A Synopsis of Median Island

While I, as a historian and banker, hold very little clout in writing all of this down, I fear this the last hope that our bizarre world will ever know about the whole sorted history of Median Island. The sea elves nearly completely destroyed all evidence of what was there before with their ‘Great Domain of Flotsam’ or whatnot but ah yes, let’s get to the point...
Upon my journeys across the Catseye, I stumbled across a largely ruined book waterlogged and charred by those heretic's crazed lighthouse. Regardless, the contents of this book downright baffled me: It was an Ochitan history of Median Island itself! So deeply pleased by this find, I nearly soiled myself. I immediately sought to commit it to memory even before the ruined pages were dried…. And thankfully so! I had a mere two days with the tome before it had completely dried out sealing itself shut. While the tome still exists, there is no way (to my knowledge) of opening it outside of the use of the arcane. I’m a historian myself, and well our elven friends have been more focused on curing their inability to reproduce naturally. Thus, this is what I have committed to my noggin and I pray to Allunie that it’s summarized even remotely close to what I just read a few days ago.

Median Island has stood as quite an interesting monument in the Catseye. Its sheer size and placement have made it a strategic location in the eras past. Not too distant from to the north, the Berylfolk are the first known inhabitant of this island. It is thought that they first erected many wooden watchtowers along its coast with braziers marking the shoreline. Unlike humankind, berylfolk kept a mainly oral tradition (and an odd scent oriented tradition I never quite understood) so honestly there is little to expound upon about their occupation. I would assume it lasted quite a long time. From what I recall written, the Dragonborn may have occupied the island briefly during their ‘war’ those beastfolk are always on about. Must have been so ancient, even the text was just hypothesizing about this point. We do know that briefly while Beryl Island was being sieged by the Dragonborn, they also occupied Median island. They were, of course, pushed off the island later by the Elven Empire who insisted Median was their naval harbor.
Yes, the book did speak a little about Ari iconography being located on the island; that field of inquiry was cut violently short as the sea elves overran the island. It also speaks of the rise of ‘shortfolk’ before the times of the Incursions. Not sure which ‘shortfolk’ they are referring to here. I would guess halflings as they must have crossed the Catseye at some point from Oren.
During the time dubbed ‘Elemental Evil’ by the elves, the first stonework of the Great Meridian Lighthouse was laid. The masonry, it’s said, was ‘thrust up from the ground.’ While quite preposterous by nature, I have no doubt that the arcane had something to do with it. It’s also directly mentioned that this was the high point of ‘rats’ being seen in the waters around the Catseye. If no other account in this piece is proven accurate, let me just say that ratlings are everywhere nowadays and I can whole-hardheartedly concur with this proclamation.
The Great Meridian Lighthouse, as we know it now, was so tall and so large that many imagined a great city could thrive inside of it. From the high lens at its pinnacle, the entirety of the island and surrounding Catseye remain revealed even in the densest fog. Built within its walls were many mysterious chambers and sigils. The Elven Empire become quite interested in this find and many scholars point to their seizing of this location as the solidifying point of their empire. Documentation of what exactly is in the lighthouse was closely guarded by not only the Empire but to elves even to this day. Much interest recently has arisen about taking back the island and I have little doubt that the secrets of Great Meridian are a driving force for this.
Their ‘roots eternal’ began to shrivel and the Elven Empire eventually lost control of the island to a splinter faction within their own race, ‘the sea elves’. I’m not sure if it was the unknown secrets of the Lighthouse or simply the millennia of nautical life, but these facsimiles of fish and fey rose to prominence and eventually successfully bid for the island. It’s been in their control even since. Those elves that dare speak about this to non-fey mention strange barnacled structures appearing on the island. While I am fairly unacquainted with them, other than the fact I recovered this tome from one of their abandoned skiffs, I have no doubt they are building some great wooden domain on the island. Perhaps, it may serve as a rallying point for their maligned race.

I could go on, but honestly, the rest would be riddled with conjecture and I do have quite the disdain for secondary sources. Instead, I will seal this ruined tome with a letter to Isegrym in hope that the great Finder there may do our world justice by restoring this historical piece to a more legible state. I, myself, will stay in Kailia as the imperial remnant here has banned all citizens from leaving while unrest still wracks our streets.
With hope,
Harbin Westerly

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PS, I do hope the Finder can restore the book. I do very much hate the thought this may be considered anything other than a secondary source.