Imaginary Island Mods (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
imaginarymods) wrote2020-02-24 04:20 pm
imaginarymods) wrote2020-02-24 04:20 pm
Setting & Locations
SETTING & LOCATIONS
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Click to go straight to a section:
General Info & Main Island • Foot-Shaped Island • Outer Islands
Starting Beach • Glitches • Cabanas • Vending Machine • BIAS • Climate, Islanders, & Tech • Brightway Boardwalk • Café Calamari • Caverns of Memory • Foggy Forest • Crystal Lagoon • Mirror Maze • Gilded Wall
Coliseum • K.V. Labs • Strange Ruins
Deep Foggy Forest • Cascades • Roswell Center • Elder Marinero's • Miaoteo's Workshop • Uninhabited Islet • Pirate Camp
In the enduring classic Caleb Cleveland and the Imaginary Island, our daring, dashing, darling detective takes on the mystery of a peculiar collection of tropical islands, which one day appeared out of nowhere in the middle of the ocean.The beautiful scenery of that literary marvel is what you wake up to (once you've pulled your face out of the sand.) Not that you remember who Caleb Cleveland is. You barely remember who you are.
Characters awaken on the central island of the archipelago, scattered along the southeastern beach and pretty disoriented. The sands are soft and perfectly golden, as well as remarkably free of debris! The shore is broken up occasionally by clusters of rocks that jut up out of the sand, though none so small that you could accidentally stub a toe on them. The sea glimmers a flawless turquoise, and along the horizon you can see other landforms — some of which are easily identifiable as other islands. Scattered palm trees provide shade to about a dozen unoccupied cabanas. The beach runs into a treeline to the west, where the vegetation gradually gets denser until it's full on rainforest. Near the cabanas is a very charming Fantasy Costco-branded vending machine full of refreshments and necessities.
How perfectly picturesque! If only that one tree would stop flickering.Wait, flickering?
Yes, indeed. In fact, the closer you look at the beach, the more problems you can find. Rocks that are suspiciously identical, as if they've been copy-pasted. Repeating corners on the cabanas. Burnt, heavily saturated chunks of color in the sand which shift while you look at them. Sometimes, a portion of the sky which just...seems to be missing, like little dead pixels. And out on the open sea, where no land is visible on the horizon, the distant waves are choppy — in a geometric way, not a natural way.
They all resemble computer glitches. How puzzling.
And they occur all throughout the archipelago, though they seem to be worst on the beach where you woke up and out at sea, almost as if they're pushed up against some invisible wall. They generally don't seem to affect people or your personal objects, just the environment. Despite their unsettling appearance, though, they don't seem to be harmful.
So it's perfectly safe to make your way across the beach to the cabanas and the vending machine. They're fairly plush cabanas — for whatever purpose you've ended up on this island, the universe seems to want you to do it in comfort! Which is good, because these are the most convenient shelter available. Within the cabanas, you might even find some of your personal objects already tucked in and around the furniture, as if this cabana was being saved for you. (This is ICly how the random cabana assignments will be done.) Each cabana includes:
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Then there's the vending machine, which is pretty cute except for the vaguely...menacing cat face which stares at you from the dispensation compartment. Besides the Voidfish ichor that it automatically (and aggressively) dispenses for new Reclaimers, it has a limited selection of provisions! Though its selection is pretty strange overall... And it appears to have two separate coin slots, one of which is much larger than the other, with very emphatic labelling as to what direction the crank needs to be turned. In addition to its strange gachapon properties, here are some of the things you can buy with regular old currency!
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If you're lucky, you may already have your Bureau Issued Adventuring Supplies (or your BIAS) with you! The BIAS includes:
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You'll realize quickly that the archipelago has a fairly hot climate, between 85-90 degrees Fahrenheit (that's 29-32 degrees Celsius for metric folks) during the day and hovering in the low 70s F (low 20s C) at night. It's fairly humid 24/7, but that makes the steady breeze coming off the sea all the more refreshing. Strangely enough, every day at 5:00 PM on the dot, the main island experiences sudden, torrential downpours for about half an hour. After 30 minutes, the rain stops as suddenly as it started. None of the other people on the island think this strange.
Wait, other people? Yes! Further inland are clusters of small houses. And in these houses reside the very charming Animalians — who resemble a variety of anthropomorphized animals! Most of them speak Common and are pretty friendly, though you may run into some who only speak the local Animalese, particularly among the older folk. Animalian settlements of various sizes can be found throughout most of the archipelago — sometimes consisting of one solitary Animalian who comfortably makes their own way.
