Kóox Shukáa

"The living have no place upon the island that dies."

— Kaagúshaan

Of all the islands in Kaa Shuká, there is none about which less is known than Kóox Shukáa. It is called "The Island That Dies" by the Kimutaa, and is notorious for vanishing at random intervals, only to suddenly reappear without warning. They believe that during the periods when it is gone, Kóox Shukáa has died and sunk into the underworld beneath the sea, taking all who are upon it as well. They further believe that the spirits of their dead must travel to Kóox Shukáa in order to reach the underworld, and that they cross the sea ice to get there. The dead cannot swim and cannot sail, so they can only reach Kóox Shukáa by walking when the ice bridges the islands.

This means that the shores closest to Kóox Shukáa are haunted through the summer months, as the spirits of the dead gather there awaiting the freezing of the sea. It is possible, but not advisable, to travel there in search of the dead.

Since the island vanishes at intervals that cannot be predicted, it is very rare for any of the Kimutaa to spend time there, lest they be taken beneath the sea. Those animals that are on the island when it vanishes do not return, although there are strange plants upon Kóox Shukáa that grow in both the living and dead worlds. The Kimutaa will sometimes gather these plants for their unusual properties, although they hurry back to their boats as soon as they have what they need. There are many varieties of Kóox Shukáa flora, all with different properties, the details of which are known to the Kimutaa alone.

Notable Spirits

Like all of Kaa Shuká, the island is the domain of the Shuká Atx'áani, or the Harsh Gods. The god of Kóox Shukáa is known only as Héenx̱'aat'i, the Traveler. Héenx̱'aat'i is not attentive to the spirits they carry to the underworld, and will depart if and when they must, whether the ghosts of the dead have reached the shores of Kóox Shukáa or not. For whatever reason, it follows its own necessity.

Kaagúshaan believed that there was an imbalance between life and death that Héenx̱'aat'i seeks to remedy, and that the god's efforts are doomed to fail in the end, leading to the great catastrophe of Kaagúshaan's visions.

Geography

Kóox Shukáa is a relatively large island with a roughly oval shape and a prominent peninsula to the northeast. It measures about 61 miles long along its northeast to southwest axis and 47 miles along its southeast to northwest axis, with a maximum width of about 60 miles.

The interior consists of gently rolling hills blanketed in low-growing, hardy, and eldritch flora, similar to the mosses and sedges common elsewhere in the far north, yet strangely different. There is no native animal life on the island, for any creatures present when Kóox Shukáa vanishes are gone when it returns.

Some migratory birds are known to visit the island and feed upon its plants. These birds are later said to gain strange properties for a time, such as the ability to speak or to vanish mid-flight.

Type

Island

Location under

Kaa Shuká

Geographic Details

Location: Northwestern Region
Latitude: 76.11 degrees North
Longitude: 26.08 degrees West
Average Elevation: 69 ft
Highest Point: 367 ft
Lowest Point: -13 ft
Area: 1,949 sq mi

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