Province Write up: Pan-Thaera

Here we go. My inspirations are Pirates of the Carribean, Final Fantasy XII, Cuba, Record of the Lodoss War, H.P. Lovecraft, and Skies of Arcadia.

Pan Thaera ("The Isles of Thaera")
Proper Name: The Confederacy of Pan Thaera
Provincial Government: Loosely-controlled Republic
Leaders: Viceroy Prince Malyx Al'Ateir (LE Human Male Sorcerer 12), The Grand Justices (varied), High Admiral Jarlot Destrang (LE Dwarven Male Fighter 10/Aristocrat 3), Princess Valenta (CG Female Aasimar Aristocrat 4/Rogue 4)
Provincial Capital: Palas-Arcadia
Major Cities & Towns: The Isle of Lothos, The Isle of Lothos, The Isle of Tolon, Seven Turtles, Well-Rest
Districts: The Great Unknown, The Pirate Isles
Resources: Spices, Cedar, Fruit, Shellfish, Sugar, Pearls, Mother of Pearl, Coral, Trade Goods
Coinage: All
Population: Total # - Racial Makeup Humans 60%, Hobgoblins 10%, Half-Goblins 10%, 5% Orcs 5%, Other 5%, Planetouched 5%
Languages: Ortho Common, Hatae (Hobgoblinish), Local
Alignment (Populace): Chaotic Good, Neutral, Chaotic Evil
Alignment (Law): Lawful Evil
Faiths: The Lords of Order, The Lords of Chaos, Alzrius worship

The Isles of Pan-Thaera remain a thorn in the side of those who wish to view Ortho as a controlled planet. Dozens of Fleets have been dispatched with hordes of troopers onboard to bring the region fully under control. The majority of these fleets have been returned with the majority of their populous dead from exotic disease, sunk in storms, or sabotaged to the point of being unable to carry out even the remotest objectives. The Isles are viewed as cursed and a place that exists in direct contradiction to everything that the Harmonium stands for. To most of its residents, it is the last bastion of freedom in all of Ortho.

There are over ten thousand islands that exist in Pan-Thaera with little more than half charted, let alone accurately surveyed. The majority of Harmonium interest in the region is solely for the vast amount of trade that pours to and from South Thaera. Bizarrely, it's been discovered that many of the whirlpools in the region actually are natural portals that can take traders across the planet (and some say beyond). These have made the Isles ridiculously lucrative for those who want to get wealthy by beating out their competition. It has also fostered a tremendous amount of piracy in the region that the Harmonium has remained powerless to defeat.

The Harmonium still, nominally, controls this region from the largest island of Palas-Arcadia. Its from here that, theoretically, all the licensed communities of the Isles are controlled with Harmonium law enforcement guaranteed. In truth, the government of Palas-Arcadia is entirely guild controlled with any Harmonium soldier that disagrees with a focus on wealth above order rather swiftly reassigned. Most licensed communities of Pan-Thaera pay lip-service to Palas-Arcadia control with a portion of the taxes they're expected to pay. The rest of the many island colonies don't even bother with that and are rarely called to task for it.

Pan-Thaera is filled with island kingdoms that are both ancient and recent. Ruins of the lost Goblin and Elven civilizations might exist on one island, Volcano worshiping Lizardmen on another, and these could well be next to a Feudal Kingdom of Aasimar Knights that have set up their own colony to worship the gods without state interference. Many places still openly revere the Lords of Chaos or, worse, worship both pantheons together without enmity between the two clergies. The Isles are a tremendously strange place and one that the Harmonium hasn't even yet begun to understand.

People

The people of Pan-Thaera are so diverse that it would be ridiculous to attempt to describe them all. Instead, this section will merely attempt to describe some general commonalities that exist amongst most of them and then the largest nationalities amongst them.

The Colonists in Pan-Thaera are the descendents of immigrants that were dispatched by the Harmonium in an attempt to tame the region. The descendents of criminals, debtors, indentured laborers, and religious deviants. Rather than pathe the way for more appropriate colonists, the OCA has created a entrenched culture that is united in their opposition to any further Harmonium encroachment in their lives. They are independent, free thinking, and hold almost everything that that the OCA preaches in contempt. Colonists form a slight majority of Pan-Thaera's known populous.

