The Islanders

Annadac CALM PLACE

One of the remotest islands in the Swirl, ANNADAC is situated close to the tidal anomaly that millions of years ago helped form the Swirl.

For the most part, continental Sudmaieure is an icy, snowbound waste, with only a few coastal strips adjacent to sea that melts for part of the year. There is, however, one peninsula, long and narrow, steep with mountains of volcanic origin, that extends to the north. This is the Qataari Peninsula, in the coldest part of which there are several glaciers, and these calve to the eastern side into the stormy Southern Midway. The turbulent combination of warm salty seawater from the Southern Oscillating Stream and the cold fresh meltwater from the drifting icebergs creates a churning and treacherous stretch of ocean, with a multitude of different currents. These, together with several thousand years of volcanism, threw up the hundreds of small islands that are now known as the Swirl. Annadac is one of these Swirl islands, far to the south and close to the continental mass.

With the coming of spring, a huge tidal bulge of water forms in the sea to the south of Annadac, every day, twice a day. This moves rapidly around the island. Over the centuries the phenomenon has caused serious coastal erosion and unpredictable weather patterns. The Annadacians are legendary for their forbearing and stoical nature.

Perhaps the most celebrated Annadacian of her era was the conceptual and installation artist named JORDENN YO.

From an early age Yo became enthralled by the rock and beach formations that had been created all around her island by tidal movements and gale-force winds. Yo came to believe that the island was in essence a permeable being, that it was alive in some mystical sense, and that it could be moulded to react to the elements. She became fascinated by this idea, latterly obsessed by it.

Some of her first installations were cairns or dolmens built on exposed hillsides, carefully situated to catch the light of sunset or sunrise, or to present thrilling silhouettes against the sky, when seen from the most commonly used roads.

Many of these cairns still stand today and are in the care of the Annadac Seigniory offices. Three in particular are of interest to visitors, because Yo set them up in a configuration that would modify the pressure and direction of the wind, and set up a series of dust-filled twisters to march and scatter across the flat land around.

The site is open all year round, but the best time to visit the cairns is in the early fall. Then the prevailing CHOUSTER wind from the south-west, famous for its gusts and sudden changes of direction, will produce the wind funnels for about seven days and nights. Twisters appear other times of the year, but they are randomly produced and therefore the casual visitor cannot be guaranteed to see them.

Then as now, many young people on Annadac enjoyed the sport of tunnelling, and Yo was one of them. It was prohibited on many islands, but Annadac was still tolerant of the activity. Yo soon realized that tunnelling was a pastime that could lend itself to serious artistic activity. Her cairns had brought her work to the attention of the Covenant Foundation on Muriseay, and she was able to raise a small grant to drill some experimental tunnels.

The first one she completed ran from the south side of the island to the north, with a shallow turn at the midway point and a gradual narrowing throughout the length of the tunnel. The southern entrance was built below the tide line. When the tunnel was completed, and the buffer dam opened, the tidal waters began to flow through, twice a day. As the tunnel was opened in midsummer, the tidal effects were at first unexceptional, giving Yo extra time to run flow tests and make suitable modifications and improvements. A few months later, with the tumultuous rising of the spring tide, Annadac experienced for the first time the fantastic rush of water now known as the YO TORRENT.

The Torrent pours through the tunnel at a terrifying velocity, emitting a thunderous roar that can be heard in most parts of the island. On the northern side, the flowing water bursts out into the rock-filled open sea in a great foaming sluice of ice-cold water.

Within a couple of years Annadac had become the destination of choice for thrill-seekers, as it remains today. Every year, in the three months of the highest tides, these people board rafts or don inflatable jackets, allowing themselves to be thrust excitingly and dangerously through the Torrent. Although the Annadac Seigniory imposes a number of safety regulations, every year brings an inevitable death toll.

Yo herself is not known to have ridden the Torrent. She left Annadac soon after the first of the spring tides, and is thought to have returned to her home island only once more, to attend the funeral of her father.

Out of season Annadac is a quiet island, dependent on farming and fishing, and offers few facilities for the casual tourist. Because of the proximity of Annadac to Sudmaieure, many of the young soldiers who become deserters pass through the island on their way north. However, there are strict havenic laws and most of the soldiers do not stay long. Ordinary visitors to the island will be unaware of them.

For those who intend to visit Annadac for the sport, the peak period is also the most expensive, and is usually fully booked by regular users. However, good torrenting is possible in the first two weeks of summer, the weather is warmer and the prices are lower. The authorities have ruled that visitors must carry full insurance and a cash deposit is demanded in case funeral arrangements become necessary. No vaccinations are required, but random medical checks are performed on all who use the Torrent. Some operators offer inclusive tours.

Currency: Aubracian talent; Muriseayan thaler.