Fellegarran Travel Guide

By: Cellidor

Herein contains all one needs to know upon first landing on MFI

The 'MFI' story collection contains a vast variety or tales, some between monsters, most involving hunters who live on Mount Fellegarro Island. Use this to get a good idea of what kind of things the island might have in store, along with a history of how the island and its inhabitants came to be.

This guidebook/Journal is likely to be updated now and then as new discoveries about the island are found and studied.

Mount Fellegarro Island (or, 'Monster Fucker Island' as some locals have taken to calling it), is most certainly unique as far as other Hunter islands and continents are concerned. For one, the island itself is constantly in motion, drifting rapidly along the ocean currents. This had made actually locating the island incredibly difficult for those navigating by sea or air. In truth, the island exists primarily in vague myths heard here and there in scattered locations of the world, given that those who live there have no interest in leaving, and those who've landed to trade were unable to locate the island again when returning for another trip.

So how does such a large mass of land travel so swiftly across the seas between the Old and New world? In truth, the island is no 'island' at all, but exists upon the backs of two gargantuan monsters (Nicknamed 'The Lovers') so great in size that even titanic elder dragons like Dalamadur and Zorah Magdaros seem small in comparison. Their species doesn't officially have a name, as other than MFI they are entirely unknown, and for good reason. Their unique species live secret lives at the bottom of the deepest reaches of the vast oceans, far away from prying eyes. They live out the entirety of their lives in those darkest depths, situated around deep-sea volcanic rifts. Their bodies are incredibly tough, and they produce vast quantities of natural gases within themselves to withstand the crushing forces of such great depths. They also utilize the nearby volcanic warmth to keep themselves alive along with absorbing the rich minerals from the surrounding lava into their bodies. So how did a species that never rises from the depths ascend so high?

Living around the undersea volcanoes they do, the frequent lava flows cover their colossal bodies like a warm blanket, keeping them sustained in the ocean depths. As more molten rock cools over-top of them, they need to produce more gas to offset the extra pressure on their bodies. If that rock covering ever cracks or crumbles from tectonic activity and falls away, these beasts can end up rising up close to the surface of the ocean, temporarily giving rise to a new 'island' depending on how much rock remains. However, once they've ascended high enough, they react 'quickly', releasing excess gas over a year or so and sinking down below the ocean waves once more. So why has this 'island' not returned to the great sea?

As stated earlier, the island is composed of not one, but two of these colossal monsters. Brave explorers have discovered that, in fact, these two monsters aren't simply kept close due to the volcanic rocks. Rather, the two are caught together in an act of copulation! Thanks to this, the rocks covering their bodies both vast and high have remained mostly in tact. Initial researchers had many hypotheses about why these two hadn't returned to the ocean depths, given that the island appears to have had a century or two of plant growth on it before humans ever came across it.

Some think that the island will only last for as long as the breeding continues, stating that once the two separate, they'll realize how high up they've floated and will return to the ocean floor along with everything on the island. Given how little is known about the species, this could take month, years, or yet more centuries further. Others speculate that due to the sheer amount of island rock on top of them, the monsters believe themselves to still be at the bottom of the sea. Others still think that since the island has grown new life, nutrients are constantly being added to the soil from the plants and monsters on top absorbing and converting sunlight, effectively 'feeding' the two just as well if not better than they would have below the ocean waves, and thus the island will remain afloat until the two monsters pass from old age. No one is sure how long the island will remain, but given that its inhabitants live very nomadic lives much like the island itself as it drifts through the sea, few are unprepared for the inevitable 'Year of Oceans Reclamation' sometime in the near (or very, very far) future.

One thing that's for certain, the biology of these creatures has had a drastic effect on the island's plant life. While these monsters take centuries to breed, they certainly don't slack in that regard, literal rivers of sexual fluids collecting between them along the rocks that cover their bodies. These rivers have formed lakes in the lowest regions, and soaked deep into the ground all around the island over time. As a result, a number of fruit-bearing plants on the island have grown to provide unusual fruits with such an abundance of complex fats, vitamins and proteins that they've been nicknamed 'all-day berries' given that a hunter (or monster) can happily sustain themselves on these berries alone and not find themselves lacking. They grow in a variety of different shapes and sizes, with juices that taste and give off scents ranging anywhere from sweet, sour, to even meaty. Some of the meaty ones, if picked and cooked, are nearly indistinguishable from a proper cut of meat from any large monster.

