Jack of Harts

The largest volcano on San Lucas began to wake up not long after we arrived. It was in the center of the Hankou continent, surrounded by vast lowlands filled with intelligent cats. Humanity felt its first, tentative, throat clearings on the other side of the planet. It continued to grumble for the next several decades, periodically filling the skies with ash before grumbling back down to inactivity. Humanity stayed away from that continent for the most part, only planting small mining colonies on its coastlines. It was rich in many heavy metals the volcano threw into the air, but the planetary government regulated travel to the land they called Inferno with great care. It is ironic that the name the local cats had for the volcano also meant Hell. Their major religions were greatly concerned about the unrelenting fiery death that came from that mountain. They were understandably, and rightly as it turned out, concerned about the volcano’s plans for their future.