The Setting

The world is oceanic, the only landmasses being volcanic island chains. We are primarily concerned with one chain, consisting of five inhabited islands: Ubea, Oje, Nary, Nrabond, and Rhisc. Each of the islands have at least one volcano on them and is mostly covered in beach and jungle. Think of a primarily indigenous society with the only real technological advancements being in mining and sailing. Homes are primarily made of wood and other things easily scavenged from the jungle. The more well-off, like the elders, often live in stone houses. Nature is an important part of life and the houses integrate well with their surroundings.

The Islands

Ubea (say you-bay-uh) is the largest and oldest of the islands, therefore supporting the most widely varied of the life. The clan is called Ubi who primarily supplicate to the Creator, though there are a large number of neutrals and praying to other deities. There is the greatest rift between the richest and the poorest here due to less sharing among the clan and more greed. This is the only island where mines are not clan-owned, but rather owned by individuals.

Ojé (say Oh-jee) is primarily fishing and water oriented. The clan is called Sirss and they have a fair mix of religious loyalities, though Yeyj and Raion are the most common. Some of the finest ship-builders hail from this island. The have the reputation of being peaceful and honest, though they are not pushovers.

Nary (say nah-ree) tends to be self-important. The clan is Sah and has a fairly even smattering of religion. They tend to be self-important and self-sufficient, for the most part. They trust few, but are not necessarily hostile.

Nrabond (say nrah-bond) has the only source yet found of the rare sparkling stone and has therefore become quite rich. The clan is Nar and they are often neutral or loyal to the twin moons, Oicha and Chio.

Rhisc (say risk) is usually at war with somebody, or at least trying to be. The clan is Rhish, who are primarily aligned with Trett. They are currently at war with the Nar of Nrabond, trying to get at some of their fortune. Because of their fetish with battle, they tend to ignore much of what is domestic, leading to a constant underlying hunger and poorly raised children, to skim the surface.

� Susan Duffey, 2006.