The Introduction of Monsters

When monsters migrating across the seas first came to this island well before the initial human colonists, they took to these unique breeds of berries quickly, even the carnivorous ones. For the carnivores, it was 'prey' growing in abundance that could be 'hunted' without any risk to themselves. The herbivores found no less an abundance of food across the untamed landscapes of the island, berry or otherwise. However, such a drastic change to the fruits and vegetation of the island soon resulted in a change to the monsters themselves. Given the... 'source' of where these plants obtained their nutrients, monsters found themselves charged with all new peaks of reproductive potential thanks to the energy of the colossal monsters endlessly mating under the island's rock. Males found themselves desiring to breed several times a day rather than sparsely every few months. Females that lay eggs month to month found themselves with a new clutch almost every day. However, despite the increased 'productivity', each species ended up far -less- fertile than before overall. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise considering how their new diet and physiology drastically increased how frequently each species chose to mate.

With protein and fat rich fruits in abundance and easy to claim, along with a new and growing desire to breed, monsters found themselves needing new...outlets. What's more, even with food available the urge to hunt and claim territory still thrummed strongly within each monster's core. As a result, while monsters still hunted and fought one another, the outcome of these fights changed significantly. Why -kill- another monster when its meat wasn't needed, especially when its still -living- body could be so effectively used as an outlet for release? Given that even the loser got a release of their own out of this, doing so was not only more useful to the monster, but surprisingly mutually beneficial. That's not to say that monsters fought any less fiercely of course. The drive to control territory, to be the strongest, was still there as it always had been and from a distance MFI might appear just as wild as another other land.

As a result, over the years and generations each breed of monster began to...change. Subtly at first, then gradually more with each new generation. It turned the island into a sort of...sexual arms race, monsters evolving rapidly with the help of the potent energies of the island, their bodies changing as their old capabilities adapted to this new environment to better serve new purposes. The poisons some monsters used turned into a powerful aphrodisiac, meant to subdue other monsters until they've gone into such a lustful craze they'll forgo trying to win and accept whatever happens to them. Creatures with paralytic toxins used them not to tear into into helpless prey, but use them as sexual outlets. Even creatures that used fire and flame found their flames changing overtime, not using these fires to burn others to cinders, but to overheat their bodies, turning their fight into a sweaty, heated endeavor until their opponent was left too exhausted to go on and thus, perfect to 'use'.

The Introduction of Hunters

Around the time the monsters had started settling into their strange new 'natural order', the first hunter ship happened to make landfall on the island. The travelers had actually been going somewhere else entirely to set up a new settlement, not knowing that they'd completely missed their mark, as they made their new home on this strange moving island. So it was that the village of Antiko was settled.

To say that the hunter's initial expeditions and hunts went poorly was...an understatement. The fighting tactics used by the monsters were so vastly different from those they experienced in other locations. Restoratives and other tinctures meant to help heal cuts and other wounds were pointless against monsters intent on wearing hunters out rather than physically harming them. Worse still, cures for ailments were unable to help against the vastly different variety of 'ailments' the monsters were inflicting on them. Above all, two of the worst outcomes hunters faced in these new hunts came from their armor, and shockingly, from their Felyne companions.

As far as armor went, the kind the hunters used worked against them in each confrontation. The heavy weight, the thick padding and dense scale plates...while needed against monsters trying to kill you, it made them easy targets for many of the monster's... 'organic' attempts to slow them down, while making it harder to get rid of the unnatural heat these fights built up. The armor even soaked up the musk of the monsters they fought, distracting hunters who'd -never- experienced such sensations before, given how rarely monsters on other islands bred. Each hunter, one after another, fell to the monsters they fought one way for another.

So what happened to their escape routes? a normal hunter in dire straits would be whisked away by their Felyne companions via cart, taking them away to safety so they could try again after they recovered. This...did not happen. As soon as the Felynes entered the site of the battle, they were each hit by intense monster musks that their sensitive senses of smell were simply unable to cope with. Like some kind of drug, the Felynes were sent into a wild, lustful daze. Rather than trying to rescue their hunters, they were sent into an aphrodisiac frenzy, stripping the weakened hunters and using them like some sexual scratching post. Some monsters left the poor hunters to this orgy, others... joined in with them.

On any other island, this would have meant the end for each of these hunters, but by this point the monsters had already adapted into a routine of leaving prey alive, given that living prey could be used for 'relief' over and over again. The hunters that hadn't been dragged to a monster's nest crawled their way home, away from their sleeping Felyne 'companions'. Most returned home near or totally naked, given that their armor only hampered their movement. After each retold their story (leaving out certain details of course) it became clear a drastic change would be needed, an entirely new way of hunting would be necessary if things were to continue.

