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Pirate Island
The mysterious spot called Pirate Island, its location known
only by the Air Pirates, serves as Don Karnage's stronghold
and the hidden den of the Iron Vulture. Suspected of
housing formidable defenses as well as the Air Pirates' treasures,
weapons, planes, and belongings, Pirate Island provides the
Air Pirates with a place of refuge — not to mention a
concealed base of operations from which Don Karnage can launch
attacks on cargo shipments, spy on the outside world, and
plot mischief.
From accounts by sources who wish to remain anonymous, Pirate
Island is just one in a cluster of volcanic islands far from
Cape Suzette. Enshrouded in mist and fog from the frequently
gloomy weather, these uncharted islands are rather difficult
to locate without precise navigation. Sea gulls, buzzards,
and sparse pine trees are the only signs of life on the desolate
peaks. Many flyers and sailors purposely steer clear of this
foreboding region, making it the perfect area for the Air
Pirates to establish their secret lair.
For secrecy's sake, Pirate Island is located not behind the
volcanoes but inside one of them. Many if they knew
would question the wisdom of operating a pirate base deep
in the bowels of a potentially active volcano, but Don Karnage
views the unusual location of his hideout as an advantage.
Certainly, no one would go looking for a pirate base inside
a volcano unless they knew it were there. The deep caverns
running throughout Pirate Island, formed by centuries of erosion
and past volcanic activity, contain underground streams and
vast pools of molten lava.
Within these hellish environs, the Air Pirates house their
weapon caches, living and sleeping areas, workshops, and storage
rooms. Very little excavation has been done to the island's
interior, except to clear tunnels or expand existing chambers.
The exact location of Pirate Island is the Air Pirates' single
most carefully-kept secret. Even the Air Police, despite ongoing
investigations, questioning, and exhaustive research, have
failed to come up with coordinates pinpointing the whereabouts
of the pirate base. Judging from sightings of the Iron
Vulture in the middle of the ocean — as well as
the range of the Vulture's travels and the pattern
of pirate attacks in the vicinity of Usland — authorities
surmise that Pirate Island resides somewhere southeast of
Cape Suzette. Unfortunately, with hundreds of small, uninhabited
islands dotting the South Seas, the Air Police face a daunting
search.
MAIN ENTRANCE
Camouflage is the crucial element in keeping the Air Pirates'
presence on Pirate Island a secret. The Air Pirates hide the
main entrance to their base behind a pair of massive doors
on one side of the island. Covered with a phony rock surface,
these motorized doors open in response to a special signal
from the Iron Vulture's radio transmitter, revealing
an immense cavern within the island large enough to hold the
airship, with room to spare for additional vessels. The pirates
use a small tugboat to guide the Vulture to a loading
dock at the far end of the cave, and to turn the ship around
for takeoff.
BACK DOOR ENTRANCE
Sea-based aircraft may use the secondary "back door"
entrance on the other side of the mountain. Entering Pirate
Island this way involves a tricky flight into a thick fog
bank covering what, from above, appears to be nothing but
solid rock. However, aerial approach at a low angle —
cutting under the fog — reveals a series of rocks arranged
like a rib cage.
Beyond these obstacles lies a watery inlet, emptying into
a underground stream which leads straight through the mountain.
The Air Pirates leave this entrance deserted most of the time,
using it only when they need to dispatch pirate transports
or when the main entrance is somehow inaccessible.
Those who would try to use the back entrance to sneak into
Pirate Island soon find that their harrowing landing was the
easiest part. Pursuing the route through the darkened, twisty
tunnels takes intruders into the very core of Pirate Island's
volcanic system — a subterranean lake of flaming hot
lava, navigated only by hopping across rock platforms suspended
on ropes or teetering on top of giant stalagmites. Even after
this, the worst is yet to come, as deadly, hidden boobytraps
put careless cave lurkers on the pathway to their doom. (See
below for more on these traps.)
Things look different coming out from the inside; a tunnel
from the pirates' workshop provides an alternate path to the
back entrance, ending right where the more hazardous, more
apparent route begins (where the paths join is impossible
to tell in the shadows).
TREASURE ROOM
The heart of Pirate Island is the treasure room, a vast chamber
of interconnected caves holding the Air Pirates' plunder.
