Tropical Island

A demiplane of challenging elusivity, for most people the Tropical Island is considered to be nothing more than fantasy; a brightly-colored story about a land of eternal peace, where one can find release from any burden. The few planar travelers who believe the legends have searched out its shores for a millennia, to no avail. In truth, the Tropical Island does exist, and its bright shores are among the rarest sights in existence. Getting there is not just a matter of knowing where to go, but also where to come from. Travel to the Tropical Island requires hopping from one plane to the next in a very specific order, passing through far-flung and unexplored lands, in a route whose path eventually opens to the seas of the Tropical Island.   True to its legends, the Tropical Island is a virtual paradise, with abundant and easily accessible food and water, and few dangerous creatures that wander the island’s jungles. Once on the island, gathering supplies becomes easy, and resources seem to practically fall right into the hands of those searching for them. The basic materials of crafting are easily found as well, but other supplies such as paper and cloth, and even inks and tinderboxes are found with regularity, usually found in half-buried crates and chests. The unknown source of these supplies is never readily apparent, as shipwrecks are not a common sight on the reefs of the Tropical Island. Equally mysterious are the visions which the Tropical Island seems to inspire in those who spend time on its beaches and jungles, powerful hallucinations which hold even under the most intense scrutiny. Visions of long-lost loves, friends and family who have passed years ago, and even entire civilizations have appeared to the visiting travelers of the demiplane. So vivid and realistic are these hallucinations that some spend hours wandering, lost among these hallucinations with no cause for disbelief, before having them end as suddenly as they began, leaving an unwary traveler in a dream-like stupor.   Some believe these hallucinations are connected to the only known form of intelligent life native to the Tropical Island, a group of strange merfolk which may or may not actually exist. Supposedly standing between 6 and 8 feet tall, with a large fin spanning the length of their back, and skin varying from blue to purple, encounters with these creatures are few and far between, but apparently bring especially intense hallucinations. These visions are just as intense as the others, but last much longer, with some even continuing for days before finally fading away. If these stranger merfolk do exist, its likely the size of the island may be helping them to hide- the Tropical Island is several dozen square miles of lush jungle, filled with various lagoons and rivers that connect directly to the ocean that surrounds the demiplane. The northern side lacks beaches, filled instead with mineral-rich rocks that are easily split and smelted; the southern area hosts deep swamps, some even sitting below sea level, in which crude oils and special medicinal herbs can be gathered. Beyond the borders of the Tropical Island itself sits a seemingly-infinite ocean- one which has never successfully been traversed.   Few travelers who finally arrive at the Tropical Island ever wish to leave, but for those who end up in this demiplane accidentally, they may have more reason to leave. However, Tropical Island is apparently impossible to leave the same way one arrives, and spells to travel to other planes don’t function in the borders of the island. Left with little other choice, those who want to escape the island are forced to build boats to set out on the sea- an action the island itself seems to take issue with. Normally sunny skies and mild weather quickly shift to dark thunderclouds and high-speed winds, turning unfinished boats to little more than splinters. In the exceedingly rare event that a boat ever does leave the island, those aboard them are apparently never seen or heard from again- not on the Tropical Island itself, and not from those they left behind before arriving on the island either. Most who want to leave the demiplane aren’t willing to take the significant risks that come with trying to sail away, but even for these lost souls the Tropical Island still offers a glimmer of hope. Other outsiders, such as angels and elementals capable of interplanar travel at will, sometimes find themselves suddenly on the island with little explanation. They rarely stay long, taking in only a glimpse of the demiplane, never having intended to arrive at all. These travelers are always unable to recall how they arrived at the Tropical Island at all, or what it was they were doing prior to arriving, only knowing they must return to their previous lives. Their magic is the only known way to leave the Tropical Island, but convincing such an uncaring being to lend their aid can be very difficult. It is these outsiders, coming from far-flung realms, that usually carry tales of the Tropical Island back to their homes, creating the legends that circulate for decades afterwards amongst the circles of planar travelers that seek the solace it offers.