Nuhu Tua (ˈnu.hu ˈtu.a)

"...nothing to see here. You are invited to dock at Sagara Luhur, or any other port on Nuhu Bes, but you may not put in at Nuhu Tua."

— standard warning given to ships seeking to land on Nuhu Tua

Nuhu Tua is the second largest of the Nuhu Islands, and is the subject of many myths and theories. For as long as anyone can determine, the officials of Bikusigara have kept the island quarantined, not permitting any ships to land and maintaining a naval blockade monitoring all likely landing sites. While some small craft have undoubtedly slipped through this cordon, there are no reliable reports of what is happening on the island, and most stories agree that those who have gone looking have either been turned away or vanished. Some people claim that the restrictions against landing on Nuhu Tua go back to when the Empire of Muria ruled the Great Ring.

As is natural, a forbidden island has excited vast amounts of interest over the last three millennia, and there are many stories about what might be there. According to one story, Hundaru of Telmun forced the Bikusigara to allow him to tour the island, only to lend the support of the Telmunic Empire towards the quarantine afterwards. Dreamwalkers who have attempted to visit the echo of Nuhu Tua have found only a void where it should be - Kailo Moana theorized that this was because no thinking being existed on the island to perceive it and contribute their perceptions to the Dream. However, many have observed birds flying to and from Nuhu Tua, as well as occasionally glimpsing other animals on the shore from a distance, and claim that this refutes the idea that nothing is there that can think.

Notable Spirits

While nobody knows what spirits reside on the island itself, there are many tales of the strange and dangerous spirits that inhabit the waters around Nuhu Tua. They are known as the Gajahaya, and they appear whenever a ship comes too close to the island. They manifest as a strange hybrid beast, about the size of a hippopotamus, but covered in scales like a reptile. It has the trunk of an elephant emerging from a crocodilian head. It also has the front legs of a crocodile, but a tail more like a whale or dolphin. They are known to reach out of the water to pull people out of their boats and then drag them under the water. Arrows and other weapons skid off their scaled hide, and it is said that they can disappear and reappear at will. While some stories tell of escaping the Gajahaya, none tell of one being defeated.

Geography

Nuhu Tua is a small island, measuring about 26 miles long and 8 miles across. The coastline has many attractive beaches, and the interior is composed of heavily forested hills. Coral reefs are found all around the island, and limit where larger ships can safely approach the shore. The waters around the island teem with life, and those fishing boats brave enough to approach the island can bring in huge catches. However, those catches are confiscated by the Bikusigara navy whenever a fishing vessel is caught there, and some boats that get that close to the island never return at all.

Type

Island

Location under

Nuhu Islands

Geographic Details

Location: Southern Region
Latitude: 4.06 degrees South
Longitude: 12.81 degrees West
Average Elevation: 52 ft
Highest Point: 1,886 ft
Lowest Point: -3 ft
Area: 154 sq mi

Theories & Speculations

Here is a brief list of the better known theories about Nuhu Tua.

• A surviving enclave of Nakaal have been hiding there from the Clarati that destroyed Muria.
• Some great monster was released by the destruction of Bato, and Muria imprisoned it on Nuhu Tua.
• A Memetic plague is contained there that would spread through the Dream if anyone could observe it and thus become infected.
• The Bikusigara is hiding a great treasure and/or weapon there to use when they need it.
• The secret to turning anyone into a True Mage is hidden on the island.
• There is nothing there, and the cordon is to draw attention from another location, probably one of the smaller islands nearby.
• Not even Bikusigara knows why they are blockading it, and they do it purely out of tradition.