Iruxi Village
The settlement of the local iruxi, on a river island in the Greenbelt. Its own name is not yet known to the party.
Description
The island is little more than a fortified sand bench in the river, roughly 100 to 150 metres across (about 350-500 feet). It is ringed with sharpened wooden stakes angled outward - a simple, effective defence against anything coming out of the water.
The scale fits what Kairos expected of a migrant village rather than a true iruxi settlement. Proper iruxi holds are partially or mostly submerged stone-and-glass complexes, generationally layered, and are usually overlooked entirely by outsiders. A visible stockade on a sandbank is the kind of place outsiders do see.
Notes
- The village’s king appears to be possessed and is pushing the iruxi to hunt humans, per Xiat. This is the source of the reported “altercations”. Relations with the local populace were decent before this.
- One of the village’s own mounds seems to hold an evil spirit, appearing and disappearing as a green skull. It is a separate problem from the king, not the cause of his condition.
- Djacquess has started building a raft to make returning to the island easier.
- Ancestral bone is worked into iruxi architecture, and the remains can animate in defence of the settlement when a nesting chamber is violated or blood is spilled inside. Do not touch the walls.
- The stargazer is the one to talk to. Astrology is the iruxi’s main divination and stargazers are among the most respected members of a settlement, advising on major decisions.
History
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Rumored (before contact) Elga Verniex warned the party of an iruxi settlement in the region during Session-15. A giant the party questioned at Hargulka’s Fortress independently confirmed a village in the area in Session-23. Locals have also reported recent “altercations” between the iruxi and the surrounding population, which does not match their usual disposition.
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Session-27 The party arrived at the island. Djacquess hailed the village across the water with Bullhorn and asked permission to visit, then flew the mounts across. A blue iruxi, Xiat, met them, introduced themselves, and asked the party to wait outside.
The party withdrew to the shore for the night and built a raft. The following morning they rowed back in silence, keeping out of the king’s notice, and Xiat quietly smuggled them in. Xiat turns out to be an old friend of Kairos, and originally from the cold regions - a long way from any usual iruxi range, which supports the migrant-village reading.
The party killed the creature in the mound. Vesket found them there, accepted their account, and ordered them off the island at once so he could put the village right. Kairos asked Xiat to keep her informed. The party left without ever being formally received, and without having seen the rest of the settlement.