Few who speak of the mysterious island of Advinsula have seen it for themselves. Even speaking openly of it is forbidden. Yet you have found a guide willing to take you across in a small rowing boat under cover of darkness, and you have paid dearly for a place in the queue. Now you must wait for your turn to depart.
Only a few travelers can make the crossing each day, and bad weather may keep every boat ashore. While you wait for your turn, excitement gives way to nervousness. You prepare your equipment, wonder whether your skills will be enough, and seek out anyone willing to share what they have heard.
As the nights pass, you gather fragments from hushed conversations. What you hear is as fascinating as it is daunting:
The Island's Landscapes
Advinsula is larger than you first imagined. Beyond its sandy beaches lie dense jungle, open country, winding rivers, and high mountains riddled with caves. Two vast forests cover much of the west and east.
In the south lies a third forest whose name is usually spoken softly: the Enchanted Forest. You are not supposed to enter it. No one will tell you exactly what that warning means.
The Underground
Beneath the island lies a network of caves, tunnels, and old passages whose origins have been forgotten. Some are unmistakably natural. Others bear tool marks, worn steps, or symbols that no living builder admits to carving.
Travelers speak of distant movement beyond the lamplight and valuable gemstones glinting in the rock.
Animals sometimes disappear near the entrances after dark. Those who know the old stories avoid sleeping beside such openings, especially when sounds carry up from below.
Runestones
Towering Runestones stand deeply rooted in the land, as though no ordinary hands could have raised them. Their ancient inscriptions appear to tell stories of the past or carry important warnings, but those who claim to understand them seldom offer the same translation twice.
Glyph Stones
Far smaller are the rare Glyph Stones, each bearing a single arcane symbol. Travelers find them from time to time in ruins, tunnels, and other old places, and a fortunate discovery may be worth a great deal. It is whispered that the reclusive elves seek these precious stones with particular urgency. No one seems willing to explain why.
Magic Items
Mystical items await discovery across Advinsula, often disguised as ordinary objects. Not everything is what it seems, and only those with psychic intuition can sense the magic concealed within.
To understand the power and purpose of such artifacts, one must consult the Book of Magic Items. Its ancient knowledge is said to reveal their secrets.
Full Moon
Beware the full moon, for it is a time when the magic on the island is at its most potent. Evil creatures that lurk in the shadows will emerge and hunt under the cover of night. Find shelter and be prepared to defend yourself, so you don't become their prey.
Black Stones
A strange phenomenon occurs on this island. When a foreign traveler dies, a black, web-like mold begins to grow over their body. It spreads with dreadful speed, and in less than an hour the flesh, clothes, and soft remains are gone, leaving only a picked-clean skeleton and a smooth, flat black stone.
Etched into the stone are the title of the deceased, if any, along with a number indicating how many days they managed to survive on the island. These Black Stones are said to be loaded with black magic. Only sacred holy water has the power to neutralize the black magic.
Monasteries and the Elder Monk
Within the island, there are various monasteries where peace-seeking monks reside, willing to offer spiritual guidance, prayings, shelter and aid to lost travelers and wanderers.
The grand main monastery stands atop the highest mountain in the north, guarded by trained falcons. There, an Elder Monk lives in a solitary tower, blind but gifted with visions in his dreams. His visions enable him to see dramatic events such as murder and other evil acts. His assistants write down his visions into warnings for anyone willing to listen.
Religious Animalists
Some foreign travelers are religious animalists and communicate with the monks in the monasteries using their trained falcons to deliver written messages. A few times each month, their falcon make the journey to the main monastery and receive updated lists of warnings and notices, including updated lists of Murderers and Paladins and the name of the island's current Master.
The Inns
Scattered along the roads are inns where a traveler with enough coin may buy a hot meal, clean water, and a bed beneath a roof. A stay restores strength, offers a safer night than the wilderness, and gives travelers a chance to refill their waterskins before setting out again.
The common rooms are smoky, crowded places where locals, hunters, merchants, and foreign travelers meet. Goods change hands according to whoever is present and what the roads have brought that day. So do rumors. Some are warnings, some are lies, and some are truths their tellers do not yet understand. Listen carefully—but remember that the monastery notices posted by the doors name those who will be denied shelter.
Murderers
Those who shed an innocent person's blood are named Murderers and entered upon the monastery lists. They are forbidden to enter any monastery, and the inns will deny them shelter. A Murderer may seek redemption by bringing another Murderer's Black Stone to a monastery, neutralizing it with holy water, and asking the monks for forgiveness.
Paladins
Paladins are carefully chosen by the Elder Monk to hunt the most dangerous Murderers. They are rewarded in gold, taught to make holy water, and given a falcon for protection and communication. Their strict oath demands courage, defense of the innocent, obedience to the Elder Monk, and the refusal of black magic.
Anyone may ask to join them, but very few are accepted, and no more than ten may hold the title. The first proof expected of an applicant is a Murderer's Black Stone, brought to a monastery for neutralization. Those who become Paladins often conceal the title: a hunter of Murderers rarely lacks enemies, and a Paladin's own Black Stone is said to hold twice the potency.