For a good while, hunters worked exclusively as scouts. Observing the wildlife, seeing how monsters acted and gathering information on the natural habitat. When it became clear that monsters had changed to this 'non-lethal' form of combat, and learned where they each obtained their food -from-, they decided to follow suit and change their hunting styles to a similarly non-lethal form, so as to not upset the natural balance on the island. Some of the colonists ate fish or grew crops near the shore, others ate of the fruits of all varieties from the island itself. While it had a lesser effect on them, the island's fruits did in fact cause a similar change in the colonists who indulged themselves much like the monsters.

Depending on a person's diet and overall activities, these results varied. Some just experienced an overall rise in libido, some of them even found themselves with newfound strength...which was needed to help them keep balance with larger 'assets' gifted by the island fruits too. Thankfully, it was found that properly cooking and preparing the fruits and vegetables of the island drastically reduced their effects on a person's body, those with the most drastic changes were those who ate of the fruits raw and over longer periods of time. Some still insist that this is the ideal course of action, given that one of the side effects make a hunter more...'capable' of handling what the monsters are swinging around, which at least can help avoid rather long-lasting soreness in the case of a lost fight.

Hunter Armaments

At present, hunters of MFI wear very little clothing, and any armor is similarly light, with several quick-release options for almost every component. While it's usually not advised for armor to have the chance to fall off in battle, armor that's been sufficiently 'tainted' by a monster during a fight becomes more of a downside than a benefit. Given that hunters don't risk death during a hunt on the island, having that protection provides less benefit than it might normally anyways.

As for weapons, each have been altered to better suit the monsters of the island, and better combat their 'unique' fighting style. Bowguns and lances are designed not to pierce and maim, but to inject various concoctions to disable monsters as they might one another. Hammers are further blunted, not designed to break bones or skulls, but to dizzy the monster during a fight, assailing them with blow after blow like a boxer until the monster collapses. This trend follows for each and every weapon and has been done to ensure that no monster on the island is ever killed during a hunt.

Hunting Goals

One might wonder, if a monster is never slain, what reason is there to fight them outside of capturing for research? What gains are there outside of the thrill of the hunt? As it turns out, monsters -can- still be harvested after a fight, only with restrictions. Laws set in place for the island state that hunters may only take from the monster what they could naturally re-grow. Some horns, loose scales, in rare cases a detachable tail, along with other items unique to monsters of MFI. What hunters are -mainly- interested in however are both monster eggs and, well...'monster fluid'. Defeated females only need a little 'encouragement' to lay a fresh clutch of eggs that they're sure to have at least some off, and these eggs provide a great bounty of nourishment while being far more flavorful than any eggs found on other islands. As for 'monster fluid' from the males, it's a component used as a natural binder for almost all of the chemical weapons the hunters use during their fights. It needs to be gathered fresh to provide the best results, so a lazy hunter couldn't simply sneak up on a downed monster after the 'winner' of the fight leaves to collect. Stronger monsters make for better reagents, but even low quality fluid can be seasoned and used as the base for a hearty, creamy soup. To this day there are still avid debates on whether this constitutes 'proper food' or not, some sides arguing that it's no worse than eating monster eggs, others standing by with a firm 'Stop trying to give me a bowl of monster cum claiming its a stew'. Both sides have at least agreed to simply tell the rare new traveler that it's an 'acquired taste'.

With the basics of MFI monster biology and Antikko village covered, it's time to take a look at some of the various biomes present on the island. Thanks to how varied the climate is depending on the island's location, not only does MFI go through a vast array of seasons, but the landscapes themselves may vary from both the island's location and the planet's weather at the time. Generally speaking, climate is more stable around the ocean side, getting wild and unpredictable the further in and up a person goes. Not all locations have been found yet, with more to be added as they're discovered.

Sandhelm

The biome that Antikko village is located in, this is the only beach side on MFI that has any sand (anywhere else and new sand just falls deep into the ocean). The seaside inlet is shaped like a large crescent moon made of rock and foliage, with only a small outlet to the sea present where small ships can enter or leave. The waters here are very calm and still as a result, with the sand further up the shore likely created by the actions of monsters rather than simple tidal forces. It's a quiet spot with few monsters located there now, and thus makes for a perfect home for the residents of Antikko to rest easy.

