Lionel Verney

Why not take a little trip to Lionel's island home? It's said to be a lovely place, after all. Scenic and full of old-fashioned charm, but with plenty to keep the mind busy; welcoming to scientists and philosophers alike. This is a perfect refuge if you need a little peace and tranquility, or maybe just a friendly spot to lay low for a while.

All right, so the rumors about what happened in the south are true. A growing cult has taken over the old fort, yes. Its leader keeps his followers in seclusion, though, and the few proselytizers he sends out tend to ignore visitors. It seems only islanders can catch the plague their so-called prophet offers protection from, so there's no point talking to outsiders about their plight.

Oh, don't worry. They just told you. They're confident it won't affect you! 

To the north, as you may discover if you're perceptive, stealthy, or seem especially trustworthy, the island's leader plots alongside his mother and his dearest friend, seeking to rescue a cherished companion from the clutches of the fanatics. 

But they may have an uphill battle against superstition. Every denizen of the island, even the trio of conspirators, insists upon one thing. They say that shortly after the advent of this highly fatal disease, a black sun, with billowing tendrils of shadow, rose from the earth. All that afternoon, the land was cast into darkness.

(No, friend. Some of them have seen a solar eclipse before. This wasn't what that was. The world-renowned astronomer who once inhabited the island's lone observatory would have told you the same thing.)

Many further claim that, only a few weeks ago, three false suns (no, they were meteors; they crashed into the purple sea –) briefly appeared alongside the true one.