Charles original 'random books bit' for the PDF dealt with DM info/introduction stuff. This one deals with everything setting related. Bits and pieces that Aren't really worth a full thread on their own, or which should be inserted into a gazetteer or section to plug a current gap.
Hazhkan Gazetteer:
Rotwood
Far from the Provincial capitols, the villages of native converts, and most other signs of civilisation is the venture town of Rotwood – called mti’buvo in the native tongue, after the swamp it inhabits. The worst of a bad bunch of sweaty frontier towns, Rotwood is located at the foot of a mineral-rich mountain called Po Valmai in the local native tongue. The name means Great Cursed Stone and the indigenous tribes regard the colonists who dwell and work their as blasphemous fools at best and insane demons at worst. The tribesmen also fear the area as the lair of a great jungle spirit called H’ko-H’ko. Most avoid it like the plague, but a few bands of fanatical native hunters (often lead by shamans) deliberately hunt the townsfolk, subjecting them to torture and murder to drive out the evil of the Great Cursed Stone and placate the wrath of H’ko-H’ko. There are supernatural dangers too: vengeful ghosts plague the area, and rumours persist of lingering fey.
Isolated at the heart of a stinking acidic swamp, built on constantly rotting and warping stilts, the village of Rotwood is too new and too remote to be infamous, but it’s only a matter of time. The Shapstone Cartel founded the town far beyond the civilised areas controlled by the Harmonium, and controls Rotwood (little more than a walled campsite with a handful wooden buildings) with its own guards. Practically the only sign of civilisation is their aerostat tower and fortified trading post, where prospectors can exchange gems and gold nuggets for coinage or promissory notes. Most revenue is spent on the town’s rough entertainments: debauched taverns and brothels that help distract prospectors from the hellish conditions of the area.
Pan Thaera
Seven Turtle Bay
(have I posted this before? Can't see it if so. If I have, ignore the old one - this is the editted version)
Major NPCs:
Sin Laah [CG lizardfolk Ranger 5/Rogue 5]
Patriarch Raztibon [NG Aquatic Tiefling, Druid 7]
Raef Ogrun [CG Ogre Bard 4]
Population: 60% Scalefolk, 10% Mer, 10% Hobgoblin, 15% Human, 5% other
Tucked away in a quiet corner of the tropical Thearan Isles is a lacerde reservation called Seven Turtles Bay. The coastal mangroves are home to a tribe who take their name from the area, and have also given their name to the thriving town which is built there, a centre of the fishing trade for leagues around. Unbeknownst to many beyond its borders however, Seven Turtles is also a hub for smuggling. Most of the cargoes are actual legal, but the smugglers use corrupt port authorities to evade tolls and shipping restrictions, as well as sneak stolen goods, banned items, and the occasional fugitive to or from the dock.
Fishermen also come to Seven Turtles from miles around; to sell their catch, relax in the Licensed Quarter, and trade goods both honest and underhand. It’s a filthy, noiseome, and occasionally violent place - but it is also vibrant, friendly, and expanding; expanding so much in fact, that its cosy niche as a smuggler’s paradise is under threat.
The town of Seven Turtles is built partly out of the water and partly over it, on stilt-bottomed huts and lashed together rafts and barges - and even a few whole ships, which have been nailed to their neighbours and are locked in place by mud and weeds. In places it’s hard to work out exactly where the town ends and the mangroves begin. Even with the danger of roving swamp predators, the local Scalefolk seem to like it that way.
Both the town and the tribal reservation are named after the seven huge barges floating in its bay, each crafted from the hollow shell of a gargantuan dragon turtle, brightly polished and studded with gold. The barges are ancient, dating from long before the Pax Harmonium, when local lacerde hero Adishaga of the Seven Spears slew the clan of dragon turtles that terrorised the bay. The barges are traditionally owned by various dignitaries of the town, but ownership (and purpose) of each barge changes hands fairly regularly.
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Currently the Seven Barges are:
Rattling Hall - a gaming establishment of some fame, site of the largest dragon turtle shell. Here the movers and shakers of Seven Turtles meet for a relaxing game.
Mother’s Hall - where Sin Laah holds court when she wants privacy, surrounded by a small fleet of watchboats to ensure she’s not disturbed.
Joyhouse Hall - floating home of a handful of elegant Otaki (half-hobgoblin) courtesans. Each controls one of the town’s major houses of ill repute.
Gods’ Hall - a shrine to the Lords of Order, focusing on local god Man’wanui (an aspect of Rialondru). Maintenance of this shrine is part of the duties of the local Patriarch.
