Minuvos, The Ashen Vineyard
Geography
The Vineyards of Mount Minuvos
Mt. Minuvos has both given and taken from the islanders over the centuries. It provides the island's fertile volcanic soil, but it also damns those on the island when it erupts. Thankfully, after the most recent eruption, it has fallen silent, and—according to Akroan oracles consulted on the matter—will remain so for many years. A series of hot springs near the volcano’s peak provides the island with fresh water that cools as it runs down the mountainside and feeds into the artificial streams dug to irrigate the farms. Growing in the rich volcanic soil, and fed constantly by volcanic nutrients through irrigation, the vineyards of Minuvos are among the finest in the mortal world.The Port Town
The settlement on Minuvos stretches uphill from the laborers’ homes and warehouses in the lower town around the port, to the grander homes and shrines of the upper town on the mountainside.The port has not been fully rebuilt since it was damaged by the ash of the last eruption. A central market provides the populace with imported goods, from food and the Meletian ceramics used to export Minuvoan wine, to the landowners' fine clothing, shipped from Aramos, Isle of Thread and Dye.
Each waterside warehouse is guarded at all times by a patrol of 5 thugs. The homes of the upper town are large, some bordering on palatial, and each family is attended by 5-10 servants. Each of the upper town homes is protected by a guard of 5-10.
The shrines of the island are dedicated to Karametra, in hopes of earning a good harvest by appeasing her, and Purphoros, to soothe the volcano should it wake again.
History
The Minuvoan Eruption
Years ago, the eruption of Mt. Minuvos disrupted the peaceful lives of the island’s prosperous landowners. Over six weeks, ash fell across Minuvos, first killing the small game, then livestock, and finally the plants, including the island’s famous vineyards, until only the farmers remained. As the tremors rose, the landowners of Minuvos loaded their families and possessions onto their ships, instead of making sacrifices to Purphoros. In their greed, they demanded their laborers pay passage to sail with them. With their meagre wages, now depleted after six weeks of failing crops, only a few could pay their way. The rest of the Minuvoan laborers were left on the island to die, and they fell to the choking ash and pyroclastic flow.Athreos's Offer
Shroud-cloaked Athreos was confused when he met a great band of ash-smothered souls on the banks of the Tartyx, with not a single coin between them. Learning their fate—denied passage first to safety and then to the underworld—Athreos felt a kinship with these souls who had been bound to a task as thankless as his own. Offering them a rare kindness, Athreos allowed them to return to the mortal world to claim the wealth of those who left them to die in order to pay their fare to cross the Tartyx.Ruins Resettled
Last year, the landowners of Minuvos and their descendants returned to the island. The ash had enriched the soil over the years, leaving it more fertile than ever, and the famous wine of Minuvos once again began to be made and sold throughout the Theran world. The returning landowners brought new laborers with them, who rebuilt the island's port, tilled the fields, and worked to bring about what is looking to be the island's greatest harvest yet.But the landowners are troubled. Many have begun waking up choking on mouthfuls of ash, a phenomenon affecting none of the workers—workers who now have begun demanding better treatment. While the landowners scoff at their workers’ demands, they have begun to suspect a link between them and their ashen
torment.
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