This is the Q&A Thread for "Tales from the Smuggler's Moon" - a moderated freeform game set in/based on "The World of Freeport" setting by Green Ronin Publishing.

Current cast and crew:

• Jericho Hawkes - Captain of the Smuggler's Moon (played by Eol Fefalas) *
  
  
• Davian Passat - currently a somewhat reluctant and untrusting passenger aboard the Moon, recently 'rescued' from a Mazini slaver's ship. Definitely more than what she seems at a glance... (played by Merideth) *
  
  
• Saercyn Willow - half-elven bard/shanty-singer. Long time friend and confidant of Cap'n Hawkes. (played by Celeste) *
  
  
• Khashnagob "Khash" Hawkes - A half-orc, First Mate of the Smuggler's Moon, Jericho's half-brother. (played by Tuned_Out) *
  
  
• Vleryn "Rope Runner" - a cocky, knife wielding lad, more than adept at fighting in the rigging. (NPC - formerly played by Steelight)*
  
  
• Askurt Maaast - The Smuggler's Moon's Dwarven Master Gunner. (played by Chessicfayth)*
  
  
• Marlow Stone - a fairly new addition to the crew. A healer who's really good with his fists, to boot. (played by Dragonblood)*
  
  
• Lyriandel "Lyri" Evermoon - a young, somewhat unprepared half-elf in search of adventure. (played by Lady Dark)
  
  
• Jean Gusto - an Azhari swab recruited in Freeport. (played by The_Haruspex)
  
  
• Kismet - a roguish gypsy ribbon-dancer and stowaway aboard Smuggler's Moon. (NPC - formerly played by Skye)
  
  
• Asim - a young Kismiri swab of about 16. Been aboard the Moon for just under a year. "Rescued" from a life as an abused cabin boy on a Kismiri ship in the Sultan's Navy. (Played by RP Noob)
  

I wanna be a pirate too!
((Characters with an asterisk (*) by their names are already aboard the ship as of the prologue entries... Those without an asterisk are assumed to be in Freeport during the preceeding events and will be RP'd onto the crew (or sneaked aboard, as the case may be) after the Smuggler's Moon has docked... Once I have the rest of those concepts I'm waiting for, more names will appear above... stay tuned. ))

In the beginning… To understand the unique nature of the World of Freeport, it is necessary to go back to the very beginning, to the time before time. In pre-history the universe was nothing but a cosmic soup of possibility. Moving through this miasma were strange beings without form or name. No one knows their origins or how they achieved sentience, but somehow it was they who unconsciously guided creation. Amongst these Primal Gods was the great serpent later known as Yig. This being used his will and his essence to create an island in the soup and claim it for its own. Others of the Primal Gods did the same and in this way the universe was formed.

For the first time Yig took physical form. He imposed his will on his island, naming it Valossa and creating mountains, rivers, hills, and plains, as well as creatures to populate them. Still, Yig was not satisfied. He then created the serpent people, gave them intelligence, and taught them the secrets of sorcery. They thanked Yig with worship and undying loyalty. Yig experienced unbridled adulation and found it to his liking. It didn’t take long for him to begin wanting more than Valossa could provide.

Soon Yig sent coils of cosmic power out into creation and pulled new realities around his island. Those Primal Gods that could resist the powerful Yig did so; the others were consumed or imprisoned and their lands amalgamated. The serpent people conquered these realities one by one, adding them to their god’s domain. This went on for time uncounted, yet no amount of conquest could satisfy Yig. Always he lusted for more: more power, more lands, more servants.

So the Lands of Yig grew and always the serpent people were Yig’s champions. The Valossan Empire stretched across many lands, and new wars were planned for those beyond. It was at this time a new cult appeared amongst the serpent people—the Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign. The rulers of the serpent people paid the cult little mind. It was insignificant, they thought, and beneath the notice of the chosen of Yig. They had faced the powers of many gods in their conquests, and did not fear this upstart cult.

The Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign was different from the other foes the serpent people had faced. For one thing, it was an enemy within, a secret cult that could not be defeated in open battle. Also, the cult drew its power from the worship of another Primal God, a being known as the Unspeakable One. This dread entity had been trapped in a cosmic prison in the early days of the universe, but the Brotherhood managed to summon him with a display of incredible magical power. The Unspeakable One manifested in the midst of Valossa, the center of Yig’s domain and power. Madness and destruction overtook the Valossan Empire. Most of Yig’s island fell into the sea, entombing the god’s physical form and sending him into a torpor that has lasted for two millennia. The majority of the surviving serpent people were driven insane before the sorcerous energies waned and the Unspeakable One was pulled back into his prison. The Lands of Yig were shattered, their origin and their creator forgotten.

The World of Freeport Today’s World of Freeport is built on the ruins of the Lands of Yig. The Serpent’s Teeth are all that remains of the island of Valossa. The city of Freeport is located almost precisely at the center of Yig’s former domain and, unknown to the surface world, the god himself slumbers deep beneath the ocean. Although Yig has not stirred since the manifestation of the Unspeakable One, his dream-sendings still affect the mortal world. Freeport in particular is influenced by Yig’s dreams. They stoke the lusts of the mortal races, making them desire power, money, and even blood. It is perhaps no surprise that a city of pirates sprang up at the heart of Yig’s empire.

The world’s origin gives it an unusual character. It is not a traditional globe rotating in the depths of space; it a pastiche of lands pulled in around Valossa by coils of cosmic power. It is therefore easiest to understand the world as a central point, the Serpent’s Teeth, surrounded by a seemingly endless ocean dotted with lands great and small. The further away from the Serpent’s Teeth one sails, the more difficult it is to navigate. The lands closest to the center—most notably the Continent—are the core of the World of Freeport and are thus easily accessible. Getting to more distant lands is treacherous and ships always run the danger of sailing into the mists and getting forever lost. Sailors tell endless stories of the perilous seas, ships that reappear after decades in the queer fog, and lands inhabited by strange creatures and ferocious monsters unlike anything on the Continent. There is only one reason there is contact and trade between distant parts of the World of Freeport: the mystic navigators. These cryptic adepts have come to understand something of the nature of the former Lands of Yig, and they have mastered the technique of navigating between them. Ships without mystic navigators may be able to get to where they are going using charts alone, but the likelihood of this becomes smaller and smaller the farther away from the Serpent’s Teeth they travel.

Since the World of Freeport is an amalgamation of pre-existing lands, time is hard to reconcile. Lands like the Continent were conquered so long ago and so completely that there is little memory of the time before. Others, though, had thousands of years of recorded history before the serpent people showed up. The most distant lands were pulled into the Lands of Yig, but were spared from the serpent people’s legions by the fall of Valossa. A good example of this is Hamunaptra, a land far from Freeport that never so much as saw a serpent person, and whose original culture is thus entirely intact

Out of this World Although the World of Freeport is vast and many of its lands remain unknown, the former Lands of Yig are but one part of the larger universe. These lands represent only those pulled in around Valossa. Beyond there are other worlds and planes of existence. Some are cold tombs that have known no life for millennia, others host or imprison alien Primal Gods like the Unspeakable One, and yet others are dominated by creatures unknown in the World of Freeport. Scholars have many theories about these legendary worlds, but little is truly known of them. It is said some powerful wizards and priests can travel beyond the World of Freeport. If true, it seems few of them come back.

What is known of these other worlds is often conflated with myth and mysticism. Most religions in the World of Freeport have some concept of Hell, for example. And beyond the former Lands of Yig there is a fiery plane home to a race of diabolic creatures that live to inflict pain and suffering. To religious people this must be Hell, and its agents demons or devils. Scholars are less sure. Perhaps the King of Hell is another Primal God like Yig, or maybe he’s something else entirely. By and large, though, these debates are left to the academics. For the common people of the World of Freeport, Hell is Hell and if you see a devil, run. That’s all you need to know.

The Continent: Genesis When the serpent people first invaded the Continent, it was a land of giants. Since they outsized their opponents to such a degree, the giants thought they had nothing to fear from the puny snakes. They were quite wrong. The sorcery of the serpent people was potent and the giants lost battle after battle. Most of the survivors were eventually driven to the northern mountains and hemmed in by powerful warding spells. The serpent people kept this region wild and used it as a testing ground of sorts. Powerful serpent people warriors and wizards entered the mountains to prove themselves in combat against the giants. The magic of the serpent people kept the giants from leaving the warded area, so it became a virtual prison for the former lords of the land. Over many millennia, the serpent people brought slaves of various races to the Continent to serve them. It is said that some, like the lizardfolk, were even bred by them, but the truth of such statements is unknown. What is certain, however, is that by the time of Valossa’s fall, large numbers of humans, elves, dwarves, gnomes, and halflings were on the Continent. So too were savage humanoids like orcs, goblins, kobolds, bugbears, and hobgoblins. The serpent people’s methods of control were so efficient that it took only a small number of them to maintain Valossa’s yoke over the peoples of the Continent. Everything changed when the Unspeakable One manifested in the heart of the serpent people’s empire and sent Valossa to the bottom of the sea.

The Continent: Anarchy The years after the summoning of the Unspeakable One were dark ones for the Continent. It began with the sinking of Valossa, a disaster of epic proportions that caused tidal waves and massive flooding in which countless thousands perished. Some land masses drew closer together, others spread apart. The forces unleashed were so powerful that they created a mystical vortex that played havoc on the World of Freeport. Some distant lands were pulled into the world during this cataclysmic event. Some races never before seen by the serpent people appeared in the former Lands of Yig, while other entire civilizations were wiped out instantly. The Valossan Empire crumbled overnight and there was nothing to fill the void. The former slave races found themselves suddenly without masters. It didn’t take long for factions to form and blood to flow. The next 750 years saw little but conflict and devastation. Warlords and petty kingdoms rose and fell, grand alliances were made and broken, and borders were established and then smashed. Records for this era are patchy at best and it is for good reason that it is known as the Anarchy.

