Saltbacks

The halflings of the Brinskerry islands and the brinspear penninsula live hard lives. The land is not fertile, forced to bring most supplies in through raiding.

Additional Information

Social Structure

The people of the islands are ruled by a King who weilds ultimate power over war, law and organized raids.
Lord's rule over one or more islands through strength, the islands they rule were taken, not inherited or given.
Captains are freemen who have ammassed enough wealth and influence to buy a ship and to maintain a crew.
Shipwrights are freemen who frequently hold more wealth (frequently more than captains) and whose invaluable skillset puts him/her in a position of power closer to a Lord rather then the freemen that they are.
Freemen make up the core of the islands, they work the resources, harvest/trade while not at sea as crew.
Slaves are taken from ships/villages which are raided and put to work as oarsmen, field hands and other "dirty jobs".

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Their kingdom is based on the Brinskerry Islands and the Brinspike penninsula

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

Family names mirroe much of the aquatic life found in the area. As a tradition they are given an earned name for great deeds they have accomplished.

Major Organizations

Military The Saltback people of the Brins do not have a standing army primarily due to their dispersion over the many brinskerry islands. They do however have a large Navy comprised of both Saltback vessels as well as some larger ships which have been captured and repurposed.

Average Technological Level

Saltbacks are known for their seafaring vessels. Unlike the vessels common to other people's which are large, sit low in the water and rely untirely upon the wibd to move them through the water, the vessels of the Saltback people sit much higher in the water. Their vessels, while they do have a large sails to capture the wind, the rely more often on stacked rows of oarsmen. These oars are frequently captained by Saltbacks, though it is not uncommon for slaves to reinforce the oarsmen, chained to the oars themselves. The vessels have a brass reinforced bow which is shaped so that when ramming the role the opposing vessel rather than puncturing it's sides upon charging.
It is not uncommon to see larger vessels amongst the fleet of smaller vessels which utilize 3-5 stacked rows of oarmen rather the more common 1-2 of the rolling vessels. These larger ships frequently feature both larger crews as well as deck mounting ballistae. The bolts fired from these ballistae frequently have chains attached which have a large anchor at the end. This allows them to basically pin their target in the water (and help with the rolling) while they attack.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Trade occurs primarily amongst their own people. Any wealth attained through trade and not through conquest is thought to be of less than no value. It is believed that trading an item won in battle for gold devalues the item. As such the common "currency" on the ISLANDS are slaves which are frequently only traded for items of great value such as ships. Smaller trades are frequently for items of similar size and type such as trading a short sword for an ornate dagger.
Trade with outsiders, while vital, is viewed as a weakness. Shopkeepers/merchants who trade with outsiders are thought to be of a lower social status than sailors and other freemen. Gold only has any real value to outsiders so holds little to no value on the ISLANDS. Amassing of gold cannot in and of itself provide any tangible benefit except in trade with mainlanders.

Lifespan

adulthood at 20 yrs old, generally live into middle of his/her second century

Average Height

2.5ft - 3.5ft

Average Weight

35-45 lbs