Difference between revisions of "Goat Island"

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'''Peralsil (The Green Sea)'''
'''Peralsil (The Green Sea)'''


As its name might suggest, this veritable sea of thick forested area surrounds most of The Cold Towers mountain range, even swallowing the lower elevations of its slopes. As one might suspect lumbering operations and hunting are the staple of operations within, however its expanses are littered with sparse and generally isolated settlements.
As its name might suggest, this veritable sea of thick forested area surrounds most of The Cold Towers mountain range, even swallowing the lower elevations of its slopes. Lumbering operations and hunting are the staple of operations within, however its expanses are littered with sparse and generally isolated settlements.





Revision as of 02:58, 14 February 2018

Goat Island
File:GoatIsland001.jpg
Geographical Information
Notable Wildlife: Kaxat Goats
Civilization
Region In: Transdariania
Notable Settlements: Sildreki, Mantapeska, Golfrinth
Inhabitants: Mostly human
Common Languages: Arangothek, Common
Population: 5,000 - 5,500


Goat Island is a relatively new island on the geological timescale, which erupted from the sea due to tectonic and volcanic forces millennia ago, and as such has no native ancestral population since it formed separately from the mainland continents. Its inhabitants are the descendants of mostly Arangothian stock that migrated there, however, many can also trace their lineage back to immigrants from Aslar and even Rondis from back when its kingdom stretched to the edge of the Southern Sea.

Over the centuries the powers that held sway over the island changed hands, with no singular force leaving its mark on the land and its inhabitants, enjoying its distance from those attempting to shape the borders on the mainland continents. While Arangoth itself held claim over it, it waxed and waned hand in hand of the Kingdoms own rise and fall from prominence, its control being tenuous at best. It wasn't until the Year 473 that the island was steadfastly solidified as Arangothian soil as the new Sithire of Southern Arangoth appointed Branth ul-Rexanit Silrath as steward of Goat Island.

Under Silrath's watch the island became as reasonably peaceful and prosperous by any account, until the appearance of Drogyoldiiv the Terrifying in the Year 484. Goat Island abruptly found itself cut off from the mainland, both figuratively and literally as the wyrm laid siege to the region. Unlike Drache, the island did not have the benefit of a plethora of adventurers to come to its aid, and with Southern Arangoth's falling out with the Northern Crownlands, the island was essentially forgotten and left to fend for itself and its own fate. Silrath, perhaps assuming that the Crown would eventually come to its aid, put up as much resistance as it could muster, which resulted in the destruction and razing of the old port of Minkdreki almost in its entirety before it had no choice but to submit to the wyrm's demands and bled the island of its resources. Silrath, financially ruined, committed suicide a year and a half before adventurers liberated Drache from Drogyoldiiv in the Year 486, leaving the island devoid of any singular leadership through til the end of Southern Arangoth's Civil War and the formation of the Duchy of Transdariania in the Year 487. It wasn't until the following Year of 488 that Floxod Uzzo Salksilek was awarded stewardship of Goat Island by the Sithire of Transdariania, Isabelle Auxerre, that the island finally had any measure of leadership reestablished under the Transdarianian banner.


Location

Cartographical Map of Goat Island.

Due South from the Transdarianian mainland in the South Sea, immediately South of the port city of Drache and directly west of Hell's Eye and the Reef of Tears.

Behind the Name

Goat Island earned its moniker by the eponymous and voracious herds of feral goats that wreaked havoc on both its ecology and economy in its past, originally introduced from foreign stocks by traders and merchants with disastrous consequences. (See Notable Wildlife entry for more on Kaxat Goats). The shape of the island also vaguely resembles a goat's head, though chances are this detail is just a superficial attempt to gloss over a poorly planned and executed man made disaster.

Settlements

Silekhorna (Maritime Fortress)


Sildreki (Eastern Port)

The new main port of Goat Island. Settlement numbers have swelled significantly, which consists heavily of refugees from Minkdreki that migrated to the area during its seige and subsequent destruction.


Golfrinth (Undertower)

The Undertower, as suggested by its name, is a settlement nestled in the shadows of the Cold Towers. Originally founded as a trading post for the various mining and lumbering operations, taking advantage of its location sandwiched between the The Cold Towers and The Green Sea. Its numbers swelled over its tenure, partly due to increased activity in the aforementioned fields, but also due to the "complimentary" business practices that go hand in with isolated trading hubs, which labourers with pockets laiden with wages are apt to seek out for purposes of entertainment. Stories of miners striking it big on a rich vein, only to find themselves without two rixtle to rub together after a particularly hard bender aren't exactly uncommon in these parts.


