Sardinia
Sardinia for a long time was nothing but a barren island, any building would be difficult on the steep slopes of the island and the cave systems were dangerous to go near. With the development of the Merkezi a need developed for a trading center of Alphatia that was both accessible and close to the capital. Sardinia’s shape and quiet eastern bay made it a good choice, but the slopes were still a problem. The technology used to build the central island lift was now turned to the building and populating of Sardinia.
To begin with, wooden piers were built around much of the bay upon which the first buildings were erected. However, the bay was found to be very shallow at low tide and so the western more rugged side was also developed. The storms that made the side undesirable were controlled somewhat by the development of the storm walls. Created with the help of the spell Wall of Stone and a number of Rocs from the elephant kingdom of Xeng Shu the wall was erected in under a year. With the bay developed and able to hold ships on both sides the slopes were investigated as sites for buildings.
To undertake this feat a number of massive stair sets were cut and layered into the rock. These were then connected across the slope face by a series of abutted roads. In between the roads, buildings were built with at least two floors the lower often with a door to the lower road and the next level to the road above. While the buildings have these setups they have some design constraints, to allow all the buildings a view of the bays and of the governor’s house. With so much trade in the region and the build-up of the island, a number of thieves guilds developed as well as pirate dens in the cave systems. The mayors of the cities and governor of the island at first attempted to fight this darker element. However, the thieves guild were more organized and the pirates had strongholds in the caves that were almost impossible to take by large numbers.
With the failure of the first governor and mayors, they were quickly replaced. The next group of island managers decided to solve the problem by creating a set of laws that favored both the growth of the island and the activities of its underside. These laws included the setup of safe ground areas, rules about thieving and pirating in certain areas, and penalties for non-guild member thefts. At first, the guild leaders laughed at the concept but when they were each visited personally and shown that they could be found they quickly decided to accept these new laws. Sardinia has since become in most areas safe and theft free. The guilds on Sardinia train and help establish thieve’s guilds on the other islands and accept tributes for their support and protection. It has been suggested that these networks of guilds extend out from the islands onto the major continents and beyond. If so Alphatia may have one of the most extensive spies and thief networks at its disposal.
To begin with, wooden piers were built around much of the bay upon which the first buildings were erected. However, the bay was found to be very shallow at low tide and so the western more rugged side was also developed. The storms that made the side undesirable were controlled somewhat by the development of the storm walls. Created with the help of the spell Wall of Stone and a number of Rocs from the elephant kingdom of Xeng Shu the wall was erected in under a year. With the bay developed and able to hold ships on both sides the slopes were investigated as sites for buildings.
To undertake this feat a number of massive stair sets were cut and layered into the rock. These were then connected across the slope face by a series of abutted roads. In between the roads, buildings were built with at least two floors the lower often with a door to the lower road and the next level to the road above. While the buildings have these setups they have some design constraints, to allow all the buildings a view of the bays and of the governor’s house. With so much trade in the region and the build-up of the island, a number of thieves guilds developed as well as pirate dens in the cave systems. The mayors of the cities and governor of the island at first attempted to fight this darker element. However, the thieves guild were more organized and the pirates had strongholds in the caves that were almost impossible to take by large numbers.
With the failure of the first governor and mayors, they were quickly replaced. The next group of island managers decided to solve the problem by creating a set of laws that favored both the growth of the island and the activities of its underside. These laws included the setup of safe ground areas, rules about thieving and pirating in certain areas, and penalties for non-guild member thefts. At first, the guild leaders laughed at the concept but when they were each visited personally and shown that they could be found they quickly decided to accept these new laws. Sardinia has since become in most areas safe and theft free. The guilds on Sardinia train and help establish thieve’s guilds on the other islands and accept tributes for their support and protection. It has been suggested that these networks of guilds extend out from the islands onto the major continents and beyond. If so Alphatia may have one of the most extensive spies and thief networks at its disposal.
Geography
Sardinia is hourglassed in shape with the north and south bells being extinct volcanoes. Both volcanoes are honeycombed with cave systems formed by the flows; many of these are home to sea creatures and pirate groups. The saddle between the volcanoes is mostly tuff and volcanic ash. It has a number of farms growing on it and a town on the east and west side at the centre of the bay’s curve. These two towns are extending up the hill to the top of the saddle. A small formal wall to indicate the ruling district of the two mayors separates them. Also on the crown exists the governor’s house overlooking both towns. Both these towns have an extensive port system with the more exposed west side having center storm walls extending out to form a huge protected bay.
Fauna & Flora
The Island is almost barren of natural flora. A few hardy trees find life on a crag not taken by birds. However, a thriving farm community of olives and grapes has been established, with grapes near the coast and the olives across the saddle.
Much of the fauna on Sardinia are sea birds that make their nests on the north and south points over the caves. Within the caves, legends speak of many horrid creatures that make homes there. There are also a number of legends that suggest passageways to the underdark through the north or south volcanic tube.
Natural Resources
Sardinia produces little; instead, it is a place where produce is moved both legally and illegally. It has become the trading center of Alphatia. This is mostly due to the difficulty of transporting material into the capital especially if the product is questionable. Sardinia also produces of olives and wines, the low winds and dry climate make conditions perfect for the growing of olives in the central districts and the slight damper coasts make good grape growing conditions.
Maps
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Sardinia
Type
Island
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Included Organizations
Owner/Ruler
Owning Organization
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