Gaio

This biome is where most of the island's fruits, meaty or otherwise, tend to grow in greatest abundance. Despite it being a key location for all monsters to desire, it remains unclaimed by any one monster or hunter. There is an ever-present musky 'fog' covering the entire region, making it difficult to see and impossible for any one monster to make their own 'marking' stand out over others. Even if a monster tried to set up home here, they'd never be able to sleep given how many monsters frequent the region, most more than willing to take advantage of a sleeping monster. A resting beast could wake up to find three on top of them with circumstances like this. As such, while monsters travel here frequently to either gather food or shake off predators, they don't stay for long, taking what they want before leaving to where their territory actually lies. Despite how many monsters come here, it's actually fairly safe for hunters to gather vegetation. The fog masks their scent well (and if hunters have learned on thing on this island, it's that monsters -love- the smell of hunters), while also make it hard for them to be seen. As long as one keeps their head low as they collect what they need, the chances of being attacked are low.

Twinspire

One of the more easily seen locations, twinspire is where two breeds of monster are constantly at ends with one another; those of fire, and those of frost. MFI resides atop the side of two titanic monsters, and as such a keen eye will realize that each of the two spires are located near the peaks of the mountains on each titan's side. The first spire, lower of the two, is an endlessly active volcano fueled by the largest monsters who've made their home within it. The lava made as a result likely helps to trick The Lovers into believing they're still deep under the ocean. The molten rock they create eventually ends up reaching all parts of the island one way or another, and even helps replace any rocks lost due to the constant erosion from the ocean water all around. The minerals created from this volcanic activity help to seed the island further, allowing wild and varied plant life to thrive. In this spire, beasts with fiery hearts live, those using flame and natural furnace to carve out their home. While they've adapted the same sex-focused nature of other monsters, the visible changes to their body are minimal given how heat helps to neutralize the effects of the island's fruits.

Conversely, the higher peak located on the other mountain is a tall, snowy place, with the ice-hearted monsters in it naturally freezing everything around them and adding new layers of ice and snow to the mountain peak. Periodically chunks of ice or avalanches will fall from the mountain, or brief winter flurries that migrate to other biomes before falling as a cool rain. Due to this, the ice spire is the source of all the pools and small lakes of fresh drinking water found on the island, while the rains allow plant life on the island to truly grow, and to great heights. Due to the cold nature of this location, monsters here often have very thick layers of fur, or are thick with soft, squishy fat under their scales.

Despite how monsters from both spires are engaged in endless, fierce conflict, the benefits both sides bring to the island ensures the hunters will be keeping an eye on each side, making sure that neither one gains too much territory, if the stability of this island paradise is going to be maintained.

Purgaros

The biome located directly between the twin spires is one of the most dangerous locations yet found on the island. Roaring winds scar and warp the landscape, with hunters likely to be freezing cold one moment, only for the winds to rapidly shift and be blazingly hot the next as the climates of both spires compete as fiercely as the monsters themselves. So constant and powerful at these winds that the magma and ice flowing from either peak are caught up in incredible, otherworldly land features. Tall spires of rocks that grew in a spiral shape from the rushing, ceaseless winds, plateaus of ice that look like a wave frozen in time as the cold winds push one way while the molten air melts it another. There are even entire sections of the region kept perpetually floating in the air as if defying gravity, thanks to endless, never-ceasing tornadoes spiraling underneath them. Many parts of the landscape shift as well, as monsters from either side make this their battleground, trying to gain dominance. It's an incredible, awe-inspiring place to visit so long as one is capable of handling the temperature, winds, and occasional spatter of 'monster fluid' liable to hit them from some pair engaged in combat a mile off.

Faloren

Located east of Gaio, these woods are far more typical of the kind of woodlands one might see on another island. Tall trees, rivers and lakes, rocky outcroppings, all the sort. While lush with vegetation, the hills in this location are as wild and varied as any other, as one would expect from a forest growing atop a monster's back. Many monsters and monster packs make their home here, with all sorts of regions claimed as their territory. The scent of such markings are strong enough that most hunters are even able to tell when they've left one monster's land and entered another ones. This is where most hunters starting out are likely to explore, the monsters are sparse enough that one can safely hunt without expecting interruptions from another. All the same, even this region would seem overwhelming to a hunter that doesn't know of MFI's ways, as the initial colonists learned first-hand.

