#pi:mokopuni o ke ahi

[thepelagoislands]

New Island: Mokupuni o ke Ahi (Island of Fire)

This island was written by Rachel-mun!

@gun-nun | @violinsnotheanswer | @jake-out-the-humans | @lannathepopstar

One must sail for hours upon hours before finding this island. As the voyagers draw closer to the island, they will see that it is a volcanic island and is currently active. As a matter of fact, it’s always been active and has never ceased spewing its molten rock. There are lava flows that fall off of the edge of the water, raising its temperature to dangerous levels, so be sure not to fall into the ocean. Steam rises from the water surrounding the island, giving it a sort of mist that shrouds the outskirts. There is a black stone port in which you can dock your boat.

As you venture through the island to go inland, you will see several glowing flows of lava headed towards the edges of the island. It moves much like a river of molasses. There is no explicit path for the voyagers to follow, so it’s up to them to navigate the way towards the center of the island. As the voyagers travel closer to said island’s center, they will come across a village that has been burned down. The insides and outsides of the stone buildings are covered in a black char and some of the roofs have collapsed in. In one of the houses, if one was able to pry open the drawer to the desk, they will find 2,000g. There is nothing else to be found in the village, as everything else has been burned to ash.

At the base of the volcano there will be a temple decorated in red and gold, but the stone that makes its walls is pitch black. Hot lava runs in a river on either side of the temple, but seems to have naturally (or unnaturally?) avoided it. The temple is raised up on black stone pillars and can only be reached by ascending a long, narrow staircase with no railings. A pretty dangerous architectural move, actually. Once you reach the top, you’ll see that the floor is made from beautifully smooth obsidian, gold specks throughout it. The temple doors are heavy black stone, though, and are hard to open on your own. Enter the temple and you will be in the main prayer room.

Main Prayer Room: This room is the largest in the temple, the floors of obsidian continuing throughout here and the rest of the temple. However, there is something amiss in the room. The altar that is at the back of the room has been desecrated. The offerings of gold coins and rubies have been thrown off of the altar and are sprawled about the floor. Gather up the gold and it will come to 1,000g. Gather up the rubies and you’ll find eight. Nothing of consequence will come from taking these items. There is nothing else to be found in the main prayer room, but there are four doors: one to the left, one to the right, one with a gold door to the left of the altar, and one with a red door to the right of the altar.

Left Door (Dining Room): Enter this room and you’ll come to the dining area. There is a table that previously had a meal set up on it, but everything is once again destroyed and thrown about the table and the floor. The paintings that hang on the wall are ripped to ribbons and scraps of them lay on the floor. The kitchen has been torn through as well, all of the pots and pans and utensils on the floor and counters. There is some broken glass there, too. The knives from the block are thrown at the wall across the room, sticking out like someone was playing a game with them. If you look closely, you’ll find that one is missing from the set.

Right Door (Bedroom): This room appears to be a bedroom of sorts, but for only one person. The bed in the center of the room is regal, tall beams on every corner that hold up a red canopy made of silk. It’s comfortable but ashy. No ash can be found in the room besides on the bed, though. In the bedside tables you will find some love letters signed from a woman named Aredhel. One of the letters has some tear stains on it, and reads:

Dearest Dominic,

While we remain apart in land I know that we come together every night in our dreams. My heart aches for your touch every minute that we are separated, but I know that we will be reunited someday.

Our plan to remain in the sky is proving to be most wise, as we have gone undetected for some time now. However, one of the lookouts noticed something pass by in the clouds. We are unsure of what it could be. A scout? A dragon? We haven’t the slightest idea. All I know is that we are on alert, but feel that we remain safe up here. 

I wish dearly that I could descend down once again and be with you on your island. To live among the molten earth whose heat could rival our passion; how exciting it must be! I pray daily that we will soon be together and I can rejoice in being within your grasp. I dream nightly of the night we shared when we first met and how your whispered affections never leave my ears. I fear I’ve become distracted again whilst thinking about it… 

Dominic, I hope that you are living well and have prospered in your new position as the temple’s leader. I know that you will make the other fire mages proud of you, as I am. Be a good leader, and remember that your power does not define who you are. Only you have the power to define yourself. 

With as much love as the Sun has light, your beloved Aredhel.

There are a few other letters, all from the same woman and the dates on the letters span over the course of a year. Also in the bedside table is a ring with silver metal and an obsidian gem in the center. Perhaps it’s an engagement ring? There are some clothes in the closet, but otherwise there isn’t much else to be found in the bedroom.