The Natives of Pan-Thaera are those whom have always lived on the isles or have dwelt there since before the rise of the Harmonium. The majority of them tend to ignore the half-hearted efforts of missionaries and would-be conquistadors that hope to transform them into good little Ortho citizens. Many inhabit islands where they are the law rather than the Harmonium and inflict grizzly demises upon those that do not show the proper respect. Quite a few natives have been sold into slavery or lured into service on Colonial run isles. They tend to exist in servile roles at best, but a few have managed to become extremely influential by mastering the ways of commerce.

The Palas-Arcadians are the exception to the rule of Colonists. Imported Heka-Voll citizenry, the Palas-Arcadians are deeply lawful and tend to be extremely wealthy. Most of them claim noble heritage, whether true or not, and tend to treat the Isles of Thaera as their own personal demense. Harmonium troopers and visitors from other Provinces are often shocked by the fact that Palas-Arcadians tend to consider them second-class citizens as well. This arrogance is backed up by the fact that they tend to wield disproportionate financial influence thanks to their domination of the island's trade. Most refuse to aid and deliberately sabotage any business that doesn't employ a majority of their kind in managerial positions.

The Lothos are a grim and ruthless lot that are almost entirely made of Tieflings. The Accursed mostly travel in groups and make their employment as dealers in narcotics, murder, and other shady businesses. The Harmonium tends to leave them alone due to the fact that Palas-Arcadians make it a point to have steady access to their services. They despise the majority of other races and expect similar treatment in turn. The Lothos never forget a debt and to be acknowledged by one as a brother is to be acknowledged by all (if that respect is returned).

The Tolon are a race of beautiful blue-skinned Otaki (Half-Goblin) that are widely believed to be the best free divers in the world - often plummeting to depths that would require magic for any other being to survive. It is of particular note that Tolon divers will refuse to dive near the Fogs off the West side of their isle - not that that area isn't off limits anyways due to standing orders from the Harmonium citing strong tides and dangerously active steam vents. Tolon are known for their liberal sexuality and standards of decency that is even more famous than their tremendous friendliness.

Leaders

The current Viceroy and President of the Pan-Thaera Confederacy is the 19 year old Prince Malax Al'Ateir. The rest of the OCA is somewhat surprised that the son of the previous Viceroy would be installed so quickly after his father's untimely demise but no one is able to get anywhere with an investigation into the possibility of a palace-coup. In truth, most Thaerans believe that Prince Malax murdered his father and seized command of the Confederacy with the backing of the local Venture Cartels. The fact that he had the full support of the local Harmonium is also something that would scandalize the rest of Ortho.

What is more surprising is that, while most believe he committed patricide, very few care. Prince Malax is a popular ruler that makes it a point to only expand the influence of the Harmonium into areas that he knows will meet little resistance. He's currently sponsoring missions of charting and conquest into islands that few will object to his domination of.

The Grand Justices are a collection of twelve enchanted Plate-Mail wearing agents of the President that have been empowered with the authority to go forth and eliminate anyone that they judge to be a criminal with the exception of the President himself. The Grand Justices all received training from Sigil's Mercykillers and tend to be distinctly Draconian in their enforcement of Prince Malax's will. They are frequently known to appoint Justices that maintain all of their authority but must answer directly to the Grand Justice that appoints them.

Not all of the Grand Justices are evil and some genuinely want to build a better Pan-Thaera. As a rule, The Harmonium in Pan-Thaera tends to view the Grand Justices with some measure of rivalry and suspicion.

High Admiral Jarlot Destrang is the recently appointed head of the Harmonium Navy in Pan-Thaera. A avid pirate hunter, he has little use for the niceties of court. The Admiral only desires the destruction of piracy along the High Seas and the bringing of shipping under the control of the Harmonium. The fact that most citizens attempt to dodge taxes and engage in a little smuggling has made him the enemy of nearly all of Pan-Thaera. He's bitterly loathed by nearly every Pan-Thaeran alive that believes in free-trade but Malax keeps him around due to the fact that he draws criticism away from the main government.

'Princess' Valenta also bears mentioning. Seemingly part-Eldarin the supposed child of Po-Ji with the Goddess of Dance, Princess Valenta is attempting to set up an independent kingdom to force the Harmonium out of the Isles. This is an exercise doomed to failure, it would seem but one that she continues to try and carry out. Ironically, she's one of the most wanted individuals on Ortho due to the fact that her body count is in the tens of thousands. Harmonium soldiers tend to die whenever they attempt to apprehend her and that only results in more being dispatched to capture her.

Prince Malax takes a perverse pleasure in the death of soldiery from outside of his own command and wishes her a lengthy life.

