Located roughly 20 miles off the coast of Galeon, southwest of Rashara, lies the small landmass known as Qwara. The isle’s tall outline can sometimes be made out from the nearby mainland, but a heavy fog obscures many of the details — no matter the season.
The isle isn’t widely known to most Galean citizens, save those who live along the coastline just to its north, despite being the somewhat hotly contested subject of a Fides government forum several years ago. At the forum, a representative of Qwara proposed a total restriction on travel to the isle by non-residents, as well as any entry into Qwara’s airspace. Many attendees at the forum took issue with such a tight restriction on freedom of movement within the borders of Galeon, while others were persuaded by the representative’s claim that restricting travel to their isle posed little to no burden on mainlanders while being crucial to the preservation of the Qwarans’ way of life. The forum concluded that the solution be somewhat of a compromise — the Galean government would strongly discourage travel to Qwara by mainlanders, but only non-violent means could be used to ward off any unwanted visitors.
While the forum’s decision, as well as local custom, has been enough to dissuade most travelers from the nearby coast from attempting to land on the island, some have ventured close enough to carry back vague descriptions to those who are curious. The land rises high above the sea, making it difficult for sailors to see atop it. If close enough, one can make out patches of yellow and burnt orange vegetation peeking over the massive, streaked cliffsides. One traveler, who managed to circumnavigate the island before encountering an unnaturally strong current that carried him back towards the mainland, reported seeing what appeared to be a distinctive, crystalline rock formation protruding from atop the isle. This is the only report of such a thing, however, and to date, no credible reports have been made of anyone ever seeing or speaking to a resident of Qwara, save the one representative sent to Fides several years ago.
The island’s mysterious nature has inspired many theories and rumors among the nearby townspeople. Some claim that Qwara is actually home to a top-secret scientific research facility, while others believe its residents to be members of a strange, reclusive cult. In one village on the coast, there is a running joke among the people that there is, in fact, nothing at all on Qwara, and that any attempts to discourage visitors or heighten the isle’s mystique are merely an elaborate practical joke, or some sort of long form performance art. Unfortunately, none who have decided to truly test this theory have ever cared to share their findings, if they ever made it back to the mainland at all.
The isle isn’t widely known to most Galean citizens, save those who live along the coastline just to its north, despite being the somewhat hotly contested subject of a Fides government forum several years ago. At the forum, a representative of Qwara proposed a total restriction on travel to the isle by non-residents, as well as any entry into Qwara’s airspace. Many attendees at the forum took issue with such a tight restriction on freedom of movement within the borders of Galeon, while others were persuaded by the representative’s claim that restricting travel to their isle posed little to no burden on mainlanders while being crucial to the preservation of the Qwarans’ way of life. The forum concluded that the solution be somewhat of a compromise — the Galean government would strongly discourage travel to Qwara by mainlanders, but only non-violent means could be used to ward off any unwanted visitors.
While the forum’s decision, as well as local custom, has been enough to dissuade most travelers from the nearby coast from attempting to land on the island, some have ventured close enough to carry back vague descriptions to those who are curious. The land rises high above the sea, making it difficult for sailors to see atop it. If close enough, one can make out patches of yellow and burnt orange vegetation peeking over the massive, streaked cliffsides. One traveler, who managed to circumnavigate the island before encountering an unnaturally strong current that carried him back towards the mainland, reported seeing what appeared to be a distinctive, crystalline rock formation protruding from atop the isle. This is the only report of such a thing, however, and to date, no credible reports have been made of anyone ever seeing or speaking to a resident of Qwara, save the one representative sent to Fides several years ago.
The island’s mysterious nature has inspired many theories and rumors among the nearby townspeople. Some claim that Qwara is actually home to a top-secret scientific research facility, while others believe its residents to be members of a strange, reclusive cult. In one village on the coast, there is a running joke among the people that there is, in fact, nothing at all on Qwara, and that any attempts to discourage visitors or heighten the isle’s mystique are merely an elaborate practical joke, or some sort of long form performance art. Unfortunately, none who have decided to truly test this theory have ever cared to share their findings, if they ever made it back to the mainland at all.
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