Thalupu

Thalupu is an active volcano on the island of Trinacria, and the highest point in the Rasrathnii Islands. In the language of the Cyclopes, Thalupu means "I Burn". It is the residence of the god Heliopeios the Sun-Eyed, eldest child of Asterop the Star-Eyed, the mother of the Cyclopes. According to the legends of the Cyclopes, Heliopeios chose the great volcano as his forge, but it was inhabited by a great beast, whose name may not be spoken. This monster had a hundred snake-like heads made of burning lava that were thrust out through cracks in the mountainside. It could immolate anything it so much as glanced at, and from its hundred burning mouths came a great cacophony filled with all the sounds in the world. When Heliopeios challenged the beast for the mountain, it heaved itself from the lair, revealing great black wings of soot and smoke that spread wider than the island itself and blotted out the stars. Its body was a mass of writhing tendrils of lava, knotted together and intersecting to form a single glowing mass. When the god proved immune to the monster's fire, it belched out clouds of noxious gas which choked and seared and scoured the flesh from all who were engulfed in it. Although this cloud sorely wounded Heliopeios, he did not relent, and in a battle that lasted three days he hammered at the beast, finally caging it deep inside the mountain, where it remains to this day. When the monster thrashes in its prison, it can shake the whole island, and will frequently cause Thalupu and other nearby volcanoes to erupt.

On the side of Thalupu is found the temple of Heliopeios, the only community of Cyclopes on the island. These giants, who are known as the Hesiodes, have put aside their innate tendency for solitude in order to emulate the forge-god. They craft mostly arms and armor, and use these to extort whatever they need from the more solitary Cyclopes who live on the rest of Trinacria. The Hesiodes are even known to trade with outsiders occasionally, giving them tokens of safe passage that are (mostly) respected by the Cyclopes of the rest of the island, and Cyclopes-forged armaments are highly prized and the subject of many legends in the Great Ring.

Geography

Thalupu is one of the world's most active volcanoes, and is in a near constant state of low-grade eruption. Smoke rises from the mountain, and can be seen for hundreds of miles in every direction. Climbing the mountain is a dangerous endeavour, as sudden clouds of hot and noxious gases will sometimes jet from crevices in the stone. The area immediately around the volcano is extremely fertile and lush, and while it is frequently burned, the plants and animals that live there recover quickly.

Type

Volcano

Location under

Trinacria

Geographic Details

Location: Southeastern Region
Latitude: 31.67 degrees North
Longitude: 33.33 degrees East
Elevation: 10,558 ft