The Continent: Empire of Ashes It was at this time that the necromancer Rajko the Ghūl arrived on the stage of history. His origins are mysterious. Nothing is known of him before the day he appeared in the court of Duke Hamur. The name and location of Hamur’s dukedom are lost to history, but what is remembered is Rajko’s offer. He said he could give the duke powerful armies unlike anything seen before. Hamur, ambitious and anxious to one-up his rivals, agreed. That night a great spell flowed out from the palace and the dead walked. The buried clawed their way up out of the graveyards, the drowned rose from the lakes, and silently they stumbled back to their homes to embrace their families and take them into the land of death. When the dawn came, the Duke had his armies—legions of undead created from the slaughter of his own people. Furious at the betrayal, the Duke attacked Rajko himself—to no avail. Before that day ended, the Duke joined his own armies as another mindless soldier. With his new legions, Rajko the Ghūl struck out at neighboring lands. As soldiers went, his undead were poor ones: uncreative, inflexible, and slow. But they did not flee from battle and for every man they killed a new creature joined their ranks. The conquered lands were harvested for more bodies to mindlessly serve. The undead armies had no concerns for casualties, food, disease, or comforts. Rajko the Ghūl had other powers, too, powers that made the wise wonder if he was the avatar of some dark god. In the wake of his armies came a blackness that clung to the land and swallowed the sun. The cold eyes of the stars looked down day and night. Plants weakened and grew pallid, light strangled into ghastly forms. The most sinister night creatures stalked the land, freed from the fear of sunlight. Cults of murder and death found comfort in the gloom. Rajko welcomed these creatures and cultists as agents he could use to carry out tasks his undead minions could not. His land grew to swallow the northern lands of the Continent and became known as the Empire of Ashes. But conquest was only a means, not the necromancer’s goal. He conquered merely for unlimited access to raw materials and freedom to pursue his ultimate goal, not earthly power. Rajko the Ghūl was creating an artifact, a ziggurat of flesh, blood, and bone that would focus magic of world-spanning power. Its exact purpose unknown but deeply feared, it slowly rose at the center of his black empire, damp and rotting, constructed by those he conquered and built with the raw materials of their own kin. For 150 years, the ziggurat grew until its horrid form cast a shadow as long as a mountain. Before Rajko the Ghūl’s purpose could be realized, however, the great elven hero Thodomer Windgrass slew him. His body was cut into pieces, which were cast into the flames. Then his scorched bones were ground to dust and scattered in the deep oceans. All pieces of his handiwork—his incomplete ziggurat, his laboratories, his experiments, his spellbooks, his notes, and his legions—were destroyed.

The Continent: Wars of the Necro-Kings With the fall of this necromantic monster came a time of troubles and naked ambition, as the surrounding lands rushed in to seize the spoils. A number of pretenders, known collectively as the Necro-Kings, attempted to claim the mantle of the mighty Ghūl. Some said they were his apprentice (he trained none), some his heir (he sired none). At least one, the moderately successful Molocai I, claimed he was the undead general of Rajko the Ghūl’s armies, a pretense he maintained for several years before he was unmasked. But the Necro-Kings were weak and petty, mere mortals compared to the Ghūl’s unholy might. None knew the secrets to raise the Rajko’s vast legions. Furthermore, the lands they fought over were dead, barren wastelands. Although the darkness had receded with the necromancer’s death, what was left was a blighted landscape. Crops did not grow, trees were twisted in death agonies, livestock—where it could be found—was barren or gave birth to monstrosities. It was a time of constant warfare as the Necro-Kings fought each other for supremacy. The barren land was ravaged further as elves, dwarves, and uncorrupted humans united under the name the Starfall Alliance, and marched to wipe these scourges from the land. One by one, the Necro-Kings fell, victim to their own experiments, treachery from their fellow Necro-Kings, or the vengeance of the Starfall Alliance, until the land was at last cleansed of the undead yoke.

The Continental Nations At this point, the nations of the Continent as they are known today began to take shape. Following are write-ups of the various nations and regions, and through them the history of the Continent from the fall of the Necro-Kings to today is explained.

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• The Bone Lands Formal Name: None
  Symbol: Crossbones (informal)
  Ruler: None
  Important Landmarks: Vinro’s Necropolis, Crimson Falls, Giant’s Reach
  Allies: None
  Enemies: Druzhdin, Hexworth, Rolland, Vorizar
  

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  The Bone Lands is a catchall term for the northern part of the Continent, most of which was dominated by the Empire of Ashes. Today the area is overrun with nomadic tribes of savage humanoids and other strange and monstrous creatures. Raiding into Hexworth, Vorizar, and Rolland is constant, though larger incursions have always been beaten back. The hobgoblin tribes are the best organized and most powerful and they may yet strike south in numbers not seen in centuries.
  
  History The Bone Lands were originally given the name because the fall of the Empire of Ashes and the destruction of the Necro-Kings had littered the region with smashed skeletons of all races. It is equally appropriate to think of this part of the Continent as the boneyard of past empires. There are ruins scattered across the landscape that date back to the time when giants dominated the Continent, not to mention those of Valossa, the Empire of Ashes, and the lands of the Necro Kings. This naturally makes the whole area a magnet to adventurers and treasure hunters. Many brave the ruins, but few return. This merely throws some fresh bones on top of the pile.
  
  Since the time of Rajko the Ghūl, this region has been barren. This is why the victors of the Starfall Alliance never extended their borders further north. Instead, these wastelands became the home of tribes of orcs, goblins, hobgoblins, and monstrous humanoids that embodied the forms of man and beasts. Some human tribes roamed the Bone Lands as well. All of these groups lived nomadically by necessity, going to where food could be found. Raiding became a way of life, as did eating the dead. In a land where little grows, food was whatever could be choked down, even if it was goblin meat.
  
  The mountains at the northern border of the Continent have remained remote. Sheer cliffs drop into the sea, so ships cannot dock there. And it is just as well, as these mountains are the last refuge of the giants that used to rule this land. They were hemmed in by magical wards millennia ago, and they are trapped here still. They live a primitive existence, fighting with other strange monsters of the mountains and telling tales of their bygone glories.
  

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• Druzhdin Formal Name: None
  Symbol: A grinning skull
  Ruler: The Dark Apostle
  Important Cities: Obelek (capitol)
  Important Landmarks: Cairn’s of the Troll Kings, Wyrm’s Bones
  Allies: None
  Enemies: Everyone
  

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  Druzhdin isn’t so much a land as a people. They were nomads for nearly a millennium but 200 years ago, they began a migration that ended with the conquest of Wyrm’s End, an island off the north coast of the Continent. Now the Druzhdin are skilled sailors and dreaded raiders. Their society worships the God of Death above all, and many Druzhdin mortify the flesh on their faces as a sign of this dedication. They believe killing appeases the God of Death and forestalls his coming for the killers. Due to this doctrine and their deadly raids, the Druzhdin have few friends on the Continent.
  
  History: The ancestors of the Druzhdin were human mercenaries in the service of the Necro-Kings. They fled north, scattered and disorganized, ahead of the victorious Starfall Alliance. Those who survived coalesced into three tribes. They became nomads in the Bone Lands, always wandering and always fighting against the savage humanoids of the region. This continued for countless generations. Century after century slipped by and though leaders rose and fell, the Druzhdin lived as their forefathers had.
  
  Then one day everything changed. A man appeared among the Druzhdin as if from nowhere. He was tall and dark, and his words enthralled the barbarian tribes. He was the Dark Apostle, and he had been sent to lead the Druzhdin out of the Bone Lands to a land oftheir own. Once before they had served the God of Death, he said, and if they would do so again, they would be rewarded. Death is the herald of change, after all, and they would need the god’s help to escape from the Bone Lands.
  
  The three tribes of the Druzhdin often squabbled among themselves, but no one raised a voice against the Dark Apostle. They packed up their camps and followed their new leader east. The journey took years, as the Druzhdin fought their way past tribes of orcs, goblins, monstrous men, and hobgoblins. At last, they reached the ocean’s shore and they despaired when the Dark Apostle told them that their land was across the sea. What did the Druzhdin know of the sea? The Dark Apostle smiled and said that he could teach them the crafts of the sea, and so he did.
  
  A year later the Druzhdin had a fleet. It did not need to sail far, just across the straight to the island of Wyrm’s End. The Dark Apostle had promised Druzhdin the island, but they would have to fight for it. Although named for an enormous and ancient set of dragon bones, Wyrm’s End was in fact overrun with trolls. Aided by the Dark Apostle’s magic, the Druzhdin fought a pitiless war against the trolls and seized the island yard by bloody yard, each corpse a prayer to the God of Death.
  
  After conquering Wyrm’s End, the Druzhdin developed into a true seafaring nation. In many ways, they simply adapted their nomadic lifestyle to sea. Their ships are constantly on the move, raiding up and down the Coasts of the Continent. Their raids are quick and violent and before superior forces can react, they are in the wind. Four years ago they made the mistake of going to war with Rolland, and then compounded that mistake by trying to capture Freeport. Since suffering defeats with grievous losses in both conflicts, they have returned to their old raiding ways.
  
  The Dark Apostle left them once Wyrm’s End was theirs, saying that he would return one day. Most of the Druzhdin thought him long dead, but just a year ago the Dark Apostle did in fact return. This has galvanized the Druzhdin after their recent defeats and Continental nations are watching developments warily. Some say this new Dark Apostle is just an imposter, others that he was always a devil and this proves it. A few learned men have an altogether more frightening theory: the Dark Apostle is none other than the Crawling Chaos.
  

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• Hexworth Formal Name: Empire of Hexworth
  Symbol: A black tower on a red field
  Ruler: Empress Mariota I, the Glory of Hexworth
  Important Cities: Gullwater, Redcastle, Queensport (capitol)
  Important Landmarks: Church of the Avenging Angel, Greatdridge, Wight’s Hill
  Allies: Kizmir, Rolland, Vorizar
  Enemies: Bone Lands, Iovan, Tagmata
  

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  The Empire of Hexworth dominates the western Continent and for centuries it has been an active and expansionistic power. Hexworth was once one of many small human kingdoms in the region, but over time it subsumed or conquered them all to create a true empire. Empress Mariota I, the Glory of Hexworth, rules over the largest territory on the Continent. The Empire itself is made up of a bewildering array of provinces, principalities, marches, dukedoms, and free cities. Nearly all the power is in the hands of the noble class, whose families feud and scheme as they intermarry. Although most areas are firmly under imperial authority, some perennial trouble spots have never accepted the Empire’s yoke. These regions always simmer with rebellion and periodically attempt to free themselves. While these uprisings have led to a rich library of romantic songs about doomed heroics, Hexworth has always stamped them out in the end, after great loss of life.
  
