Danubada Island
"With it's rolling pastoral hills, crystal clear rivers, and picturesque views from it's two native mountains, Danubada island is the perfect spot for a getaway or even retirement!" -Pamphlet from a failed tourism companyDanubada Island, the almost idyllic homeland of the Halfling and magical mystery. Until about 1638, this island was completely undiscovered, even by the local sailors of the era. There have been many theories explaining this, the most popular being that whatever magical effects the island has on trapped it in a demiplane until just recently.
While many disreputable sources have begun marketing it as a heaven on earth, it can be quite treacherous and dangerous to the unprepared. The Island features boulders, cliffs, rivers, and two active volcanoes. The native Halflings have a small system of pathways across the island, and other than the occasional blockage from a landslide or a lava flow, they are safe and kept in good condition. However, much of the island is untamed wilderness, with soil too poor to attempt farming and many beasts ready to defend their territory. There are even a few monstrosities unique to the area, though how they were created is anyone's guess. Furthermore, the island is protected from invasion and development by the Danubada Island Protectorate, a group dedicated to protecting the natural environment of Danubada as well as the way of life of the Halflings who choose to stay there.
In conclusion, it's an underwhelming and dangerous vacation spot, so avoid anyone selling cruises to the place. However, it is very interesting for other reasons, and visits apart from vacationing can be very rewarding.
Geography
Danubada is a large, somewhat crescent shaped island, so the crescent's inner side is facing east. A mountain range runs along it's length, splitting the island into two regions: one along the inside of the crescent and one on the outside. The range was formed by the two active volcanoes it contains. It's assumed the rest of the island was formed this way, with the jagged mountain range being a more recent addition of volcanic rock. This ridge is still expanding, rock being added from occasional small eruptions. Luckily, the lava usually flows toward the top and the bottom of the crescent, away from settled areas and the space between the mountains.
The mountains themselves are called Sealial and Soudial. Sealial sits on the northern side and slightly to the west, toward the outer side of the crescent. Soudial is south and somewhat east, toward the inner side. These mountains share a similar name with the regions they neighbor and the people that live there. The outer region is called Seala and the inner called Souda, and their Halfling races called Sealens and Soudens respectively.
The extreme terrain of the mountain ranges as well as strong rivers make travel between the two sides a nightmare, at least with the exception of The Pass. In Danubadan, the strip of land between the volcanoes translates to "The Pass", as it's the easiest part of the range to cross. Today, especially with outside resources, the pass is a safe and effective route of travel. A few hundred years ago, however, it used to be difficult at best to make the journey, thus why the two races of Halflings are so different. The pass is occasionally blocked by an errant lava flow or some other disaster, which can make passing just as difficult as it was so long ago.
Seala houses a large amount of land and biodiversity. A large patch of arable land is used for farming by the Sealen, which they supplement with gathered fruit, nuts, wild animals, and fish. This side of the island is mostly forested, and the most likely to hide local monstrosities.
Souda is smaller than Seala, and while not entirely lacking in dense forests, it mostly consists of hills, moors, and some swamp land. There are also old mineral rich veins on this side of the mountain range, giving the Soudens access to metallurgy. However, Souda has little arable land on which to farm, and few foraging opportunities.
The Island is mostly bordered by picturesque beaches. The the northern and southern tips are an exception, continuing the mountain range out to the edge of the island, just as treacherous as closer in. What's more, they each end with swaths of sharp rocks sticking out and just under the sea. These create turbulence, making it extremely dangerous for a boat to even get close to them, lest they are smashed against the rocks or a cliff face. This makes traveling by ship to the other side a long and roundabout process, even though it's occasionally the only realistic way of getting there.
The sand and dirt of the island has been found to be weathering away at a concerning rate. It's thought that this is somewhat to blame for the Halfling's food situation and their stature, meaning that at one point the island was likely much larger than it is today. Research into conservation methods for the island are increasingly funded by the Danubada Island Protectorate in an attempt to protect the Halfling's homeland.
Ecosystem
While the island has a mundane ecosystem similar to surrounding lands in most ways, almost all of the flora and fauna are about half the size of their mainland relatives, including the local Human population, who have changed so much due to this effect that they are now classified as Halflings.
Localized Phenomena
Almost all natural phenomena have been shown to slightly shrink in size in proximity to the island. The centerpoint of this shrinking effect has been measured to be within the heart of the island's two peaks, but expiditions boring into the cliffside have been postponed due to unstable dirt and equipment failure (likely due to secondary effects of the phenomena).
Tourism
There have been many ventures into tourism by landowners on the island, but all were eventually restricted by the protectorate to the point of bankruptcy. This hasn't stopped tourists from coming though, even without advertisement, and the local halfling populations have made a small fortune, while still somehow balancing the preservation of their own land.
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