The Harvest Moon Consortium

[Maddyanne]

A Brief History of Inthara Island.

by Kerrick Inthar

Back in the long ago, there was no one on the surface of Inthara Island but goats, owls, and the Inthar clan. The Inthars spent most of their days peacefully tending their crops of sugar beets, pumpkins, hardy oranges, apples, and grains, and discouraging the goats from eating all those things up.

But their nights were very different. There was a city in one of the caves below the island, a city of cruel folk who dreaded the daylight. They raided the islanders, stole their crops, and killed them or dragged them off to slavery.

The Inthars and their goats spent their nights hidden in the central forest of the island. They became very good at hiding or they died.

The city folk were skilled seafarers. In their pirate voyages, they met and recruited other sailors who were untroubled by the daylight and helped them travel far and profitably.

Among them were the Vashgels. Their ship was captured and they had to join the pirate crew. The Vashgels were not interested in becoming pirates. They slipped out of the cave that the daylight pirates had taken for their own and found their way to the surface. After a few months of Vashgels and Inthars hiding from everyone, including each other, Polly Vashgel and Kira Inthar met and became friends. The two clans joined forces.

They became ever more adept at stealthy ambushes and at making and using bows and slings. Gradually they managed to take down all of the daylight pirates. But the city folk were another matter. Their night raids continued and the islanders knew they would start to rebuild their pirate army.

Even then the island was the haunt of many a ghost, tracing the moonpath to find haven after they died at sea.

The Inthars had always been followers of Sehanine Moonbow and the Vashgels soon joined them in her service. They raised stone circles as temples to her and with all their hearts they prayed to her to deliver them from their implacable enemies.


One full moon night, there was a fierce storm. The ground shook and shuddered. Afterward the clans looked at each other in happiness, amazed they had survived.

Night after night after the storm, the islanders hid and waited. But the raiders did not come.

At last Polly and Kira slipped down into the city cave.

The city was gone, with hardly a stone left behind. The cave was flooded and the city folk nowhere to be seen. But the cave was inhabited by many large, fierce, intelligent sharks, with skills no other shark has. Were they the transformed city folk? Had Sehanine Moonbow herself saved her islanders? Or was it the result of some magical conflict between the city folk themselves? The islanders didn't know and still do not.


Now the Vashgels and Inthars travel by sea, trading with nearby Ancherome. The island is still haunted by ghosts and strays from the Shadowlands, and even by the islanders themselves. Some of the island's folk become completely dedicated to Sehanine Moonbow and the protection of Inthara Island even after death.

In the Underdark, far below the surface, a clan of kuo toa make their home, but so fierce are the island's defenses, they are rarely seen above ground.

The folk of the island tend their goats and gardens, weave fine cloth, make excellent ranged weapons, and brew beet sugar rum. They are a cautious lot, still. The island's sands are full of hungry crabs and its central forest, barrows, and tombs with undead. But on the whole, if one is reasonably cautious, it is a happy life.

[Maddyanne]

"Ten million gold," Amatharial said to the Kroo. "Arrilan was very generous, but whatever shall we do with it?"

The owl landed on a henge stone and looked at her wistfully.

"No, love, I'll not import rabbits for you to chase. We need all the grass we have for the goats."

Kroo hooted.

"I took it to the castle, of course, so that I wouldn't have to worry about forgetting it somewhere. Besides, it was awfully heavy."

Scent of the moon daisies and the sound of the waves. Amatharial picked a daisy and pulled off petals dreamily

"Temple, ship, excavation, charity, temple, ship, excavation, charity, temple...."

The daisy fell, petals half plucked. The owl resumed her flight around the henge, alert to bring Amatharial out of trance if there was need.

[Maddyanne]

"We found it!" Jenny rushed up full of excitement, only to find Amatharial in trance, sitting in a daisy patch.

The halfling looked at her a moment in amused exasperation, waved a hand in front of her open eyes, and picked a daisy.

"This petal says we found the island just where you dreamed it would be. This petal says we've already started excavating. This petal says it's going to be a back breaking job and we need to hire a few stout dwarves. This petal says I'm tickling you with the rest of this daisy if you don't pay attention to something that isn't inside your quote unquote inner vision. I'm tickling you with the rest of this daisy, tickle, tickle, tickle.."

"Hmmm?"

"We found it."

"I guess we'll need some really big shovels."