Surepouch Hall - a floating bank, run by an elderly but spry and cunning Mer wizard called Zotikus. Few treasures are stored on site; Zotikus uses extra-dimensional spaces to store the goods.
New Hall - recently restored after a Mhaol attack, its new owner and purpose are still unknown.
Fool’s Hall - This barge has had several owners, each of which came to a bad end. Popular rumour says the shell is cursed. The latest incubant is Kan Lazu, an eccentric hobgoblin artificer who’s become obsessed with converting the hall into a steam and magic powered watercraft; a giant mechanical turtle in which he can explore the depths of the sea.
Alongside the barges are other floating businesses, some little more than tents on lashed together rafts. These and a string of tavernas on the waterfront form the Licensed Quarter of Seven Turtles, site of countless smuggling deals. Honest wares are sold at markets in the centre of town (just behind the docks) beyond which lies a sprawl of huts and tribal lodges, competing with newer and more ordered tenements and manses. Trading compounds and private manses mark the edge of the town, which has expanded sideways along the Bay rather than inland. Away from the coast, Seven Turtles is surrounded by sweltering swampland; tribal reservation of the Scalefolk who founded the time.
History
Seven Turtle Bay has been the home of the local lacerde tribe since long before the Knights of Harmony. When they were freed from peonage under the Thaeran Empire they transformed themselves from a tribe into a venture company, to better protect their interests from the new regime. The Seven Turtles Cartel has had its ups and downs over the years, but came into its own during the Reconciliation, when it married the areas twin local interests: honest fishing and dishonest smuggling. Since that time the powers-that-be have managed to keep a low profile and prosper. Things haven’t always run smoothly however.
Twenty years ago the town fell under the influence of a gang of vicious Mer cutthroats called the Long Coral Knife, lead by a vicious warrior called Nyx. A Freefolk adventurer from the tribal reservation (Sin Laah, known these days as ‘Mother Turtle’) was able to deal with the criminals and reassert lacerde authority over the town - and at the same time take control of both the official running of Seven Turtles (as mayor) and its unlawful aspects (as Queen of the local underworld). Since then she’s tied the two halves of the town ever closer together and maintained the careful balance of interests that keeps Seven Turtles running - without interference from Provincial authorities, Harmonium, or OCA.
Economy
The Bay was originally just a fishing town and at its heart it still is, even though trade has become its primary resource. Turtles form a large part of the local economy, providing meat, eggs, and shells. The bay is a spawning ground for these creatures and they return in large numbers each year to lay their eggs, a great time of celebration.
Dragon turtles also use the Bay for mating and egg-laying on occasion, causing mayhem as they virtually take over for a few weeks each year. Many rafts and hovels are swamped by waves sent crashing by the cavorting beasts, but despite these problems, it is an important time in the religion of Man’wanui and generally endured with good humour by the populace. The dragon turtles’ arrival also coincides with mating season for the lacerde, so the town is virtually shut down anyway, except for people of other races and a few eggless female elders (Sin Laah amongst them).
The locals worship the stately Man’wanui, a local deity dedicated to the turtles that provide so much to the people. Since the establishment of the Pax Harmonium, the faith has worked hard to pass itself off as a mere aspect of Rialondru - a sedate power who controls the rituals of life and tide. In fact his priests are mostly druids worshipping the Turtle Lord, one of the Animal Lords of the Beastlands.
Man’wanui has no particular like or dislike for the Harmonium; he’s concerned himself only with his turtles and those who venerate them. His worshipers consider it better to be cautious however: Records of Man’wanui’s true nature appear to have been lost or forgotten in some bureaucratic mistake of long ago, and his worshippers see no reason to draw the OCA’s attention once again.
Aside from fish, turtles, and smuggling the town is host to some of the isles’ famous Otaki free divers, who work the local pearl beds. There’s been some trouble of late with the new Mer population, who have obvious advantages in that profession. Sin Laah has been working hard to keep Mer from the town’s traditional pearl beds, but so far has not resorted to violence when persuasion and financial compensation will do the trick. She and the other town officials hope to tempt the Mer into other professions rather than sharing of the local pearl beds.
Seven Turtles is a ‘Cartel Town’ owned lock, stock, and barrel by the local tribe, who run it as a co-operative venture. They operate the shops, crew the ships, control the warehouses and Licensed Quarter, take imports and exports through the swamp, and just about every other task. Most of the company’s people are lacerde but other races (even tzotke) are welcome so long as they understand that the company’s primary purpose is to benefit the Seven Turtle Bay tribe.
