The first explorers have come to know of local legends. The ancient ones spoke of rocks that spoke and trees that moved. In all these tales, there always seemed to be a traveling companion that would go missing, lured by something they desired. Food, drink, flesh, or wealth. In all these tales, the companion’s specific desires seemed to manifest just behind the rock or tree, calling to them, guiding them. Off they would go, never to return. They would disappear. Just like that.

This went on for centuries. Singing trees, they were called, or luring rocks. Travelers got the wiser, avoiding known locations or changing paths at the hint of moving rock or tree. Sometimes it was just a breeze, or shifting soil, but it was to that extent that travelers exercised caution.

With time, the stories began to change. The boulders were more restless, shaking as if in an earthquake. The trees? Swaying as if in a storm. The stories became even more bizarre. Travelers described fur on the rocks and trees.

When people started disappearing again, this time the stories described a giant spider and suddenly it became clear. They call her Ananzi, The Trickster. Fulfiller of Desires.

Explorers of this new land, have gone forth without the benefit of myths and legends to temper their curiosity. They have paid with their lives, while their friends and families have assumed they have disappeared due to the common peril of this strange world, falling of the islands’ edges.