The Sea

The majority of the great sea is empty and unwelcoming, often swept by powerful storms. A circular trade current brings the orcish hordes each spring and returns them home each autumn, and in the interim, vigorous trade happens between island kingdoms, orcish haulers, Galasteri traders, and the fey below. This tense trade zone covers the central archipelago and shapes the lives of most peoples of the larger islands. The tropical environment lends itself to some unique trade goods, but also presents unique challenges to kingdom-building without trade. As such, those who play the game amass greater power.

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Travel

There are few neutral landmarks on the Sea. When wayfinding, results skew towards friendly locations dealing with a major problem and hostile locations with a pretense for tolerating new visitors, if briefly. The only place to find neutrality is on the open waters, where the weather does what it wishes. On land, there are islanders, orcs, fey, and worse to contend with, each hoping to extract value from the soil.

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Peoples

The folk of the Ragged Isles are a mix of human, halfling, dwarvish, and dragonborn, with a growing number of half-elves of the sea and half-orcs. Those of orcish blood rarely linger on the isles, however, being the first recruited into the summer wars to earn wealth and honors with the horde. The rest do what they can to rise above the concerns of the Galasteri, the Horde, or anyone else with demands.

The isles come with demands of their own, as powerful earth and fire elementals often seek out tribute, ranging from friendly patrons of local villages to djinn in search of new slaves. Placating or defeating these elementals have made the islanders wary of shows of might, but willing to defend themselves. As master sailors and hardened warriors, they remain unconquered for more reasons than the storms.

Below the sea, however, a vast empire of sea elves, tritons, merfolk, and their allies hold expansive control over all water-breathing peoples and communities below the waves. The Queen of the Illimited Depths holds elegant courts, inviting surface and sea-folk alike who draw her interest to entertain her. Her ties to the Feywild and a personal court of skilled knights and talented magical courtesans make her nearly impossible to challenge. To ensure loyalty, any potential threat is raided with young hostages taken. By raising the children of her enemies as her favored knights and performers, she keeps her enemies in check and unable to form alliances against her. All of this, she turns to keeping the sea calm. There are rumors of things in the caves and cracks of the sea that even she fears and must placate.

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Places and Faces

The Eye. While the constant storms that sweep over the Sea never never touch the shores of the isle known as the Eye, this perfectly round island has not known peace for centuries. The Blooded Houses and the Orcish Horde have fought over the Throne of Tempests with a viciousness only tempered by the bloody cost. After much conflict and careful negotiation, now a Storm King is selected each year by a tournament of arms, wits, and spells. Nearly half of the contests are sponsored by the Houses, while another half come from the orcish champions and well-paid slaves. So far, local islanders have won nine battles in a row. One more victory and, by oath, the orcs and the Galasteri must abandon seeking the Throne for a century. On this pivotal year, the Queen Below is also planning to send combatants.

Har’Agrar. Called the Kingdom of Trade in Orcish, this outpost colony on the Ragged Isles welcomes all outsiders, with a few caveats. Only Orcish may be spoken in public spaces, and is the language of law and commerce on the island. Only those of Orcish blood or with written permission may own land there - a matter of no small consternation to indigenous islanders who have had to ‘earn’ their own homelands. Beyond these two laws, nearly any behaviors are permitted, from infernalism to necromancy, so long as the will of the Orcish garrison is respected and order is maintained. So why do people bother visiting?

The Horde offers rewards of gold and treasure for bounties, drawing in adventurers of the Sea. Tutors can earn a lifetime’s fortune residing with orcish children and sharing their knowledge or expertise for a year, after which they are free to go with minimal memory editing. Trade for orcish raw goods is offered at remarkably low rates, in returned for finished goods, new technologies, and masterworks of note. It is an isle of plenty, even if that wealth will surely be turned against the north. Some gladly pay that price.

The Queen of the Court of Illimited Depths. This sea elf, if that’s what she truly is, entered the Sea from the Feywilds with an army of fey knights at her back and quickly established her empire in spilled blood. Once her rivals had been broken, she turned to courtly intrigues, taking in the children of all of her allies and foes as her courtiers, lovers, and students of magic. Within 150 years, nearly all defiance has fled the Sea’s depths. Now, she hosts an order of knights and a school for courtesans as hobbies, as she seeks out something to complete her control of the Sea. Her students are often sent abroad. Many never return.

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Regional Practices

The nature of the Sea and its islands make a codified list of beliefs difficult, but veneration of local spirits, elementals, ancestors, and the sea itself as a living force are common among islanders. A strong oral tradition connects distant kingdoms, while those who have turned to the written word keep extensive lineages with an understanding towards embellishing the deeds of ancestral kings and heroes. These traditions come together in art and practice in their sailing craft, which rival anything on the waters.

Below the waves, religious views are rare. Spirits are merely spirits. Elementals are merely elementals. The gods who wander the waves rarely demand much of mortals, and the few that do are terrifying.

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