Intro: The Island of Fear

The snowfall was starting to stick. It would be the last snowstorm of winters reign, a mere light dusting in comparison to the colder months. Spring was finally on the horizon, and even this far northern land couldn't escape its welcoming touch. Grey clouds shrouded the island below; its soaring peaks speared upwards toward the skies, separated by vast fields of rich flowers. Rivers flowed from the cold sea into rocky shores, from above they looked like icy blue veins. It's woods were never green, the Repentou trees offered only leaves the color of gore. As the sunlight reflected their limbs bounty, the leaves glistened like blood stained wax.

It was settled many generations ago by the Pharine's of Fanfow, and never offered much in terms of comfort, resources, or even pleasant countryside. What it did offer, however, was a valuable outpost for coastal trade. It could also act as a small shield for the much larger island colonies to the north.

The frozen island had three names. Each were easily coined but not very original. To the Pharine villagers who were born and raised on its icy shores, hunted in its wind woods, and explored the heights of its thorny mountains, it was known as Heightsland. It was an apt name for a small thorn in the sea. Only two miles from the greater isle of Darenger, this tiny spec of rock stands tall amid misty shores and intensely thick fog.

Three settlements exist on Heightsland. Near its southern tip, nestled in between a valley of mountains and a clustering wood, the small village of Inner Knot rests in seclusion. Inner Knot is hard to find, and even harder to access. Only a single small stream flows toward it from the greater ocean. Its continued isolation has bred a citizenry that are fiercely independent, and self sufficient. Many of its residents mine the raw ores in the surrounding mountains, and they are the only tribe that knows of any marketable routes through those impassable cliffs. While the males put their backs into the smithy's or mines, the female's tend to hunt in the verdant woodlands to the south and fish in the quiet streams.

There are whispers of things inhabiting the mountains surrounding the village. Angry spirits and ghoulish aberrations are common rumors for the wandering tradesman or traveling merchant. For this reason, the villagers of Inner Knot are indispensable for anyone hoping to brave the road to the northern side of the island.

At the center of Heightsland lies the Heights of Leborm, where not so long ago 'Leborm The Merciless' fought and died fighting the withering armies of Thytosusia. Its terrain is near impassible, except for the villagers of Inner Knot. It was for this reason the Thytosusian armies met their demise, their invasion swiftly halted by natures cruel terrain.

Farther to the north, near the eastern slopes lies the largest town with several hundred villagers. The town of Hitecross is the first and oldest settlement on the island of Heightsland. Its residents are often referred to as the first pioneers, for they were the first settlers to brave the islands dangers and establish a colony. Immediately after setting foot on the island, they were tested by its darkest mysteries. The Sacred Sands are an enigma that dare the natural environments of the world. A small desert, on an icy northern shoreline. But within those sands lies a secret, a creature that sleeps for now…

Somehow the first pioneers were able to venture through this quiet horror until they discovered the rocky inland, complete with pleasant streams and gentle fields. The city of Hitecross was built here, and now it is the center of trade and commerce for those on the island. While few dare to trespass on the Sacred Sands, a small port to the north allows passage through a small brick road. The township also owns the only entrance to a vast basin, one full of beautiful land and dazzling trees. This basin is also home to a rare species of fennec foxes that are surprisingly lovable as pets, making it sacred to the Pharine's.

In the north lies the village of Honeybend. Situated on the edges of the Windwood, the small town thrives on hunting and forging alone. The watermill belonging to the nearby rivers provides an abundance of grain, and is home to a single villa belonging to the governor himself. The same river allows easy passage further inland through the mountains, but farther east lies another river, beyond which the wind woods are avoided at all costs.

For all these people the name of Heightsland suits their rocky home nicely. But to the Pharine warrior clans, the Aiverix, it wasn't…tough enough. The word they designated was simply translated as 'Knuckle', for it was the knuckle of a greater fist bent to dominate the Fanfow Seas. Despite them conjuring their own name for the isle, rarely do the Aiverix war bands venter near it. There are few glories to be had on the 'Knuckle' during the raiding seasons, unless Thytosusian armies come near.

There is one final name given to this island, one not gifted by the Pharine villagers or their Aiverix warrior caste. This name was spoken through the lips of unwanted invaders and cruel occupiers from across the sea. Thytosia has long harbored harsh resentment to their Pharine neighbors, and its human warriors have laid seige to their isles multiple times. It was during their last bitter and bloody campaign that they coined the isle of Heightsland as 'The Island Of Fear'.