Hr'thath ((her-THOTH))

Overview

Hr'thath is an island home to an active volcano, located in the B'ckth Archipelago island chain. The land surrounding it is craggy and sandy. While the potential for fertile soil exists, it is the only island in the chain that is the least populated. The island encompassing the volcano holds several buried and destroyed ruined structures of several Komodo tribes that have since migrated to the other B'ckth islands, including an artificial island made specifically for those that still live near the volcano. All structures that exist around Hr'thath now are understood to be temporary and are built as such--clay and adobe huts with thatched roofs, hastily built stone altars for rituals, and shallow wells.  

Volcanic Activity

Volcanic activity began near the middle of The First Age (~150 PE) when Mount Hr'thath experienced the collapse of its peak during its first eruption. All life that could not willingly escape was wiped out on the island. A village of Komodo survived and many decided to migrate to other islands for safety. Approximately 5 kilometers off the coast, an artificial island floats for the miners who work on the island, in case of emergency.   The current volcanic activity is on a cycle of having a destructive eruption every 6 years, with random miniature eruptions possible due to agitation from careless mining into the side of the volcano. Current research is being done into how to lessen the impact of eruptions or how to stop erutions altogether.  

Gemstone Mining

In present day, the B'ckth Komodo primarily use the island as a mining facility, as the eruptions compact the ash and soil into semi-precious and, rarely, precious gemstones, that they use to make talismans and jewelry for those that visit the B'ckth Archipelago. Among the stones commonly mined up on Hr'thath are: rubies, emeralds, sapphires, and peridots. Occasionally, small pink or green diamonds can be found after a few cycles of eruptions.