Obsidian Harbour
Located on the largest Island in the southern sea of Vilanto is Obsidian Harbour, formerly known as Noho Malie Kahakai, or The Quiet Beach, this small coastal town has less than a thousand citizens currently. While this is small by mainland comparisons it is by far the largest settlement in the collection of islands found in the southern sea that it sits within. It is a common stop for the native islanders navigating through the area and an occasional stop for bright-eyed adventurers stopping one last time before travelling to Ua’eha Mountain. A huge island volcano that erupted less than a hundred years ago, causing havoc across the islands below. It now sits with a large crescent-shaped crater blown out of its side.
Geography and Natural Resources
In the northwest of the island lies the town, it takes up a large upper portion of the island, slowly expanding due to the potential provided by harvesting the copious amounts of obsidian found elsewhere on the island. Though a small collection of the population have lived here for generations and care little for the rock.
To the south of the town is a thick tangle of jungle, it spans the majority of the central region of the island, it has a small well-travelled path that works its way from the town down to the southern coast of the island. Off of this path, the jungle has its fair share of dangerous predators and secrets, so be careful if you decide to adventure off it. If you are in dire need of travelling through this area there are a selection of locals that work the jungle floor, collecting building material and hunting for food for the town. Common vegetation that can be found here includes bananas, cocoa beans, and a bright orange leaf called the Uila Leaf, that when crushed to a paste can be used as a mild intoxicant. Giving the imbiber an odd buzzing feeling in their head, as if a small shock has been administered to them.
The southern side of the island is smothered in ash which fell from Ua’eha Mountain when its volcano erupted in an ear-shattering eruption less than a hundred years ago. This explosion blocked out the light of the sun for several weeks, destroying crops and wreaking havoc on many of the nearby islands. On the island that the inhabitants of Obsidian Harbour live, it covered their beaches in several feet of ash. Over the centuries it has been thoroughly mixed in with the natural sand.
Circling around the entire island now is a beautiful ring of golden sand mixed with dark ash from the volcanic eruption years ago. It is a wonderful sight to view during the sunrise, but the heat of the sun creates lava-like temperatures that radiate from the beaches. If proper protection isn’t worn serious burns could be suffered.
Due to the proximity of the island to the volcano large earthquakes also struck during the eruption. It drastically changed the landscape of the once quiet island. Along with the mixed sand beaches surrounding the coast of the island, these earthquakes caused large spikes of obsidian to erupt from beneath the surface throughout the island. This has turned out to be a boon for the cities as this obsidian is strictly harvested by and for the locals and is a valued commodity by merchants visiting town. Only the locals know the safest way to harvest the precious material, as handling it improperly may cause the surface underneath to shift and kick start new tremors. This is also the reasoning behind the recent name change from Noho Mālie Kahakai, The Quiet Beach to Obsidian Harbour.
Industry and Trade
Obsidian Harbour increasingly survives off of trade with other islands, and occasionally trades with merchants from the southern nations. As the population of the town has grown the need for a more diverse trade network has greatly increased. The city uses much of what the island provides, including a select amount of vegetables and meat harvested from the surrounding jungles. Though this is becoming insufficient.
The primary item export here is obsidian, a valuable commodity on the mainland. There is a large amount of it here on the island. Large spikes of obsidian jut out randomly from the ground around the island. The largest selection collection of these spires sits on the southern beach of the island. Obsidian is commonly used to pay far-travelling merchants in trade for supplies of food, clothing, and other materials not found on the island. Other islanders find the obsidian a bit gaudy and not useful but they still acknowledge its value as export and will gladly give it to hungry merchants looking to trade.
Though the people of the island prefer the trade of goods and services to coin. Many products and services on the island can be purchased by offering your own products or services in trade.
The island has recently seen a large influx of pirates coming ashore, looking to quench their thirsts and have a good time. While this does cause havoc and mayhem throughout the town, it does come with a small increase in trade. With drunker pirates and sailors spending coin and offering illicit goods in exchange for alcohol and supplies for their ships. Sadly on occasion, rowdy pirates will destroy a popular shop or just flat out steal what they need.
Government
The town has a single elected official, considered the chief of the island. Though this position is mainly for tradition purposes, with the chief conducting various rituals and celebratory festivals throughout the year. He does not have any sale in the rules and actual governance of the town. The citizens of the town do a good enough job running the town themselves, deciding the best trade opportunities and civil matters during weekly town meetings. All are invited, though only a small number of people typically show. This style of governance worked well in the early years of the islands when the town was still small and work was not nearly as busy. It has come under extreme stress recently due to increased visitors and trade to the islands. Along with the rash of pirates that have been frequenting the harbour taverns in the last few years.Demographics
The locals of the city are primarily those who have moved there from the surrounding islands, looking for a more profitable living. A small selection of locals came from farther away, mostly the Jungles of Mijhail. There is only a small handful of citizens who have come to live on the island from farther lands like Heldrin, Casarei, and Aldelgis. At least half of the island is comprised of Avanii people, they have brightly coloured feathers and came in a large range of colours. The rest of the population are mainly comprised of humans and half/near-elves.Infrastructure
The small town mainly consists of small single floor dwellings made with wood harvested from the nearby jungle. These small buildings are surprisingly sturdy having been made using a weaving method developed by locals of the town and the surrounding islands. Only a few buildings are multi-floored due to the high winds that frequent whip by the island, caused by strong coastal winds and because it is a very time heavy task creating even the single floor dwellings.
The town’s city central court has the islands largest obsidian crystal poking up through the center. This piece of obsidian, upon arrival, pierced and severely damaged the towns original chief’s hut. As a sign of respect the citizens decided to leave the hut as is, it has since sat in the same spot, with the large obsidian spire jutting up through it. It is off limits due to safety concerns. An annual festival is held in this court in order to honour the memory of this old hut.
Alternative Name(s)
Noho Malie Kahakai - The Quiet Beach
Type
Town
Population
978
Related Tradition (Primary)
Related Materials
Interesting Developments?
A group of adventurers have recently arrived on the island, and have decided it is their new home. They have tasked themselves with protecting the citizens of the islands from the rowdy gang of pirates that frequent the town. They are always looking for more help!
One of the obsidian spires has sunk back into the beach, leaving a gaping hole in the earth. Strange noises can be heard below, is there something down there? What could it be?
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