The Laoguna District is divided into two different areas: “continental” Laoguna, and Emerald Land, made up of the strip of Muka trees on the other side of lagoon. Laoguna was called Tunali by its original inhabitants, the Reatai, who lived off fishing activities in the bay. However, Lao’s arrival, motivated by the land’s close proximity to the oil rigs on Emerald Land, brought an overwhelming immigration influx. It drove not only the Reatai away, but also all the fish. When the Plague compromised the mining activities, Laoguna was left behind. Much of its population was forced to live a DIY existence. The least privileged segments of society were pushed toward the sea on terraformed landfills, and middle class inhabitants occupied the traditional buildings in the “continent.” In the late 20th century, fancy opportunities drove wealthy Rilaoans to a terraformed Emerald Land, where high tech buildings were marketed as vacation homes or hip hideaways from the overcrowded Laoguna.
3 oz. High Proof Rum
1 tsp. Palm Sugar
Direction:
Muddle with 1 lemon and light on fire.
The Muka Highball is served at the “Old Rio” A bar in Emerald Land. It is in honor of “The Muka Five” a group of businessmen who started stem construction using illegal embargoed goods. They developed low cost housing along with the rapid growing skyrises. Their operations ended up costing 20 lives.
Joe Unger and Malone Lumarda
Glyph found in the catacombs where the All Knowing Guru, Minao, lived and founded an underground education system.
Andrew Bliss
The real voyage of discovery consists, not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.
-Marcel Proust
After the Quarantine and enactment of mandatory cremations of infected bodies, Laoguna developed the tradition of memorializing late relatives by keeping their eyes–an emblem of their souls. The departed Laogunian was thought to receive a new pair of eyes upon entering the afterlife. The process, called “sighting” has long since been derided by Riloans of other districts, calling Laogunians who follow the tradition “Hollowers” after the hollow sockets left behind.
The manner of storing them became more and more elaborate over time, as did the tradition of representing the personality and the class of the person through decorations on the urn. Eye preservation techniques also evolved over the ages, and few early artifacts from the plague era exist. Nowadays, experienced morticians in Laoguna provide packages for every price point, including urns carved with increasing levels of craftsmanship.
This artifact (exhibit 1) comes from the Tali family, belonging to Teo Tali who died on his 87th birthday in the year 1974. Photo taken with permission from Ela Nali, his granddaughter, in October 2014.
When Nara Leoni was born blind to arguably the richest and most influential family in Laoguna, a shift took place in the tradition.
In 1984, Nara Leoni was born to the Leoni Family, the wealthiest and arguably the most influential family in Laoguna. But, Nara was born blind. After a difficult childhood and learning to read and “see” with his hands, Nara became one of the most acclaimed sculptors of Riloa. After his death at the young age of 26, the Leoni family adapted the Laogunian tradition to better reflect his particular circumstances (exhibit 2). This led to a new era in Laogunian memorialization. Most famously, Jani Ara requested in his will that his whole head be memorialized, leading to a legal debate (Ara v. Riloan Supreme Court).
Trisha Williams, and Spandana Myneni
Now that Rilao borders are open to mainlanders, a flood of new food items appeared on the islands. Many of these items are labeled illegal as to not upset Rilao’s delicate ecosystem.
Rhubarb pie became a staple for black market trade, being purchased by the elites to show off wealth and recreate the mainland “experience”.
Alina Levy, Iain Nash, and Trisha Williams
The project can be seen in an interactive manner at the link above.
Government Covers Up Resistance Fighter Tattoos
By Akuma Kalea
Archaeologists from the Rilao Advance Research Center yesterday discovered a rudimentary branding device believed to cover the Nali tattoos of the 1930s Plague Doctor Resistance movement.
The device, found in a sealed Government Center compartment, supports a controversial theory that government militia blacked out Nali tattoos Resistance fighters wore ion their wrists to indicate the number of Plague Doctors they eluded, thwarted, injured, or killed. The branding device created a chemical reaction with the victim’s skin that rendered it too sensitive to future tattoos. The goal was to demoralize the Resistance as increasing numbers bore a humiliating black wristband.
“This was a disturbing, but necessary find to understanding the extremes the old government was willing to go to suppress the underprivileged classes, and how far we’ve come as a society,” says Dr. Radi Moreno, professor of Plague Era Artefacts at the Center.
Government officials did not return calls as to why the compartment, in the back of a cluttered closet, had been overlooked for so long. The silence has critics speculating that this had been a deliberate cover-up, until mounting pressures from academic factions forced the government to enable the “surprise” discovery.
Susan Karlin, Habib Zargarpour
In Rilao, advances in Genomics and Stem Cell Science have permitted Animal to Human Neuro-Transplantation of desirable animal physical, but more importantly, personality traits into mature Humans who have violated acceptable standards of Moral Behavior or have certain cognitive defects. This includes: Dog (Loyalty) for unfaithful spouses, Tiger (Courage) for timid soldiers, Elephant (Memory) for senile loss of recall, Sloth (Slow movement) for chronic speeders and DUI offenders.
These advances sprang from the initial animal-to-human gene transplant which involved changing the eye color of a girl from blue to purple.
Donald Moore, Habib Zargarpour
Raymond Burns, Laoguna’s most famous executioner, was feared for his cruel methods. He would tie the victim to a chair in the middle of the Laoguna arena, and force them to watch all the episodes of the Marakihau Telenova with its original, 1980’s audio.
Karl Baumann, Pedro Curi, Osbert Parker, Beth Coleman, Howard Goldkrand
The chest extender device is designed to attract exotic birds. Naila eggs are laid through the head of the bird, so the goal is to collect the egg for the all-important potion of Dinwa, the essence of the DOL hallucinogenic ceremonies.
Chilabongs are worn by Carnival dancers. Naila birds are attracted to the bright color of the Chilabong. As they are flying downwards, their eggs fall from their heads and the dancers must position their Chilabongs in such a way as to catch the eggs without breaking them. The “harvested” eggs are then delivered to Dinwa distillers.
Pamela Jennings
Dinwa, a mild hallucinogenic beverage used at DOL meetups during which they entered into a trance state and “engaged in visions pertaining to Lao” and then afterwards went into the town and wrought havoc on the elites in the name of the cause.
Dinwa is distilled from the eggs of the Naila bird. The Naila bird eats the Chali worms which feed on the leaves of the Muka tree. The hallucinogenic enzyme is produced during the digestive process. The eggs are placed in an absinthe for 10 years for fermentation.
Originally dinwa was made by the local population (similar to the production of moonshine); it was later produced and bottled commercially by Hubbley’s Bottling & Brewing.
Alcohol by volume: 120 proof
Pamela Jennings, Jonathan Thomas, Mark Wolf, Andrew Bliss, Catherine Baumgartner
Islanders with ambiguous sexuality use this distinct piece of jewelry to identify themselves. Its beads, which look like eyes are used as marbles with which sexual favors are payed for and exchanged.
Alli Hornstein
