She was a child back when the village was founded. The woods surrounding the village provided refuge from schoolwork, and was plentiful for food and water. She spent much time learning the pathways between the rocks and trees, memorizing the patterns of new growth, and admiring the wildlife. Hours would pass as she perched quietly and listened to every whisper among the leaves. She spoke with the island and it spoke back. As she grew older, she moved to her own hut on the outskirts of the village. Though it was twig, she did not need anything greater for shelter as she knew that she would be protected.
More people moved to the island and the village expanded closer to the woods. People sought her counsel and called her the Madame. Using a crystal retrieved from the cave beneath the village, the Madame could commune more intimately with the island. The village prospered under her guidance. Everyone was happy for a time. But happiness does not last.
The village began to grow crowded and people came, bad people. They brought weapons and ammunition. They taught the villagers how to be cruel, how to hurt. The Madame received fewer visitors over time. The lush woods were removed and the animals grew scarce. The sun burned all the more without the protective canopy that once spread above. The island was in pain and the Madame did not know the words to ease the suffering.
Yet one evening while cradling the crystal close, the Madame heard what the island wanted: another chance to flourish, to exist without the destruction and pain by the villagers. To wash away the impurities.
It took her several more turns of the moon to gather the supplies and to practice the inscriptions needed. That final eve, the Madame latched her hut door shut and took her place at her table. The inscription required blood and there was no one else to help her. The Madame dug deep with the island crystal and fed the bowl. She dipped feathers into the bowl then began her writings. It took hours and her frail body shook with the effort to continue. It had to be completed before morning. As the sun prepared to rise, the Madame readied herself for the final stage. She released the fire using branches of the elder tree, the oldest living remnant on the island. She fed the inscriptions to the fire, one line at a time.
The flames curled around the slivers of paper highlighting the letters as they transformed to smoke, one by one. As the words burned, so did the Madame. She could feel it throughout her body, the sacrifice needed to awaken the depths. As the island had given life to her, she would give her own in return.
The Madame slumped across the table knocking the crystal to the floor. It shattered into fragments that raced along the edges of her little hut. Rays of scarlet danced slowly across the fragments reflecting the dying embers of the fire. As the Madame closed her eyes for the final time, she heard the island whisper emphatically, “Let the depths take them all.”
The Basics
- The island will have high and low tides a few times every real life day (automatically run by the server).
- Each real life day, both the low and high tide will grow approximately one foundation higher (this may change if residents cannot keep up with the floods).
- Night of the Purge will have a drastic jump in flooding so be prepared.
- To escape the island before it completely sinks, island residents are called to collect as much oil as possible. On the final day, a vendor will appear who sells bleach for crude oil. Be sure to post pictures in discord in #escape-the-island with all of your bleach to show the server who collected the most.
- While some are escaping the island, some are taking advantage of the situation. Battle the conclave in their flying fortress (new PVE dungeon for small teams).