Jonathan Wright - A Romantic. A poet who wished to be a lot more like Lord Byron than he was (Ruled by Exile but desired by Monstrousness)
Frances Chattoway - A Romantic. Jonathan's fiancee, a strong and independent young woman (Ruled by Betrayal, involved with Love Inconvenienced) William Belmont - A Romantic. Brother to Lucy, a kind young man in love with Jonathan Wright (Ruled by Loss)
Lucy Belmont - A Romantic. Sister to William, a religious girl (Ruled by Devotion, until she became Coming of Age)
Iona McKellen - A spirited young woman hired by the Romantics to assist on their trip (Ruled by Love Inconvenienced, then Twist, then Found Family.)
Alistair Morrison - A simple, hardworking young man, hired by the Romantics to sail to the island, brother to Hamish (Ruled by Sacrifice)
Hamish Morrison - A sweet person, sibling to Alistair, hired by the Romantics to sail to the island, sibling to Alistair (Ruled by Loss, then Found Family).

The Wrights were a wealthy family hailing from the upper reaches of English society. Their eldest son, Jonathan, was known for charming the pants off of most of London high society. He spent most of his time with childhood best friend, William Belmont and Belmont’s sister, Lucy. At 21 he became engaged to one Frances Chattoway, a young woman known for her free spirited nature.

The four of them gained notoriety in the London circles, until Wright actually managed to disgrace himself to his family. It was quietly yet emphatically suggested that he take some time away from London. He decided that the best way to spend this sudden unexpected exile would be to go and tour the romantic Scottish Highlands, taking Frances and the Belmonts with him.

The four of them spent some time on the mainland before deciding that they wished to explore the Islands. While on Barra they heard rumours of a mysterious, unexplored island a ways to the North. Despite the warnings of the locals, they thought this sounding like an excellent place to explore and hired a couple of brothers, Alistair and Hamish Morrison, to sail them out to the island. On the way, they picked up a young woman, Iona McKellan, to do all the things that pampered, rich young people cannot.

The boat got caught in a storm on the way to the Island, crashing on the rocks and leaving the seven explorers stranded. Some supplies washed up on the shore, notably including fishing nets. The first night was notably awful: the rain came down in droves to the extent that making a fire was impossible, and the only shelter to be found in the gathering dark was a rocky overhang where the seven of them huddled with a mix of emotions, none of them good.

The next morning it had broadly stopped raining at least. Unfortunately, surveying the wreckage revealed that escape by their own means was, at least initially, not going to be a viable option. The group set about exploring. Jonathan volunteered to scout around for caves and stunning views, followed by the Belmonts. Meanwhile, the Morrisons attempted to patch yp the fishing nets and see what could be done about gathering food. Frances and Iona scouted the other half of the island for food, firewood and so on. In the process, they spent some time bonding over their experiences of oppression as women in a patriarchal society.

The group reunited and agreed to mavke a base in the ruins of a castle that William had found while Jonathan was off rhapsodising about the beauty of nature. They set up a fire and cook some fish that the Morrisons had managed to catch, while William writes in his diary and Lucy reads her (rather damp) bible. However, their sleep is very much disturbed by the ghosts of ancient monks, so they decide to construct a temporary shelter back by the shelter.

They settle into something of a routine - life is extremely difficult, with the island kicking back against them with a vengeance, but they manage to work their way through things. Iona, Frances, Alistair and Hamish were the main people working on an escape attempt, as Lucy continues to pray - in vain - for rescue, Jonathan continues to write poetry dramatically and William continues to pine after Jonathan.

Lucy receives a vision in response to her prayers, directing her to go towards the unfinished tower at the top of the hills. She finds that the tower is incomplete, and discovers the remains of some architect who as stranded on the island and must have died before their work was completed. She feels a strange urge to complete the work, and convinces her companions to help her in this. The others are a little unwilling at first but William says that he'll do this for his sister and Hamish offers to help William. Following this, the others join and help to complete the tower and lay the architect to rest. Lucy receives confirmation in the form of a vision that she is doing the Lord's work, and if she continues to be faithful and devoted, no harm will come to her.

Tensions are rising among the group in general. Frances and Iona are slowly falling in love, as Frances gets ever more sick of Jonathan's lack of willingness to pull his weight in the group. She ends up shouting at him as the group sit together one evening, and he flees the group in anger, running down to the cove where he angrily carves some poetry into the cliff wall. There, he hears voices telling him that he is special and right to leave his awful companions. He believes this voice and starts returning to the cove to talk to the voice more often.

Alistair starts exploring the island more and interacting with it, probably finding some of the ruins of earlier stories and so on. He starts to piece together what's going on with the island, trying to use this knowledge to find a way off the island and interact more with the mystical spirits which seem to be mentioned a couple of times. He encounters an individual who comments on his giving nature, and says that if he continues to give things up for those he loves, it may have more of an effect than he expects. Lucy is also off exploring, and ends up following Jonathan down to the cove, where she also hears voices. Rather than remaining at the mouth of the sea caves, she ventures inside them and meets a strange creature who talks to her, then reveals her name to be Sikka. She visits her a few more times.

