cross the sea from Alveus lies the vast island of Foenara, the agricultural center of the west. All around the island are wide beaches of soft gray sand that many coastal creatures call home. The landscape changes as one moves further inland, the coast becoming a dry woodland and eventually a vast grassland that stretches through the center of the isle. Small deer and antelopes dart out from the low shrubs and into the short grass prairie, occasionally resting under the tall acacia trees that are scattered across the savannah. Patches of forest near the beach are the nest sites of many birds. The three great volcanoes of the island lie one at the northern end, one to the southeast, and one to the southwest – all of them active, but erupting only with slow, lazy lava flows. Creatures can be found in these areas, too, where the volcanoes meet the sea and cool to make the island grow ever larger. Perhaps the most remarkable forms of life on Foenara are the heat-loving magical algae that grow on top of the rivers of lava and produce mesmerizing colors when the molten rock cools.Foenara has often had a tenuous relationship with Alveus. Ever since the sailors from Alveus landed on the island, they found it to be an excellent farmland, and two hundred years ago, the ruling leaders from the mainland tried to work out a unification agreement with the Foenarans. The empress of Foenara at the time agreed with the treaty, for the island was suffering from a long wet season that was destroying their food stores. Before the deal could be finalized, however, the empress grew very ill and passed her title on to her daughter, who was opposed to the unification. The Alveans were affronted by the decline of their offer when it seemed complete, and so a feud began between the two countries. To this day, people of Alveus feel that they should be able to freely settle on Foenara because of the treaty, while many Foenarans feel that because it never went through, they have no obligations to their neighboring country. This dispute makes it difficult to trade directly between the two, so most ships make detours to small island ports and transfer their goods onto neutral vessels that can make the journey with less conflict. This is risky business, though, and piracy is common in the waters between Foenara and Alveus.