Caed's Island
An origin; an end
Beneath the silent Old King, you'll find the abyss.Volcanic rock and the broken, crumbled sea-floor risen to the surface are joined together in a patchwork form to create Caed's island -- a small land mass in the middle of a massive crater that was the location of He'an's assassination. The island's rocky surface is generally uninhabited, save for the few species of birds and lizards living among the short hardy grass; as well as the titanic God-husk Old King Caed, residing motionless in the center of the island, sitting upon a broken throne and overlooking his silent, non-existant kingdom.
Ancient Land
In most cases in Cathedris, volcanic islands are formed over time as ocean volcanoes ooze lava upwards into the ocean from the sea floor, over time building up a mass of basalt and stone until it breaches the surface and a new island is born. Caed's island, on the other hand, was formed when the middle of the ancient continent of Apathae was vaporized in the blast that launched He'an into space. The planet's crust was torn back and magma began to burst forth into the sudden void space -- just as the vast ocean began to do the same. Countless tonnes of water rushed in to meet the bubbling magma in a roiling mess of elements, until all that was left was a massive crater and a strangely shaped island sitting in the direct middle of it. The surface of Caed's island is mishapen and lumpy; rolling hills and strange rocky protrusions make up the landscape, with both sheer cliffs and gentle slopes meeting the ocean on all sides. The volcanic activity responsible for the creation of the island has long since died off, leaving behind a vast and strange network of volcanic tubes, natural caves, and weathered tunnels extending into the abyss below the land.
by Phil Aicken
At a glance
by Ivana Cajina
The disquiet of above and below
I feel heavy -- like there's something holding me down. Something on my chest, restricting my breath.Patronsclicktaphere for bonus info
Surface Dwellers
The rest of the time, the island is populated entirely by several species of small animals -- three marine birds make their homes on Caed's island, one of which is migratory and flies between the island and Apathae to the south twice a year. Additionally, one species of small lizard is found exclusively on Caed's island -- feeding almost exclusively on any bird eggs it can wrap its jaw around.Caed's Influence
Rendlings on this island are very rare, as because Caed remains mostly motionless and features no open or oozing wounds, there's no Ichor to spill and horrifically mutate the local fauna into terrible monsters. However the risk is still there and small Rendling outbreaks have occurred before -- the monster usually decimates local populations of animals until it chases a bird into the distance and vanishes into the sea.Into the Abyss
The feeling of unease gets worse when descending below the island, into the complex network of caves found beneath. These underground spaces are exceptionally dark and seemingly endlessly, continuously flooding as ocean water cascades down into the fathomless depths. Some chambers are entirely flooded with water, while others contain torrential rivers and waterfalls.
by Ivana Cajina
The caves -- the caves, the ones that seem to stretch infinitely downward in increasingly complex formations, were only discovered recently. After who knows how many years of being closed off from the outside, a cliff face gave way to the endless onslaught of the ocean tides, revealing a dark entrance to a cave network never before seen. The first to find it was a group of Ichor extractors who were attempting to set up camp on that cliff; when they stepped foot inside the cave, the disquieting feeling broke their resolve within moments, sending them fleeing back to the mainland, half-finished camp abandoned.
Notable Events
- Era of Caed's Watch -
- The Island is rediscovered -
- First attempt to settle the island -
by Bradley Dunn
The Depths of Before
Only a few teams have ever attempted to explore the caves beneath Caed's Island -- most have gotten lost and failed to returned from the oppressive labyrinth. Those who have managed to make it back have exhibited signs of extreme PTSD, with symptoms worsening the deeper into the caves that they've gone. The caves near the surface match closely with the geology of the surface; much of the rock is similar, if not the same, and the weathering on them is identical as well. As the ocean swells and crashes against the seaside cliffs, it pours into cave openings, cascading in endless waterfalls further and further into the network. Following the water into the depths will showcase more and more varied caves, as openings form between newly weathered tunnels and ancient lava tubes that have been sealed and dry since the beginning of the island's formation. Strange pathways, gargantuan chambers, and flooded rooms all make multiple appearances in the cave, and there's no estimate for how big or expansive it truly is.The Errant Thoughtseed
I've found it, at last.After years of scouring the world and The Comprilith for any scraps of information on the strange and otherworldly artifacts known as the Gifts from the Sky, a hint was finally found -- describing a complex path through a network of strange and nearly endless tunnels, eventually revealed to be the caves below Caed's island. Fifteen of the Legion's best operatives, later to be known as the Acquisitioners of the Gifts, were sent into the caves. They spent almost a week in near total darkness, exploring the chasm below; and when they returned, there were only six. None of the survivors would speak of their time in the caves at all, and when asked of their fellow operatives that didn't make it out, the only thing that they would say is that the others "Chose differently".
by Daniel Burka
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