The Fall of the Saudeleurs

<p>The Legends of Lainjin series concludes in the pre-contact city of Nahn Madol. The aging hero Lainjin sails there from his home on Lae Atoll pursuing his daughter and Ijokelekel a young man with bold plans to lead a revolt in Pohnpei. When Lainjin arrives he discovers that the city now ruled by a tyrannical leader has changed.</p><p>Although multiple oral versions of Ijokelekel's story exist all conclude that he ended the reign of the Saudeleurs the hereditary rulers of Pohnpei.</p><p>Pohnpeians settled this area around 2000 years ago and Nahn Madol -the ancient Venice of the Pacific- was built between AD 800 and 1500. For centuries Saudeleurs ruled over the city once a thriving crossroads with 129 structures built with gigantic basaltic crystals cleaved from the cliffs of Pohnpei island. The islanders transported these multi-ton crystals by raft to a reef flat off the island's east coast where the canals between these mammoth structures could flood with the tides. This ancient city now a National Historic Landmark still exists and can be visited.</p>