Mantapeska (Cauldron Lake)

This settlement is less of a cohesive village and more of a collection of habitations focused around the vicinity of the lake from which it takes its name, Cauldron Lake, the largest fresh water source on the island, which also holds the distinction as the deepest body of water on the island as well. The vast majority of those settled in the region are farmers or herders, utilizing the large expanse of relatively flat, fertile land in the western reaches of the island, while fishing hamlets are a common sight around the edge of the Cauldron Lake proper.


Minkdreki (Western Port)

The old capital port of Goat Island. Drache did not suffer alone under the machinations of Drogyoldiiv the Terrifying, and amongst the settlements upon the island the old port suffered the heaviest of damages, with a good portion of its infrastructure having been razed over the course of the dragon's seige as it found itself cut off from support from the mainland. Ultimately most of its population fled away from the coast, dispersing amongst inland communities and abadoning the port as a practical ghost town. The old stone fort that overlooks the harbour sits in ruins, the same as much of its remaining infrastructure, serving as both a relic of the old port as well as scars of Drogyoldiiv's wrath. Even after the wyrm was slain, reconstruction efforts have been relatively minimal and slowed by the lack of a centralized leadership.


Most Noted Geographical Features

Siren Song Bay

Quite possibly one of the most dangerous maritime locations on the entire island, a namesake that it lives up to, not due to any supernatural reasons or even creatures known from which it takes its name, but rather due to the underlying dangers from which it earned its reference. From a simple glance this protected inlet feeds into a larger bay beyond, and to any passing sailor or seafarer has the appearance of an ideal location for a harbour or to moor a vessel safely from the swells of the ocean beyond. However, just below its seemingly serene waterline hides an untold number of shifting shoals and rocky outcroppings, which would spell disaster for even the most nimble and experienced of vessels. Many a seafarer lured in by its appearance has fallen victim to the "Siren's Call" offered by its calm waters, only to find themselves run aground and stranded upon a sand bar, or their hulls dashed split open upon the rocks before quickly joining those that came before them at the bottom of the bay. It becomes readily apparent why this location in particular, despite its appearances, hasn't been developed into a port by the natives after having experienced its dangers first hand.


Dibefrinth (Cold Towers) Mountain Range

"The Cold Towers" are a line of mountain ranges that divide the northern end of the island in two, and also hold the distinction of being the highest points of elevation on the island. Habitation is relatively sparse due to the rugged terrain and altitude, but there are several groups that call these heights home, either tending to herds of- or hunting the populations of feral Kaxat Goats.

Peralsil (The Green Sea)

As its name might suggest, this veritable sea of thick forested area surrounds most of The Cold Towers mountain range, even swallowing the lower elevations of its slopes. Lumbering operations and hunting are the staple of operations within, however its expanses are littered with sparse and generally isolated settlements.


Notable Wildlife

Kaxat Goats of Goat Island.

Kaxat Goats (Foreign Goats)

This breed is relatively small and are uncommonly fine-boned and deer-like. While coats can vary in colour and pattern, the black-and-brown "buckskin" pattern is by far the most common and dominates the spectrum. Both males and females are horned, and contrary to their namesake, lengthy isolation eventually developed them into a genetically distinct breed from their foreign ancestors. Initially introduced to Goat Island by aspiring merchants, herders and hunters due to a lack of any large native mammals, intending on utilizing them for their meat, dairy and hides to fill this niche. However, this also meant that there were no natural predators suited to contending with the species, and ultimately, the scenario played out in a manner anyone with an ounce of wisdom and foresight could have predicted. Poorly mismanaged herds exploded in population and wreaked havoc, resulting in a large feral population displacing and rendering extinct several native island species of flora and fauna in the process. Through joint efforts these feral populations have been scoured from the island, though several pockets still exist in the mountain ranges of the Cold Towers. Domesticated herds are still quite prevalent, however, punitive laws and fines were inevitably instituted, and anyone willfully (or unwillfully) releasing them into the wilds faces very unsavoury consequences.

Related Topics