THE CURL 5 ISLANDS

These islands curve out from the eastern tip of Continent 5, hence their name. Fertile, warm and rainy, they're green nearly from the beaches to the summits of the highest peaks.

The Curl 5 Islands have an importance out of proportion to their size. They may form a risky flyway all the way to Continent 6 and/or Continent 9 far to the east; they definitely create one--a long, tedious one--to Continent 1 far to the northwest.

UNDER THE SKIN

This archipelago curls into a hook--indeed, nearly a spiral. This is land under pressure! Two rift zones are squeezing it steadily inward. Madagascar, the Seychelles, Reunion and Mauritius form a similar "curl" in our Indian Ocean, for much the same reason.

Volcanoes dot the archipelago, relieving some of the pressure. The tallest two, on XXXX, are 5 and 5.5 km high (16-18,000'); despite the generally warm climate they're snowcapped in winter and even bear small glaciers at their summits.

THE OUTER ISLANDS

The East Curl 5 Isles are reachable only by ship or on the wing from the Curl 5 Islands. The group is Hawaiian in climate, but ten times bigger: the largest island is 500 km long (300 mi).

That lonely group two days' flight further east along the mid-oceanic rift, around 112 west, is still larger than Hawaii. It's one of the loneliest places on Pegasia; it may not have even been discovered yet by Pegasians. If these distant islands have been explored there's only one reason, and not for its own sake: local cartographers have realized that these eastern islands come close to being a flyway between hemispheres, and sent out scouts to see if there's any way to reach the mainlands of Continent 6 or Continent 9 safely. A single overlooked rock could make the difference, and the sea is shallow, especially along the mid-oceanic rift.

On the other hand, that large island 320 km (200 mi) across, due north of the Curl 5 Islands, is certainly known and safely reachable, though the flight takes hours. It too is a gateway of sorts; to the northeast lie dozens of scattered islets in the 165 Sea (mostly off this map--the largest is way up at 42 north). They were probably settled by the same species who inhabit the Curl 5 archipelago. But there's a faint chance there's a contingent of natives from eastern Continent 1, far to the north; though the island chain is long, no single hop is that risky. In fact, despite its isolation, this archipelago's culture could be a very interesting two-species hybrid.

What sorts of species? You tell me.

The gazetteer: will have a full index of native placenames, with descriptions--once the contests's over and we have natives to name them.

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