The City of Refuge

Somewhere in the dark heart of Valuatana lurks an ancient ruin known to the local natives as the City of Refuge.

This place, high up in the central hills of the island, lies amidst vines and thick undergrowth. Whatever civilization built these mighty structures is long lost to history.

Great pyramids loom over the jungle, and lower buildings emerge from the undergrowth only as the explorer draws near. Weird beasts cry out on all sides, as if warning intruders to stay clear. Cyclopean blocks lie amidst ferns and creepers, some carved in recognizable human forms, others less… identifiable. Everywhere the sense of former greatness clashes with an empty desolation as the jungle steadily reclaims its dominion.

Legend among the natives of this island claims that any one of them who can stay overnight within the taboo precincts of these ruins is innocent of any crimes they may have been guilty of. It is a mark of the terror the natives hold for this place that virtually no one ever attempts to spend a night in this deserted place.