Most travellers come to Seven Turtles to trade goods for fish and turtle meat, as well as pearls, coral, and shell and general trade with the Mer. From here the goods are sent inland or exported to the continent, often magically preserved. Some of the haulers are locals, some independent traders, some major cartels. It’s undercover of these activities that the town’s smuggling goes on; many people joke that “keep it discrete” is the only real law in town. Seven Turtles is a haven for Freefolk, who prefer to use the port because of its relaxed attitude: Although all the normal laws are (usually) upheld, citizen papers are only cursorily examined and travellers are rarely bothered by awkward questions. The Freefolk also enjoy relaxing in the town’s brothels and gaming houses - a good place to meet new contacts and keep informed of goings on among the free; at times the town seems like a virtual holiday resort for adventurers.
Illicit trade is a way of life in Seven Turtles. Raef Ogrun is Harbourmaster, and proudly announces that he has never taken a bribe nor never ever will to let goods go unregistered or a crime go overlooked. That’s the literal truth – because Sin Laah pays him a steady wage instead. The entire tribe looks the other way for their fellows, and those not from it know to keep quiet for their own good.
Most smuggled goods are perfectly legal, just sneaked in to reduce punitive taxes on goods the OCA disapprove of (like rum or Bafatan black ice), or which can be quietly sold for nefarious uses (like opium). The harbour inspectors regularly miscount crates for friendly ships and fail to record the names of known smuggler vessels. It’s also not uncommon for goods “lost overboard in transit” to mysteriously turn up again after inspection, sometimes assisted by Sin Laah’s Mer allies. Only the Seven Turtles venture company and their ‘special friends’ (i.e. those who pay for the privilege) receive such boons: Criminals from outside the arrangement are treated to a visit from the Pirate Queen’s leg-breakers or a unit of tame Hardheads – and sometimes they’re both.
As well as outside criminals, recanters and antipodes are treated especially harshly by the powers that be. Superficial respectability is an important part of Sin Laah’s plans for the town, and disruption to its carefully crafted appearance would draw official attention that the town couldn’t withstand for long.
Recent Events
The town’s Mer population has swelled since the Long Coral Knife were defeated, taking residence in the warm waters of the bay. They live in underwater caves coral structures near the bay, but not so close as to be considered part of it. The influx of Mer caused some initial resentment among the lacerde, but mayor Sin Laah seems to have smoothed over any difficulties. Although they provide increased warning and security against the demands of patrolling ‘Redfins’ (hard-line Sahuagin Harmonium officers who hold the tribe in contempt), many lacerde are worried that the Mer do not necessarily share the local Scalefolks’ practical and easygoing attitude to crime.
A year and a half ago, Maeve Mhaol (the ‘Crop-haired Bride’) and her rebels attacked Seven Turtles and set fire to two of the seven shellbarges. Although the attack was more symbolic than actually damaging, Sin Laah seethes for revenge and has become obsessed with tracking down the ‘pirate queen’ – partly for the security of her town and tribe, partly for the stain on her reputation, and partly because in Sin Laah’s opinion, there can only be one ‘Pirate Queen of Pan Thaera’ and she’s it.
New defences are now under preparation: Freeblades hired, a palisade wall constructed, and stone watch towers manned with cannons. Sin Laah’s also begun pestering the Provincial authorities (via Raef Ogrun) for a license to privateer against the Mhaol. It’s an uphill struggle however. The OCA see no reason to further encourage privateers in Thaeran waters, but a few exigency liaisons are now suggesting that maybe an ex-poacher would be the best gamekeeper in this instance.
Despite its location far from the main roads of the OCA and Sin Laah’s committed efforts to the contrary, law is slowly encroaching on Seven Turtles. The town is prosperous and growing, and such towns attract official attention. It’s becoming harder and harder for the smugglers who use the town to continue their illegal activities. So far the tribe has managed to evade or persuade local Harmonium commanders to their way of thinking, but Cartel agents from XXX and even a few genuine respectable citizens are heading for Seven Turtles; there’s even talk of a Knights Road being constructed to better connect it to the infrastructure of the Isles. Part of this is undoubtedly in response to the attack by the Crop-haired Bride, and Sin Laah is determined to restore order and anonymity to her town before the OCA takes too close an interest in her affairs. She’s desperate to avoid having a regiment of Hobgoblins or Sahuagin Hardheads stationed right on top of her operation.
For more information on the Seven Turtles Cartel, see chapter XX.
