Some say that La Roija is a new town with old values, which might be true depending on how you measure old.  Its true that the urban areas on the isles of fire were not harmed by the 'Great Cataclysm', but then there WERE no urban areas to hurt.  There being people on the archipelago is a fairly recent change for this islands themselves. But the towns are still ancient by mortal standards.  The Archipelago was first settled soon after The Fall by exiles seeking a 'new start' and attempting to get away from the madness and aggression of a post apocalyptic restructure during the Wars of Power.    From these beginnings a new world was built with hope in its heart.  Although the first few settlements failed and growth to the natural resources have been filled with conflict that hope that has not left and resides in the islanders of today.

In truth, there ARE ruins on the Island chain.  But they are from the islanders themselves. As every attempt over a millennia has a hundred or a bit more years of building before a high storm surge slams against the island to the great destruction of all whom live there.  The first place the islanders landed where the capital city of Temuco; is vaguely protected by the arrangement of other islands around it.  But Temuco is also the least capable of sustaining the advancing culture as a nation.  So after every high storm surge the islanders again go forward to rebuild and each time their techniques and technology are more a more in tune with the peculiarities of this unnatural world.  A thousand years of attempted growth against the terrain, against the weather, against the rifts in individual island politics, against magical strangeness which is thought by many to be the residual effects of the World Warp.

It is perhaps surprising many that there is STILL a strong desire to STAY on the island chain.  Why not return to the mainland which most people believe has settled down from the bad days.  And the answer given is THIS is their HOME. And *whomever* wont be the generation to quit - to relinquish their ancestors promise for an uncertain future under someone else's thumb.

Besides... look around you and realize what an Island Paradise this could be for the generations come after us. [ OOC: The archipelago of which Isla de Fuego is a part, is as lush as Hawaii with all of the varying terrains - but is actually about the size of the Philippines.]