Bolo
The Northern Brother is one of the Twelve Islands, belived to represent Valak, the god of Fire and Metalworking. It is an active volcano, occasionally erupting, pouring lava into the Twelve Islands Lake and growing gradually over time.
There are a number of caves cut into the sides of the volcano, each containing a forge used to work metal using the furnace of the volcano itself. When the volcano erupts, forge-caves are often sealed, occasionally with the smith using it sealed inside. There is no central authority that keeps records of who is working where at any given time, so sometimes these unfortunate smiths can be sealed within the caves indefinitely. When this happens, Valak almost always steps in—waiting to see whether the smith is dedicated to their craft, working to complete their project or abandoning it in an effort to save themselves. He resuces both, but the dedicated smith is granted a boon while the selfish smith is simply moved to a safe place, their work remaining sealed within the cave.
Because of the heat of the volcano, even the most difficult of metals can be forged here, including Fonujajo and its alloys. In fact, it is possible to forge alloys here that are not possible anywhere else, perhaps due to the magical nature of the heat. This magical property of the heat of the forges also makes it much easier to imbue more powerful magics within items forged on Manebolo than elsewhere. Some of the most powerful artifacts of the current age have been forged here. It is rumored that the forge-caves were used in the First Age in the creation of the greatest artifacts of that time.
Interstingly, despite the extreme heat of this particular volcano, it does not appear to affect the temperature of the lake, which remains a steady 21°C, even as lava pours into it during an erruption. However, the lake temperature does not affect the lava itself, as it acts just as it does for any other volcanic island. This give more credence to the theory that the lake's temperature is magically maintained.
Alternative Name(s)
Manebolo, the Northern Brother Island
Type
Island
Location under
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