Dark Island

Situated on the Northwestern coast of Omodya is the Dark Island. Back when it was still called the Silver Island, it used to have a population and several settlements, thriving on the trade of the island's natural resources, such as silver mined from its mountains.
However, with the tragic story of Lord Soth, some ancient evil has awoken centuries ago, which has suffused the island with dark and negative energy. All the inhabitants who where unable to flee in time, were killed, or worse, turned into undead shells of their former selves.
The island is so terrible, and the stories about it even more so, that nobody dares venture within sight of the shore, keeping a close eye on sea charts and the compass, making sure to prevent ever even seeing the island as they pass by it at a distance.
Rarely does anyone get it into his mind to steer toward the island with the intention to disembark. Those that do have either gone mad, or have some evil intent. And as a rule neither of those are ever seen again.

Geography

As an island this place suffers many storms and precipitation. The island is close to the cold north of the world, and many times the currents coming down out of that north carry freezing water past the shore. The water is rich in nutrients however, and the ocean currents are the only way some life ever comes close to the shores of the Dark Island.
Most of the island is very mountainous, existing roughly of two ridges. One runs more or less straight down the middle of the island from its northern to its southernmost point. The other ridge creates a nearly impenetrable wall on the northwestern edge of the island, starting at the waterfront in the northwest, then running about straight south for about 450 miles, before curving eastward to join the other ridge.
In between the ridges to the north and to the southwest are nearly flat areas of grassy meadows and ancient forests. The same sort of area can be found at the eastern side of the main ridge, although these fields and forests differ from the ones further west. In better times, when the island was still fertile and full of life, this eastern end was the most agriculturally productive. It sported good soil and pleasant weather most of the year, and farms were more than capable of feeding the entire population of the island. However, once the corruption of the island started, it started right smack in the middle of this same eastern end, and it has been hit the hardest. Most of the once green meadows are now blackened and covered with dead trees and withered grass.
Due to the weather coming in from the ocean on all sides, the island still has several great rivers and lakes, although these have all been polluted and poisoned and whatever lives and grows in their waters now, is best left alone. If you find yourself unlucky enough to walk around the island, and need to satisfy your need for moisture, you had best cook the water thoroughly before daring to drink it.

Ecosystem

Once the island sported quite a rich variety in both plants and animals, quite a few of which were endemic. Since the island fell to its present horrible state all that it supports however is already dead but sadly still walking around. The rare living organism on this island must be hardy and tough and have little demands on its surroundings. One might assume almost all life is plant life, because all things that need rest every now and then, will find their strength sapped to the point of eventually succumbing to exhaustion.
Plants do not have the trouble of needing sleep, nor do they need social interaction or a presence of prey animals. However, in all their strength they are not capable to steer clear of poisonous water supplies or going in search of more fertile soil. As such the plant life that still clings to life on the island has devised strange and creative ways to survive. Some plants have extensive root systems all connected to one another, so as to share the good things and help each other get rid of the bad. Other plants have found ways to collect poison and decay in bulbous limbs. These shapes resembling fruit may fool any animal that finds itself on the island, taking it for food and thereby away from the plant. Or they may have nasty barbs that latch onto passing zombies will drag or carry the poison sacks away somewhere. Most nasty are the orchid like plants that grow completely on the rotting flesh of a zombie until it dies. They then suck every last bit of nutrients from the corpse and form their fruit. Whenever these fruits are disturbed by something passing by they spring open spreading a dusty cloud of spores, with which they infect a next host.

Maps

• 

  Wizard's Tower

  In the heart of the Dark Island lies an ancient tower. Since the moment when darkness and evil took over the island, the tower has stood empty and unused. But only recently evil magic users have taken residence here again. They seem interested in the various forms of undead that crawl all over this island.

Alternative Name(s)

The Silver Island

Type

Island

Location under

Omodya

Included Locations

• Greenvale

Owner/Ruler

Lord Soth

Ruling/Owning Rank

Lord

Related Reports (Primary)

• Exploring the Dark Island

Related Reports (Secondary)

• First of Anvil; More downtime in Neverwinter Report