Isle of the Gods

[REH Gods (online text)]: An island in the Atlantic, far to the south of England and Spain. Brunhild called it the oldest land in the world. The capital was the white city of Bal-Sagoth. The natives were a brown-skinned folk who knew many dark secrets of magic. The warriors were tall, slim, brown-skinned men, whose only garments were finely wrought loincloths of silk, tall waving plumes of many colors on their heads, and armlets and leglets of gold and silver, crusted with gleaming gems. They wore no armor, but each carried a light wooden shield, and braced with silver. Their weapons were slim-bladed spears, light hatchets and slender daggers, all bladed with fine steel.

Ages ago they were a part of a great empire which spread out over the many isles of this sea. But some of the islands sank and vanished with their cities and people. Then red-skinned savages from over the sea-rim assailed them and isle after isle fell before them. At last only the Isle of the Gods island was left unconquered, and the people became weaker and forgot many ancient arts. For lack of ports to sail to, the galleys rotted by the wharves. At irregular intervals, the red people continued to descend upon the Isle of the Gods, traversing the seas in long war-canoes with grinning skulls on the prows.

The people of the Isle had many gods, including the dark god Gol-Goroth, who received frequent sacrifices. His high priest, and the power behind the throne, was the ancient sorcerer Gothan. After Brunhild was shipwrecked there and promoted as the goddess A-ala, she conspired with Kotar and overthrew the dynasty of Angar. Later Gothan lead a revolt and installed Ska as the new king. Taking advantage of a prophecy of iron men who would come from the sea, Brunhild used the stranded adventurers Turlogh Dubh O'Brien and Athelstane the Saxon to help her seize power again. But her reign came to a swift end when the statue of Gol-Goroth fell on her. At the same time, the red savages launched another attack and successfully conquered the island. After Turlogh and Athelstane fled, Turlogh discovered that he had accidentally brought with him a curiously-carved emblem of jade, which was the emblem of sovereignty, thus making him the ruler of a kingdom that existed no more.

From the general location and description, it seems possible that the Isle of the Gods was the last remnant of that Atlantean empire where Kathulos was a mage; if so, Gothan may have been the last wizard of that tradition.

Synonym for: Bal-Sagoth.

Includes: A-ala; Gelka; Temple of Darkness, Temple of Shadows; Temple of the Sea; Zomar.

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