Hot Spring

From The Yuriban Encyclopedia

The main Yuriban hot spring is located near the center of the island, within a clearing centered in a small grove of trees that lie between White Lily Road and the Yuriba River. Like many volcanically formed islands, Yuriba has several of these hot springs, formed by geothermic activity that heats the water constantly to high temperatures and imparts a slight sulfuric odor to the surrounding air.

Although the island as a whole doesn't have as strong a nudity taboo as many societies, the hot springs tend to be a gathering place for folks interested in a bit of recreational nudity, or even recreational sex, although the latter is usually kept a quiet. This is not only becuase of the nature of the springs as a comfortable bathing spot, but also because heat bleed off from the water helps keep the surrounding air at a little more tolerable of a temperature in winter.

In addition to the so called 'Large Spring' itself, the clearing contains what has been dubbed the 'Yuri Tree' by local residents - a particularily large Dogwood tree with thick branches which invites people to climb up into them, relax, and enjoy the view. Where the spring itself will sometimes get noisy with folks either playing in the water or chatting, the tree seems to attract more quiet conversations.

In the past the hot spring tended to be the site of many games of Truth or Dare, but that seems to have passed on as a fad.