Noticeably, the Animalians seem to have pretty advanced technology. It's not immediately obvious at first what the glowing lines on some things mean, but the holoscreen tablets that many Animalians carry make it clear after a while; it indicates some kind of magical power source for advanced tech. Typically the base of Animalian tech is made of wood or stone — not metal, as is typical in sci-fi. Devices that improve daily quality of life are typical. In fact, if you investigated the cabanas, you already encountered some of it in the cabana cooler! Native tech can be a bit finicky when handled by outsiders, though, and it's pretty difficult to interface other tech with it. Some study and adaptation might be necessary if you want to do that! Luckily, the archipelago is home to a number of skilled and budding technomancers who might be willing to help. More on that in a bit.
Animalians aren't the only humanoids around here. You can encounter a wide variety of other Faerunian folk in the island's tourists! They all seem to hail from Lyrabar, and if asked why they're here, everyone who's willing to answer will say that they won an all-expenses-paid getaway to this lovely island. What a coincidence. And there are so many people from Lyrabar here; some of those who seem like "tourists" at first glance actually look pretty...piratey. Explore and you might find small pirate camps here and there. They're pretty easy to impress with food and money, and it might be cheaper than finding lodging with the Animalians. Check out this page for details on some figures of note on the island!
You're most likely to run into tourists on the Brightway Boardwalk, unsurprisingly. Though "Boardwalk" may not be an entirely adequate description. That's what it is, structurally, but it's almost its own little port, an economic hub for the whole archipelago. If you want to buy something, this is the place to go. Vendors from all over the islands come here to set up booths and tents to sell their handmade wares; food, art, clothes, jewelry, and even weapons. The vendors change from day to day, though there are a few regulars that can be found there more often than not. Other merchants and traders frequent this area too, selling assorted necessities and other items of interest, from the mundane to the extravagant.
There's also a large central area with a lovely gazebo, which is clear of vendors and demarcated from the rest of the Boardwalk with a variety of colorful decorations. It's easy to see why — at most hours of the day, it's vibrant with music and dance. The gazebo hosts the live bands, and the Animalians can always be found on the dance floor, sometimes practicing coordinated dance numbers and sometimes just letting loose and dancing like no one's watching! It's not uncommon for tourists to join in on the fun too. Anyone who lingers long by this area is pretty much guaranteed to be invited onto the dance floor. This is also where one of the most anticipated community events, the seasonal dance competition, is held!
Even further inland, past the Brightway Boardwalk and closer to the center of the main island, is a comfortably-sized saltwater lake. And in the middle of that lake is the Café Calamari, run by an absolutely massive squid — Miso Fou, who some characters may eventually recognize from Lyrabar. Though he doesn’t seem to recognize any of the Reclaimers in turn. He can be found running his tiki bar with his many, many arms, preparing meals and drinks of all kinds. This is where characters find access to the menu of Bender, the robot who prepared food for the Moon Base. Miso Fou is capable of making all those dishes and more! Make a new request of him and he'll try his best, but you may not get exactly what you asked for. He seems to understand Common well enough, but he certainly doesn't speak it. After all, he's not an Animalian, he's just an animal!
The Bender/Squid Menu can be found here.
Through an entrance beneath Café Calamari are the Caverns of Memory, discovered by Agent Washington. The Caverns of Memory are a large underwater cave system beneath the archipelago. Swimming is required to get into them, but once inside, there are as many open-air chambers as there are chambers which are fully submerged. These pockets of air allow you to break the surface of pools in the open-air chambers to climb out onto the (relatively) dry stone and take a break from swimming. Patches of underwater flora grow down here too, including small systems of the crystal-like coral of the Crystal Lagoon. In fact, down here, the coral seems to take on a bioluminescent quality, casting a gentle blue glow over the Caverns.
But the most interesting feature of the Caverns of Memory is the giant jellyfish which drift through the water. They resemble brilliant white seaglass, and they are clearly not relatives of the Voidfish (for those of you who are familiar.) But they do have an otherworldly quality with the speckles of light that swirl in their domes. When they drift close enough, the lights coalesce into scenes of things — memories, of anything and everything, less and less clear the older the memory is. For those of you who remember Lyrabar, these jellyfish will be familiar, as they function in the same way the jellyfish from the underwater hall of records did.
