Feral Oyster Island
Feral Oyster Island sits just north of the equator in a remote section of the Talinian Ocean. It's best known as the home of Zabar, a city of pirates who are the scourge of merchant ships on three continents.
The infamous pirates of Zabar call the Feral Oyster their home and jealously defend it against all comers. We orcs of Borthakar used to have dealings with them back in the old days, but they've turned against us since we "went straight" and joined the Concordance and allied with the Sovranty. Despite all that, some of my best carousing buddies come from that salty corpolith in the sea!
The desolate Feral Oyster Island has a sparse covering of coconut trees and a population of feral pigs that eat anything that they come across. The waters are full of the eponymous oysters that slash up anyone unfortunate enough to be washed upon its shores. It has one cove on the eastern side that is home to the pirate city of Zabar. The active volcano known as Myxapex's Mountain sits on the western side of the island.
Geography
The island sits at roughly 4° N and -72°W in the middle of the Talinian Ocean at the halfway point between the Island of Darastrix Tolgalen and the Talin Islands. It is roughly 29 miles from east to west and 32 miles from north to south and roughly 928 sq. mi. in area. In times past it served as a stopping point for fleets from Krosia to Yuchao, but the presence of the pirate fleets eventually prevented that.
The east side of the island is relatively flat and the west is volcanic. The east to west trade winds causes precipitation, sparse as it is, to stay on the east side of the island. The waters around the island are full of oyster reefs in the shallow waters. A maze of treacherous coral reefs surround the island further out.
The maze of reefs and shipwrecks around the island form a natural defense against invading armies. It is against the Buccaneer's Code for anyone but a member of the Captain's Council to have a map of it. Many old pirates have them well memorized. A common game amongst the Captains involves putting them in a single handed dinghy alone and having them navigate the maze.
Ecology
The island is covered with sparse tropical forests. Over the centuries, non-native hogs and rats have completely overtaken the ecosystem. Tree dwelling birds are rare and the forests themselves have been dwindling. The oyster and coral reefs attracts marine wildlife of all kinds. The people of the island rely on the ocean for most of their food.
Settlements
The island is sparsely settled except for the city of Zabar. There are a few shanty towns dotting the coast that survive by fishing and selling their catch in the city. A few hermits live in the caves and the thin coconut forests.
A colony of kobolds live in the volcanic Myxapex's Mountain on the dry western side of the island. They run a brewery that makes suspiciously addictive beer. They live under the rule of the dragon Myxapex, but the dragon has not been seen in months.
The waters around the island contain settlements of ixixachitl (demon rays) and sahuagin (shark men). These malevolent sophonts have a non-aggression treaty with the pirates. They enter the waters of Zabar only for trade, but anyone entering their waters should expect to be hunted down and consumed.
Maps
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Feral Oyster Island
The desolate island in the middle of the Talinian Ocean that is the home of Zabar.
Wow. I'm glad I don't have to navigate a bunch of coral reefs in a dingy. Sounds like a great place for pirates to hide out. I think I'll keep away from the ixixachitl and the sahaugin too (love how the names already give me a feel for these beings!)
I can't take credit for the names, they're D&D monsters. But the maze of reefs is all me! I'm still working on articles, so thanks for making the effort to find this one!
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