  History: After the defeat of the Necro-Kings, King Chaldris I of Hexworth was the preeminent human monarch. The western region of the Continent did not unify as the elven lands did, however. There remained many petty kingdoms, each with its own traditions and way of life. In an attempt to bring some unity to the human lands, Chaldris hosted the Council of Harmony, a synod of prominent temples. At the urgings of the council, King Chaldris I issued the first Necromantic Censure, a sweeping set of laws and edicts to outlaw the practice of necromancy from Hexworth. The practice and teaching of necromancy was prohibited. Possession of animated dead was forbidden. Trading in mortal remains was subject to imprisonment. The purchase, sale, trade, and even possession of various magical and non-magical items of a necromantic nature (scrolls, books, wands, grave earth, salts, potions, etc.) were forbidden. Even undertakers had to tread carefully, lest they be accused and condemned as “necromancers.”
  
  The task of detecting and discovering necromancers, who were assumed to be hiding throughout the land in secret cults dating from the time of Rajko the Ghūl, was given to the Royal Arcane, the minister in charge of magical affairs. He in turn selected Seven High Inquisitors to root out the entrenched foe. Only the Royal Arcane, the Council of Harmony, or the king himself could challenge their powers of arrest and interrogation. The Merciful and Just Lord Judges of the Arcane—all Inquisitor-Mages—handed down the sentences for necromancy in the Magus Court.
  
  The Council of Harmony and the king had hoped that the other human kingdoms would follow the lead of Hexworth. As the violence and mania in Hexworth spun out of control, this hope evaporated. Thousands of suspected necromancers—sages, madmen, hedge wizards, seers, the misunderstood, and innocents uncounted—were all dragged before the courts and summarily sentenced. Thousands died, their bodies burnt and their bones ground to dust. The other human kingdoms felt that the threat of necromancy had ended with the death of the last Necro-King, and they wanted no part of Hexworth’s obsession.
  
  This Inquisition lasted roughly 200 years. King after king not only reaffirmed the Necromantic Censure, but also strengthened and expanded it. Finally, King Hadris II issued the famous Decree of Hadris. The Inquisition, which for all its power had always been “temporary,” became permanent. More than a few families, great and small, packed up and left Hexworth. They were fearful of being falsely condemned like so many before them. The exiles found homes other lands, for the most part taking care to vanish behind false names and false professions lest they invite more trouble. This was wise, as it proved, for Inquisitors made careful note of who departed and sent many a zealot to follow and dispatch the refugees, when they could locate them.
  
  Five years after the Decree of Hadris, Hexworth was at last pronounced cleansed. King Hadris II, however, was not satisfied. Surely many vile necromancers had simply taken refuge in neighboring human kingdoms. Should a domineering figure like Rajko the Ghūl rise again, these rival kingdoms could prove a grave threat to Hexworth. King Hadris knew he had no choice. The petty human kingdoms must become part of his Hexworth, whether they liked it or not.
  
  Today, the 300 years of conquest that followed are known as the Wars of Unity. Of course, the victorious men of Hexworth wrote the histories that made the subjugation of previously independent kingdoms seem like a hard but necessary choice. Some of these kingdoms joined Hexworth peacefully, in return for certain guarantees of their rights and customs. Others were simply conquered and integrated. When no more petty kingdoms remained, armies swept north to reclaim land formerly part of the Empire of Ashes. This was to act as a buffer zone between the core provinces of Hexworth and the monster-haunted Bone Lands further north. King Veldris IV ordered the construction of a series of border fortresses, to stretch from the mountains to the sea, to keep Hexworth safe. The so-called “Gates of Veldris” took a generation to complete, but they now form the northern boundary of Hexworth.
  
  Some 500 years after the fall of the Necro-Kings, Hexworth was the colossus of the western Continent. Queen Marvis V decreed that Hexworth was no longer a kingdom but an empire. None dared to gainsay her and she became Empress Marvis I.
  

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• Iovan Formal Name: Autocracy of Iovan
  Symbol: A gargoyle
  Ruler: Autocrat Silivas Redmantle
  Important Cities: Craski, Razma (capitol), Vabin
  Important Landmarks: Palace of the Conclave, Blue Sky Eyrie
  Allies: Kizmir
  Enemies: Hexworth, Ivory Ports, Rolland, Vorizar
  

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  The Autocracy of Iovan, home of the crag gnomes, is the most isolated nation on the Continent. A militaristic society ruled by an Arcane Conclave of powerful sorcerers, Iovan has alienated all of its neighbors over the centuries. Although it started the War of Crowns sixteen years ago and ultimately was defeated, Iovan is still on the map because of its difficult terrain, well-trained army, and gargoyle slave-soldiers. With the failure of its attempts at conquest, the crag gnomes have retreated into the shadows, there to try to win with sorcery and subterfuge what they could not on the battlefield.
  
  History: While the Starfall Alliance fought against the Necro-Kings in the north, an entirely different struggle was raging in the south. In the Korbu Hills, communities of gnomes were constantly at odds with the kobold tribes. Both races claimed the hills as their own, mining them for metals and other resources.
  
  The kobolds professed descent from the serpent people. Gnome scholars asserted they were just another servitor race, though the kobolds denied this, seeing themselves as the favored children of their progenitors. Whatever the truth, the two races escalated the violence as time went on, from raids and skirmishes to outright war. The Korbu Hills War was a long and brutal conflict and in the end it came down to magic. The gnomes mastered sorcery faster than the kobolds; this enabled the gnomish legions to finally push the kobolds out of the hills entirely. The remaining kobolds moved further south, into the dark forest of Nham. Here they spent centuries dreaming of revenge against the gnomes. It was not to be.
  
  A mighty gnome sorcerer named Iovan magically enslaved the gargoyles of the Ironhome Mountains. He used his new pawns to take over the Korbu hills and proclaim the Autocracy of Iovan. Emboldened, he then embarked on an ambitious campaign of conquest. Armies of gnomes and gargoyles pushed south, taking more and more kobold land. For a time Iovan seemed unstoppable.
  
  After decades of conquest, however, the Autocrat made a grave error. He turned his eyes north, to the lands of the Vorizar League. Always there had been peace and oaths of friendship between the gnomes and the dwarfs, but Iovan cast them aside and sent his legions into the mountains. This was his undoing. The dwarves had experience fighting gargoyles and they were masters of underground warfare. They cursed the gnomes as oathbreakers and fought with righteous fury. The Autocrat’s armies were stopped in their tracks and at the Battle of the Glimmering Pools Iovan himself was slain. The gnomes retreated in confusion, and it seemed the Autocracy might fall.
  
  The gnomes regrouped in the Korbu Hills, and a conclave of powerful sorcerers chose a new autocrat. The Dwarf-Gnome War was ended and new campaigns were mounted against the kobolds. Since then the Arcane Conclave has continued to rule Iovan, choosing a new autocrat when required. While the politics of the conclave can be vicious, and many an Autocrat has been assassinated over the years, the system has endured. So has the gnomes’ domination of the gargoyles, and their hatred of the kobolds.
  

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• Ivory Ports Formal Name: None
  Symbols: A black axe (Blackburn), a lion’s head (Grenato), three golden fish (Pikebridge), a silver crown (Silverus), a chain with 12 links (Thalburg)
  Rulers: Lord Protector Feargus Rorac (Blackburn), Patriarch Ivo Simoni (Grenato), Mayor Chester Ruggles (Pikebridge), Prince Attis Galba (Silverus), Council of Guildmasters (Thalburg)
  Important Cities: Blackburn, Grenato, Pikebridge, Silverus, Thalburg
  Important Landmarks: Plaza of a Thousand Columns (Grenato), Twilight Colossus (Blackburn), College of the Antiquity Scholars (Silverus)
  Allies: Rolland, Tagmata
  Enemies: Druzhdin, Iovan, Kizmir
  

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  The Ivory Ports are a loose coalition of five city-states in the Continent’s southeast. While those in the north were dealing with the Empire of Ashes and Necro-Kings, the people of Ivory Ports looked outward. They explored the seas, set up trade routes with distant lands, and eventually founded colonies. They made contact with the lands of Khaeder in the south and first imported the commodity that gave the cities their name. Although the city-states have fought amongst themselves from time to time, they have grown their influence by pursing a mercantile path. While the ships of the Ivory Ports have suffered more than most at the hands of Freeport’s pirates in the past, these days there is much trade between them and the City of Adventure.
  
  History: The region now known as the Ivory Ports has long been a place of refuge. During the dark days of the Anarchy, men and women of all races came over the Towers, the mountain range that isolates the area from the rest of the Continent, seeking safety. The history of that era is obscure, but a few facts are clear. First, petty kingdoms, freeholds, and tribal groups rose and fell quickly in this region. Second, a diabolic threat from the Towers caused bloodshed on a massive scale for many years. Third, a desperate coalition managed to stop the threat but the peoples of this alliance fell out as soon as the threat had passed. Thus a dominant political entity never emerged here.
  
  By the time of the Kingdom of Rolland’s founding, all of the towns that would later become the Ivory Ports had developed from small holdings into larger settlements. Over time, each grew into a sizeable city and dominated the surrounding countryside. In this way the Ivory Ports became full-fledged city-states, each controlling a series of villages, towns, and fortresses, and eventually including overseas colonies.
  
  The Ivory Ports currently consists of five city-states. There was a sixth, Newtown, but Kizmir sacked and destroyed it nearly fifty years ago. The remaining city-states are:
  
  • Blackburn: This is the most militaristic of the Ivory Ports, because it is closest to Kizmir and must frequently deal with its raiders. A Lord Protector rules Blackburn, advised by a council of guildsmen.
  
  • Grenato: The powerful Simoni family controls this city-state and has dominated its politics for the last two centuries. The Simonis are ruthless to their enemies, but they have poured money into public works and turned Grenato into the most beautiful of the Ivory Ports.
  
  • Pikebridge: This city began as a small fishing village, and the harvest of the sea is still its most important business. Once every five years each citizen in good standing may vote on the next mayor.
  
  • Silverus: The only city-state with a true aristocracy, Silverus was once a center of democracy. This rule was overthrown by the so called “merchant princes,” who fancied themselves true princes. Now a powerful group of families, led by a ruling prince, runs the city-state.
  
  • Thalburg: A city noted for the quality of its wool and textiles, Thalburg is controlled by its craft guilds. It is the Council of Guildmasters that makes the laws and runs the city-state, always to the benefit of the guilds first and foremost.
  
