Library of Venoria: Places, Cities and Regions: Isle of Palms
The Isle of Palms
This land is a fertile region with a Mediterranean (I use this word so WE will know as to what I am talking of) climate. The communities of black haired, dark eyed, people live in small simple fishing and farming villages. They are renowned for producing the best red wine and port in the known world on the slopes of the the western mountains, which they call the Kuave Mountains. The small island population also produces tomatoes, dates, prunes, oranges, olives, apricots, pears, wheat, berries, and a host of other produce. What they lack in jewels, gems, and other commonly valued items they have in food. The fishing villages on the coasts gain a daily bounty of sardines and herring. Merchants from other lands pay high prices for the bounty of the Isle of Palms. The loose association of villages has always defended its self with its faith in the Goddess Valovia. Each town has a small temple with a characteristic whitewashed spire and attending priests and priestesses who are chosen at the age of 16 to live a life as clerics of Valovia. As long as anyone can remember, Volovia has defended the people of the Isle of Palms from pirates to armies to storms. There is no central authority on the isle and eternal peace reigns. this veritable utopia has but one catch. With the arrival of each season, or every three months, the Goddess Valovia demands the sacrifice of a male between the ages of 12 and 32 years of age to her highest temple at the far southern spit of beach on the island. This seasonal sacrifice is attended by clerics from all over the island and is necessary to avoid Valovia's wrath. The people of the island accept this small price in exchange for their eternal safety.