The things they show are largely random, and so getting useful info out of them is strictly up to chance. It’s like opening to a random page of an unabridged encyclopedia. But they know your stories, too. Linger by them long enough and you may see some of your own memories — of both your life here and the life you lived in the world you came from.
The western end of the main island hosts the Foggy Forest, a rainforest named so for the thin mist that can often be seen around it as a result of the humidity. It can be a bit challenging to trek through, but there's a beautiful variety of flora and fauna to be found within. There are what seems like dozens of different kinds of trees, rainbows of flowers in all shapes and sizes, huge luscious fruits and strange herbs amongst the tangles of hanging vines. And you can encounter various kinds of standard Earth animals here as well, plus some that appear to be sort of...hybrid creatures? Generally, there aren't many big predators in this part of the rainforest — most of the creatures are content to leave you alone. Save the bugs and hybrid-bugs, which have it in their nature to be as irritating as possible. There are a few isolated Animalian dwellings hidden in this portion of the rainforest, as well; they're less social than the folks who live inland. You probably have to be to live alone in a rainforest, huh?
You can hunt and eat the wildlife here, though it's not common practice; the Animalians mostly eat fish. They won't get angry with you for eating other stuff, but it is generally accepted that they don't eat the other non-sapient animals because it's sort of like a human eating a monkey. It's just weird! They love the fruit from the rainforest, though, and are sure to be appreciative if you bring some to them.
The Crystal Lagoon surrounds the main island. Separated from the larger sea by the barrier islands and beautiful underwater coral reefs, these waters are still and calm and gorgeous. The reefs resemble crystal — hence the lagoon's name — and they are surprisingly sturdy, but islanders may shoo you off if they see you mucking around or touching any of the reefs. Still, it's a good place to cool off, or study the ecosystem. There's a colorful assortment of sea life to study, including rather docile sharks and many different kinds of jellyfish.
Hidden past the corals of the Crystal Lagoon is an entrance to the Mirror Maze. You must swim to access it; emerging from the lagoon here brings you to a long tunnel that winds and meanders some distance under the earth. It is cold, being so far underground and surrounded on all sides by crystal and water. Every surface of this tunnel, like the entrance chamber, is reflective crystal. Reflections upon reflections greet anyone who enters the Mirror Maze.
Once the Mirror Maze is entered, if you're unlucky, you may find that you can't turn back. If this happens to you (which can be at player discretion,) when you attempt to turn back and return to the entrance, you won't be able to find it. The only way out in this case is through.
The majority of the maze is a monotonous trek. It takes a long time to make any sort of progress, and it's never clear whether you are making progress, as there is absolutely no distinction between one section of maze or the other. Branching paths, dead ends, winding corridors of reflections all look identical. You can easily be caught down here long enough to get hungry, tired, and cold.
Deeper into the maze, things change a little. The wall, floor, and ceiling all remain glass, but they become streaked through with speckled veins of black opal. Sometimes the veins seem to crawl off the surfaces of the glass like cracks in reality, stretching through the air; if you touch them, though, they disappear like smoke, only to reform a few seconds later.Needless to say, taking on the Mirror Maze is a harrowing task. The maze uses your fears against you and you may be met with sensory experiences and overwhelming thoughts that reflect those fears. Claustrophobia may make it look as if the corridors close tighter around you, or a fear of isolation may lead you to wonder if you'll be alone down here forever.
Even so, it's possible to escape the maze intact; it'll spit you back out into the clear waters of the Crystal Lagoon somewhere. You are free to play with these aspects of the Mirror Maze as you like without approaching the RNG thread.
However, the maze still has its secrets — and its dangers, which Mira learned well. If you wish to encounter the strange doppelgangers, or to try and make your way through the Mirror Maze to the island past the thorns, you'll need to hit up the mission's RNG thread.
Finally, northward on the main island is the Gilded Wall, and it's exactly as it sounds. It's a grandiose golden barrier wall which serves as a barricade, cutting off the northernmost portion of the mainland. It's about 40ft tall and 5ft thick — and yet it still bears cracks in its age. It doesn't seem in any imminent danger of collapsing, but there are portions of it which are...a bit concerning in their degrading state. It's said that this wall keeps the rest of the island safe from the great evil that has consumed the northern peninsula of the mainland. Maybe it's related to the huge obsidian thorns which can be seen from the western shore by the Gilded Wall, climbing up out of the Crystal Lagoon like great inky stalagmites.
