The Conspiracy

Not much is known about the Nadasaloy Conspiracy as its participants were never caught. The following is pieced together from various parties testimony in an investigation ordered by the Rajah of Kaylahon.

Motivations

Political powers from Nadasaloy fomented disdain towards Kaylahon as a result of its economic success relative to the smaller northern town. This leadership sought to raise the position of their town to become economic equals, seeing their position along the north side of the island as potentially preferable to traders approaching from Northern Islands. A certain faction of these civic nationalists committed secretly to more radical means of attaining this goal, thus the Nadasaloy Conspiracy was born.

Events

The events of this occur 20 years before today. Specifics differ between accounts, particularly Nadasaloy residents tend to view the impact as greater than those in Kaylahon.

Buy Local/Boycott

The initial effort to raise the profile of Nadasaloy was aimed at increasing feelings of localism and focusing on creating a distinctive culture. Driven by messaging around the magical waters of the crystal pool and the river flowing through town, products were advertised as superior to anything coming from outside, their consumption created superior people, and by comparison the purchase and use of outside resources represented a weakening of the town. This resulted in a local economy that while flourishing at its size, became increasingly isolated as less trade was being made between Kaylahon and its massive markets to the docks at Nadasaloy.

A Dangerous Plan

Those supporting Nadasaloy's economic rise were faced with a contradiction--diverging from this local first messaging could damage their reputation with the townspeople and regionally as they admit their claims were either false or exaggerated. Reduced trade means more money was not coming into the town, resulting in stagnation over time as residents began having to live without goods they had been accustomed to. A radical contingent involving high ranking members of Nadasaloy's leadership, including the Datu at the time, committed to a dangerous plan: it was not enough to create a perception of Nadasaloy superiority; the situation required them to damage the reputation of Kaylahon.

Sinking of the Monkfish

Led by the Datu himself, warriors from Nadasaloy painted their bodies with white clay and boarded The Monkfish as it sailed with a massive bounty of goods originating from outside the islands (ironically, carrying many goods from the Colony prior to the latter's discovery of the Islands itself). The arrival of this galleon was highly anticipated as many of the merchants and wealthy of Kaylahon had invested in this venture, and the people of Kaylahon eagerly awaited the prizes of the voyage. As the ship entered the bay and approached the dock at Kaylahon, fighting erupted followed by an enormous explosion at two points in the ship. The blood in the water attracted sharks which plagued the bay for weeks.

Aftermath

Trade and trust was impacted as outrage over the brazen attack led to mystery over its perpetrators. Certain inter-island traders switched their importing to the docks at Nadasaloy, bringing much needed life to the local economy by giving them first pass at these goods and allowing its merchants to make money porting them over to Kaylahon themselves. The Rajah ordered an investigation into the matter, which began pointing without conclusive proof towards Nadasaloy, resulting in soured relations. A critical moment in the investigation was the discovery of a preserved white handprint on the side of the boat from the wreckage, brought up by treasure hunting divers. The handprint, which was distinctively large, was cut from the deck and used to measure against suspects. In a shocking accusation, the Rajah demanded the Datu of Nadasaloy place his hand against the print. When it was discovered to be a perfect match, terrible tensions between the settlements grew. Before war could break out, the son of the Datu emerged with a bloody obsidian knife, claiming his father admitted to his crime and that his son slayed him for the good of the people of the Island. Relations subsequently returned to a relative normal state, although other perpetrators of the conspiracy were never caught. The white hand became a symbol of Nadasaloy civic nationalism.