Sin Laah
AKA: ‘Mother Turtle’
Captain of the Dragon Turtle, Head of the Seven Turtles Cartel, Mayor of Seven Turtle Bay, Elder of the Seven Turtle Bay Lacerde Tribe.
CG Female Lizardwoman - Ranger 5/Rogue 5
Sin Laah of Seven Turtle Bay is a middle-aged lacerde female commanding a fleet of ships, an underworld gang, a growing Cartel, and the port town of Seven Turtles itself. She’s also a former adventurer and a feared naval commander despite being no more than a shortcloak in the Harmonium – there’s little that she hasn’t seen or done in her time. Sin Laah’s name means ‘Greedy’ in the Scalefolk tongue, for she was a ferocious feeder from the day she hatched. She’s lived up to her name since then as well, growing rich from merchant adventures, racketeering, and sometimes outright piracy.
Sin Laah & Seven Turtles
Sin Laah’s position is precarious. She’s a criminal in all but name yet somehow manages to maintain official tolerance and the veneer of respectability. She’s mayor of Seven Turtles, which she controls in a close alliance with Patriarch Raztibon (an aquatic tiefling druid serving Man’wanui) and Notary Raef Ogrun, a corrupt and gluttonous – but essentially good hearted – ogre that Sin Laah single-handedly raised from obscurity for the post (he attended the College of the Choir and is extremely proud of his skills as a baritone). She also has contacts among the local Mer and Sahuagin, but these are far less friendly.
Sin Laah was born in the coastal mangroves of her tribal reservation. She was chosen as the successor to another matron, but despite inheriting several cartel junks she was far more interested in finding trouble on the high seas than in account books and trade. After a few years in the Pan Thaeran navy, some smuggling, and a quick stint at piracy, she turned to her preferred occupation: running everything to do with Seven Turtle Bay. When her cutthroat band drove out the Long Coral Knife, Sin Laah was hailed as a saviour. But she had plans for her hometown and immediately set herself up as their replacement.
Sin and her fleet are in the protection business (under the guise of her job as ‘pilotage inspector’), a rank she holds in addition to being mayor. Her fleet patrols the coast up and down from Seven Turtle Bay, visiting everyone who trades or fishes in her waters. Those who pay up are protected from the remaining few Long Coral Knife, overzealous sahuagin, monsters, and the rebels of Maeve Mhaol. Those who refuse soon find themselves held for ransom or see their boat sunk to the ocean floor. The system works and only occasionally does someone need to get their throat slit - when this is necessary her henchmen often leave a coral knife left behind as ‘proof’ that the people still need her protection from the remains of Nyx’s gang.
Although undoubtedly criminal and coercive, Sin somehow manages to maintain a decent reputation. This is more than mere charm: Sin Laah’s motivated by the good of her tribe (as long as she’s rich and powerful too) and genuinely prefers to resolve things peaceably than by murder (not that it bothers her too much). ‘Mother Turtle’ is certainly respected and feared, but considered morally superior to other criminals, and has the sanction of the tribal council, the vast majority of her tribe, and the approval of the local Harmonium thanks to years of careful diplomacy and ‘gifts’.
Sin Laah is a wise old lizard. Her scales may be starting to wrinkle and she may be developing a thick waist, but she’s cunning as a dragon and as charismatic as ever. Charming, persuasive, and a terror when roused to anger, Sin Laah is a formidable warrior and a lifetime devotee of the sea. Gold studs and silver paint adorn her scales, but she wears little else; just a diaphanous silken wrap at parties, or belt, cloak, and hat when at sea.
For almost thirty years Sin Laah has juggled Redfins, gangsters, adventurers, and the Harmonium to keep her town, tribe, and company rich and safe. She’s done so well that her tribe, her company, and just about everyone else calls her ‘Mother Turtle’ and see her as synonymous with prosperity in the town.
ADVENTURE HOOKS
1. A Sin Hunter comes to town. The PCs are hired by Sin Laah (possibly with or via Raef Ogrun) to spy on the inquisitor and ensure that he detects nothing amiss – or maybe just enough that he suspects nothing else is going on (if they’re involved with the underbelly of the town already, they may be asked select a scapegoat or two).
2. The lizardman free divers complain that the Mer are robbing their pearl-fields at night. The thieves are actually free folk disguised as Mer (magically or mundanely) as they raid the fields.
This is larger than some of the other Province articles, should this be a separate Campaign Home bit or perhaps we should save this for a Gazetteer?
Nevertheless, very evocative of a tropical paradise in Ortho and well done.