Nawala Island

"When I visited Nawala island, I was immediately taken aback by it's size. I was then immediately distracted by finding the first rare species I was looking for, a little Tacua Speciosa, or a Giant Colorful Cicada. It was almost as if he was there, making his little call to welcome me to the island."

— Prof. Garrison Anderson Entomology Researcher

Geography

Nawala Island is the largest of a cluster of islands under the jurisdiction of Bituin and is located south east of the mainland. It is a round island with a significant bay to the north of it. The island is humid and warm and filled with thick jungle. In the center of the island is a large volcanic mountain. The still active volcano has been recorded to occasionally spill out mild lava flows as recently as a few years ago.

Fauna & Flora

The island is a tropical region lush with trees and plant life. There are areas that are so dense with forest that it makes it difficult to traverse on foot, and easy to get lost in. It's an area that has been allowed to grow free without human contact for years.
It is also host to rare species and flowers, animals, and insects, and it is a popular destination for wildlife researchers.

History

Some centuries ago, the island was fully inhabited by a indigenous tribe known as the Paruparo . The land was sacred to the Paroparu, as they believed the island was the birthplace of their god, Mariposa the Hive. As a result of this myth, they worshipped the variety exotic species that lived there. They were also the first people to discover fossils of ancient insects on the island.
In the 17th century, the island was threatened to to be colonized by Europan Settlers which displeased the Paruparo who feared the foreigners would desecrate the land and force them to adopt Europan culture. Since many practiced and were highly skilled in the art of Spirit Magic, they used the fossils they collected to cast an area wide spell designed to protect them. But something went wrong, as the entire tribe vanished overnight. Even the boats heading towards the islands were found floating abandoned in the ocean.
As population of both indigenous people and foreigners slowly refilled the mainland, the newly dubbed Nawala Island remained abandoned and uninhabited, out of superstitions that the island was cursed and that people who visited it would disappear like the Paruparo tribe. The island was left for nature to reclaim the cities that the Paruparo built.
As time went one, people became less superstitious as the story of the Paruparo faded into folklore and legend. This allowed the first explorers to return in years, but the island was still not settled again, as it was deemed more valuable as a wildlife and archeological research site. It only began to be resettled once a collection of living Paruparo descendants moved back to the island to live the lifestyle they believe they were meant to.

Tourism

In recent years, interest in the lore and history behind the island has encouraged people to want to see the island for themselves. Taking advantage of this, a company from the mainland opted to build a luxury tropical resort on the island, much to the disapproval of the new Paruparo tribe living on the island. The contraction of the restort caused a lot of vegitation to be ripped out, boat traveling in an out brought trash and pollution to the beach, and the construction was disruptive and noisy.
Furthermore, the tribe living there has been used as a 'selling point' and the tribe has to frequently shoo tourists off of their land.

Parent Location

Altearth

Alternative Name(s)

The Cursed Island

Type

Island

Location under

Bituin Peninsula

Included Locations

• Nawala Isle Luxury Resort
• Precursor Village

Owning Organization

Bituin

Related Ethnicities

• Paruparo

Related Myths

• Mariposa the Hive

Bituin Map

Open full size

Bituin is a peninsula at the southern-most coast of Asis. While it has a rich history and culture, it is most known for the mysterious vanishing of thousands of people during the Europa invasion, taking much of its early culture and history with them. Immigrants and descendants of its people would resettle the area.

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