Winter of 1427, 700KM off the southern coast of China.
A ship becomes lost in, what at a distance seemed like a humid mist from the cooler deep ocean waters, a barrier of volcanic smoke. After a couple of hours of struggling blindly through unpredictable waters she sails into a mysterious set of islands, beyond which is a large mainland, home to an immense volcano. A consequence of its unusual geographical formation meant usually the sea and air currents would repel ships of her size and capability away and keep them north to sail straight by and unaware. For whatever reasons, the captain decided to remain discreet and covertly navigate the entire island before making any contact.
They had narrowly missed being spotted by the imperial military forces based on the northern islands and spent days drifting off the coast at a safe distance. After a couple of days the crew became more relaxed and sailed in closer toward the bottom half of the island, where its volcanic nature started to become more apparent. The final remaining rustic signs of any civilisation haunt the coastline as tall rigid peaks begin to appear through the hazy atmosphere, menacing like fangs of dark metal. The waters soon transformed from shoals of blue crystal on golden sand into a hazard of razor sharp rocks disguised and submerged under a deathly grey milk. The cloudy sky began to glow a dim red like fresh blood fiercely boiling atop a hellish fire. The vessel is suddenly damaged and slowly begins to sink as its drawn around the south of the island by the currents. Only a few survivors manage to make it ashore, at the dangerous and desolate southern coast.
The culture of the island is split into three groups, these are the founding imperial factions, the religious factions, and their offspring separatist factions. In the latter part of the century, all of these groups find themselves in a civil war amongst and mostly due to greatly increasing volcanic activity, a presence on the island that has always provided them with enormous wealth and abundance, but also unpredictable mysteries, chaos and devastation. Each opposing side truly believes they have the wisdom to prevent catastrophe and make the best use of the volcano's power, while aiming war and blame at their enemies for all its unexplained consequences. Each faction uses and worships the volcano and the unique properties of the island in different ways, yet none have an exact understanding of its true nature.
Imperial factions are divided between the local family dynasty which claims historical right to the mainland, while the political system which they had established for themselves grew too complicated to manage in the previous century and had become corrupt and wayward. At this time, the imperial military became overwhelmed with internal disputes and the luxurious northern islands were segregated, giving the imperial forces complete naval control, fortifying its coastline strongholds and ensuring its isolation. The now independent political force, previously using imperial funds and contacts, controls the vast agricultural regions of the inner mainland and constantly grows in manpower and support due to irritating the grievances that farmers and peasants have with the imperials, now becoming considered a common enemy. Mainland law enforcement established by the political faction becomes completely independent of existing imperial military forces, dividing the entire nation and threatening the outbreak of civil war.
Religious groups also become more divided due to events of the previous century. A massive volcanic eruption devastated the north-west side of the island, previously rich in minerals and fertile soils, it prospered as the historical imperial homelands for countless generations. Up until that time, ancient rituals and ceremonies directly involving the volcano were timid and quaint, but the society had grown wastefully overabundant with the imperial family decadent and religious fanaticism unchecked, it led to an era of unseen extravagance and daring. The oppressed clans of the central mainland were by this time seen as mostly outlaws and gangs, thieves and anarchists, and warned strongly against fanatical practices of any sort, and would actively and violently oppose anything concerning interference with the volcano for imperial interests. Those most rebellious were the clans of the fishing communities situated south-west of the mountain and persecuted by the imperials for defying established imperial traditions, they are considered nothing more than an organised crime syndicate disguised as a religion. The clans of the mining communities along the west coast also rebel against the modern imperial trends and are similarly outcast, considered as the island's drug pushers for harvesting unregulated crops.
Between the imperial and political forces to the east and north-east, the religious groups and clans to the west and south-west, and the many neutral communities in the central mainlands, the volcano resides and ultimately rules. Whatever the island's inhabitants believe, and whatever actions they continue or cease, only the fate of the volcano will decide between prosperity and peace or complete catastrophe.
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