  Due to the history of the region, the Ivory Ports are easily the most diverse cities on the Continent. Humans, elves, halflings, gnomes, and dwarves of many cultures are found in all of the city-states. Indeed, halflings are found nowhere else on the Continent in such abundance, and their villages play a key role in keeping the cities fed.
  

• Kizmir Formal Name: Sultanate of Kizmir
  Symbol: A flame inside a golden ring
  Ruler: Sultan Mourtos II, Master of the Azhar and Keeper of the Eternal Flame
  Important Cities: Gratasi, Milsar (capitol), Yuilluck
  Important Landmarks: Temple of the Eternal Flame
  Allies: Hexworth, Iovan
  Enemies: Druzhdin, Ivory Ports, Rolland, Tagmata
  

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  Kizmir is the youngest nation on the Continent, having been founded a little over a century ago. The people of Kizmir are the azhar, and for the most part, they look human. Their eyes, however, are a deep red and they claim the blood of efreets run in their veins. More than that, they say the foundation of Kizmir ended decades of wandering after the azhar left the fabled City of Brass. Whatever the truth of their origin, the azhar created a dynamic nation in Kizmir and changed the politics of the south forever.
  
  History: The Sultanate of Kizmir was founded 102 years ago when the forces of Sultan Mustafa VI invaded the southern coast of the Continent. A massive fleet disgorged thousands of soldiers in a lightning assault. They quickly conquered the coastal plains, which were home to a disorganized group of fishing villages. The Sultan’s forces then pushed inland to the forest of Nham, where they clashed with the kobolds. It didn’t take long for word to filter north to the Autocracy of Iovan, which promptly launched a fresh campaign against the kobolds. Trapped between Kizmiran and Iovani forces, the kobolds were crushed.
  
  The arrival of the azhar changed the political balance of power. In less than a decade, Kizmiri and Tagmatan ships were clashing in Giant’s Bay. This naturally led to an alliance with Hexworth, which still harbored dreams of conquering Tagmata. The Ivory Ports, as the preeminent sea powers in the south, did not react well to the foundation of Kizmir. The competition was economic at first, but several wars did flare up. These have become known collectively as the Wars of the Southern Sea. Most led only to stalemate, but in the Second War of the Southern Sea some fifty years ago, Kizmir won a decisive victory, sacking and destroying the Ivory Port of Newtown.
  
  Over the years, Kizmir has cleared huge tracts of the forest to build ships and cities, and now a string of strong ports hug the coast. They have had less success pacifying the interior. The remnants of the kobold tribes have waged a guerilla war against them for the past century. While this has never been a grave threat, it is a constant drain on the Sultanate.
  

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• Rolland Formal Name: The Ever-Vigilant Kingdom of Rolland
  Symbol: An eagle soaring in front of a sun and a moon
  Ruler: His Royal Highness Merovech II, Moon King of Rolland
  Important Cities: Dragoumont (capitol), Port Clovis, Ravencourt, Saverac
  Important Landmarks: Cairncross Hill, Shrine of the Hunter’s Moon, Windgrass Grove
  Allies: Hexworth, Ivory Ports, Tagmata, Vorizar
  Enemies: Bone Lands, Druzhdin, Iovan, Kizmir
  

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  Rolland is one of the oldest and most respected nations of the Continent, and it is home to the majority of the region’s elves. Over the centuries Rolland’s society has become highly polarized. Although all its inhabitants are descended from the same tribes that fought Rajko the Ghūl, the kingdom now divides itself into three groups: high elves, wood elves, and sea elves. The high elves are the dominant group. They live in large cities full of tall towers and see themselves as carrying the torch of civilization. They prize both intellect and magical power, though increasing displays of opulence make it clear gold also has sway in Rolland’s cities. Scattered across the kingdom are hundreds of rural villages, where wood elves farm, hunt, and fish in a manner almost identical to that of their ancestors. The high elves, of course, look down on the wood elves, even as they import foodstuffs from the countryside to their cities. Those that live along the coast, the sea elves, have developed their own culture and they are mistrusted by both high elves and wood elves. The sea elves live in ports great and small, and they look to the ocean for their needs. They are great travelers and born adventurers. They also control all the sea trade with other nations and the fleet that protects Rolland from outside threats.
  
  The current monarch, the Moon King Merovech II, is clever enough, but he does not see how the internal divisions of Rolland’s society make it weak. Perhaps because he grew up surrounded by magic, he is greatly interested in technological advances. A demonstration of firearms caught his imagination to such a degree that he immediately ordered five hundred of the weapons and created a new regiment for his army, the Royal Musketeers.
  
  History: The hero Thodomer Windgrass had unified the various elf tribes under his banner during the wars, but keeping them that way proved challenging after the final defeat of the Necro-Kings. Many of the tribes wanted to retreat to the forest and take up the old ways once again. In the end, it was not the aging Thodomer Windgrass that completed the unification of the tribes, but his daughter Aregund. She was a devotee of the Goddess of the Sun who spoke passionately about the darkness that still touched the land. During the grim days of Rajko the Ghūl and the Necro-Kings, many lesser evils had been left to fester in foreboding moors, dank marshes, and twisted forests. Here orcs, goblins, lizardfolk, and other savage humanoids still dwelt, launching raids into elven lands. Rallying under Aregund’s leadership, the elves now turned their martial and sorcerous might against these monsters and drove them from their lairs. Most were killed. Those remaining were driven north into the barren wastelands of the former Empire of Ashes, or south into the Carrion Swamp. The Ildis River was demarcated as the northern border of Rolland, the Veldor River the southern, and it so it has been ever since.
  
  The campaigns begun by Aregund, known collectively as the Wars of Light, lasted over 200 years, but the hardest fighting took place in the first decade. After the Battle of Trollmoors, Aregund was proclaimed the Sun Queen. The Kingdom of Rolland dates its existence from her coronation. Many of her followers want to name the new kingdom Windgrass in honor of Aregund and her father, but she declined the honor. Neither king nor queen should ever think of the land as their property, Aregund asserted. Instead the kingdom was named after the mythical forest home of their ancestors.
  
  The Kingdom of Rolland finally knew peace after the end of the Wars of Light. They turned their wooded hill forts into gleaming castles and their cities grew larger and larger. The Sun Queens and Sun Kings led their people wisely and it seemed none could challenge them. When they looked outwards, Rolland’s monarchs could see no true threats to the elves’ well being. While they looked for hostile armies, a single beast almost brought Rolland low. His name Kanagar the Wolf Lord, and he was a werecreature of terrible power.
  
  Kanagar came to the province of Driken. Deep in the forest he ambushed elves and turned them into werewolves like him. For seven long years he hunted until the forest was so full of his minions the elves shunned it. At first the Sun King, Dagobert I, paid the happenings of Driken little mind. This was a costly mistake, as the Wolf Lord struck out from the forest and attacked settlements across Driken. Within a year the entirety of the province was under Kanagar’s control, and its cities echoed with howls of werewolves. Kanagar proclaimed, “The king rules under the sun, but I rule under the moon.”
  
  King Dagobert realized his error almost too late. By the time he had mobilized the army, werewolf raiders were striking in almost every province. Dagobert and his generals had to come up with new tactics and techniques to fight the werewolf armies. The so-called Moonlight War lasted for fifteen years and the elves of Rolland paid a dreadful price for their victory. At last, though, King Dabobert brought Kanagar’s host to battle and won a crushing victory at the Battle of the Wolf ’s Head. It was said the elf wizard Beladore killed Kanagar, but his body was never found. Though individual werewolves were hunted for decades to come, the war was over. To commemorate his victory Dagobert took the title of Moon King. Since then reigning monarchs have alternated between the Sun and Moon title. Rolland’s current monarch, Moon King Merovech II, was preceded by Sun Queen Melitt, for example.
  
  

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• Tagmata Formal Name: Holy Oligarchy of Shining Tagmata
  Symbol: A burning torch shining out on a filed of darkness
  Rulers: High General Arete, High Priest Petros, and High Wizard Mavros
  Important Cities: Ebiza, Kyos (capitol), Larikon
  Important Landmarks: Cathedral of St Vasili, Tower of the Chalice
  Allies: Ivory Ports, Rolland
  Enemies: Druzhdin, Hexworth, Kizmir
  

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  Tagmata is a seafaring country in the southwest part of the Continent. It is the one human nation that successfully defied the Empire of Hexworth, a fact that leads to border skirmishes with its northern neighbor to this day. Its naval power has helped keep it safe for centuries, though the rise of Kizmir has proved a great challenge to the Tagmatans. Run by an oligarchy representing the military, the church, and the mages, Tagmata is a deeply devout nation. The state religion is the Church of Astrape, a dualistic faith at odds with the paganism of other Continental nations. This does not stop pratical-minded Tagmatans from engaging in trade or alliances with non-believers, however. Tagmata has even hired Freeport’s privateer fleet on a few occasions.
  
  History: Most humans on the Continent are descended from the same stock and speak a common language. They make up the majority of the human population of Hexworth and other human enclaves. There were some smaller groups of humans with different origins, though many have been destroyed or assimilated into Hexworth over the centuries. Only one human culture succeeded in both maintaining its identity and defying the expansionism of the Empire of Hexworth. They are the people of Tagmata.
  
  The Tagmatans have lived in the southwest of the Continent since the dark days of the Anarchy. With the sea surrounding their land on three sides, they only had one real border to defend. Since Tagmata was far to the south, Rajko the Ghūl never directly threatened it. Units of volunteers did go north to fight the Empire of Ashes, however, as well as the Necro-Kings. This was in keeping with their dualistic faith.
  
  The origin of the Tagmatan religious faith is unknown, though it does seem to pre-date the fall of Valossa. The Tagmatans don’t worship a god per se—more the ideal of the light. In their worldview there are servants of the light and servants of the darkness. If you aren’t on the side of light, you are de facto on the side of darkness. If you have been deceived into working against the light, you can be saved. If you have embraced the darkness, you are damned for all time. The church believes the light chooses exceptional mortals to be its champions. This has led to the development of a “pantheon” of saints quite similar to the pagan religions they revile (though it is not advisable to make this comparison to a Tagmatan).
  
