#Island25 Day 2 — Arukash North
Let's take a swing at refining this formula
Day 2 is all about refining the system I used on day one. I liked the list of three things in categories, but I think they’re lacking in utility. The worldbuilding needs to be functional, after all! So let’s see what I can do here with Arukash North, the next island in the Free Skylian Empire.
I’ve got some thoughts about all this stuff but I’m going to come back to that in the weekly summary. (Sneak peek: I have no idea how to scale these things! I’m going to work on that later methinks - will use vague travel times for now.)
Name: Arukash North
Allegiance: Free Skylean Empire (FSE)
Altitude: Altospheric (5000m)
Cloud Base: Altocumulus Castellanus
Descriptive Appearance: A gently curved arc of an island - long and thin, rising in an arc up high above the base of the island. Forested in most places other than either end of the arc.
Weather: 2 in 6 for wind, 1 in 6 for rain.
Demographic: Dominant orukin, minority fellfolk and men, enclave of ælves and individuals from other ancestries.
Notable Export: Maps.
Notable Import: Crops - very little arable land.
Main Settlements: Igarka, the main port town and Little Kola, a hamlet resting on the edge of the forest.
Locations of Note
Arukash’s Beacon: A lighthouse that rests at the top of the arc of Arukash North, known for the maps its steward produces in their spare time. Many a coxswain who sail in and out of the FSE frequently rely on the weekly maps of the nearby area to navigate safely and plan ahead of time.
Sevesk’s Wode: The great forest that takes up a majority of the island. Noted for its thick canopy creating dim lighting conditions. rather rocky, it does have a path one can follow however it is known to be hard to follow and folks going missing on the journey is not uncommon.
The Outcrop Tunnels: named after the path down to their entrances being outcroppings from the side of the island’s land, a series of shifting, twisting tunnels are host to a variety of beautiful megaflora! However, they’re patrolled by megafauna equal parts beautiful and dangerous.
Movers & Shakers
Aleksandr Orbruskin: Beacon-keeper and mapper extraordinaire. Aging in body but not in passion, Aleksandr maintains his love for mapmaking even ninety years into the career. His heart is still warm for Arukash’s Beacon, too, but he hasn’t lit the lamp himself in almost a decade now. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like he has much of his life left.
Yanet Orbruskin: the mostly unknown daughter of Aleksandr, a Nuvolosa (magical meteorologist) who provides her father with the vital weather readings that make his maps so popular. An FSE attack on the island three decades ago left her blind in both eyes, unable to continue her father’s legacy.
Minister Kowalski: Young orukin in charge of the island. Skilled and good-hearted but deeply anxious, the minister has been too hands-off with the town, hoping most problems will solve themselves out of fear that interaction will only inflame the issue. The more they sit idle, the more the problems stack up…
Common Combatants
Shadowbranches: Giant stealthy tree-folk. Move like weeping angels and strike when their victim is fully submerged within their shadow. Bearing a torch within their shadow disables this swallowing attack.
Soldat Lunaris: The FSE national guard. All FSE citizens must do 3 years mandatory service. Presence on Arukash North is middling to low.
The Heritage Front: Reactionary extremist fellfolk who want to restore the ancient angelic rule to the FSE. Presence on Arukash North is growing.
The Quest Board
Naval Nightmare: No new maps have come from Arukash’s Beacon for three weeks now - two couriers and a Soldat Lunaris squad have gone missing on the way to collect the documents. Trade has slowed drastically as safe navigation routes become unknown. Specialists have been requested to uncover and answer the problem ASAP.
Strike While the Iron’s Hot: When the characters decipher a coded note, they find a message - “Free Arukash North from the slipping silvered grasp”, alongside a set of directions pointing to a hideout in the Outcrop Tunnels. Within, the Heritage Front are looking for capable fighters to assist in overthrowing Minister Kowalski in a nighttime raid on Igarka.
Silver in the Shadows: Sevesk’s Wode is rarely explored, but the Historian’s Guild has posted a request for an artefact long-rumored to rest within the forest - the Silver Star, an amulet of silver and moonstone that brims with ancient ætheric energies, supposedly one of a set of similar gear.