Zaphar Isle

Zaphar Isle is a dry, sandy island in the Southern Sea populated by two native clans: a

village of fishermen and their families, and a treehouse settlement inhabited by the Losilde family.

Both groups are descendents of a crew of Jaruvian fishermen who were marooned on the island

following a storm at sea. The Isle is host to many dangerous creatures and more than a few

mysteries.

Geography

The Isle is actually composed of two separate landmasses connected by a stone bridge. At high

tide, the bridge becomes submerged, rendering it completely unusable as a means of travel

between the two islands until the tide rolls back out.

Both the southern and northern islands are primarily desert habitats. The natives have taken

advantage of a deep gorge in the center of the southern island to protect their modest village from

the constant ocean winds. A dense jungle in the southeastern corner of this island provides

shelter for the Losilde clan. At the end of the path leading into the jungle is a small chapel

containing a rickety wooden altar and an old version of the Holy Codex.

The northern island is where the villagers travel to collect fresh water with certain peril, as this half

of the Zaphar Isle is swarming with aggressive creatures. Nearly equal in size to its southern

counterpart, the northern island is also rocky and dry except for a large, central freshwater oasis

surrounded by tall trees and dense vines. A windswept sand dune at the extreme northern end of

the island partially obscures the wreckage of a ship that will never again cut through the waves of

the Southern Sea.

Zaphar Isle was initially settled by the crew of a Jaruvian fishing expedition gone awry. The Isle

was rediscovered in the year 461 AF, shortly after the advent of sailing. The

native villagers have managed to scrape together a meager existence by fishing the warm coastal

waters and gathering fresh water from the oasis on the northern island. At some point, the

dangers of the northern island prompted Danel Losilde to take his family away from the village,

and they formed a settlement of treehouses in the southeastern jungle. Here, the Losildes

learned to collect potable water from the occasional rain showers or through boiling seawater.

Slow adaptive changes in those who remained in the village have produced a strange speech

impediment, making it difficult to understand them. Other subtle changes can be seen in the

features of many of the young children and the women of the village.

The wild, northern half of Zaphar Isle is crawling with giant, aggressive scorpions, as well as

the occasional rattlesnake, treesnakes and banana spider. The

scorpions are to be approached with great caution, as their rapid stings deliver several deadly

venoms. Rattlesnakes also inhabit the beach and village of the southern island, and banana

spiders weave webs in the trees of the southeastern jungle there.