  In the early days of Tagmata there were kings, but this came to an end after a series of corrupt monarchs. A powerful group of generals, priests, and wizards came together and overthrew the last king. Since then Tagmata has been an oligarchy, ruled by a triumvirate consisting of the High General, High Priest, and High Wizard. While this does sometimes create fractious politics, the structure also makes it difficult for one person to dominate the country
  
  During Hexworth’s Wars of Unity, Tagmata greatly expanded its army and navy. It also saw a population explosion, as refugees from Hexworth’s conquests flooded south. Several petty kingdoms uprooted entirely and moved to Tagmata to escape the rapacious armies of Hexworth. Tagmata welcomed anyone willing to convert to their religion and become part of the Oligarchy. Thousands suddenly discovered a newfound love of Tagmatan religion. The faith of all Tagmatans was tested soon enough, when the war machine of Hexworth attacked Tagmata by land and sea. The land war was a bloody stalemate, but at sea Tagmata won a string of decisive victories. These in turn allowed the fleet to raid up and down the coast of Hexworth. The Empire, concerned that this show of defiance would embolden its conquered subjects, made a quick peace with Tagmata and ceased its southern expansion. Its northern campaign into the Bone Lands was seen as a face-saving measure, so the Wars of Unity could end with a victory instead of a defeat.
  

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• Vorizar Formal Name: The Vorizar League
  Symbol: An upturned armor gauntlet
  Ruler: The Ironhome Council
  Important Cities: Demka, Starosk (capitol), Troskun, Zakrovo
  Important Landmarks: The Diamond Gallery, the Well of Despair, Halfmoon Pass
  Allies: Hexworth, Rolland
  Enemies: Bone Lands, Iovan
  

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  The Vorizar League is a coalition of dwarf cities, bound by history and common struggle. They fought in the Starfall Alliance and then in a secret war against the things from below. Long remote from Continental politics, Vorizar reemerged nearly a century ago and retook its place amongst the Continent’s preeminent nations. Vorizar is in an enviable position, controlling the mountain passes that allow trade between the eastern and western halves of the Continent. They make the most of this and also sell their own masterfully crafted goods. The dwarves were surprised by the gnome invention of firearms, but have struck back by creating the much-larger and more destructive cannons. The breakthrough discovery was an alchemical compound. Powder barrels treated with this compound are prevented from blowing up when hit by fire. A small number of ships now mount these cannons and their success has led to increased demand and skyrocketing prices.
  
  History: Dwarves have lived in the Ironhome Mountains for as long as anyone can remember. Even during the worst years of the Anarchy, small dwarfholds managed to survive when all around them there was chaos. The threat of Rajko the Ghūl brought the Ironhome dwarves together into the Vorizar League, a coalition of cities and settlements. This league joined the Starfall Alliance in the fight against the Necro-Kings. When that war was won, the dwarves knew something of peace for the first time. Over the following two centuries, the dwarves expanded their cities massively and created roads both above and belowground to connect the league’s settlements. Their control of the mountain passes brought them goods and revenue and they had strong trading partners in the elves and humans of the Starfall Alliance. Deep beneath the Ironhome Mountains, however, madness and terror bubbled towards the surface.
  
  Unbeknownst to the dwarves of the Vorizar League, there used to be a serpent person fortress far beneath the mountains. It was there the chosen of Yig performed many hideous experiments and bred a series of servitor races. When Valossa fell, a cabal of serpent people sorcerers had been performing a breeding experiment. They were in the midst of a powerful ritual when the Unspeakable One manifested. Even this distant from Valossa, the Primal God’s power was felt. The serpent people were driven mad—this insanity tainted their ritual. They had been trying to breed a servitor race with the adaptability of humans and the sturdiness of dwarves. Instead, they created a horrid half-breed race of demented killers. These abominations survived, as did other of the serpent people’s experiments.
  
  While the dwarves of the Ironhome Mountains built up the Vorizar League, the things from below moved ever upwards. Two hundred and thirty-four years after the defeat of the last Necro-King, a dwarf outpost was attacked from below and destroyed by forces unknown. Sporadic raids like this continued for the rest of the century, which caused the league to expand its army substantially. When Iovan’s gnomes and gargoyles attacked from the south therefore, the Vorizar League was ready to fight and it defeated the oathbreakers in short order (see Iovan’s entry for more on the Dwarf-Gnome War).
  
  It was not long before the things from below returned. The dwarves repulsed them in one place but they would then attack in another. They would disappear for a year and then launch three attacks in a month. In what became known as the Long War, the Vorizar League spent nearly seven centuries fighting nameless horrors in the depths of the Ironhome Mountains. The High Guard kept the mountain passes safe and that kept trade flowing, but meanwhile the Deep Guard fought a merciless war away from the eyes of the Continental powers. The Vorizar League could have asked for help from its allies, but its leaders were too wary of Iovan taking advantage of the situation. So the dwarves fought on, alone and unheralded.
  
  The price was high. Tens of thousands died, cities were destroyed, and always the Vorizar League seemed on the verge of ruin. In the end it was the development of two key weapons that brought the war to an end. First, the dwarves learned to use gunpowder to their advantage, not with the firearms that the gnomes would later invent but with grenadoes, bombs, and petards. Second, dwarf spellcasters developed new magical warding techniques. These allowed tunnels to the depths to be closed and then warded and this drastically reduced the ability of the things from below to continue their attacks.
  
  Not quite a century ago the Vorizar League emerged from its long nightmare. Long remote from Continental politics, it began to engage with its neighbors once again. The dwarves pulled back from the brink, and since then they have thrived. Despite this success, not all is quiet in the depths. Deep beneath the Ironhome Mountains, unnamable things still gibber in the darkness.
  

A History of the City of Freeport
The Empire of the Serpents While the current city of Freeport is only a few hundred years old, the site has been inhabited for much longer. Some two thousand years ago, the area was part of a larger island known as Valossa. Stretching a thousand miles south to north and eight hundred miles east to west, Valossa was the heart of the serpent people’s empire. These sorcerous reptiles ruled vast swaths of territory when humanity was young, and they pioneered magic and science when the elves still hid in the woods.

Scholars today often refer to Valossa as an evil empire. While it is true their sorcerers used questionable methods to advance their art, Valossa was no ally of dark powers. The mindset of the serpent people is difficult for humans or elves to understand, so malfeasance is often used to explain misunderstood evidence. For instance, although highly civilized, the Valossans had no concept of individual rights. If a high sorcerer required one hundred living test subjects to use in magical experiments, his request was fulfilled as long as the experiments were judged to be of importance to the empire as a whole.

The Rotting Heart of the Empire No matter the moral compass used to judge the serpent people, their achievements cannot be denied. Valossa flourished for over a millennium, and its influence spread, even into the planes. The empire resisted every outside threat, from barbarian incursions to infernal plagues to planar invaders. In the end, the true threat was internal.

The serpent people had long been worshippers of Yig, the great snake god. In the latter days of the empire, a cult dedicated to the worship of the Unspeakable One, a dread alien power, sprang up in the serpent people cities. Called the Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign, the cult spurned the worship of Yig and embraced the madness of the Unspeakable One. The leaders of the serpent people, too arrogant and vain to see past their high towers, allowed the cult to fester among the discontented. By the time the priests of Yig were roused to action, it was too late. The Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign enacted a ritual to summon their dark god, and the Valossan Empire was smashed for all time.

Wrath of the Mad God No witnesses survived to tell of the Great Old One’s appearance, but evidence of his destruction abounds. The mighty island of Valossa was rent asunder, and seawater rushed in to drown the serpent people by the millions. Those who survived were driven mad, losing their civilization and magic in one terrible moment. Nearly all of Valossa slipped beneath the waves, leaving only scattered islands as a testimony to the once-great empire.

The mad serpent people fled underground, where their degenerate descendants currently live. A small number of sorcerers and priests of Yig survived the Unspeakable One’s wrath with their sanity intact. These few retreated into the shadows as the younger races created their own kingdoms and empires. As the centuries passed, few remembered the Valossan Empire or that serpent people had once been a civilized race.

The Rise of Freeport The largest surviving bit of Valossa is an island chain known as the Serpent’s Teeth. The name may be a distant echo of the Valossan Empire, though locals ascribe it to the shape of the islands. The main island of the Serpent’s Teeth, A’Val, has a natural harbor that is easily defended. As the younger races took to the seas, roving captains quickly found A’Val. At first, it was just a place to rest, get fresh water, and refit. Before long, a village sprang up, which as the years passed, turned into a town. It was able to thrive by offering services to passing ships and providing refuge to those unwelcome elsewhere. The sailors took to calling it Freeport, and the name stuck.

A Corsair Haven With its relatively isolated location and natural attributes, Freeport quickly became a magnet for pirates and ne’er-do-wells of all types. It didn’t take long for buccaneers to take over the town, and Freeport became perhaps the most notorious pirate haven in the world.

What made Freeport work in the early days was a simple pirate code. Do whatever you want on the high seas, but don’t go against your brothers and sisters in port. That meant no stealing, no killing, and no kidnapping while there. Duels did occur on occasion, but they were formal affairs done outside the walls. Most of the crew confined their fighting to drunken brawls, of which there were plenty. By and large, though, the peace in Freeport was kept.

This era is often referred to as the Golden Age in Freeport. Pirates ruled the waves decade after decade. Although individual captains and crews suffered setbacks, piracy as a whole flourished. This was a time of legendary deeds, when brave buccaneers seemed larger than life.

Tales of captains like Bedwyr the Black, Sigurd Trolldottir, and Three-hands Chan have passed into maritime mythology. They may never have been more than local folklore if not for the efforts of one man, though. Captain Johannsen was a second-rate pirate but a first-class writer. After retiring from the high seas, he penned an outlandish history of Freeport’s finest buccaneers. Titled A True History of Freeporte Pyrates, this volume established the romantic pirate in the public imagination more than anything else. The book went through six printings in less than two years and gained Captain Johannsen more fame than his years at sea ever had.

Golden No Longer The Golden Age couldn’t last forever. About two hundred years ago, the era of the rogue buccaneer came to an end. Lone ships faced increasing threats from organized navies. Where once a single ship could hunt merchantmen with impunity, now that same ship was a fox to the hounds of the naval squadrons. As crew after crew was hunted down and neutralized, the pirates of Freeport knew they had to change their ways.

