Drai Shon Archipelago

Overview

Think strange mountain in the middle of a deep ocean, think Caribbean Islands, Streets Paved with Gold, aggressive local tribes, and ‘civilised’ opposition who also want to settle / control the Archipelago. In this case, an Oriental, xenophobic, society and the lackadaisical (long-term) enemies from Sakhar, vie for control with settlers from The Hann Empire. And the party can play it however they like - and the GM lets them. Is there a missionary, who wants to convert the natives? An explorer who wants to climb the biggest known volcano in the world? A peacemaker, who thinks we should all live together peacefully? Or just the normal get-rich-quick and spend-it-all adventurers?

Think mayhem, think pirates, think land raids, think colonisation, think fame and fortune – think rip roaring ADVENTURE!

Description

This large island, with a massive central mountain, is surrounded by rings of smaller islands, far from settled lands, the islands have been known about for many years, but the distance and resistance from local tribes, made exploration difficult and expensive. However, sages have been studying the islands from afar, and have developed a number of theories, which have sparked the interest of people from all around the world. Whatever the truth, it has attracted interest from three different continents, and the locals are resisting stubbornly.

DM Background

The Newcomers

The Hann Empire has sent a colonization force, and a fleet of freebooting buccaneers, and built a town called Crabclaw.
Sakar has sent a colonization force, and a fleet of freebooting buccaneers, and built a town called Zubana.
Sinon has sent a colonization force, and a fleet of freebooting buccaneers, and built a town called Shangkong

The Pirates. Renegades from all over the area, disowned by their parent colony, tribe or people, have come together to form a sea borne thieves guild. They regularly move their bases, from hidden cove to hidden cove. They call it Free Town, although it is not much more than a collection of huts full of booze, willing women (and boys) and a gambling den. It is said that the Pirates settle their disputes in a fight pit using daggers, but it is also said that they eat babies. And perhaps some of them do.

The Locals

The Natives
- Central Dominions - Hobgoblin military dictatorship led by a Junta. They use Flottahs, a type of light Galley, to raid and patrol their waters.
- The Inner Islands - Very disorganized, no central organization BUT dominated by tribes of Fjord Orc raiders
- The Outer Islands - have no dominant races, although you will find Orcs and goblins as well as grunts and other races. The outer islands are much smaller than the inner Islands, and this is where you will find most of the colonial settlements and Paria.
- Paria - An 'Open Port' at the mouth of river, below a Dwarf minehold on one of the outer islands. It is multi-racial and in the middle of all this mess. Politics are a disjointed, but somehow it all hangs together. As an open port, ships from all nations are free to enter the port and trade - and Paria is the middle man for trade and the ransom/exchange of prisoners. Ships that don't follow the rules are banned from the port and may be attacked on sight. It is, potentially, the base for a mixed race adventuring group. For alignment think TN - but only because that is where CN and LN meet and where LE can live with CG -(there are probably slight LE overtones but …)

The Accords

The three great empires have sent forces to settle, and their Buccaneers sail under a Letter of Marque, issued by the leaders of their colonies. While the powers are in competition with each other, they all consider themselves to be civilized, and have agreed a basic working protocol, that protects their town and trade between them. All three incorporate the Articles of Trade and Prisoner Exchange within their Letters of Marque, and require their Freebooters to work with in those limits. Paria has also signed up to the accords and, technically, becomes the fourth official civilisation in the Archipelago. While the Hobgoblins have not signed up, they follow them a lot of the time.

The Exchange Protocol - With pirating, raiding and other similar activities, it finished up that quite a lot of wealthy people / Leaders were killed, taken prisoner or kidnapped - which meant there was an impetus to agree some 'rules of exchange'. Weapons, Armour, Magic items are seen as legitimate loot - but otherwise, Captains, Officers, Passengers (and anyone else who can convince their captors that someone will pay up) are allowed to keep their mundane possessions, but are sent for ransom / exchange via the monastic house at Paria. All the Human nations follow those rules, as do the people of Paria, most of the time. Some Orcs and Hob-Goblins follow the rules - occasionally, and when it suits them.

The Trade Protocol - Everyone recognises the need for trade, and the Yellow Flag Protocol was introduced. Any single vessel, flying a Yellow Flag , with all its siege engines dismantled or securely covered, may approach a port and send a boat ashore to present their credentials and conduct negotiations. They may be allowed to dock, or to ferry their trade goods into harbour using their ship's boats. However, trade is not guaranteed and may be refused, and the vessel required to leave. However, they will be allowed to leave safely. Paria, being a completely open port, will trade with anyone, even renegade pirates, who do not have a home port of their own.