Like all good pirate treasure troves, the torchlit room holds
stacks of coins, trunks of jewels, piles of priceless trinkets,
and bags of gold dust. Antiques, souvenirs from notable captures,
and a rare prize or two round out the inventory nicely.
Don Karnage spends many hours in the treasure room, admiring
his own reflection in the shiny collection of stolen gold
and silver valuables. The Air Pirates use the area as a meeting
place to go over plans, recount tales of past missions, or
listen to Karnage's latest treasure-stealing ideas.
WORKSHOP
Larger even than the treasure room is Pirate Island's workshop,
where practically all the Air Pirates' mechanical experiments
and repairs take place. Supervised by head pirate mechanic
Ratchet, the workshop provides the pirates with enough space
and materials to rebuild, equip, and maintain machines as
large as aircraft. A giant furnace, used for melting down
metals, feeds directly into a vent in the top of the island,
brilliantly masking the furnace exhaust as volcanic smoke.
Crates and scattered bundles of treasure lie strewn about
the workshop until transferred to other areas. Railroad tracks
run from the shop to the vast main cavern for transporting
planes, ammunition, and supplies to and from the waiting Iron
Vulture. Another tunnel in the far wall leads to Pirate
Island's back entrance.
DUNGEON
Few prisoners get to visit Pirate Island, as the Iron
Vulture has cells aplenty in its brig. Karnage may decide,
however, that an important captive must be whisked away to
the pirates' lair for safe keeping until ransom is paid. Those
who've been unlucky guests of the Air Pirates report that
the base is almost completely deserted when Karnage and company
are out on a heist; only a handful of slow-witted guards remain.
Other portions of Pirate Island include storage rooms for
weapons, fuel, and foodstuffs; a kitchen and mess hall; training
and recreation areas; and personal quarters for the pirates
(including Don Karnage). Torches are chosen for illumination
and warmth over electric lamps, as running a generator and
power grid large enough to light up the whole base would be
impractical.
OUTDOOR BALCONY
The pirates find accomodations in the dank caves less than
pleasant, but are willing to trade comfort for security. On
the rare days when the weather clears, Don Karnage seizes
the opportunity to soak up the sun's rays. A carved stone
balcony, one of the captain's favorite spots to relax, once
overlooked the ocean from the west face of Pirate Island —
Karnage often spent entire afternoons basking in the sun there,
with underlings attending to his every whim. An unfortunate
brush with the Iron Vulture has since reduced the outcropping
to rubble — a minor setback for Karnage, who plans to
have his men carve another balcony just as soon as he selects
the next-best spot.
Above: The Prince of Pirates, at ease in his favorite
lounge chair.
Left: A truly magnificent view at late afternoon from Pirate
Island's overlook.
TRICKS, TRAPS, & ALARMS
Unwary trespassers and would-be escapees will stumble across
dozens of unpleasant surprises in the Air Pirates' island
home — spikes shooting from the ceiling, collapsing floors,
even metal jaw traps popping out of cobbled footpaths. These
fiendishly clever, exceptionally dangerous snares are concentrated
along the paths leading to the island's back entrance, the
most likely escape route.
Right: The ear-splitting wail of the base sirens can mean
only one thing: Karnage is returning.
While most of the traps are set off by tripwires and floor
triggers (easy enough to circumvent, if you're not in any
particular hurry), some traps are manually activated and may
help the pirates slow down intruders. An alarm system wired
throughout the complex sounds either as a warning, or as a
general alert when the Iron Vulture is leaving or returning
to the base.
Left and below: Move it or lose it! A few examples of
the Air Pirates' unique hospitality.
ARMS & WEAPONRY
Taking into consideration the risk of prisoners escaping or
travelers stumbling upon Pirate Island, Don Karnage has installed
powerful outer defenses into the Air Pirates' fortress. Hidden
behind panels in the sides and top of the volcano, accurate
artillery guns can fire long-range shells at intruding aircraft
and ships (not to mention pesky summer clouds interfering
with Karnage's outdoor tanning breaks). Should authorities
discover and lay siege to Pirate Island, Karnage hopes the
weapons will buy him and his pirates the time they need to
evacuate the base.
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