The people of Freeport realized it would take a navy to fight a navy, so the pirate captains decided to form a force of their own and raid en masse. But who should lead this great raid? After much bickering, the pirates settled on two captains for the fleet. Captains Drac and Francisco were fierce rivals, and the assembled captains believed anything the two could agree on would be a good decision. It was not an ideal situation, but the pirates had surprise and numbers on their side. The combined fleet went on a three-month raid that netted more money, valuables, foodstuffs, and booze than Freeport had ever seen. The Great Raid, as it was called, was a spectacular success, still remembered in the yearly celebration of Swagfest, and neither Drac nor Francisco was slow in claiming credit. Before long, each had declared himself a Sea Lord of Freeport.
War in Freeport The next ten years were tense ones in Freeport. The Great Raid set off a panic amongst the maritime nations. They spent vast amounts of money and resources building up larger navies, and the Sea Lords were forced to fight battle after battle against determined foes. Freeport was assaulted on three separate occasions, but its defenses proved too strong for the attacking ships.

This undeclared war had no clear victor. Freeport defended itself and inflicted several stinging defeats on its enemies, but attrition was high on both sides. In the end, the conflict petered out as the warring navies ran out of ships and men to hurl into battle. After ten long years of fighting, there was a lull, during which each side licked its wounds.

During the war, adversity had kept the pirates united, but when the pressure eased, trouble was not slow in coming. The Sea Lords had long hated each other, which ended in deadly consequences. After a series of provocations, fighting broke out in Freeport for the first time in its history. The men of Drac and Francisco killed one another in the streets, shattering the pirate code that had bound Freeport together.

Neither Sea Lord gained an upper hand during the fighting. Before it could be resolved, word came of yet another fleet bound for the city. The pirates called a truce to defend the city, and the fleet sailed out, united once again. Or so it seemed.

The Big Sellout
Captain Drac had realized this was a war they could not win. The only chance for him and his men was to become a part of the system that was trying to destroy them. Drac entered secret negotiations with the nations set to destroy Freeport. He agreed to betray Francisco in exchange for a truce and recognition of Freeport as a sovereign city-state. The enemy leaders were only too happy to sign such an agreement, so they could end the ruinously expensive war.

With no knowledge of his comrade’s duplicity, Captain Francisco led his fleet to the attack. Once he was engaged, the ships of Captain Drac simply sailed away. Exposed and without support, Francisco’s fleet was surrounded and destroyed. In the meantime, Drac sailed back to Freeport to announce the new city-state and his new regime.

Freeport Goes Legitimate
Captain Drac quickly consolidated his power over the city. He declared himself the only Sea Lord of Freeport and moved against his remaining enemies before they could organize against him. Some of the remaining pirate captains left Freeport rather than serve Drac. They blamed him for the ruination of the pirate code and for the betrayal of Francisco. The majority of the captains, however, seeing which way the salty wind was blowing, chose to remain in Freeport and ride out the storm.

As it turned out, Captain Drac’s rule was considerably less bloody than anyone had believed possible. Drac was not joking about going legitimate. He set up trade routes with former enemies, cracked down on rogue pirates, and organized a Captains’ Council for the governance of the city. Drac’s word was still law, but the Captains’ Council was in charge of the day-to-day affairs of the city and also advised Drac on matters of import.

Captain Drac ruled Freeport with a firm hand for the next thirty years. In that time, he succeeded in turning a pirate haven into a trading hub of substantial importance. Freeport had always enjoyed a fortuitous position, and Drac was not slow in making the most of it. Merchants used Freeport as a base for trade with the distant islands, and brave captains explored savage coasts. Gold, spices, and exotica flowed through Freeport, and Drac made sure the city got its cut.

A Question of Succession One question above all others haunted Drac throughout his reign. Could Freeport carry on after his death, or would civil war tear the city apart? Freeport meant money, and money made people crazy. Drac knew he had to take steps to safeguard the city’s future. While Drac fancied himself a king, he resisted the urge to take the title. He knew the people of Freeport would not submit to a monarch. It was too contrary to what they were. Similarly, he knew he could not found a dynasty. The rough and ready men of the Captains’ Council would not submit to Drac’s son. The boy lacked the experience of the salty dogs of the council.

So Captain Drac chose another old hand, Captain Cromey, to be his successor. He even set into law that the Sea Lord’s successor had to be approved by the Captains’ Council. He did this to ensure the survival of Freeport as an independent city-state. At the end of his life, he chose the interests of the city over his own glory, and for this, he is remembered as a great man in Freeport.

Growth and Crises The next hundred years were profitable ones for Freeport. The city continued to grow, which necessitated the building of a newer and larger city wall. Merchants opened trade routes to the east, making Freeport even more important in the maritime world. When wars broke out on the Continent, Freeport was largely able to stay out of them, though the city did cement alliances with several important powers. All in all, it was a period of stability and growth, with a succession of competent Sea Lords assuring the continued importance of the city. Only two incidents threatened Freeport’s future.

Checks and Balances The first crisis began thirty-two two years after Drac’s death. The city—which had almost doubled in size—was in danger. A war raged on the Continent, disrupting trade and drawing away much of the city’s navy. Freeport was in turmoil as food and other essential supplies became scarce, and angry riots were common. The Sea Lord Corliss, Cromey’s successor, could barely keep order in the streets, even with the complete cooperation of the Captains’ Council. An ambitious and popular councilor named Antonio Grossette used this opportunity to increase the power and influence of the council. He politically outmaneuvered Sea Lord Corliss and was able to expand the size of the Captains’ Council to twelve members. Corliss realized he had no choice but to agree to Grossette’s plan if he wanted the councilors’ help in stabilizing the city, but he insisted on personally choosing the men who would be added to the Captains’ Council. Since this incident, the size of the council has remained at twelve.

The Back Alley War Once Freeport turned from pirate haven into city-state, changes in its population and makeup were quick in coming. The number of pirates decreased, while the number of merchants and tradesmen increased. Many of these new citizens brought their institutions with them. Primary among them were the guilds. These trade and craft groups were new to Freeport, and the Captains’ Council was initially suspicious of them. The council was won over in time, though, once they saw the benefits the guilds brought to the city.

There was never a problem with a guild until the reign of the fourth Sea Lord, Marquetta. The first woman to become Sea Lord, Marquetta had made her name as a privateer. She was known as a tough but honorable combatant. Her honor was to be sorely tested during the first years of her reign by a new force in Freeport: the Thieves’ Guild.

No Honor Among Thieves Thieves were certainly nothing new to Freeport, but in the early days, the pirate code had kept crime within the city to a minimum. Larceny was practiced largely at sea. When a gang of thieves from the Continent established a true guild in Freeport, it was a new experience. The city had known gangs before but not very organized ones. This group was experienced, professional, and ruthless. Inside ten years, they had gained complete control of Freeport’s underworld.

At first, the Captains’ Council was unconcerned. The Thieves’ Guild was paying off most of the councilors, and the guildsmen kept their activities in the shadows. Soon after Marquetta’s rise to power, she uncovered an operation run by the Thieves’ Guild—in conjunction with a gang of orc pirates, the thieves had established a slave ring.

In the beginning, Sea Lord Marquetta attempted to deal with the problem diplomatically. She sent word through discreet channels that slavery was forbidden in Freeport and that the guild had best cease its activities. They supposedly assented to the request, but several months later, Marquetta learned the slave ring was still quite active. In fact, its scope seemed to have expanded even further than before. Again, Marquetta sent word to the guild. This time, the guild openly defied Marquetta, daring her to take action. With the Captains’ Council in their pocket, the guild thought they were immune to the Sea Lord’s meddling.

They were quite wrong.

A War on Crime Marquetta quickly began an undeclared war. Her guard began arresting known guildsmen and rooting out safehouses, while she sent a squadron of ships to hunt down the orc pirates. The Thieves’ Guild was caught by surprise and lost many of their number in the initial attacks, but they soon struck back. Three councilors on their payroll were assassinated for their failure to stop Marquetta. Several attempts also were made on the Sea Lord’s life, all of which she survived with the aid of her bodyguards.

The conflict, soon known as the Back Alley War, raged for three years. Marquetta proved herself an implacable foe. She attacked again and again until she broke the back of the Thieves’ Guild. All of its leaders were killed or imprisoned, and slavery was forever snuffed out in Freeport.

Since the end of the Back Alley War, no single criminal organization has dominated Freeport.

((more to come))

The Year of Three Sea Lords The Sea Lords up through Marquetta were blessed with long reigns. Some on the Continent inferred they were improbably long considering pirates founded Freeport. It was all the more shocking, therefore, when Freeport saw three new Sea Lords in the year after Marquetta’s death. The first, Rowland Furrock, decided to celebrate his elevation by participating in the Great Hunt a mere month after becoming Sea Lord; he was mauled to death by a giant boar. The second, Giles Wymer, was Sea Lord for six months until he fell victim to poison at a feast in his honor. The circumstances around his poisoning are still a mystery. The man destined to be Marquetta’s true successor, Miles Caxton, took power after Giles’ named heir fled the city rather than risking death as the Sea Lord.

The Freeport-Mazin War During the reign of Miles Caxton, Freeport’s merchants began exploring farther across the sea and trying to set up new trade routes. Several convoys disappeared in the south, and at first, it was thought they were simply lost at sea. Then a surviving ship made it back and reported that the convoys had been to the city of Mazin. This was a major port in the southlands and a center of the slave trade. The Freeport ships were set upon and seized there, and their crews sold into slavery.

Sea Lord Caxton would not abide by this treatment of his citizens, for nothing is more of an anathema to the people of Freeport than slavery. He first sent an armed expedition to deliver a message to the Mazini slavers: return the Freeporters or face the consequences. He was told if he wanted his people, he should come and buy them in the slave markets.

The now-infuriated Caxton built up the Admiralty and waged war on Mazin for nearly ten years. It was a difficult war to fight, with Mazin some distance from Freeport, but the Sea Lord would not be dissuaded. Finally, Freeport’s fleet was able to lure out that of Mazin and defeat the slavers in a huge clash. This became known as Battle of the Burning Torches, named for the burning masts of the Mazini ships against the night sky. While the city was too distant to outright conquer, it was made to pay Freeport reparations and return those citizens that survived. Since the end of the Freeport-Mazin War, the two cities have had little contact. Mazini slavers have become mythical ogres to frighten the young children of Freeport.

A New Drac for A New Era
Fifty-five years ago, a descendent of Captain Drac succeeded the outgoing Sea Lord. Captain Marten Drac is rumored to have used blackmail and assassination in his rise to power, and he most certainly used them to maintain his position once he had it. Marten ruled for only fourteen years, but the damage he did to the city was substantial. A series of duties and taxes fattened his coffers but drove away many merchants. More ominously, he drove a new law through the Captains’ Council that required the Sea Lord of Freeport to be a descendent of the original Captain Drac.

