The History, Geography, and Culture of the
Sword Isles
History
of the Sword Isles
The Sword Isles are a group of islands off
of the southern coast of Trinalia. It is a convenient restocking and trading
port for ships from lands in all corners of the world of Varisha. The Sword
Isles started as a small colony of the early days of the Principality of
Athos circa 450 RR.
There were some challenges to the initial
growth of the colony, primarily in the form of fierce green skinned creatures
known as Tasloi that lived in small tribes in the interior and stalked
and killed human travelers. By 510 RR, most of the Tasloi tribes had been
forced deep into the jungles. One of the major generals and heroes during
these campaigns was a man by the name of Tai. He was rewarded for his works
in this campaign was a fief on one of the northern islands.
The main impediment to growth of the colony by that
time was the persistent typhoons that regularly destroyed any buildings
the colonists would erect. Soon the colonists developed methods of making
squat, thick walled homes that would more easily resist the onslaught of
the wind. However, that was only one method of doing so.
The other method was to build behind bluffs and
mounts where the wind would be blunted. By 520 RR, a man named Laren had
already started a colony that soon raced ahead of the rest. A small homestead
that he called Tai, named after his aging father who had won him fief in
the first place. This little homestead was built in a ring shaped bluff
by the side of the sea – which was once the cone of an ancient volcano.
The rich volcanic soil and shelter from the typhoons
made Tai the fastest growing settlement in the Sword Isles. The optimal
position on a harbor on the northmost of the sword isles made Tai a booming
trade port by 600 RR. During this period, Laren himself became a legendary
hero who founded his own dynasty. He explored the near isles and a number
of new lands, and slew many monsters that threatened the peoples welfare.
He negotiated alliances with the elven Hawklords and saw the way for sea
elves, dwarves, and halflings to start settlements on the isles.
When he died, the people would make him a saint, and eventually he was
worshiped as the guardian deity of the city of Tai, and later, all of the
Sword Isles.
By 660 RR, the Regency is in a state of turmoil.
The frontier colonies south of the Regency on the mainland are almost eliminated
by human raiders, and there is civil war brewing in the Regency. The rapidly
shifting power blocks in the Regency feed conflicting orders to the council
of nobles that control the colony of the Sword Isles. One of these nobles,
the Duke Suther, selectively heeded and ignored various edicts from the
mainland in order to place himself in a position of power.
These acts didn't go unnoticed by the remaining
nobility. All of the noble houses began to build up military power. The
taxes levied to do so soon began to raise the ire of the commoners. The
nobles were too paranoid to brook a rebellion while at each other's throats.
Soon, edicts were passed making the distribution and ownership of weapons
purely province of the nobility. While this state of affairs never boiled
over into outright civil war, the ever-present military threats by the
various noble houses occasionally caused armed conflicts between noble
houses with disputes.
As international trade grew in the 700s and 800s,
so did the role of the Sword Isles in international trade. Sword Isle merchants
(primarily in Tai) became the primary importers of exotic foreign goods
in the land of Trinalia. In the 800s and 900s, the role of merchants in
the Sword Isles economy becomes increasingly important. As the wealth of
the merchant class starts to outstrip the wealth of the nobility, members
of the nobility become jealous of the merchants wealth. Sumptuary laws
are passed prohibiting merchants from a number of activities reserved for
nobles, such as displaying wealth in public, owning certain luxuries, and
owning certain plots of land.
This did little to deter the merchantry from making
a good living. By the late 900s the majority of the economic power has
shifted to port cities in the Sword Isles where the merchants ply their
trade. The nobility resolved to alter this trend. They made more edicts
giving them unalienable rights to tax and enforce laws on their territory.
They also started drawing in money buy marketing the one commodity they
had cornered – death. By this point, the nobility had well disciplined,
seasoned warriors whose reputation had been carved out in hundred of years
of Sword Isles history.
