Solemn Isle

The Solemn Isle is a large island off the coast of the Pale City formed from an ancient sandbar that separated the estuary of the Blessed River from the bay. Thickly forested, it serves as a park for the Imperial Family, cut across by several dozen well-groomed paths, paved and unpaved. Tiny hidden gardens, groves, and orchards populate the island, along with older ruins, some quite well known, and some nearly unknown, including jadeite pit mines from the Rayaakin times. Somewhere near the center lies the beautiful Imperial Shrine, built during the reign of Kyurili I.

The south of the island is notable for the Old Toll Tower, of which only the foundations remain today; it was razed during the War of the Pale Brothers. Relatively far from the watch of the Imperial Family, this side of the island is often visited by intrepid youths from the southern Pale City, who either swim or raft across the narrow channel of the Blessed River. Though visiting the island is technically punishable by death, even the worst offenders are typically merely chased away by the guards.