There does appear to be another island past that barrier of thorns. But it's impossible to make out much else with the barrier in the way.
The second-largest island in the archipelago is rather...foot-shaped! The "ball" and "heel" of the foot-shaped landmass both house sections of the same sprawling ancient ruins. The southern edge of the island is lush with rainforest, though it lacks the characteristic mist of the Foggy Forest. To the west, on the heel of the foot, are the ruins which still see active use. There are sections that haven't survived the flow of time, of course, but overall they're in pretty good shape!
Specifically, most of a grandiose stadium still stands proudly on this side of the island. Its name roughly translates to "Coliseum" in Common, and it's a fitting name, as this is where the warriors of the island test their mettle in a variety of ways. Friendly fighting competitions are hosted here — for prizes, glory, and sick bragging rights! If you like, you can sign up for one of a few different challenges. You and your fellow Reclaimers are welcome to sign up together and take on one another. You can also sign up to challenge one of the island's most respected fighters. Or you and up to two other people can take on the Beast Challenge, where you'll face off against one of the sophisticated magitech beasts that the island's technomancers have developed. Rest assured that the creatures don't mind; in fact, they seem to enjoy the challenge. They're repaired and rewarded after fights by the islanders, who share a unique bond with them!
Tucked into corners of the Coliseum and its surrounding ruins are what can best be described as...ancient graffiti. The Animalians don't entirely know the story of these images, but reason that they must have been respected or favored warriors of audiences in ancient times. Some of the scenes depicted in the old drawings might be familiar to some Reclaimers who participated in the mission to Lyrabar.
North of the Coliseum, connected to the foot by a scant strip of land through the water, is the cape on which K.V. Labs resides. Most of this cape is preserved natural terrain akin to a national park. In this area, the great magitech beasts wander freely. This is where the beasts are developed and repaired after matches at the Coliseum. K.V. and their budding technomancers study the beasts as they roam the cape, and the physical lab hosts a variety of technomancy research and development programs!
To the east, on the ball of the foot, are the Strange Ruins, which are in far worse shape than the Coliseum. They're constantly undergoing archaeological study and restoration. This is where dear Angus McDonald has set up camp! He seems to be aiding in the research portion of the ventures in these ruins. Notable about the Strange Ruins are the murals which seem to adorn every remaining inch of them. For the most part, the murals are difficult to decipher, having been painted over in layers through the ages. Maybe if you study them long enough, you might be able to pick out something of interest.There are a few walls which still bear very clear images though. Some of them depict Animalian figures performing feats of magic through what seem to be various gestures and incantations — these reflect many of the Path actions available to you, so they're a good source for remembering things you may have forgotten how to do. Or, if you're a new Reclaimer, you can use them to study new Path actions!
There's also a wall which depicts what seems to be a confrontation between the Animalians and...humanoid creatures of uncertain nature, but the inky black pigment and shadowy shapes of them are sinister. The Animalians are in colorful warrior garb, and they seem to be dancing. The sinister creatures appear to be retreating from them.
The largest mural is located deep within the ruins. Angus can often be found here, pondering it. It appears to build some kind of narrative of a...confrontation? Between a woman and a dragon. Maybe it's not exactly a confrontation. The Animalians can't explain it and neither can Angus, though he feels drawn to it for some unknown reason.
The deepest part of the Foggy Forest sprawls out into the westernmost outer island. To get to it, you must trek through the rainforest on the main island and then travel by boat to the smaller one. The locals warn against it, as they've seen and heard of strange happenings there. But if you wish, there are some abandoned boats at the shore that can take you to...the danger zone. The foliage here is much more dense, veering into jungle territory. Knots of vines and chunky, gnarled tree roots threaten to trip you up at every turn. The atmosphere is...foreboding. The delicate mist which sometimes clings to the mainland's rainforest becomes a thick shroud of fog on this islet. The glitches here take on more threatening forms; black sap, glowing fruit, vines that clip through the ground and seem to grab you out of nowhere, and so on. Strange and downright creepy creatures make their home in this portion of the rainforest, but most of them are not hostile. Most of them.