By the 1000s, the decadence of the eunuch regents
in control of the Regency has nearly severed all ties between the Sword
Isles and its mother country. The final straw came when, in an attempt
to gain more power and save the regency from its downward spiral, the regents
ordered outlandish taxes and scutages from the Sword Isles. The Sword Isles
simply never responded to the not-so-gentle request, The closest to a formal
declaration of severance from the Regency was when the nobles passed an
edict renaming the nation "The Confederacy of the Sword Isles," touting
it as a confederacy of free cities. They did so hoping that any retribution
that came would be leveled against the merchants.
While the idea that the Sword Isles is a confederacy
of free cities was very close to the truth, the Regency was in no way capable
of launching an assault on the Sword Isles and no retribution ever came.
While the edict passed changing the name, most of the nobility continued
to use the title "The Queens Colony of the Sword Isles" as a formal title
and honorarium.
During this period, subtle shifts were occurring
in the city of Tai that would rock the whole of the Isles. The house of
Laren, very decadent with respect to their founder, was one of the hardest
hit by the shift of economic power. They began taking kickbacks from merchants
houses for lowering or foregoing certain taxes and levies. One thing led
to another and the house of Laren started selling fiefs and titles to merchant
houses. This habit spread to other nobles in the area and soon, their was
a whole new class of nobility: merchant lords.
The merchant lords soon controlled Tai and a number
of other cities in the sword isles. This led to a short conflict where
the ducal house sent troops into Tai. Much bloodshed occurred, but eventually
the priesthood of Xanathar stepped in and mediated, and came to an agreement
where a council consisting of the merchant lords and the high priest of
Xanathar would rule the city, but would owe allegiance to the Ducal house.
Similar accords were negotiated between the merchant
houses and the Ducal and other houses. This stabilized the Sword Isles
somewhat politically, but also cemented the Ducal house as the ruling entity
of the Sword Isles.
Life in
the Sword Isles
The Sword Isles are about the most unstable government
in the land of Trinalia. An external force would likely either totally
fragment or unite the Sword Isles. But unlike the militant nations of the
north, there isn't much international conflict in the South Seas – yet.
But the internal strife in the Sword Isles is not
lacking. There is constant strife among the merchant lords, the guilds,
the "true nobles," and the citizens. Everyone owes fealty to someone (except
for the Ducal House of Suther, who seem to be on top of the food chain
in the Sword Isles and owe fealty to no one,) but the delicate systems
of alliances and fealties is easily set off-kilter and violence can erupt
at a moment's notice.
Merchant houses are responsible for most of the
trade that goes on in the Sword Isles. Minor merchants still trade, but
the tariff breaks that the Merchant houses give themselves gives them somewhat
of an advantage.
The so-called "True Noble houses" are those that
were created prior to the selling of titles after the year 900RR or so.
Some of the more enterprising noble houses have gone into trade on their
own, but most prefer to subsist on levies that they are empowered to excise
on their tenants on their land, and on wealth obtained by hiring out their
companies as mercenaries. Only the True Houses are allowed to raise companies,
and have preferential treatment over the later noble houses when it comes
to land ownership.
The True Houses are responsible for providing guards
and constables for most areas, though in the city of Tai itself, the temple
of Xanathar also shares this responsibility.
The guilds were formed by various craftsmen in order
for the more common traders to exact pressure on the merchant houses and
force more equitable trade. Guilds are still generally considered to be
one step below the merchant houses in the power structure of the Sword
Isles, however.
The commoners for the most part owe fealty to their
lords. Though most houses owe fealty to the Ducal house of Suther, commoners
owe fealty to the lord that owns their property first.
In the Sword Isles, most of the same faiths exist
that exist in the northern Aborian nations. However, while in the north,
the more lawful deities hold sway, in the Sword Isles, the more chaotic
deities (such as Frey Firehawk, Tyre, Nictro, Alyshia, Ash, Salaya and
Selna) are revered. Additionally, the sea deity Ahto has a large share
of followers here, as well as the civic deity of the Sword Isles, Laren,
and the god of personal honor and dueling, Ramzu. In the city of Tai itself,
Xanathar's temple is particularly powerful, being the most lawful deities
with a sizable following in the Sword Isles.
