Lapa

Lapa is the second-largest island in the Paminta Archipelago, lying just northwest of the larger island of Paminta itself. It was traditionally inhabited by a branch of the Puluna people, and the forty villages of Lapa feature prominently in many Puluna stories. When the Tagápulo Empire invaded Paminta, many Puluna fled to the forty villages of Lapa, which for a time became the center of their resistance against the Empire.

In 3980, the Empire swept across Lapa with sword and torch, killing every person they found regardless of age. Though few beyond the archipelago know of the massacre, those who have learned of it regard it as one of the most egregious acts of violence in the history of the Great Ring - a brutal and merciless campaign that left thousands of Puluna dead and shattered their growing resistance.

After the slaughter, the Empire took deliberate measures to make Lapa uninhabitable, ensuring it could never again serve as a stronghold against them. They burned every field and all forty villages to the ground, and as much of the forest as they could. They salted the earth and poisoned the water wherever possible. When they departed, the island was a wasteland of fire and smoke, strewn with the unburied bodies of the slain.

It is no surprise that the island is haunted.

Notable Spirits

At night, phantom flames rise from the island, and the smell of smoke drifts across the sea. Within the fires stand the spirits of the dead, each marking the place where they fell. They stare at any who come near - unblinking, alien, silent, and terrible. Their wounds are plain to see, their faces twisted in agony, yet no sound escapes them. They simply stand within the fire until dawn extinguishes it.

Those who have dared to touch the spirits have learned swiftly that this is a grave mistake - the flames that consume them leap eagerly to the living at the slightest contact, leaving very real burns upon the victim. Each night the phantom fire consumes Lapa anew, choking the land and halting the regrowth of plants, turning the island ever blacker and more barren.

Only in daylight can Lapa be safely visited - but few choose to go. The Puluna say the spirits of Lapa will not rest until the Empire is driven from the archipelago, or until the last Puluna is gone, and all hope with them.