Skaraven Islands
A group of a dozen major inhabited, seven smaller islands with small populations, and perhaps 30 uninhabited islands located about 800 miles west of the continent of Corgeria The islands are missing from most maps and the inhabitants take pains to make sure they do not give away the location of the islands. The islands are inhabited by the Ammerians, who are believed to be an intermixture of the Eskill and Averrem ethnic groups of western Corgeria. The islands have no large cities, although they are densely populated. Each of the inhabited islands has one significant town and one or two villages. Most of the land is devoted to large plantations which is worked by a primarily enslaved labor force. The islanders are both raiders and slavers carrying out piratical attacks on western Corgeria in which they loot coastal settlements and kidnap their inhabitants.
Demographics
Roughly half the population is made up of the native Ammerians, who settled the island more than 200 years ago. The other half of the population is made up enslaved Eskill and Averrem.
Government
The islands are ruled by the Council of Twelve made up of the hereditary overlords of each island. Every five years the overlords select one of there number to be Supreme Overlord. This body agrees on laws and makes important policy decisions. Each overlord rules his or her island with the support of a small nobility.
Defences
All the major towns and some of the villages of the islands are walled. The defenses typically consist of a single stone wall some 8-12 in height with fighting platforms and towers. The overlords typically reside in a small castle incporated into the town's defences with an additional fortified manorhouse in the ocuntryside.
Industry & Trade
The islanders trade their agricultural products to the western continent of Velarus, while raiding Corgeria to their east. The economy is centered on raiding and it victims. Some of the victims of the raiders are used as forced labor on the islands, but many are sold in Velarus, along with the islands agricultural products, particularly sugar.
Infrastructure
The port towns have an extensive complex of docks, warehouses and slave pens. Cisterns are used to store the plentiful rain water available on the islands.
Districts
Each of the twelve major inhabited islands along with surrounding smaller islands constitutes a Lordship ruled by a usually male overlord
Guilds and Factions
Each overlord is effective the leader of a faction leading one of the islands noble clans. Each Overlord has several captains commanding their raiding and merchant ships.
History
The islands were discovered approximately 200 years ago by Captain Arlinus after his ship was blown far to the west in a great storm. The Captain repaired and resupplied his ships on the islands. His exploration of the island group found no signs of previous habitation. Arlinus decided to turn the islands into a haven for a loose alliance of pirates from the West Coast of Corgeria. He enriched himself by selling to rights to each of the major islands to one of his fellow pirate captains.. These captains began to staff their new estates with enslaved laborers from western Corgeria. Some 180 years after the islands' discovery on their inhabitants found that another continent lay some 500 miles to their west and they established trade with the newly discovered lands inhabitants finding this gave them a convenient and safe way to dispose of their ill-gotten gains. They found their new trading partners had a great demand for slaves causing their raiding switch from simple smash and grab to large scale slave raids. Once this new trade opened the islanders increasingly turned from simple food growing to plantation agriculture producing a variety of crops to be sold in the western lands.
Points of interest
The beacon of Tarradis is a volcanic mountain sitting atop a small island on the eastern edge of the group. Thsi volcano is very active steadily growing it island and throwing a glow into the night sky that can be seen at a great distance. The volcano greatly eases the process of navigating to the islands from the east.
Tourism
Don't come here, they'll sell you.
Architecture
Most buildings on the island are made from blocks of coral stone or baked mud brick.
Geography
Most of the islands are a product of volcanic activity although several low lying islands developed from coral reefs.
Climate
The islands are subtropical with mild winters and hot summers. The climate is generally humid and hot for much of the year. During the fall, the islands are typically struck by powerful tropical storms.
Natural Resources
The fertile lowlands of the islands are used extensively for plantation agriculture growing sugar, tea and various fruits. The waters around the islands offer rich fishing grounds which are the source for the islands' large large scale production of salt fish.
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