Gold Door (Library): Enter this room and you’ll come into the library where there are rows of shelves, all stacked full with books. It appears that ancient information has been re-recorded into these books for better storage. The language is all in an indecipherable language, but there are a few books that have pictures of people using moves that involve fire magic. Some books are records of the people who have lived on the island. According to the most recent records, there should have been around twenty people living on the island of varying ages. There lies the question: where are they? The burned village obviously doesn’t bode well with this information. At the back of the library you’ll find a spell book that looks ancient as ancient can be. It’s large, far too large actually. It looks impossible to carry and annoyingly and cartoonishly big. Open it and you’ll find pages upon pages of the same indecipherable language as in other books. There are maps, however, and some descriptions of the small sections of map. It all details other islands and there are four islands in particular who have symbols next to them. One that resembles flowing water is by one island, one that depicts a flower growing from soil next to another, some squiggly lines next to another that looks like wind, and finally one that has a flame drawn next to it. The only thing that is readable to the voyagers is a word written down, but with no island to name: Exire. There is nothing else to be found in the Library.

Red Door (Long Hallway to the Balcony): Enter this room and you’ll be taken down a long, narrow hallway. There is nothing on the walls and only a few torches to light the way, the light of them reflecting off of the shiny obsidian floor. You can hear someone… sobbing? It’s coming from the end of the hall. Continue down the hallway and you’ll come to the balcony.

Balcony: Open the door at the end of the hallway to come onto the balcony that face the spewing volcano. The glow of the lava lights the scene (at night) and you’ll see a man in official-looking priest robes standing at the end of the balcony. He’s holding the missing knife from the balcony and is about to stab himself in the heart when the voyagers come onto the balcony. He’s a tall man with black, long hair and there are two wolf ears that sit atop his head. When he notices the voyagers enter, he snaps his head towards them with bared, fanged teeth. He begins to speak. 

“Who are you?! Why have you come here?!”

The voyagers can attempt to explain that they are from the islands and just happened upon the island, but the priest will hear none of it. He doesn’t hold the knife to his chest anymore, but he still holds it in one hand as he faces the voyagers. 

“If you’ve come to tell me she’s dead, I already know. I learned long ago…”

It seems he won’t listen to what the voyagers are saying. He’s stuck in his own world of hurt and grief. 

“I couldn’t be the man she wanted me to be… The people who lived here, those fire mages I was supposed to protect and teach… I was the one who killed them in the end. How could I have done such a thing in my anger at the gods for taking her away from me?” 

So it turns out he was the one who burned down the village. The voyagers can determine how they feel with that information. He will still continue talking. 

“What did she do to deserve such a fate?” He looks at the voyagers wildly, tears falling again and voice on the verge of hysteria. “Why couldn’t they have sent that dragon here to kill us all instead?! At least we’d have had a chance to survive! And now, look!” He gestures wildly to the volcano. “The Gods are furious with me! I’ve been the most foul, murderous, awful priest! I don’t deserve this!”

At this point, he will procure a flame and hold his hand to his own neck, burning himself. He lets out a scream of pain and drops to his knees. If the voyagers attempt to come close to him, he will use his fire magic against you to keep you away. He burns his throat until it is charred and bleeding and he speaks again, his voice a strained scream. 

“I’ll be with her again! I must! I’d rather die like this than live another day on this fucking planet without her!”

After that, the priest will grab the knife and stab himself in the heart, screaming in anguish once again before collapsing to the ground and dying. The voyagers can do nothing to stop his death, but his last word uttered before he finally stops breathing is his lover’s name in a gargled whisper.

Once the priest has died, the ground begins to shake with the power of the volcano. It seems like it’s about to erupt violently and you have only a short head start to make it back to the boat. There is a boom like thunder as the voyagers run back to the port, the volcano shooting molten rocks into the air. The voyagers must dodge the falling hot rocks and escape the fury of the volcano as it erupts. The ground shakes and the voyagers must tread carefully so as not to fall into any lava. 

Once you get to the boat, you’ll be safe to escape but you will see the violent eruption spew molten lava across the island, the explosion as it does so deafening and can be heard even on Leuda and Arcadia. The island’s volcano will become dormant as soon as the final eruption is completed, eruption possible in the rune sphere is ever removed, but will remain dormant until then. 

The rune sphere of the island is buried deep in the volcano’s side, impossible to retrieve.