The Master
The most esteemed title is that of Master. The Elder Monk may appoint the foreign traveler who has survived the greatest number of days, provided they have endured at least thirty nights and are neither a Paladin nor a known Murderer. There can be only one Master.
The title carries great importance. Monks, elves, merchants, rebels, and even enemies may respond differently to the one who bears it, though few agree on what being Master truly means—or why the island's factions care so deeply.
The Witch and the Enchanted Forest
Deep within the southern Enchanted Forest lives an infamous Witch, a master of Black Magic. She sells powerful potions and arcane items to those brave enough to seek her out, and she pays handsomely for Black Stones laden with dark power. The monks warn that she is hideously ugly and evil, yet able to take a beautiful appearance and deceive anyone who meets her.
Be warned, for the Enchanted Forest is an evil place, and the elder monk's visions are blocked from revealing anything that happens within its dangerous area.
The Cult of Fanatics
Within the western forest lies a tiny village whose castle has been seized and barricaded by a fanatical cult. Their lives are governed by an intense belief in hidden powers, miracles, and sacrifice. They are rumored to have captured foreign travelers and offered them to their twisted deities, and a village council member was murdered after the cult accused him of possession. These misguided souls must be avoided at all costs, for they show no mercy to outsiders.
The Prophecy of the Chosen One
The cult preaches a prophecy: a Chosen One will come as a foreign traveler from across the sea, break the force that imprisons them, and lead them to salvation. The recent arrival of foreign travelers has brought hope, suspicion, and bloodshed in equal measure.
The Rebels
Beyond the captured castle walls, farmers, merchants, and outcasts have grown weary of the cult's violent acts and fanatical beliefs. They have formed a secret resistance and meet in the tavern west of the village, plotting an attack that will overthrow the cult and reclaim the castle. The Rebels seek new members and alliances among foreign travelers. They also claim to have a spy inside the walls who brings them valuable information.
Some Rebels whisper that old tunnels run beneath or near the castle. Whether they are escape routes, forgotten passages, or merely another dangerous rumor of the western forest, no one can say.
The Elves
Deep within the eastern forest, the elusive Elves have lived in seclusion since ancient times. They were the island's original settlers and guard their peace from outsiders. Those who dare to enter their forest uninvited do so at their own danger, for the Elves have a pact with the elder monk: they are left in peace, and in return, they do not interfere in the affairs of outsiders. This pact includes the right for them to use deadly force against uninvited visitors in their sacred forest. Only the Master is welcome among them, and no one knows why.
Evil Creatures
The dark arts of black magic can twist even the most innocent animal into a vicious beast with glowing red eyes. Such creatures are found primarily in the Enchanted Forest, but sometimes roam elsewhere. Holy water burns them like acid, and fire is another proven defense. Stranger still, they do not prey upon Murderers, as though recognizing something of their own evil.
The Monolith
At the exact center of the island, in the northern reaches of the Enchanted Forest, stands a towering monolith of unknown origin or purpose. It has been there since time immemorial and its meaning remains a mystery. Its presence is felt by all who come near and some speculate that it holds the key to the magic of the island as it glows during the night of the full moon.
The Cloud Lotus
High above the lower mountain slopes, secluded spring-fed pools lie hidden between wind-cut ridges and dark rock. In a very few of them grows the Cloud Lotus, an exceptionally rare flower with petals so deep in color that they appear almost black. Healers and witches prize it, while mountain folklore preserves an older use: brewing the flower into a simple tea.
Those who drink it are said to awaken to impossible clarity. Their senses and abilities become supernaturally keen, while hunger, thirst, and weariness fall silent for days. Yet no tale agrees on how long the gift lasts, and every account warns of the price when it releases its hold. The wise prepare it with care. The wiser still ask why a flower of still water grows only so near the clouds.
Foreign Travelers Who Never Return
Many foreign travelers never return from Advinsula, but not all are believed to have died. Some slowly forget the treasure they came to find, settle into quiet lives, and become indistinguishable from the island's own people. Innkeepers say the island does not only kill travelers; it changes them.
The Languages of the Island
Common speech carries most conversations on the island. The elves have a language of their own, said by outsiders to be beautiful and melodic, though few outsiders understand more than a greeting.
An older language survives only in writing upon stones, ruins, and forgotten objects. A handful of people claim they can decipher it. Their translations do not always agree.
The Currency
Silver coins are the common currency of the island. Ten silver coins are worth one gold coin, ten gold coins can be exchanged for a precious gem, and ten gems for a diamond.
Merchants and traders will exchange valuable items for these precious stones, making them eagerly sought by adventurers and treasure hunters alike. Gold, gems, and diamonds are spoken of far more often than they are seen upon an inn table.
The boat will come when weather and darkness permit. Beyond it wait mystery, treasure, and a struggle to survive. You have heard enough to fear Advinsula—and not enough to turn back.