are masters in the elements of water, ice and fire. As such, they use these elements in battle. However, Porcyals are prohibited from use, unless a major war is going on.

Since a large number of ninjas are already adequately trained, ninjas are often required to help their country during wartime. This technically results in a conscription (ie: compulsory military training). However, there are some non-ninjas who do not have any experience, and thus conscription isn't required legally.

Demographics
There are many penguins and puffles in the Skulldrome Isles. Penguins account for 80% of the population and puffles account for the next 20%. Nearly all of the population are all ninjas, even the puffles. Only a small number of citizens are not ninjas. The top 5 groups that account for penguins are Adelie Penguins (70%), Viking Penguins (20%), High Penguins (5%), King Penguins (3%) and Little Penguins. Most of the citizens have their ancestry traced back to Japaland (30%) or the Ninja Archipelago (23%). The remaining percentage makes up of many smaller groups.

Flag
The flag of the Skulldrome Isles was first flown in 1915, five years after it was annexed into the Culldrome Isles. The flag was chosen by a competition run by the government. The citizens of Skulldrome could enter the contest and design a flag. The parts of many flags were chosen and merged into one flag that is now used even today.

The flag is vastly different from any of the state flags currently used. The black and grey stripes represent the ninja mask and belt that has been traditionally worn. In the upper left quarter, the three stars represent the three elements: fire, ice and water. The symbol in the middle also represents the elements. The red lines represent fire, the blue circle;water, and the grey circle; ice.

Trivia

 * There are more than 15 islands in the archipelago. They are so small, however, that they are not counted.
 * Estimates put the actual island count into the thousands.
 * Some say that Skulldrome is a "ninja-dominant" version of Japaland.
 * The symbol on the top left of the flag is a parody of this from the Pirates of the Caribbean film series.