Marten’s youngest brother, Anton, who became the next Sea Lord, saved the city from complete disaster. Captain Anton Drac proved to be cut from the same cloth as his illustrious ancestor, and he was able to undo the worst excesses of Marten’s reign. The unfair duties were abolished, and Anton provided a series of incentives to win back the trade the city had lost. He also provided limited military aid to several important nations, earning their thanks and their business.

Anton’s one failing was he did not abolish Marten’s succession law. He was regularly urged to do so by the Captains’ Council, but Anton could never bring himself to do it. When the councilors realized Anton would not budge on the succession issue, they changed tactics. Since the reign of the original Drac, the Sea Lord had had the power to nominate new members to the council. Although the council voted to confirm these nominees, they were never able to put up their own candidates. This was a power they desperately wanted, and they put the question to Anton.

The Sea Lord was initially against the idea. He knew this would further diminish the powers of his office. He also knew the sting of Marten’s hideous regime was still in everyone’s mind, so he proposed a compromise. The council would gain the ability to nominate councilors. In return for this power, the Sea Lord would be allowed to cast two votes for his nominee and break all ties. To elect their own nominee, at least seven councilors would thus have to vote against the Sea Lord.

The councilors were not pleased with Anton’s suggestion and held out against it for many years. They kept hoping Anton would have a change of heart. Despite his enlightened rule, however, Anton considered Freeport his family’s property. This notion would be his undoing.

Decade of Deceit Sixteen years ago, a great war broke out on the Continent, involving nearly every nation. Sea Lord Anton Drac stayed out of it at first, but he knew he had to honor the treaties he had signed. He announced to the Captains’ Council that the Freeport navy would go to the aid of its allies in the spring. This was to be the first time the full fleet had sailed to war since the days of Drac and Francisco. The Captains’ Council was torn on the issue, approving the move by only a single vote.

Anton had made the announcement, so preparations could be made throughout the winter. The unfortunate side effect of this was it gave his enemies several months to plot a course of action. They used the time wisely, concocting an ambitious plan. In fact, it was so ambitious that rumors continue to circulate that they had outside help from the agents of governments who wanted Freeport to stay neutral.

The Captains’ Council also decided to use the time granted them. They feared Anton might die in this war, and they would never gain the power to nominate new councilors. After years of impasse, the Captains’ Council finally accepted Anton’s offer and gained the power they craved. This has come to be known as “Anton’s Gift.” As matters transpired, the gift was given just in time.

Anton Pays the Ferryman Towards the end of winter, Sea Lord Anton was inspecting the fleet on the docks. A single yellow-feathered arrow flew from the crow’s nest of an anchored ship, piercing Anton’s chest. The wound should not have been mortal, but the arrow was enchanted with vile, deadly magic. Anton was slain as soon as the arrow hit him, and Freeport was without a Sea Lord for the first time in two hundred years.

The assassin was cornered and killed before he could talk. The body was then stolen before priests could try to speak with the dead man. The assassin was dismissed as a lone renegade, and the magical nature of the attack was hushed up. The Captains’ Council had more pressing business to attend to, after all—who would succeed Anton?

Milton Takes the Helm At this juncture, Captain Milton Drac stepped onto the stage of history. A distant cousin of Anton, Milton appeared as if from nowhere. He was not a member of the Captains’ Council, but somehow he enjoyed tremendous support there. Those most likely to oppose him were strangely silent, as if they feared the consequences of such action. In a matter of weeks, this unknown Drac had become the new Sea Lord of Freeport.

Milton’s first act as Sea Lord was to cancel all military aid to allied nations. The fleet was to restrict its activities to guarding merchantmen, and that was all. As war raged on the Continent, Freeport stood neutral. The nations counting on Freeport’s navy were gravely disappointed and branded Milton a traitor. He was accused of being the puppet of foreign agents or a religious cult. Captain Milton ignored the accusations and continued his rule of Freeport with little opposition.

The Sea Lord’s goal was to make Freeport the preeminent maritime power of the world. After canceling the action of the fleet, he took the war chest and spent it on a monument to his ambition. The Lighthouse of Drac was meant to be one of the wonders of the age. It took ten years to complete and nearly bankrupted the city. Most citizens of Freeport took to calling the lighthouse “Milton’s Folly.”

The Madness of Milton Drac What no one knew was that Milton Drac was secretly a member of the Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign. This malefic organization had somehow survived since the breaking of Valossa, biding its time until it could strike once again. They had found a dark prodigy in Milton Drac and aided him in his ruthless rise to power.

The lighthouse was the centerpiece of Drac’s scheme. It had been specially constructed to channel the energy of the Unspeakable One, the terrible power worshipped by the Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign. As part of his plan, Milton had announced a gala celebration for the lighthouse’s unveiling. He wanted ships from all the world’s nations to choke the harbor. When the time was right, he and the Brotherhood planned to enact a magical ritual that would use the lighthouse to project the Yellow Sign into the night sky above Freeport. Charged with the power of the Unspeakable One, the Yellow Sign was to drive the assembled throngs mad, and from Freeport, the madness was to spread across the world.

Such was Drac’s plan. Luckily for Freeport, a small group of heroes foiled it five years ago, Milton Drac was slain, and the Brotherhood thwarted. Heroism, it seemed, was a match for the madness of the Unspeakable One.

The Succession Crisis Freeport’s succession law required a descendent of the original Sea Lord Drac to take over, and this bloodline seemingly ended with the death of Milton Drac. To make matters worse, Drac had murdered Councilor Verlaine, Councilors Melkior Maeorgan and Brock Wallace died defending the mad Sea Lord, and the Privateer Seat (the only council seat with a term limit) was soon to be up for grabs as well. This meant Freeport was lacking a Sea Lord and three of its twelve members of the Captains’ Council. Marilise Maeorgan took over the seat of her slain brother Melkior (as permitted by the law), but the larger issues remained. The city had not seen such a power vacuum since its early days.

Candidates claiming to be members of Drac’s bloodline were everywhere. Their claims ranged from the dubious to the ridiculous, but the council tried its best to vet all the candidates while debating internally about whether the succession law should simply be abolished. The candidate with the best claim was Drak Sockit, a half-orc bastard son of Milton Drac who led a militant group of orcs (the Sons of Krom) responsible for several riots.

A Very Bad Year Freeporters who hoped Drac’s death would lead to renewed peace and prosperity were sorely disappointed as multiple disasters rocked the city over the following year. First, another war erupted on the Continent, this time between the elves and the barbarians. When the war went against the barbarians, they tried to save face by sacking Freeport. The citizens rose up to defend their homes, and a vicious battle raged in the streets. Drak Sockit led the city’s orcs against the barbarians, aiding Freeport in its hour of need, but he lost his life in the battle. After much bitter fighting, the barbarians were expelled and the city saved.

Months of rebuilding followed, and the political crisis continued. Finally, the Captains’ Council made its decision: the succession law would be revoked. To the shock and horror of the councilors, the city erupted in violence. The gangs of Freeport used the announcement as an excuse to stir up the populace, which blossomed into full-fledged rioting. While the gangs had hoped for a certain amount of anarchy to enjoy a crime spree, the rioting spun out of control. The Sea Lord’s Guard was unleashed to quash the rioters, and blood ran in the city gutters once again. The Commissioner of the Sea Lord’s Guard was killed by an angry mob, and in return, the forces of law and order went on a rampage of their own. The two dominant gangs of the city, the Buccaneers and the Cutthroats, were utterly smashed, drastically changing the politics of Freeport’s underworld.

During the riots, Councilor Arias Soderheim had his rival, Councilor Elise Grossette, kidnapped and whisked out of Freeport. He wanted her out of the way so he could make his move and become Sea Lord. In turn, this traitor was betrayed by a Continental agent who bribed the kidnapper into torturing and killing Grossette and pinning the blame on Soderheim. Grossette was rescued but only after suffering terribly at the hands of her kidnapper. The whole ugly mess went public, and Councilor Marilise Maeorgan called for Soderheim’s blood, which she received in short order, ending the whole affair. Elise Grossette, disgusted with politics and traumatized by the torture she endured, resigned from the Captains’ Council and quit politics forever.

And then, just to keep things interesting in the City of Adventure, a hurricane slammed into Freeport and caused yet more destruction..

A New Sea Lord After the failure of Arias Soderheim’s bid for power, the Captains’ Council knew it must stabilize Freeport or face a full-fledged civil war. Councilor Marilise Maeorgan argued the empty seats must be filled before a new Sea Lord could be chosen. The other members saw this as an opportunity to get new blood on the Captains’ Council without interference from a Sea Lord, so they agreed with Maeorgan’s suggestion. At this point, the Captains’ Council consisted of the following members: Captain Garth Varellion, Captain Hector Torian, Dirwin “Nimblefingers” Arnig, Sister Gwendolyn, Liam Blackhammer, Captain Marcus Roberts, and Marilise Maeorgan, with Captain Xavier Gordon in the Privateer’s Seat.

Since Xavier Gordon’s term in the Privateer Seat was almost up, he resigned and offered up his candidacy for a regular seat on the council. This was gladly accepted. Peg-Leg Peligro, the high priest of the Pirate God, took over the Privateer Seat at the councils’ urging because they wanted someone they could trust. The council was filled out with three new members: Captain Jacob Lydon, Nathan Grymes, and Enoch Holliver. The roguish Lydon was a former pirate whose merchant shipping company had seen better days. Nathan Grymes was a powerful merchant who was said to run an extensive smuggling ring on the Continent. Enoch Holliver was a retired mercenary captain with many influential friends and enough gold to keep his fingers in many pies.

With the council back to its required twelve members, debates on who should take over as Sea Lord began in earnest. With Lady Elise Grossette and Arias Soderheim out of contention, the field was wide open. Captain Garth Varellion put himself forward, as did Liam Blackhammer and several outside candidates. In a surprise move, Marilise Maeorgan advanced her own claim, despite her youth and the shortness of time served on the Captains’ Council. Even more surprising, she quickly became the leading candidate. Despite her deceased brother’s involvement with Milton Drac, she had three things going for her. First, her family had been prominent in Freeport’s affairs for over a century. Second, her family fortune gave her a lot of money to spread around. Third, her vehemence in punishing the treachery of Arias Soderheim won her many public accolades.

