Exile Island

[Mark Mohrfield]

Just noticed this when paging through the Guide to Glorantha vol. 2. It’s situated just west of Teleos on the map on page 522, but there doesn’t seem to be any listing for it in the text. Is there any official information it, or did it somehow get overlooked?

[David Scott]

Not everything was detailed, so there's scope for adventure. Perhaps that's where those who wish to marry a different colour go?

[Mark Mohrfield]

Apparently there’s no official information, which makes me curious as to how it even got named in the Guide. Does anyone else besides David have a speculation as to what’s there?

[Joerg]

The name might date back before the Closing, when Teleos was a notorious pirate stronghold. Possibly a penal colony by the Middle Sea Empire? That would invite artifact hunts.

[JRE]

I do not see the Teleono as organized enough to have a specific exile place. If we trust the 524 map, there are no significative settlements or points of interest, but it is close enough not to have been isolated by the closing.

So if I found myself there, and this is not even IMG, but what I would do if I gamed in Teleos, I would assume it and the small island besides it are taboo, or they would be part of Teleos, even if they were not before the Closing. That means the Teleonos do not acknowledge the island, do not travel to it, or discuss it.

That would fit with it being the Jrusteli base from where they controlled Teleos and suppressed the Rainbow Fleets. There were plenty of Jrusteli in Teleos when the Closing hit, and nobody knows what happened to them, or will talk. 

The color curse disappears when Harrek enslaves the Emerald Frog and leaves with it. And we know that Harrek is actively seeking and plundering Jrusteli artifacts and ruins. So it would make sense that it is a Jrusteli remnant of some kind, possibly a way to keep the Teleos natives divided and not collaborating as in the past, as the Rainbow fleets of the Second Age would mean there were sailors of all the colors in them. So yes, Jrusteli remnants, but if you go before Harrek, the Emerald Frog, also known by the ominous moniker, Eater of Souls, is still there, and considering the many foreigners around, was enough to avoid them settling in the island.

After Harrek, the ruins are probably less defended, but you have all the foreigner power players interested in the island, and probably the Teleonos adapting to the new situation. And all possibly lookingfor  adventurers to brave the many perils of the Jrusteli ruins.

The big question, without the unifying spirit carelessly killed by the God Learners, will the Teleono rediscover the collaboration that made them a power able to make life difficult to the Jrusteli? Or will open war among the Colors shatter the island?

Finally, for the name, I think it is a Haragalan name, as no pre-Closing name would have survived and they are the main sea power in Teleos. It is named as such because they used it to punish rebellious crews and unruly prisoners by abandoning them in the island, at the mercy of the Eater of Souls. Even without the Frog, they may still use it as a dumping place of slaves and prisoners, knowing that without a ship escape is impossible. PC characters taken captive by pirates may adventure there unwillingly, giving a good entry point to "Adventures in Teleos".