Central Current Alliance

The Central Current Alliance is a tentative agreement between several aquatic and amphibian races in response to the growing Sahuagin threat. The alliance is lead by Queen Orthokent, leader of the Ziuanthi Lizardfolk Tribe.

HISTORY

Although the members of the Central Current Alliance are not naturally allies, they united together prior to the War of the Bloody Deep, a great conflict between the Sahuagin and the other aquatic races. The sahuagin traditionally had few resources and little access to trade. Religious leaders claimed that expansion was a holy duty declared by the Sahuagin God, Sekolas. Hindsight now shows that the Sahuagin High Priestess had been corrupted by an artifact of the Elder One, and it is possible this expansion was driven by her own desires to find one of the Shards of the Elder One.

Sahuagin Threat

10 years prior to the formation of the alliance, the Ziuanthi tribe was repeatedly attacked by Sahuagin. Two months of near constant attacks left the lizardfolk unable to get much needed supplies. With over half of their warriors dead, it quickly became clear that the only viable option was to abandon their ancestral lair and flee to a less hostile environment. The lizardfolk warriors ambushed a Sahuagin patrol while Queen Orthokent and the other lizardfolk burrowed their way out a side tunnel and escaped. The lizardfolk wandered for several weeks searching for a suitable lair before discovering the abandoned stronghold near the Hool Marshes, about 10-15 miles outside of Saltmarsh, providing them a few years of respite. As the years went by, rumors of other sahuagin attacks continued to haunt the lizardfolk community. Repeated reports came in of kobold settlements being attacked and their remaining inhabitants captured and used as free laborers in Sahuagin settlements. After amassing a large collection of free enslaved labor, the sahuagin started attacking other communities for various resources. The Tortle, normally peaceful community, found themselves persecuted and hunted for their thick hides and shells, which kobolds were forced to process into refined sahuagin armor. The Locathalah community, known for their resource-rich hunting grounds, algae and shellfish farms, and a well-developed interracial commerce, stayed out of the main conflict for several years before being having their lands occupied by the Sahuagin. The Locathalah were not strangers to oppressions by the Sahuagin, having been conquered by them multiple times in their history. They choose to peacefully surrender to avoid unnecessary and inevitable deaths, but found themselves appalled when members of the community started going missing. Rumors started spreading about Locathalah being consumed by the Sahuagin overloads. The rising militaristic presence with reinforced Tortle armor has only fueled the speculation.

Alliance Members

The alliance started as a tentative agreement between the Lizardfolk [Ziuanthi], the Kobalds, The @tortle and the Locathah. Each of these species was chosen by Queen Orthokent for their underwater military prowess, and their mutual proximity to the Sahuagin threat. Much deliberation occurred about whether to include the Koalinth or the kobalds, who are long-standing enemies who have engaged in a series of territorial skirmishes over the last several generations. The Kobolds were eventually considered to be the stronger ally for their ability to ambush and swarm an opponent. Lizardfolk consider Bullywugs to be a naturally inferior and ostentatiously vulgar species and were not invited. Despite knowing about several planned invasions on various human settlements, including the town of Saltmarsh, land-dwelling species were not invited to the alliance due. They are considered weak and too self-absorbed in their own issues to be worth bringing into an aquatic alliance. Calls to the Gadalathan Tribe, historically strong though reclusive ally, have gone unanswered. The Central Current Alliance was the first interspecies agreement the lizardfolk have entered into in 3 generations.

Type

Alliance, Generic