Lover's Descent

Closer to the middle of the island and deep through several caves, one will eventually come across a vast, open cavern. Away from the sun, the only light this deep comes from bio luminescent moss growing along the walls and ceiling. In the middle of this cavern is a vast, massive lake...a lake composed entirely of 'monster fluid'. In their endless coupling, the two monsters making up MFI experience an endless overflow, as the male of the two pours forth a ceaseless river of seed into the other. The mating process may take an indeterminate amount of time, but that doesn't mean the female, vast though she is, has room for all of this seed. As a result, the excess flows free, some going into the ocean below, the rest pooling up and in between them. Some researchers have expressed curiosity about the biology of the two titanic monsters, though none have quite dared to think of what kind of ocean vessel would be needed to dive into the lake. This is made all the more difficult as, while very few monsters can handle such a potent scent (never mind hunters), those that have adapted to it are incredibly fierce. There are reports of massive serpentine monsters actually living -inside- of the lake, of all places. One would think a lake made of this kind of 'substance' would naturally dry up over time, but the depths of the cave are so utterly humid with moisture and musk that it remains ever damp. Researchers who observe the lake (wearing very tightly bound filtering masks to breathe) have noticed that occasionally a large geyser or two of fresh seed will shoot from somewhere below the depths, making the lake rise. This is the 'tide' of the lake, to put it one way, the lake rising up several feet, only to slowly drain back down to the 'usual' depth. It's hypothesized that these bursts, happening once a week or so, are a 'pulse' from the male Lover, though it's unclear if this is an entirely new climax, or just one pulse from an ongoing orgasm spanning decades.

The risen lake, of course, needs to drain one way or another, and that brings us to out next stop...

Nethermire

Following the draining river, one eventually finds themselves within the Nethermire. This entire biome is a sloppy, moisture-rich and murky environment. One could almost imagine it as an underground swamp...almost. The air here is thick, with musk so potent that it effects even the hunters who dare to traverse it. Mushrooms and moss grow all around, feeding themselves off of the rich nutrients of the seed flowing into the area. No hunter is particularly surprised at seeing the shape some of the mushrooms in this biome grow to resemble.

It's not just the titan's seed that fills this place, either. All monsters across the island have grown to be particularly more 'potent' in terms of quantity, most to absurd degrees. As a result, excess 'monster fluid' often ends up seeping through the somewhat porous ground along the island, filtering its way down to the Nethermire. It's almost like a crockpot filled by every possible monster one could envision.

While the unique mixtures lead to the growth of very rare and valuable underground fauna, few hunters are willing to face off against the monsters who make this filthy place their home. The fighting techniques they use are the filthiest found by far, and hunters who lose down here are unlikely to ever fully remove the scent from their body, provided they're even able to escape at all. Monsters down here don't get many 'visitors', and will greedily hold tight to any they can claim to satiate the endless burning lust caused by living in such a degenerate place. While Felynes -can- wear masks to avoid going into a frenzy and thus aide hunters in fights on some parts of the island, there are some places even the bravest of them refuse to go. Nethermine is one such place.

Coralis

Given that the island is constantly in motion, it's expected that anything floating in the sea would 'collect' along the forward end of the island. This is what makes up the bulk of Coralis. Abandoned ships, seafoam, monster bones, whatever might be in the islands way can easily be scooped up. As with all things, life found a way to spring forth in this region, thousands of species of coral and sea creatures living on whatever gets brought in. Such a massive graveyard of sorts would otherwise be unsettling to sea, but thanks to the vibrant and beautifully coloured coral lifeforms that grows on almost every inch, this biome is actually rather beautiful to behold. The ribs of boat and monster alike forming grand arches extended in every direction. Hunters say you haven't truly seen MFI until you've witnessed the sunrise here (or sunset, depending on which direction MFI is drifting at the time). Many ocean-dwelling or scavenger monsters call this location their home, though given their varied diets they tend to have a calmer temperament, less likely to aggressively try and 'claim' those in their territory. That's not to say that monsters here are weak by any means, a wise hunter knows that 'calm' and 'weak' are not the same thing.

Final Words

This guidebook should be considered as only a basic guide to the island and its ways. There is yet more to learn, and even this basic guide is sure to grow as more locations are found, and more details about the island are uncovered. However, specific details of individual monsters found on MFI or unique aspects of island life will not be kept here. Rather, the information on these monsters and island features will be cataloged separately...along with a story for each, to let readers truly immerse themselves in the unique land that is Mount Fellegarro Island.