Tai – The
City Itself
"The way of the City is the way of the Swords." -Sword Isles
Proverb
This oft uttered proverb describes Tai, the so-called
"City of Swords." This usually is thought to mean that in Tai, things are
often handled with violence. While this is true, for some there is a subtler
meaning to this phrase.
Formal
Rules of Dueling in Tai (and elsewhere in the South Seas)
In Tai, besmirches to one's honor are often settled
by duels. The formal dueling law in Tai calls for the victor to be declared
as being the first to draw blood. This is the "official" edict on dueling
in Tai and is called a first blood match. It is also among the least
frequently used in practice.
In fact, most duels in Tai are what are called
blood matches., which are only slightly different from the officially
sanctioned first blood match. A blood match is conducted
with each duelist wearing a white kerchief pinned to the front of their
tunic. The loser is the first duelist whose kerchief is stained. (The phrase
"Bought the kerchief" implies that the person has a stained kerchief and
must by a new one. Generally, this means that the person has lost a duel,
but colloquially it means that the person is dishonored or in some other
way has or is destined to lose. Incidentally, there is undue attention
paid by some citizens of Tai to ensuring that their kerchiefs are clean
and laundered, for they wouldn't want to be falsely accused of buying a
new kerchief because they lost a duel.)
The next level of duel is called a grudge
match; called so, because it is invoked when the duelists feel that
a great dishonor has occurred that must be settled. Such a match is considered
settled when one duelist or the other yields. Either duelist is entitled
to ask his (or her) opponent at any time: "Do you yield?" As long as the
opponent can say "no'" the duel continues. If the duelists are particularly
stubborn, this usually means that the duel proceeds until one or the other
duelist is dead, unconscious, or unable to speak. In practice, few duelists
are so stubborn as to not yield if they are disarmed or are suffering from
a severe wound and the other duelist is not likewise disadvantaged.
The final type of match is a death match.
The rules are very simple: the victor is the last man (or woman) alive.
Death matches are quite specifically outlawed in Tai and many other
cities of the South Seas. However, since in Tai the only other match defined
by law is the first blood duel, those who participate in a different
sort of match and end up killing their opponent are frequently assumed
to have participated in a death match and are charged with murder.
Duelists in a match usually name seconds. Seconds
rarely duel in the place of their primary in Tai. It is the job of the
seconds to make sure no cheating has occurred and to act as a witness that
a fair first blood duel was declared if one of the duelists was
slain. The seconds, however, are usually trusted companions of the primary
and will frequently challenge the winner of a duel if the primary loses.
Warriors
and Companies in Tai
Tai is legendary for the well disciplined warrior
companies that gather there. Of late, most nobles offer services of their
companies as mercenaries. These are a hot commodity due to their reputation
as honorable warriors.
Nearly one third of the companies in the Sword Isles
gather in Tai. Of the rest, most have representatives there. But not all
of the companies found there live up to the general reputation of the companies
of Tai. Some nobles are not wealthy enough to start their own companies
and take kickbacks to sponsor independent companies – either started by
enterprising mercenary captain Sword Isles natives or by foreign mercenaries
who want to market their skills in Tai. In many cases, such companies cannot
always be relied on the keep the strict codes of honor that the honorbound
do.
The large amount of warriors in Tai has led to the
creation of a number of academies and schools for warriors. Fighters from
around the world come to Tai in order to learn at some of the prestigious
fighting schools of Tai.
Politics
in Tai
For those who wave their finger in the political
wind of the Sword Isles, the proverb hold a different meaning. The way
of the City is the way of the Swords means that what happens in the
city of Tai invariably affects the state of affairs in the Sword Isles
as a whole. It should not be surprising, then, that the nobles of the Sword
Isles as well as politicians and traders from other nations interested
in affairs of the Sword Isles take a keen interest in what happens in the
city of Tai.
