Raftgown

Raftgown is a hyper fictionalized Tortuga/Caribbean pirate inspired free floating city state that has no land.

The gentle rocking of waves hides that only thing in Raftgown more dangerous then it's uncouth people, the ocean under it's wet planks.

History

Raftgown is an entirely constructed, free floating "city" made of lashed together ships, driftwood, gangplanks, and cargo netting that keeps it all relatively strapped together. The creation of this odd city has many different myths surrounding it, but the common component among them all is as follows;

A freelance pirate vessel called The Tracker was on it's typical prowl attempting to hunt down merchant ships along common trade winds between Goldscape and Luraid. It spotted a vessel and began it's hunt, before the supposed victim ship, The Chester Castle, revealed it's hidden guns. Deployed by the Navy of Goldscape, The Chester Castle was a private military vessel recruited to hunt pirate vessels within the trade winds. Unable to flee the combat due to the benefit of a druids winds aboard their now pursuer, The Tracker was forced to turn and fight. Despite all odds, it barely survived the encounter after a risky boarding action caused by ramming it's keel into the starboard hull of The Chester Castle. With it's crew disarmed or dead, the two ships faced a more pressing issue, if they separated, they would both sink immediately, but if they didn't, they would eventually sink.

Many myths surround the events following the risky maneuver. Some say that the first mate of The Tracker got into a dingy and paddled for 4 days straight until arriving at a dock to ask for help, before the now sea maddened crew of The Tracker betrayed the repair ships and lashed them onto the ships, slowly growing the city. Other myths say that the ships, locked together, drifted miles at sea before coming across a wreckage of another battle, scooping up and cobbling together the ruined ships into their own vessels.

All that is clearly known now is that The Trackers figurehead still remains partially melded with the floor of The Chester Castle and the two have become the heart of a city of floating wood and netting.

Politics

The entire city is run not by a king, but instead an Admiral, acting as the final word on all immediate decisions required by the city in cases of emergency. Broadly speaking however, the city-state has very few rules that can be summarized in just a few lines;

1. Those that draw steel first while aboard the city will be tied to a cannon and whipped(Often called "Kissing the Gunner's Daughter"), or keelhauled.
2. All are welcome, but their homelands laws and traditions are not.
3. When having doubts, bring a captain about.

As ships often join and leave Raftgown freely, many other captains of a variety of nations may present themselves. Anything their crew does, including breaking the above rules, is upon the captains head. If a crew's captain isn't available for whatever reason, or should someone not have a captain, the nearest local captain with interest may have final say in matters of trade, coin, bloodshed, and other disputes. Should some crew think the captain has unjustly dealt with crew, they may attempt to appeal to other captains or even the Admiral, though this rarely results in any results unless it directly affects them or the 3 rules.

Notable Places

As the entire nation is part of one single, generally walkable collection of gangways, ships, cargo netting, and drift materials, notable places mostly consist of odd services, popular social spaces, or odd curiosities.

Catch-All Market

A large gridded square of walkways all interspersed with cargo netting. One can set up a small ship or take a spot of the grid by paying a one time fee to the Admiral, creating a type of open air market.

Brig-Brig

A ship named Brig-Brig which apparently was a slaver ship consisting entirely of a gnoll crew, somehow. It's 4 decks of cramped, individual jail cells have since been converted into cramped and individual rooms for rent.

Darkwater Church

A magically "waterproofed" and inverted ship primarily made of a deep red wood, a small hole has been punched into it's bow and a ladder put into place. It serves as a place of worship for Fukayna, Korrick and Talm via small private rooms.

Founding Date

100-50 FAE

Alternative Names

Pirate Town, The Floating City

Demonym

Raftians