The Dark of the Leaders

Prince Malax is a Palas-Arcadian and a genius with tremendous mystical might for his age. He has the ambition of transforming Pan-Thaera into a proper kingdom and eventually seizing power in the Octave as a second Julhein (his ancestor). All of these dreams are very far away but he's made tremendous strides in a very short time with quite a few Representatives in the Council of Ortho accepting bribes from him. Few suspect he's anything more than a dilitente.

As for murdering his father, ironically, this is not true. The old tyrant died of an inflammation of the organs.

The leader of the Grand Justices, Kathos Al'Ganock (CE Tiefling Male Blackguard 12), is secretly a worshiper of Alzrius. Covering up his faith with various magical tattoos; he's supported Prince Malax in the hopes of slowly spreading corruption throughout the whole of the Provinces. Kathos believes that it won't be that difficult to spread the "Justice" system to all of Ortho if he continues to play his card system. While, theoretically, a lawful system. The potential for abuse and concentration of power is something he believes will gradually erode the rule of law.

High Admiral Destrang has no secrets, he's just a genuine hard ass.

The rumors of Princess Valenta being half-goddess are false but her real pedigree is almost as impressive. She doesn't realize this but she's the last descendant of the Sea-Elven Empire thanks to Po-Ji wedding the ascended spirit of their last Princess. This gives her access controlling the weather of Pan-Thaera to an almost absurd degree. Even she's not entirely aware of the vast number of elemental spirits that obey her command almost instinctively.

History

The Isles of Pan-Thaera are some of the oldest settled regions in all of Ortho. Some have suggested that they were used by the Lords of Order and Chaos to test the various types of races that they wished to put upon the world. While this may be hyperbole, they have kingdoms dating back to Pre-Historic times and the lengthy number of portals means that communities exist from all over the world amongst the isles. The more well-known Isles are the product of colonization efforts from the Old Thaeran Empire. These colonies were left on their own and virtually lawless when said Empire fell.

One of the strongest settlements were the Palas-Arcadians whom were created when a ship of Voll Knights were ship-wrecked on the isle of Palas-Arcadia. The Voll Knights quickly forced the local populace into serfdom and set themselves up as feudal lords of the region. The King of Voll refused to acknowledge their raising themselves to the status of the nobility despite the fact that they believed themselves worthy of being acknowledged as great conquerors in the kingdom's name.

The 'Great' Pirate King Renaldo Zee's founding of the Confederation is a famous bit of lore in Ortho's history. A buccaneer who managed to forge his own Navy out of numerous smaller pirate gangs, Renaldo Zee created the 'Code of the Seas' to prevent business from being scared away by his men. It was, originally, little more than an attempt to reign in their more rowdy brethren from mass slaughter but transformed into what amounted to a largely respected legal system.

The Harmonium's rise lead to the Confederacy of Pan-Thaera having a brutal civil war amongst its membership over whether to join the OCA or not. Hundreds of ships were sunk and tens of thousands died in the Pirate Wars that resulted in the Palas-Arcadians rejoining the Kingdom of Voll. Ironically, no sooner had that happened than they were granted governorship over the Pan-Thaera Province.

Since their takeover by the Harmonium, the OCA has made a half-hearted effort to secure the region against Piracy. While the days of great Pirate Kingdoms is long since past, it's not prevented the region from still being dominated by bucaneers and swashbucklers. Many islands are controlled by those eager to loot the treasure of the many trading ships in the region. The difference between pirates and legitimate merchant cartels is also paper thin in some places.

Some believe the islands are cursed while others attribute their success at holding Harmonium dominion away as the result of their undying independent spirit.

The Dark of Pan Thaera's History

Despite the Harmonium's well-publicized attempts to 'settle' Pan-Thaera, it's actually never been particularly interested in the region. The OCA has long regarded the Isles of Pan-Thaera to be sparsely populated and unimportant compared to the major Provinces that occupy most of their time. Given that the Harmonium is now conquering entire worlds, the issues of the colonies has never been anything but a minor concern under much more pressing issues. In truth, The Octave has always had members that have recognized that Pan-Thaera is best governed with a light hand.

The Islands are, unofficially, viewed by many in the OCA as a sort of unofficial place of exile. Harmonium members that are unwanted by their superiors can be reassigned there to languish in the lawless place and be conveniently forgotten. While most hard-core prisoners are sent to South Thaera to be worked to death, Pan-Thaera is subtley used to keep the Harmonium ideologically pure of individuals who deviate too much from the party line.

