The Intercalary Emigration was a mass migration of the Upper Old Irynian population, taking place during the intercalary days directly following the 1020 gubernatorial election.
The early 900s saw the elite families of Iryna at their peak political power and influence. The Kor'onen sisters had been given broad authority to demolish and reconstruct the city to their liking, and the district of Upper Old Iryna was built as the exclusive home of the Kor'onen's wealthy connections. 30 households who had previously resided in Old Iryna relocated to newly-built grand estates on Iryna's upper platform. However, the economic downturn immediately following the platform's completion soured the Irynian public on the previously-uncontested power held by the city's de facto aristocracy. Over time, more lower-class Irynians were elected into positions of power, first in Parliament and ultimately in the Governor's Mansion. Reiner's election to the position of Governor in 1017 was widely seen as indicative of a decisive shift in Irynian culture away from oligarchic rule, although this shift was perceived as a negative change by his detractors and a positive change by his supporters.[1] In particular, the residents of Upper Old Iryna felt sidelined by politicians who they perceived as insufficiently experienced and lacking in proper reputation.
In the latter years of the 900s, some Upper Old Irynians began to leave the district for a variety of reasons. Of those who relocated, there were two main contingents. The first contingent were those who left their family residences in Upper Old Iryna but remained in the city, the most prominent of which were former Governor Vincere Rae and his daughter Viara. This contingent was dissatisfied with the stifling social conformity of Upper Old Irynian society, and wished to integrate themselves into broader Irynian culture. The second contingent were those who left the island entirely, relocating to Oxana. In contrast, these émigrés wished to distance themselves from Irynian culture as much as possible, perceiving changing Irynian values as antithetical to their way of life. As the population of Iryna as a whole skyrocketed, the population of Upper Old Iryna slowly declined, bottoming out at a mere 66 residents by the beginning of 1020.
In the year 1020, several significant events occurred that greatly alarmed many Upper Old Irynians. Firstly, Champion Kesti Kor'onen was abruptly removed from office by Governor Reiner.[2] Contrary to Upper Old Irynian expectations, Reiner did not appoint one of their number to the position of Champion, instead holding a tournament to select Kesti Kor'onen's successor from the entire population of Iryna. The winner of the tournament, Madeleine, was a homeless minor with no education or experience in government office.[3] Shortly afterwards, Reiner himself was removed from office, which initially was cause for celebration in Upper Old Iryna. Reiner was similarly viewed as unqualified, and it was hoped that the wider population would realize that they had been mistaken to elect him in the first place.[4] However, the 1020 election results were sobering for the Upper Old Irynians; Aemile Lux, their preferred candidate, won a mere 1.7% of the vote.[5] The other three candidates were all of insignificant heritage, and all ran on platforms that emphasized creating a more equal social order in Iryna.[6][7][8] Kalyna Kor'onen and Kellen Ridge had been strongly criticised by the Irynian public for their actions during Reiner's term, with political analysts at The Inquirer suggesting that they could be held legally accountable for their actions.[9][10] Aemile Lux, their longtime friend, made it clear that he would issue pardons for both Kalyna Kor'onen and Kellen Ridge[4]; the other candidates made no such promises.
This section relies entirely on information from a single primary source. Its neutrality and factual accuracy are dubiously verifiable.
On the second intercalary day of 1020, the Upper Old Iryna District Court published the following official resolution, distributed to city government and The Inquirer through the usual channels:
Resolution on Upper Old Irynian Response to 1020 Election Results
Sponsors: The two District Representatives of Upper Old Iryna, joined by the three District Judges of Upper Old Iryna
Signatories: The thirty households comprising the entirety of Upper Old Iryna's population, in unanimous agreement
WHEREAS the Upper Old Irynians have long lamented Iryna's cultural decline, as upstanding residents of prestigious lineage have been cast aside for dangerously inexperienced and malicious leaders, who further degrade our city (which, let it be remembered, owes its current prosperity to us Upper Old Irynians);
WHEREAS Aemile Lux, the gubernatorial candidate who we consider to have been the only qualified contender for the position, was not elected by the people of Iryna, over 98% of whom voted for candidates who possessed absolutely no government experience and who pledged to radically alter the basic tenets of Irynian society;
WHEREAS many of our number have already left Iryna, despairing that it will ever return to its former glory, and have found the island of Oxana to be a welcoming environment, and have frequently invited those of us who remain in Iryna to join them there;
WHEREAS Kalyna Kor'onen and Kellen Ridge have good reason to believe that their personal freedoms will be jeopardized if they remain in Iryna, and many of our number wish to express their support for our fellow community members in response to their unwarranted persecution;
WHEREAS a minority of Upper Old Irynian households have strong objections to the prospect of leaving Iryna, due to personal and business connections that they do not feel that they can re-establish in a new social environment, and are justified in raising these objections;
WHEREAS the residents of Upper Old Iryna have long believed it to be in our best interest to act as a unified front, to prevent us from being turned against each other and to ensure the most effective pursuit of our policy goals;
WHEREAS it is nevertheless acknowledged by the assembled Upper Old Irynians that the current situation presents an unprecedented challenge, that no one course of action will be in the best interests of all households, and that forcing undesired action on any one of us would only breed resentment between all of us;
Therefore, let it be RESOVED that:
1. Those Upper Old Irynians who wish to emigrate will leave for Oxana together at the earliest opportunity, ideally before the official elevation of Neeka to the position of Governor;
2. Those Upper Old Irynians who wish to remain in Iryna will vacate their historic estates in Upper Old Iryna to ensure they are not given an undue advantage in sociopolitical power;
3. The district of Upper Old Iryna will be abandoned as a renunciation of our burden of leading Iryna to greatness, and as a tangible demonstration of our disapproval of the direction in which our city had been led despite our best efforts to prevent disaster.[11]
This section will be expanded with more specific and current information as it becomes available.
News of the resolution's contents were initially received with shocked disbelief, but were quickly corroborated through other sources. Rumors circulated on the IrynaNet of workers transporting large pieces of furniture to the docks, domestic servants formerly employed in Upper Old Iryna suddenly seeking new jobs, and a group of teenage Upper Old Irynians sighted in front of Vincere Rae's food stall. A luxury catamaran was confirmed to have been chartered by representatives of Upper Old Iryna to make the voyage, scheduled to set sail on the final intercalary day of 1020. The departure of the ship carrying the émigrés was attended by a raucous and cheerful crowd, who yelled out farewells such as "Good riddance!" and "It's about time!" as it weighed anchor. When asked for comment on how the City Guard would respond, Director Fiona replied, "I should be thanking them, they're saving me a lot of work. I wouldn't want to be Neeka right now, though."[12] Sea voyages between Iryna and Oxana typically take 5 to 6 days, depending on weather conditions; as of Day 1 of Month 1, 1021, the émigrés were still en route.