Anatha

Anatha is the only island in the interior of the Faslula Sea. The island is a prominent limestone outcropping rising above the deep sea floor from a base 3400 paces below sea level to the summit of Mt. Ana at 3200 paces above sea level. Including the underwater section, it is one of the most prominent summits on Opelyx. The island is home to several peoples, including the native Anatheen, the Malacho enclave, and the ethnically Malaenic city of Elaen.

Etymology
Anatha derives from the dead language of Old Anatheen, Ana (the name of the Anatheen mountain god) and tha ("home") lit. "Ana's home"

Geography
Anatha is a prominent limestone outcropping that rises 6600 paces above the Faslula Sea bed to a height of 3200 paces at the summit of Mt. Ana. The western side of the mountain is heavily forested and slopes gradually into the sea. The northern and southern sides are steeper but also slope continuously into the ocean. The eastern side is the steepest and drops abruptly toward the sea with a massive cliff known as the Bialusa Cliff. The cliff drops 1100 paces to a steep hill made from rubble fallen from the cliff, known as Cebana Hill, before again dropping steeply away at the sea shore into a deep bay named Thansene (or Sansene) Bay. The bay is surrounded to the north and south by steep ridges which extend to the east.

The island possesses a number of lengthy cave systems which wind through the interior of the limestone. Many of these caves carry rivers around the island, which has little water running over its surface. One of the larger rivers flows out of a cave near the summit of Bialusa Cliff, forming Noula Falls. Due to the height of the falls the water disperses into droplets and only reaches the ground as mist if the wind is low.

Demography
Anatha is the ancestral home of the Anatheen people, who once spoke an indigenous language but now speak a Noulaenic dialect referred to as Anatheen. The Anatheen people fish and hunt primarily along the western, northern, and southerns shores of the island. They grow few crops and trade extensively with the people of Elaen. In total, there are roughly 200,000 native Anatheen people.

The interior is sparsely populated although there are some communities of Anatheen peoples in the woods. The hidden enclave of Malacho is near the center of the island in an inaccessible hilly region that is densely forested with Ironwood groves. The Malacho people primarily subsist through timber trade with Elaen, which has a high demand for lumber. The population of Malacho is roughly 12,000.

The eastern section of the island to the east of Bialusa cliff is occupied by the city of Elaen, founded as a colony of the now-defunct Kingdom of Calbaena but now independent. Elaen is a thriving trading port and shipbuilding center. Elaen has a population of roughly 300,000.