Alenroux

At a Glance

As a secondary location to both Highstorm and Springstar, Alenroux is the name of an island that is crucial to both cities. Alenroux is a huge island filled entirely with farmlands that support them both.
This island is one that’s under Yima's control but is reliant on Springstar. Because of the higher population in Springstar, a large proportion of the people that work the lands are from the City of the Sun. This makes Alenroux a solidly neutral land because of the delicate balance between the cities needed to support the farms.
Thanks to efforts of Shard-Bearers as well as the Helios Legionary's occupation, the island is now safe enough for a small community to start to grow around the Cornerstone in the south portion of the island. More info can be found here.

Daytime

During its long days, Alenroux is a pastoral ideal. People from both Highstorm and Springstar come to Alenroux to work as well as to enjoy the delights of nature.
Alenroux is the center of agriculture for both cities and is full of fields of food both familiar and unfamiliar. You’ll find fields of corn and orchards of apples, but you’ll also stumble across greenhouses growing beautiful, crystalline berries or mounds where you might see a worker pull up a bright pink, gnarled root. Near the largest Cornerstone is a “village” where you’ll find stands selling produce, small cafes and restaurants, and a small, very dark inn that all support the working population during their 24-hour shift. Though rare and in small cultivations, a character might even find a fruit/vegetable/etc. from their own canon in the produce stands. Bartering for it will be expensive, but it’s probably worth the taste of home, right?
Since Highstorm and Springstar’s islands are taken up almost entirely by the cities themselves, Alenroux is where the more nature-inclined come to relax. The diverse fields are interrupted with shallow rivers and small-to-moderately-sized forests where the land isn’t quite suited to be arable. More scenic areas have been designated as parks where volunteers diligently maintain the area for recreation. These parks vary depending on the land itself, but you’ll find fields for sport in flatter areas, ponds for fishing and swimming where they’re suitable, and recreational trails in more hilly ones.
However, once the sun starts to set, most are quick to gather up their things and head to the nearest Cornerstone to leave. No one is sure why, but Cornerstones don’t function once the sun fully sets in Alenroux, either in or out.

Nighttime

Once the sun sets in Alenroux, it becomes markedly more dangerous. Strange monsters that seem to come from the north section of the island descend to hunt, and they seem to be drawn to living things, but especially Shard-Bearers. While they were once much more common in the island, their numbers have been greatly reduced.
The southern portion of the island will still see monsters at night, but a well-fortified home can protect against them. It continues to be much more dangerous to the north, however.

In-Game Timeline

• Early Takiltu (November 2022): Yima and Cyrus ask willing Shard-Bearers to seek out another Shard-Bearer who has gone missing in Alenroux. The individual in question, Manon, is discovered transformed into a strange monster, and after violent engagements between “Manon” and several Shard-Bearers, his shard is retrieved and delivered into Cyrus’s hands.


• Early Pelu (March 2023): Springstar’s Helios Legionary launch an occupation of the island, setting up fortified encampments and beginning organized incursions into the monster-filled forest to the north. In response, Zenith Shard-Bearers begin inciting unrest among the local workers, fuelling unease about the occupation.
  Around this same time, a monster-filled hidden lab run by Aetós is discovered in the Below and cleared out by Shard-Bearers from both factions. Due to the dismantling of the lab and the ongoing occupation of the Helios Legionary, Alenroux’s monster population falls sharply over the next couple months.


• Late Erqu (June 2023): In the wake of the Blight, extensive damage to Springstar and Highstorm encourages a population of Kenos residents to move to Alenroux full-time, now that the danger of nighttime monsters has lessened. A small settlement springs up around Alenroux’s main Cornerstone, and as residents successfully weather the nighttime monsters and now feel that the Helios Legionary have overstayed their usefulness, sentiment toward the occupying Springstar forces begins to worsen.


• Early Warqu (July 2023): A meeting of Shard-Bearer ambassadors from both Zenith and Meridian meet to discuss how Alenroux should be handled in the future. Those gathered agree to move toward a smaller, Shard-Bearer-led garrison on the island, comprised of both Meridian and Zenith forces, with Springstar beginning to withdraw Legionary forces in exchange for official recognition, from Highstorm leadership, of their work for Alenroux's betterment.


• Early Iqnu (September 2023): An expedition of Meridian Shard-Bearers and military returns from Alenroux's northern forest to announce the successful destruction of a trio of portals that had been releasing monsters into the wood. By this time, thanks to the efforts agreed upon by the ambassadors, the military presence in Alenroux has been reduced and is now much more even between Meridian and Zenith forces.
  Tensions on the island have settled down again, with the populace now warming to members of both factions.


• Early Takiltu (November 2023): After the conclusion of the Harbinger Oracle event, shadows begin to lengthen all across Kenos, as if trying to escape into the world at large. People staying overnight in Alenroux begin disappearing without a trace, leaving behind no bodies or even signs of struggle.

Faction Attitudes

Meridian: Neutral.

Zenith: Neutral.

Faction Loyalty: Neutral

Geography: Plains and woodlands. Any area suitable for agriculture has been cleared for that purpose, though there are small forests that remain. The northern portion of the island remains uncleared and is covered in a dense forest.

Climate: Temperate, with four distinct seasons. 48-hour days with 24 hours of day, 24 hours of night.

Wildlife: Diverse woodland creatures and small predators during the day. Monsters at night.

Notable Features: Vast, idyllic farmlands tended to by the people of Highstorm and Springstar with a mix of practical means and magic. Most Kenosians do not live on the island, and return to homes in their respective cities before nightfall because of the dangerous creatures that emerge after dark.

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Characters in Location

• General Ayo Zaman