The city of Tai is ruled by a council of lords –
a mixture of merchant and true houses – and a single representative from
the temple of Xanathar. The Ducal house of Suther maintains a viceroy and
a company here to oversee things in the city. Though in theory, the viceroy
has a voice in the council, in practice, the only reason that the viceroy
is heard is out of respect to the formidable military might held by the
Ducal house.
Religion
in Tai
Other than the temple of Xanathar, who hold a seat
on the city's ruling council, the most powerful temples in Tai are of Frey
Firehawk (on of the major figures in the Trifian pantheon and the deity
of prosperity, his worship in Tai was nearly assured) and Laren (being
the civic deity of Tai and the Sword Isles, he is especially popular here.)
Other major temples in Tai are those of Alyshia
(goddess of trickery and intrigue), Selna (goddess of the moons, stars,
and navigation), Ahto (god of the seas), Orion (god of swordsmanship and
self discipline), Ramzu (god of personal honor and dueling), Tyre (god
of storms, thieves, and chaos), Salaya (goddess of the wind, song, and
freedom), Nictro (goddess of deception and illusion), and Oginar (god of
knowlege, lore, and patron of bards). There are lesser shrines to other
Aborian deities and some deities of other races and cultures.
The other major temples feel slighted by the
fact that Xanathar is allowed a voice in the city's council and are constantly
rallying to add their seat to the council. So far, all such efforts have
been to no avail.
Tai:
The lay of the land
The Ducal registry of the city of Tai places the
city's population somewhere around 40,000. However, there are always thousands
of visitors from foreign lands in Tai, and the immediate surrounding are
amongst the richest farmland in the Sword Isles. The population in the
area is likely upwards of 250,000 people.
The city itself is situated in a ring shaped bluff
that was originally the cone of some extinct volcano that has been weathered
down over the years. The northern ends of the bluff extends out into the
ocean and embrace the harbor area.
What was once the northern end of the cone has been
worn away by the crashing waves. Three huge rocky formations remain that
look like they were carved into the rough shape of vaguely humanoid statues
by some pre-Aborian culture. The rocky formations are given a variety names
by locals such as "The Greeters," "The Harbor Guardians," "The Three Swordsmen,"
and "Laren's Lieutenants."
The city itself only takes up a small portion of
the area within the bluff. The surrounding countryside has numerous farms,
estates, and plantations.
The city enjoys warm weather year round, but gales
and typhoons are frequent in late summer and early fall.
Wizards
in Tai
While Tai has nowhere near the number of prestigious
and well-known wizards that call Moonglow and Majenka home, there are still
a few wizards who have definitely made their mark.
The most notorious is probably the mad mage
Jahawarial. Jahawarial was best known for his forays into the arts of wild
magic... and for his eccentricity. For a time Jahawarial conducted his
experiments in his manse in the city proper. After he tired of being bothered
by those who feared his chaotic magic (in many cases, rightfully), he acquired
a more remote keep north of the city on the harbor. This satisfied worried
citizens and officials for a time.
However, soon after Jahawarial was rumored
to have become a lich, his mansion (plus several surrounding buildings)
just disappeared one day, apparently torn from this plane. No one
ever built a new building on the lot where his mansion once stood.
However, some peddlers with no land of their own started an open-air market
on this lot. Superstition speculates that the mansion will return one day
in that very spot and slay anyone who happens to be in the mansion's. For
this reason, this market is usually called "the fool's market."
Another mage of note is Agrenus, a militant
force mage. Agrenus has worked with a variety of companies in his day and
is well known for being an innovator in the field of warlike force magic.
His most notorious dweomer is known as Agrenus' Plowshare, a horrific spell
that conjures a gigantic plowshare made of planes of force that can rip
up the earth – and any foes standing on it.
Though he has passed, another great innovator
that hailed from Tai is the alchemist / smith Feldrenus. He made a method
of extracting rare earths and alloying it with copper to make a metal known
as Feathersteel (or goldsteel), a lustrous copper colored metal that makes
excellent weapons and armor. The smiths and alchemists of Tai are well
known for the manufacture of excellent quality weapons and armor made from
Feathersteel.