Enclave

An enclave (Tirina: israd) is a "fold" or "pocket" in reality, created with the use of amati. They can be created on short-term or long-term bases and require a constant application of amati to maintain. The primary use for permanent enclaves is for holding and disguising dalar settlements, such that they are separate from human-controlled land and are difficult to find or access by outsiders. The majority of the dalar population lives within enclaves, mostly in one of the large dalar nations, and the majority of territory held by the dalar nations is in enclaves. In fact, most human nations that recognize the dalar nations only recognize their territorial holdings within enclaves.

The largest enclave in the world is Elten, the capital of Sanmra, containing 24.7 square miles. The largest enclave in Tuanmali is its own capital, Wīcos, at 21.5 square miles. The largest enclave in Lorhan, by comparison, is UNNAMED at just 7.8 square miles.

Small "folds" up to the size of a person can be created on an ad-hoc basis by a single dedicated dalar, but would only be able to be safely maintained for several minutes (or a couple of hours, for a well-trained person), unless very small. Large-scale permanent enclaves capable of containing entire towns require the efforts of dozens of coordinated dalar and a significant amount of time. The general method for creating a permanent enclave is to create a small "fold" that is repeatedly expanded until it reaches the desired size, at which point it is stabilized and a significant amount of amati is bound into it to keep it from closing.

Enclaves must be continually maintained, or they will shrink/unfold (with potentially disastrous results). All long-term enclaves are set up such that they draw a very small amount of amati from any inhabitants within them. The more inhabitants, the less amati is required from each one. For safety and comfort reasons, the standard minimum population density for an enclave (used in Sanmra, Tuanmali, and Lorhan) is 200 permanent inhabitants per square kilometer, although the actual minimum number is likely half that. If an enclave's population density drops below this limit, the enclave will need to be made smaller so it can be properly maintained.

Moving an enclave

Moving an enclave is possible, though difficult and requiring a higher consumption of amati than everyday maintenance. Enclaves cannot be moved from inside, only from the exterior. (therefore, a dalar could not wrap themselves in an enclave and move around unseen) To prevent an enclave from unraveling, its amati must be secured to an anchor. For small-scale enclaves, such as those used for temporary storage of small items, the anchor is usually the dalar who created the pocket. Tying a large-scale enclaves such as an entire town to a single person, however, would be unstable and dangerous; if the carrier lost focus, they could easily drop the threads of amati, causing disaster.

Instead, large enclaves are tied to external anchors, usually large wooden totems cut for the purpose. Teams of professionals are employed to transport the anchor, and thus the enclave, from one location to another. Before being transported, an enclave must shut down all portals (an enclave cannot be anchored and definitely cannot be moved with open portals) and, ideally, contract to the smallest reasonable size. While in transit, leaving and entering an enclave is difficult, typically causing a lockdown until the enclave can be settled at its destination, which is done by unwrapping the threads of amati and allowing them to merge with the natural amati of a place. Anchored enclaves can be transported through portals, but this is rare unless transporting an enclave a truly astonishing distance as it is difficult and requires a significantly larger team to stabilize the enclave.

Moving enclaves can occur for many reasons. Consolidating or changing claimed territory is one, simple desire of the inhabitants to move is another. For the past few centuries, most Sanmran enclaves have rarely been moved, but historically, some enclaves moved on a seasonal basis, harkening back to the semi-nomadic lifestyle of the earliest dalar.

The most famous--and impressive--move was of Elten by the sarda Idara. Under attack by human forces, Idara channeled the power of the Sanmran people to create a portal and move the entire city through it, by herself. The portal, opened at random, led to North America, resulting in the relocation of the Sanmran capital to what is today the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in the United States. Following this event, attempts were made to relocate other major enclaves to be closer to the capital, though they largely failed due to the incredible distance--leading to the modern-day location of Orsili in British Columbia, Canada.