Luskan

Luskan, the City of Sails, spans the rapid River Vaixio which tumbled from the hill at the center of the island. The swift river has cut deep here, and Luskan rests atop two escarpments on either side, with sheer, forty-foot bluffs of gray stone rising above the water. Around the city's perimeter, thick stone walls with squat towers provide a defense.   Within the city walls and on the nearby waters, Luskan is ruled by its High Captain Jarlaxle Baenre and his five captains:

• First Captain Beniago Kurth
• Second Captain Barri Barum
• Third Captain Dagmaer Suljack
• Fourth Captain Throa Taerl
• Fifth Captain Haartouchen Rethnor

The five Captains take the names of their Ships when they ascend to leadership. The captains are the highest authorities, besides High Captain Baenre; they and the members of their Ships conduct themselves as a sort of nobility, albeit one that isn't hereditary.   Despite the name, each Ship is not a single vessel, but an organization of stalwarts owing allegiance to one another, to their Captain, and to High Captain Jaraxle Baenre. To be a member of a Ship is a select privilege, one that only one in ten of Luskan's residents can claim. High Captain Baenre's Ship is named Bregan D'aerthe and consists of solely male drow, most of them culled from destroyed or disgraced houses from the Underdark.  

People of the Ships

Without question, the people of Luskan show their pirate heritage. They raid ships and coastal settlements, engage in interdiction and piracy, and value strength of arms above most other qualities. During Luskan's long history with the Wynarn Empire, the city has adopted many of the attitudes of mainland folk. Luskar don't kidnap people from other settlements or tribes, and they hold that women have social standing equal to men (two of the Captains, Suljack and Taerl, are women). They don't distrust magic but are wary of its power. Unlike the other principalities, slavery is illegal in Luskan because of the hatred of traditional drow culture by Bregan D'aerthe and High Captain Jarlaxle Baenre.  

Kauja jos Piramti

Kauja jos piramti (elvish for trade and piracy) are the basis for the city's economy. Luskan doesn't officially tax its citizens; the city makes its money through trade, fishing, piracy, and raiding. The defense of the city comes at the expense of the Ships, paid for by the profits of those activities as well as the protection money the Ships extort from businesses and homes to keep the thieves and gangs at bay. Since the Ships take care of defense, House Medani and House Deneith have no presence in the city. However, bounty hunters of House Tharashk are frequently found in Luskan, working for or against the Ships depending on the job.  

Brotherhoods of Magic and Steel

 

The Arcane Brotherhood

In the last two decades or so, great changes have come over Luskan. The first was the usurping by Jarlaxle Baenre, allowing Bregan D'aerthe to claim power over the island. The second was selling its services as privateers and mercenaries during the War of the Five Nations and amassing great wealth from war profits. The last, far more sudden, was the return of the Arcane Brotherhood and its five-spired tower. A few years ago, the ruined Hosttower of the Arcane began regenerating its damaged stone, climbing into the sky once more. Shortly thereafter, the mages of the Arcane Brotherhood emerged, almost immediately began cleansing the whole island, Vaixell, of undead, and fought off a dragon menacing the city following the war. Cheered by the citizens, they swore to keep themselves out of the politics of the principalities and the city at large, but the notion that powerful wizards closely aligned with one another can truly remain neutral is laughable by the members of Bregan D'aerthe.   Now, the Arcane Brotherhood again walks the streets of Luskan, marked by the distinctive colors and patterns of their cloaks. From a distance, these cloaks all bear the same cut and silhouette, but each wizard of the Hosttower chooses a color or a design, and a moniker to match it. The leadership of the Arcane Brotherhood is the archmage and the four overwizards of the other spires of the Hosttower:

• Cashaan the Red, Archmage Arcane
• Zelenn the White, Overwizard of the West
• Jendrick the Blue, Overwizard of the South
• Teyva the Green, Overwizard of the East
• Druette the Dark, Overwizard of the North

 

The Fatherless Sons

Originally formed by a group of squires left orphaned by the deaths of their knights in battle, the guild’s name reflects their shared grief and determination to forge their own path in a world that had cast them aside. Over time, they developed into a disciplined and efficient force, known for their loyalty to one another and their willingness to take on dangerous assignments. The Fatherless Sons excel in escorting merchant ships, guarding valuable cargo, and rooting out Darktow threats, but they are not above accepting less savory contracts when coin is scarce.   The group is led by Dain "Ironhand" Marreck, a former squire turned hardened commander who lost his right hand in a duel but replaced it with a masterfully crafted steel prosthetic. Dain is both a shrewd tactician and a charismatic leader, earning the respect of his men through a blend of cunning and camaraderie. The guild’s ultimate goal is to accumulate enough wealth and influence to secure a place of power in Luskan, ensuring that no one in their ranks will ever again face the abandonment they once endured. Though their methods are pragmatic and sometimes ruthless, the Fatherless Sons hold a strict code of loyalty to each other, viewing themselves as a family born not of blood, but of shared loss and survival.