The Cultures of Archipelago

The majority of this shard (world) is covered by water. There are though three major sets of islands, each populated by a major seafaring culture.

The first set of islands straddle the shard’s equator creating a tropical climate. The culture here is very similar to that of the Spanish Main. The islands are collectively known as the Confederacy each island being ruled by a Governor. Just to the south of the Confederacy in treacherous waters lies a smaller group of isles known as the Rat Run. On these isles live the pirates and freebooters of Archipelago. The main port being Whitewater.

In the cold northern seas are the Fenris - The Sea Wolves. These are savage warriors fond of hit and run raids on small coastal ports. They are essentially a Norse culture best known for their wild Berserks said to be invulnerable to fire and steel. They tend to prefer hand to hand combat and the only missile weapons they tend to use are thrown spears and ax’s. They are by far the most numerous but tend to fight amongst themselves most of the time.

Far to the east is the inscrutable Empire of the Jade Dragon. The empire is split up into five large clans - the Tiger, the Crane, the Rat, the Serpent and the Jade Dragon. They all openly pay respect to the emperor but there is a great deal of machiavellian politics behind closed doors. This is the most affluent culture trading in silks, jade and spices as well as more illicit substances.