There is a place that lays east of a city of gears of massive proportion. Clockwork City. Sitting on the coast it stretches miles and miles across the sea wall with towering skyscrapers that smile into the endless ocean. Just beyond their vision, shrouded in a mist that seems to hang around, like a curtain that is never pulled, an island wades.
In the shape of a dolphin spinning in the air and named after such a dolphin that might of saved a few planets and times at one point, this island sits alone and undisturbed by the huge mechanized city on the coast.Why? Well it is filled with magic, creatures from beyond and ancient evil. On the other hand the island is self sustaining. Creatures, and things have made it their home and even an eccentric family of powerful mages have built a mansion on the island.
The island is unique, as it’s environment is culmination of many different types that just happened to be smashed into a dolphin shaped space.
In the north and south of the island, the top of the head of the dolphin, and the edge of the tail, are sweeping golden sand beaches surrounded by dense tropical forest. Waterfalls, large plants, twisting trees and rocks build out the forest. There are many deadly creatures in these regions, but some paths have been cleared by the natives to reach the paradise that sits just beyond. It seems as the tropics are connected to the beaches, as they reach inland, the tropical forests thin out out more and more until there is no trace, but a far away shadow of the massive trees and dense vines. The smell of thick water on the nose.
As you head east down the dolphins head you will find sprawling meadows, large maples, and grassy knolls. A paradise of small woodland creatures and gentle streams that fill the ears with a quiet appreciation for the little things. This is where the Newearls, the mages, have built their mansion. In a cove surrounded by knolls and a maple forest lay their massive establishment. It has a small road that leads between two knolls and into the meadow. The Newearls, being sort of seekers of chaotic land and magic, the ones that push the envelope on magic and maybe sanity, sought the island through feeling. When they emerged through the thick mist on their boat, the island welcomed them as explorers of the edge of magical wills and let them onto the island. While ships and sailors, pilots and inter dimensional travelers would get lost in the thick mist, the Newearls knew the island would not reject them as it called from Clockwork city to them.
While they enjoyed some time as a family when their kids were young, tragedy and opportunity struck. It became a summer home after a while. A vacation spot from the world.
As you head south to the middle of the dolphin the mood and atmosphere take a creepy turn. A landscape of rolling hills of pumpkin fields, graveyards and trees stuck in perpetual skeleton states, this area is permanently in autumn. The sky even turns a orangish black at night and during the day, the sun always has a tinge of darkness to it. Going past the fields the land starts to slope and large haunted mansion spring up and towns littered with broken lights and doors hanging off the hinges. The ground opens up into free fall. Leading to an abyss that has yet to be explored. Reaching out of the abyss are great jack-o-lanterns made out of darken brown rock. Decrepit-ed mansions and ghostly trains make their towns on these giant towering glowing pillars of Halloween. Whispers, screams, terror and fright. All wrapped into a physical location scorched in candy corn, the sweet smell of leaves, cinnamon and pumpkin.
Climbing out of the carnival of thrills and chills one would continue south to the tail of the dolphin which curved towards it’s head. Before hitting the tropical jungles of the coast and sandy beaches, a denser more ancient forest exists. Like an ancient amazon that had been growing for millions of years and another million on top of that, with large stone aqueducts that shuttled water to hanging stone gardens and remnants of monuments to unknown gods. This area guarded by dense jungle holds Aztec stone monoliths with the mindset of the Greeks. If one could reach the inner sanctum of these overgrown palaces, still ponds of crystal clear water would await. Shining they would sing to the viewer a calming song of tranquility. When the sun was shining it would illuminate the insides of these forgotten chapels of the old. Revealing stories older then time inscribed on the walls.
This is Ecco Island. A place filled with wonder and magic. Always looking to surprise the visitors with new landmarks and strange attractions that have yet to be unveiled. If you see the mist out at sea, while the clocks tick loudly in the background, wonder if the island is beckoning, if it would let you cross the barrier to it’s magic.
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Ecco island is a remnet of my past. When I was in 4th Grade a certain video game came out. Phantasy Star Online. This game changed the course of my life in many ways. It gave me the Newearls, the magic family, and it inspired my whole imagination. It still does.
My teacher at the time had us write our own story for Dr.Suess birthday. We had to make the whole book and everything. My story was actually about the son of the Newearls getting his Dreamcast. But the place that they lived, was Ecco island. I continued building their stories through out my life. Amy Newearl, who was in the Christmas Town story, is the main character of the stories. She looks basically like the stock FoNewearl from the game(which turned out to be unique online, as everyone customized the character haha).
Ecco Island is named after Ecco the Dolphin. I had beat the Sega Gensis game, which was stupid hard, and loved the really odd nature of it all. Also I really love dolphins.
We will revisit some of these characters in the future.