The Cascades are located on an islet tucked in a northeastern nook by the mainland. The land here is much more uneven than on the other islands, and it's less dense with forest. These factors make it an ideal hiking spot! Beautiful freshwater pools dot this island, linked by crystal clear streams. Hike to the highest point of the Cascades and you'll find yourself at the top of a waterfall which always has a rainbow in its mist, even at night. It's even safe to ride down, owing to the depth of the pool at the bottom and the lack of rocky formations in the way! The pool goes a lot deeper than it first appears, actually. The wildlife here consists of friendlier creatures than in the Foggy Forest; especially numerous are the playful platypuses, who will gladly swim with you if you're gentle with them! And if you're not gentle with them — well, they are venomous, so it's probably best to be nice.However, from the highest point of the Cascades, you can also see onto the main island. And you have a vantage point of the Gilded Wall...as well as some of what's behind it. The change in the air is immediate — observing it is enough to put a chill in your bones. A strange black mist obscures most of the details from your vision at this distance, but there seems to be the shape of a forest along the shore closest to the Cascades. And if you watch long enough, you may see...blurry shapes. Moving through the mist, wandering — and clusters of them throwing themselves against the Gilded Wall.
Located on a smaller island just slightly northwest of the main island is the Roswell Center — a sprawling campus that is both a hospital and a place of learning. The hospital of the Roswell Center is a teaching hospital, and it houses many expansive wards for both sentient and non-sentient creatures, as well as many eager medical students. Though there are smaller clinics dispersed throughout the island, anyone requiring intensive or involved medical care will be transferred here. Besides the hospital, the campus also boasts many immersive classes — ranging from magic and non-magical medicine, to things like history, botany, and more. The campus also houses a large library, with many resources for bookish or curious Reclaimers. Island residents of all ages take classes to better themselves and expand their knowledge — and Reclaimers are encouraged to do the same. The hospital could always use more volunteers and the professors are more than happy to let newcomers sit in on classes, or even aid in teaching or giving medical care! The campus mascot is a brilliant vermillion flycatcher.
On the biggest Island off the coast of the ruins (the top toe) sits the house of Elder Marinero. It seems a bit of a strange place for a bat, what with the wide open space and lack of trees, but nevertheless his little old shack sits, a relic of times gone by. Though the exterior is sunbleached and weatherworn, it would seem that once upon a time each wall of the little house was a bright mint color with white siding. Despite its age, the decorative plants outside the house are lovingly tended, and the younger Animalians can often be found gathered around Elder Marinero at the flowered seating area in front of the shack.
The second island off the eastern coast of the ruins (the second toe) hosts the home and workshop of Miaoteo, Baisla's most beloved craftsman. Past the sandy shore it's lush and grassy, and plopped right in the middle of the island is a one-story smithery. There's a small portion of the building enclosed by walls, which is Miaoteo's living space, but most of the structure is the open-air workshop where Miaoteo does his work. A wide variety of crafting tools are housed under the tin roof of the workshop: blacksmithing, woodworking, small crafts, and even cooking are all done in this workspace! The back wall dividing the living space from the workshop bears some fishing memorabilia. Even though Miaoteo has a bit of a gruff demeanor, Animalians and tourists can often be found visiting this island, commissioning work from Miaoteo or learning the tricks of the trade themselves.Of note, though, is that Miaoteo only takes payment in fish. You’ll have to get your fishing minigame on to commission something from him.
His living area isn't exactly a tourist attraction and so doesn't see much foot traffic, but should you be invited in, you'll find that the collection of fishing memorabilia is even larger back there. There are many old photos of Miaoteo and those who must be his friends and colleagues. The space itself isn't large; it's about 2/3 bedroom and 1/3 bathroom. He clearly spends most of his time out in the workshop.The third "toe" of the foot is uninhabited. It's mainly beach, the sand speckled with occasional rocks. Towards the center is an area with patches of tall beach grass and scattered trees, some of which bear fruit (mainly plantains and coconuts.) It lacks the dense vegetation of much of the rest of Baisla, but it's a very nice spot for camping and fishing!
The smallest, furthermost island (the pinky toe) houses camps of pirates — but not the semi-friendly, charmable kind. No matter how charming or fearsome you are, these particular pirates have no interest in dealing with you — or anyone — and will attack on sight. They've isolated themselves from all other pirates and set up their encampments throughout this little islet. Their bases can be found in a variety of places, ranging from treehouses to bonfires to caves. Lookouts prepared to alert the entire island of your presence are perched every second of the day. On the other hand, there are rumors floating around about enticing treasure...for those bold enough to try to sneak in, or to try fighting the pirates head on.