Community Atlas - Irisian City States - Menina Island
Quenten
🖼️ 110 images Mapmaker
Here is the second last Island - one surrounded by a reef. Mainly fishing, but a dwindling population, due to its isolated position.
Lots more to do to make it more interesting.
Suggestions welcome.
Comments
Today's update - ?finished. Suggestions please.
I have finished the write-up for this island, and it is ready to go to Monsen for inclusion in the Atlas, once the site of the Sea-Elf outpost is validated by @Royal Scribe .
Sites of Interest
The Navagio Reef , or Ship’s Graveyard, is aptly named. Overall, there are at least 7 major shipwrecks still visible on the reef.
Menina: This small fishing village is the only populated area on the island. It numbers 526 hardy fisherfolk, whose only export is the delicious reef squid, called Jalomori. They subsist on the fruits of the sea = squid, fish, shellfish, and even the occasional seal who have a colony in the southern part of the surrounding reef. The island is rather isolated from the mainland, but there is a monthly service from Tartateos, which buys most of its exports.
Jamila (abandoned): An abandoned fishing village. The real reason for its abandonment over 20 years ago is uncertain, but horror tales of denizens from the atoll lagoon dragging all the females to the depths is the most retold cause. Certainly it may explain why at the end, there were only 15 men still living in the village. And in fact, one old man remains, swearing revenge for the loss of his wife and 2 daughters.
Kakosmagos Tower (ruins): a ruined edifice far predating any other settlement or structure on the island. Many myths about it abound – but the reality is that it is the lair of an amphibious frog-like monster family of five – who actually were the cause of the slaughter of the females from Jamila, which are the ideal medium for incubation of the eggs of the monsters. Luckily, only 25 ‘tadpoles’ have ever hatched, but in about a decade, when these slow developing and long lived horrors mature, the whole island is in terrible danger. The original purpose was the home of a family of three ‘marine biologists’ who dappled in hybridization of land and marine life forms – and the Froggies, as they are called, were born!!
Thermopiges Hot Springs: A most unusual geologic feature are these 5 hot springs, carrying heated seawater from an underground magma vent to the surface with occasional scalding geysers. In these hot pools, a family of semi-intelligent fire salamanders thrive. Whether they are a danger to humans remains to be tested.
Well of Life: This is yet another spring, but here the water is heavily laden with minerals which truly do have a healing power, though repeated drinking gives the skin a silvery hue.
Arachni Woods: This creepy forest is the home of huge spiders with very long spindly legs, and a paralyzing poison. Luckily, they prefer fish to human flesh, though on several occasions over the last decades, human children have been captured, and one even eaten by the creatures before rescue could occur. They are very difficult to catch due to their high agility, and as they mostly leave humans alone, humans mainly leave them alone.
Channel Light (ruins): an old abandoned lighthouse. As the fisherfolk know their way around very well, the lack of a light helps keep would-be pirates away. However, it has served a more sinister purpose over past decades – when lit, it promises safe passage for any approaching vessels, only for the light to be extinguished, then a false light being lit some time later, resulting in the wreck of the vessel and thus providing useful items for the fisherfolk. However, under more recent leadership at Memina, this wrecking behaviour has been stopped.
Drowned Fishers’ Cairn: This cairn represents possibly the most important spiritual focus of the island. Every person lost at sea is represented by a rock with the name and ancestry of the drowned victim, place amid ceremony on a growing mound of such rocks. Many believe this prevents the drowned spirits form haunting the island and driving away the fish and jalomori. In recent years, belief has also arisen that they are now protective spirits and those who adhere to this belief adorn the cairn with shells every full moon.
Mermaid Grotto: This reef, which is largely coral, with underwater grottos, is the home for sea-dwelling creatures – be they mermaids, undines, sea-elves, no one knows for sure, as they keep themselves hidden. They are fickle in nature – sometimes luring ships to a watery grave, hence the wrecks; sometime saving sailors from drowning. Overall, there are at least 7 major shipwrecks still visible on the reef.
Sea-Elf Outpost: See the relevant map for further notes.
Yes, I think the location for the Sea Elf Outpost is great!
Menina Island can now be found in the atlas. Thanks.
@Royal Scribe Well, you can now send your outpost fcw with any notes about it to Monsen for inclusion into the lib