In the middle of the ocean, about sixteen days travel from the coast of any major continent, is an tropical island chain. The largest and most exciting island is Pyron. It is still growing, for that matter, since the volcano on the island is continuously erupting. The other islands grow smaller the farther away from Pyron they get.
The largest Island, Pyron, is the most dangerous. It's lava flows and sudden earthquakes have swallowed whole towns before. Consequently, the government set up on the Islands have forbidden any new settlements from being built on Pyron until the volcano dies. That decree doesn't stop pirates and adventurers from attempting to find the treasure said to be housed inside a cave on the side of the volcano. A treasure put there by one of the Keepers themselves. No one's been able to find it.
Meanwhile, the civilization that does exist on the other four islands. On the second largest island in the chain, Zen, the seat of power resides in the port town of Zenxibar. It's a small town on the verge of city status nestled in the foot hills of ancient dead volcanoes. It surrounded by the tropical rain forest like environment that covers the rest of the island. Gold was recently found in the mountains and has made the Zen Government very affluent. The size of their fleet has increased and consequently, so has their power over the area around the islands.
The next island, much smaller, is covered by a thick, dense jungle. Rumors abound that an ancient seafaring race built a city on this island before an erupting volcano destroyed it. Signs of ancient ruins survive to this day here and there within the jungle. The other attraction to the island are the luxurious beaches, crystal clear water, and the fact that the whale-sharks common to the area are never around due to an enclosing coral reef. The island is called Rosh and is home to resort town Akatosh.
The third island is called Iskip and is basically just a giant, dead volcano. Nothing green grows on this rock jutting out of the ocean. Some archeologists say this is the island that destroyed the ancient kingdom on Rosh, but there's no proof of that. A large serpentine dragon makes its nest in the caldera of the volcano, 2000 feet above sea level. The dragon is protected from outsiders trying to heroically kill it (yeah right) by a cloud of poisonous gas that never leaves the caldera. In fact, the gas comes from a cavity of methane deep underground and escapes through small fissures.
The fourth and last Island, Risk, is similar to Rosh, except that it's dense jungle cover the entire island and there are more sharks here than anywhere else in the island chain. Risk is physically smaller than Rosh in size, but because it has no beaches, the jungle there is actually larger. Some have wondered how the jungle could have even grown on Risk considering that there is evidence in ancient texts that Risk used to be just as barren as Iskip. Speculation of illicit magic use or a portal to another realm runs high, but nothing's ever been proven. The shark count as well is disturbing, but no one ever goes to Risk unless they're escorted by a Zen warship.
Subject: Pyronic Isles 
Fri Feb 13, 2009 5:22 am