The plans for escape start coming together. Having previously followed Jonathan around like a lost puppy, he starts spending more time helping build their raft and get things together. Spending more time with Hamish, Alistair and Iona, he starts to realise that he’s actually better suited to their company than he ever was to high society.

Jonathan finds out about Frances and Iona’s relationship the night before they are all going to make their grand escape attempt. He confronts her about it on the top of a cliff. Frances realises that if he escapes with them she cannot be with Iona and takes the logical next step of throwing him off a cliff. Iona sees this happen and is horrified, and realises that Frances is herself kind of an awful person. When Frances moves to embrace her, she pushes her away - off the edge of the cliff as well.

Despite all the trauma, the next morning the five surviving islanders attempt to set out in their raft to try to escape. This, as you might imagine, goes Badly. The boat breaks apart and they start to drown. Alistair calls upon the entity he encountered and asks if he can save the others with a sacrifice of his own life. He dies, but the others all wash back up on the shore, suffering only superficial physical damage.

Lucy's faith, however, is completely broken. As the group huddle by the first, she writes in her bible, just notes at first, but gradually morphing into manic pleas. Hamish and Iona discuss the discoveries that Alistair made about the island and theorise while Lucy listens, until something clicks in her head and she slips away to the monastery, where she writes her own damnation in the book and screams at the heavens as tears and rain fall down her face. The loss and pain and her new faithlessness have created an irrevocable change in her.

She is joined in the monastery by Sikka. The two confess feelings for each other and, with her help, Lucy becomes the trope Coming of Age.

Meanwhile, the other three start putting the pieces of their life back together. They build a cottage on the plains where they manage to scrape by. Lucy, now a trope, becomes more and more distant, leaving William heartbroken but somewhat consoled by his soft budding relationship with Hamish. the little family is a strange one, but they get on well enough.

This plot is loosely based off the idea that Romantic poets are cool, in combination with the historical fact that it was around this period that people started exploring the Highlands and Hebrides for touristic purposes. The story takes place in the early 1840s.

I am but lost
With all this loss
I only want that

It’s no use. I never was a wordsmith. Poetry did not fall from my pen like it did from Jonathan’s, in the same way that girls and men never flocked at my feet. Not that flocks were ever something I desired; only you him.

A foolish fancy, I now know. For there was one thing about which Frances was right: the only man he ever truly loved was himself.

Perhaps this journal would be better turned to things other than poetry, then. It seems that we will never leave this island: our attempt claimed the life of Alistair, and since Lucy’s Change she seems quite certain that the island is where we are fated to remain. A funny thing, as she herself seems to be more distant every day. Although I cannot truly know their pain, it seems that Hamish and I have reached a kind of understanding about this, for whenever dearest Lucy departs I feel their hand take mine, and although small it is a comfort, and I feel… I hope that they are able to take their comfort in me as well.

Iona I do not know about. I know that she pinned her hopes on the boat we built, dedicating herself to it with something almost like a frenzy after Jonathan and Frances fell were pushed from the high cliff. Now she sits and stares at the sea. Although I have not known her long, I worry for her. She has become like a sister to me, almost as much as Lucy was.

Life is hard for us now, and I imagine it will be for the rest of our lives here. But I am coming to believe that this is providential: it is to us to make the best of what we have.

15th October, 1843

Sheep — Only a few rams left. Don’t want to kill more for fear of depleting herd.
Milk — Some in storage, Daisy and Buttercup are still producing. Still haven’t worked out how to make cheese.
Berries — A few, fewer than before.
Other plants — Nearly none

Running low on supplies, but everyone maintains that they feel quite alright. I, as well, do not feel unwell, even though I have barely eaten. Dearest Lucy appeared recently and told us not to worry, but I cannot help it. Winter is approaching, and I know not how we will survive it.

Upon this island we remain, my love.
The winds are high, the nights are cold and dark;
But even on this isle damned from above,
Your bright and blessed light, it lights my heart.

Your eyes are cloudy grey but shine like stars
O! Free your hair from steadfast pins and braids:
A golden beauty; Venus to my Mars.
The power of our love, it never fades.

A woman of great spirit, and of …
… so fine

I see you there, I love to make you mine

When from this isle to London are we led,
Upon this happy day, we will be wed.

On the back:

William?

A dark-haired man stands with his sister fair
A dark-haired man
A man of
A man, a girl, they each have beauty rare,
Their hair as dark as night, their eyes as stars.

Lucy isn’t fair
Frances? Gold hair? Grey eyes?

A Sonnet
Written by a wandering poet to his lady love, in the hopes that she would understand his love for

Who knows this island’s secret tales?
Not you who claim to know it all
For here your knowledge fails.

This knowledge is beknown to me,
The lonely wanderer who hears
The secrets of the sea.

This was a phys-repped item that Matilda is not typing up.