History 8: The Peaceful Man-Made Island of Meridian

This tale is of a place considered so sacred, no weapons were permitted on the premises. In the old days of Mercia, laws were pretty strict concerning citizen safety. There were laws against killing anything in Mercia's streets, like cows or chickens (someone was once imprisoned for 3 days for breaking this). However this didn't make Mercia completely safe. Thanks to The Darkcloak Society, murder was becoming unsettlingly common. This didn't sit well for many people and getting out of Mercia was looking more and more attractive.

This caused a movement and that movement became a mission. They needed somewhere safe but central to Mercia, so they could still conduct business there. They filed a petition to build on the open seas, away from any land, and forge a village in their image. Without any hesitation, they were granted the rights and so they set off. Since sailing wasn't as widespread as it is today, they fixated on the idea of setting up a station that would ferry people from the main land to their new island. However word got out that once you came to the island you could never leave.

The consensus was Mercia wasn't really THAT bad after all. Only the truly serious members dedicated their funds to the island, and so it wasn't fully realized. This didn't matter to those we now know as Monks of Meridian, as their goal had been achieved. Safety from those looking to do harm had finally come, and would last until the Fourth Age, when The Resistance would claim the island for their outpost.