Many free-thinkers and dissidents have been gotten rid of by the government by having the Bureaucracy use random "lottery awards" to give individuals property in Pan-Thaera that they must relocate to make best use of. It doesn't work for the more dedicated but it's been an excellent valve for keeping problematic ideas in check. Most in the Harmonium are aware that being assigned to Pan-Thaera is the effective end of one's career but the pleasant climate and lack of oversight is seen as a blessing by some.

Notable Locations

Palas-Arcadia is a huge island that is filled with vast sugar plantations that are controlled by the Voll-descended elite. The serfs that tend these plantations are, theoretically, free citizens of the OCA. However, they are almost all indebted through legal fictions to their owners. The cities are vast and luxurious locations that the townsfolk dominate the merchant cartels of the region from.

The Harmonium is distinctly unmotivated in this region and tend to exist on vast bribes that are given by the individual guilds to provide security. At the heart of this island is the Palace of Prince Malax that is constantly filled with various dignitaries that come to treat with him like a King.

The Isle of Lothos is a Hellish location that has two active volcanoes that perpetually shroud the island in darkness while keeping the waves around it choppy. Lothos is a genuinely 'cursed' isle as it is the place that The Tower of Akashi stands (an indestructible and impregnable embodiment of Alzrius' power in Ortho). The land is demon-ridden and the locals frequently are enchanted to couple with the various creatures from Alzrius' realm in the Abyss.

The Harmonium has cordoned off the island and frequently sends heroes to go forth and slay the horrible creatures within. This is a futile effort until someone can figure out a way to destroy the tower. Most of Pan-Thaera's tieflings hail from this island and resign themselves to never returning once they escape the island due to the Harmonium's quarantine.

The Isle of Tolon is a beautiful tribal land that is inhabited by militaristic clans of Hobgoblins, Human Fisherman, and the Otaki that most people think of when they hear the name Tolon. It is a somewhat paradisaical environment that is frequently spoiled by raids from Sahaugin and pirates that seek the island people's vast collection of corral or other trade goods that they horde for useful items.

Unbeknowst to the Harmonium, the Tolon also have a pagan worship of a Kraken that they believe to be the embodiment of Chal the Lord of Ruin. The Kraken has, secretly, maintained its domination over the island through use of Slaadi shape-changers that encourage ritual sacrifice. While most Tolon have heard of the Great Underwater God, only a few tribes participate in the obscene cross-breeding and sacrifices that he encourages.

Seven Turtles is a developing city that is controlled by the Seven Turtles cartel. The island community is a curiously peaceful alliance of Natives and Colonists that work together for mutual profit. The Island is viewed as something of a threat by the Palas-Arcadians due to the fact that it continually makes a profit without support from their virtual domination of business. It is also much more popular with Natives than the heavy handed Palas-Arcadians have ever been.

The Great Unknown is a vast mist that covers a huge swath of Pan-Thaera. It is an un-unnavigable fog that never lifts yet is filled with pockets that contain islands of varying size. Attempts to chart even a fraction of these islands has proven almost impossible. Many believe this Mist is actually a gate-way to some place called the 'Demiplane of Dread' but few believe that it to be the case. Those who wander too far into the Great Unknown are said to never be able to find their way back to Ortho, however.

The Pirate Isles are a un-acknowledged section of the uncharted islands of Pan-Thaera. Effectively, they are communities under control of pirates rather than the Harmonium. In the fashion of the old Pirate Kingdoms, the communities more or less are forced to pay tribute to the rulers of the larger armadas or actively base their economies around serving them. These fleets are nothing to the Harmonium Navy but most could easily repel any force that Pan-Thaera could muster against them alone. Larger fleets that have been launched to root out the problem have all been lost in freak accidents.

Adventure Hooks

+ The Player Characters stop a group of pirates, only to find themselves targeted by the Harmonium afterwards. Sympathetic guards will help them escape the hangman but they must cope with a vast conspiracy of corruption tying the government to a powerful trade cartel and the pirates here.

+ The player characters discover a powerful underground slave trade being conducted by the Justices whom arrest individuals on the flimsiest evidence in order to impress them into bondage. Attempts to reveal this to the Harmonium will only meet complete indifference but the local revolutionaries are willing to help. How far are they willing to go for justice?

+ Akashi has returned to his tower and the volcanoes have stopped smoking. The High Admiral is preparing to assault the island in order to destroy the Tower once and for all, but it's possible he and his men are just the sacrifice The Destroyer needs to bring about the end of civilization on Ortho.