Isolated in the far North, the town of Io graces an island on the edge of the world's tropical zone. While fishermen and traders do make journeys to the mainland for food and supplies, they maintain a low profile and the town has existed for centuries relatively unnoticed by society at large. No one quite knows who founded the town or when, not that it matters much to anyone living there.

The small population of Io consists of all the world's races (excluding dragons). Proteans and Antareans make up the largest fraction, and they do so quite harmoniously--most of them have forgotten the war that brought their ancestors to Io in search of refuge and peace. Many Drythians and ecologically-minded humans have also joined the community, finding it preferable to the rapid industrialization of the Titan Continent. While not so wanting for peace and quiet, a minority of Gygans have found that the town offers a shelter from the prejudice and prejudgment that has plagued their race in other places.

The town itself is technologically very outdated, but a highly eumonetic population keeps the quality of life high and social strife to a minimum. During a drought, for instance, it would not be out of the ordinary to see a river running back on itself (forced by eumonetic energy) to keep local mills running. Io's economy is, for the most part, self-sufficient, if small and somewhat old-fashioned.