Bleak Isle
Lying on the Eastern side of Shardar, just above Dasken Wood is the Inner Sea, a
huge lake that is fed by the Omman River that flows out of the Hill Peaks. Despite its name, the Inner Sea is not a sea at all, it is
not even made up of salt water. Although
shallow at the coasts, the Inner Sea deepens rapidly and around the Bleak Isle,
the depths of its floor has never been measured.
Normally, a
lake like this would prove an ideal spot for communities to thrive and grow but
there are very few villages that have grown up around the lake and no large
communities at all. The reason for
this has got to be the Bleak Isle, an island that has a dark and sinister
reputation.
For as long
as anyone can remember, Bleak Isle has been uninhabited and anyone who is brave
or fool-hardy enough to venture onto it complains of a feeling of being watched
for the entire duration of their stay. Whether
this is simply imagination or some other force is unknown and likely to stay
that way for some time to come. There
are no human settlements on the Isle and very few animals or birds make their
home on it.
The Isle is
the remains of an ancient volcano that has long ago become inactive.
There is very little left to show that the Isle was ever a volcano and
only at the very top of the central
hill can it be seen. The mouth of
the volcano is now covered with vegetation and a small lake sits in the hollow
of it, but there is still an aura of menace, of power that radiates from it.
The island
is riddled with tunnels and caves but the majority of them are insecure and
unsafe so few have dared to explore them. The
lake around the Isle is extremely deep and the few beaches that it has lead to
almost vertical drop-offs. The Isle
would be almost perfect for harbouring large craft, but the few fishermen who
sail on the Inner Sea avoid the Isle and would rather risk staying out on the
waters during storms than tie up by the ominous island.
Over the
years, many Mages have explored Bleak Isle and a few have even tried to set up
home there, but none have stayed for long.
Many have said that there is a definite sense of Magic, but it is of a
type they are not familiar or comfortable with.
The Mages who return have said that there is a strong feeling of being
watched and the watcher was not a friendly one.
There are quite a few Mages and other travellers who have ventured onto
the Isle and never returned, and there has never been any sign of their remains.
The people
who live around and fish on the Inner Sea avoid the Isle, but apart from that
they treat the Inner Sea like any other lake.
There is a breed of fish in it, called the Laskotte, that provide fine
meat and have a skin that is almost like leather.
The Laskotte hide can be used for anything that leather can and it is
generally longer lasting and more comfortable to the touch.
Unfortunately,
the Laskotte are a deep water fish and very hard to catch.
When a fisherman is lucky enough to find one in his net it is a cause of
rejoicing because a single Laskotte hide can bring as much as 5 Hawks
for the fisherman and far more for the merchant who sells it in a town.
There are
plenty of other breeds of fish in the inner Sea and most of the small
communities around the Lake sell a percentage of their catch to the town of
Gladsheim. There are numerous
merchants who regularly tour around the lake with barrels of salt, ready to
bring the fish back to market.
On the
Southern coast of the Inner Sea lies Abersea, a small fishing community of 250
souls who scrape a living with the aid of trapping and hunting in Dasken Wood.
The head of the community is an old woman named Eiron Jayon.
She rules the village with an iron fist but does always make sure that
anything needing done gets down and that the fishermen and trappers get a good
price from any merchants that might be stopping by to trade.
On the
Northern coast, just by the mouth of the Omman River is the village of Ommadon.
There are about 300 people living here and as well as the fish that they
bring in, they will sometimes head back up the Omman to pan for gold.
This does not bring in much of an income for them, but it is enough to
keep the community healthy. The
leader of Ommadon is Somser Kasfon, a retired fisherman who lost his right arm
in an accident on the lake. He is
an easy going man who loves children but will not let anyone do anything that is
detrimental to the safety and prosperity of the village.
There are
perhaps half a dozen other villages like these ones who use the Inner Sea as a
source of income and, in poor years, it has been known for the fishing boats to
attack one another and try to cut nets. Normally,
this doesn’t happen, but in bad years when there simply aren’t enough fish
to go around, war does break out on the calm waters of the Inner Sea.
The waters
of the lake are extremely cold, due to its great depth and being fed by the
river that comes from the Hill Peaks, a very high mountain range.
Some people believe that it is also fed by some underground waters that
bubble up from beneath the Bleak Isle, but there is no proven basis for these
rumours.
The people
who live around the lake tend to be very insular and clan-like.
They will join together against outsiders and most of them are quite
happy to live their entire lives in their villages. Strangers
are usually given a very cold welcome, unless they are merchants come to trade,
of course!