So it was that Marilise Maeorgan became the second female Sea Lord. While this was not greeted with enthusiasm in all corners of Freeport, neither did it cause an uproar. While most folks understood that Marilise was almost certain to be corrupt, plain old corruption was preferable to the insanity of Milton Drac or a prolonged civil war.

The new Sea Lord was quick to make her mark on the city. With the Commissioner of the Sea Lord’s Guard, Xander Williams, slain during the recent rioting, there was an important vacancy to fill. She split the Sea Lord’s Guard in two. She made her father, Marshal Maeorgan, Commander of the Sea Lord’s Guard. His men were given two primary duties: protecting the Sea Lord and defending the city from outside threats. The policing of the city was made the purview of the new Freeport Watch, whose appointed commissioner was none other than Enoch Holliver. By giving important positions to her father and a councilor who supported her bid for Sea Lord, Marilise Maeorgan made clear that nepotism was back and better than ever in Freeport.

With Marilise Maeorgan’s ascension to the Sea Lordship, there was yet another vacancy on the Captains’ Council. Liam Blackhammer nominated Tarmon, the High Wizard, in a move that caught the Sea Lord and the Council off guard. Tarmon had advised the council for many years but had never had a desire to serve on it. The Sea Lord did not want to make an enemy of the High Wizard, so she supported the nomination, and Tarmon joined the Captains’ Council. This was the first time a powerful wizard served on the Captains’ Council, and it made many in Freeport uneasy.

Freeport Today The first year of Maeorgan’s regime was trying. First, the Great Green Fire nearly destroyed everything. In a freakish supernatural event, the island of A’Val was set ablaze, and Freeport was nearly wiped off the map. The Wizards’ Guild finally squelched the fire but not before half the island was turned to ash. Second, the town of Libertyville was re-founded and began competing commercially with Freeport.

The past two years have—at long last—been back to business as usual for Freeport. Marilise Maeorgan has been a stronger leader than expected, and her distinct lack of grandiose plans has made most citizens sigh in relief. Freeporters know how to deal with the business of corruption, and in that the Maeorgan regime excels. Marilise has power, and through that power, she and her friends make money. She sees her job as maintaining the status quo, and by and large, this has been achieved. Nothing, however, stops the bubbling cauldron of the City of Adventure…

Currency in Freeport In Freeport, gold is gold no matter where it’s minted, so long as it has a reasonable weight and purity. Merchants accept coins regardless of their origin, but they always weigh the coins to ensure their value. Freeport does mint its own coins called “lords,” but lacking any gold mines, they reclaim gold coins from taxes, melt it down, and re-mint the coins to bear the winged hourglass of the city and a likeness of the ruling Sea Lord. Since the tax collectors aren’t choosy about the coins they collect, coins minted in the city are often worth less than foreign coins, since the smelters do little to sift out impurities.

Aside from the lords and other gold coins, Freeport also circulates silver, brass, and copper coins—also minted in the city and again using coins reclaimed during tax collections. Silver coins, called “skulls” bear a crude skull and crossed bones and are almost always tarnished black. One lord is worth about ten skulls.

The brass and copper coins are called pennies. Ten pennies make up a skull, or one hundred pennies make up a lord. Brass pennies are slightly more valuable than copper ones, since they are often black with frequent handling, and this makes some indistinguishable from older silver coins. Freeporters use the expression “scratch a penny” as a wish for good luck because some folks find, to their delight, that the black bit of metal is actually silver beneath all the muck. Copper pennies are weak and turn greenish white with corrosion, though they are accepted all the same.

Aside from metal coins, Freeporters often use barter for trade, exchanging trade goods or selling services in exchange for commodities. Letters of credit drafted by the Bank of Freeport are also as good as gold, and some locals have even begun to exchange wooden tokens as IOUs, which can be exchanged for one skull or rarely, one lord.

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Gods and Religion
Of the gods venerated in Freeport, four have the largest congregations. They are the Gods of Knowledge, Pirates, Warriors, and the Sea. Since they are closely aligned with the values and occupations of most Freeporters, they occupy the largest temples and have the most political clout. The rest of the religions are crammed into the district wherever they can find a place. Some of the lesser-known gods have simply been thrown together and share a single temple. The bottom line is that if someone worships it—and said worship doesn’t require the maiming or killing of other living beings—it probably has a representative here.

It’s almost inevitable that the odd “unacceptable” religion does crop up from time to time in the Temple District. The district is self policing in this area, though. If a group of worshippers’ practices are merely odious or offensive (the obnoxious midnight sex orgies of the God of Debauchery or the violent initiation rituals of the God of Pain), the followers of such deities are “asked” politely (or sometimes not-so-politely) to leave the district.

Extreme, savage, or destructive religions are not permitted at all, though some occasionally disguise themselves in the trapping of other deities and “hide” in plain sight. When discovered, the larger churches quickly, quietly destroy them.

While four gods dominate Freeport’s theological landscape, it’s also home to scores more. Religions from the Continent survive in the shadow of the dominant faiths and include the God of Justice, the God of Death, God of Wisdom, and even the God of Thieves. Many of these priests operate small temples or shrines in the Temple District, while the smallest must make do with a tiny stall in the Fool’s Market.

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A general idea of what Smuggler's Moon might look like can be seen here. Our lady's coloring will be different and may have a more "fantasy type" appearance, of course, but that pic should give you the basic feel for what the ship looks like.

Length Overall (including bowsprit, aftspar, etc): 280 ft
Hull Length: 212 ft 5 inches
Beam: 36 ft
Draft: 2.75 fathoms
Speed: 17 knots





Got some drawings and deckplans of my own in the works... keep an eye on this space for developments.

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...Also, first post has been updated with some minor info... read that, if you will...

...I've carved out all the space holders I need, I think.

Consider the Q&A open for business.

To say that the Dwarven society is based on rules is like saying pirates enjoy the occasional drink. That is, a profound understatement that doesn't come close to describing reality. Dwarves are born into rules. They live for rules. They die by the rules.

Nearly every dwarf ever born has lived this way, and never had cause to complain.

....And then there is Askurt Maast.

Readily apparent ever since he was young, he was different. As he grew to manhood he stayed that way. And while he never broke any of his clan's precious rules, he did the next worst thing: he questioned them.

This stemmed, perhaps, from a rule thrust upon him nearly at birth. He had been, as all dwarf males are, part of an arranged marriage.

Many humans will roll there eyes at this point, mumbling under their breath about the cliche of an unwanted arranged marriage, and the predictable drama that must have been this dwarf's life. Being shortsighted and judgemental as humans are wont to be, they fail to comprehend the difference between the arranged marriages of human nobility, and the arranged marriages that are, truthfully, at the very root of dwarven culture. To even talk about walking away from such a thing, is as taboo to the Dwarves as murder. Perhaps moreso.

But walk away he did. After spending some decades learning the ins and outs of cannonry (and indeed, contributing to some of the newer designs and innovations), he packed up his few belongings, and made for the nearest dock, setting sail before anyone could find him.

Unlike most dwarves, Askurt Maast could not abide by all these rules. A rule to sit down, a rule to stand up, a rule to eat, a rule to sleep.... the list went on and on. Askurt went of search in something that he could not name, but knew he needed.

He was to find it, some years later, in the town of Freeport.

A dwarven gun master was always in demand, but Askurt Maast found himself shipless. He had sailed with 7 captains to date, and found no ship to his taste. The cannons of his people were pieces of art. Tools of destruction, to be sure, but art nonetheless. And as an artist, Askurt was passionate in his views of how and when they should be used. Seven captains had disagreed with him. It was hard for a principled man to find work in a pirate port. Doubly so for a pricipled dwarf, who might have been seen as rebellious among his people, but amongs humans was nearly as steadfast and immovable as a reef.

He continued his trade, building and repairing cannons for those captains he deemed worthy, although neccessity had forced him, bit by bit, to lower his standards. He had given up hope of a seafaring life, and was considering returning to his people, ready to accept any punishment or ridcule they would mete him.

And then he met Jericho Hawkes.

A pirate in name only, a man guided by principles. Different than Askurt's, to be sure, but just as firm. He offered his services one last time, and Hawkes accepted. His expertise with cannons quickly had the crew trained to be one of the most quick and accurate... and deadly.... that sailed from Freeport.

And so it was that Askurt Maaast became a longstanding member of Jericho's crew. Although he took issue to the half-orc at first, he eventually grew to to trust him. Askurt would never be truly at ease around him, but he could at least respect Khash. He argued incessantly with Willow, to noone's surprise. The Dwarves' distaste for humans and elves was well known. However, as time passed there was less and less sting behind his words, and he now considers the young half-elf something of a kid sister, although he won't admit it to anyone, even himself.

Askurt Maaast found what he was looking for aboard the Smuggler's Moon, although he still couldn't quite put a name to it. A life of his own. A trade he enjoyed. Even a "family" he had chosen.

Askurt Maaast, though he didn't realize it, had found freedom.

(((subject to change as i get answers from the other players. It should be noted that while none of Askurt history is hidden or secret, its not known to anyone but himself, although the captain and willow may know bits.)))

(also edited for spelling)

As I said via PM, Chess... I'm liking the bio for Askurt. *nods*

The rest of you should feel free to post your character's bios here, as well, when/if you're so inclined. Note that if there are bits and pieces of your character's past (or present) that wouldn't be "general knowledge" to the crew, you might want to keep those bits to yourselves (and me) for the time being... or, at least, mark those bits in your bio somehow... I think I can trust this group to not "metagame" as long as it's clearly stated that "only my character knows this"...

Glad you like it.

*looks it over*

that came out a lot longer than i thought while i was writing it....

*evaporates*

Wait 'til ye see Jericho's, mate.



Looking forward to seeing Askurt in action.

Looking great so far! Does our lady have a figure head (I'm sure she does, just wondering what it might be)? I might have just missed that some wheres.

And don't worry Chess ~ Willow's is...also ginormous.

Hmmm... I'm sure she probably does... never gave much thought to what it might be, though.

Let's see, when Jericho and crew took her, she was a merchant ship from the Ivory Ports and was called Isabella... She's also got a distinct elven flavor to her lines and design, to boot, so it may be she had a life before that, even.

Not sure why but, at the moment, I'm calling up an elven looking lass, arms outstretched in front of her, palms upturned, perhaps holding a crescent moon? *shrugs*

What say the rest of you?