the situation is that you have been treasure seeking in Sargava and have run afoul of the Aspis Consortium. you all now have a price on your heads. the Consortium currently controls all boats in and out of desperation bay so the situation is you either lay low in the city, strike inland to some extent, or get gutted by bounty hunters.
how the consortium got control of the place is simple. there was a massive native uprising that overthrew the government. without the government there was no one to pay protection money to the pirates. everyone started crapping their pantaloons when they realized that Cheliax was about to move in, but then the Aspis Consortium miraculously intervened before Cheliax could pounce. the natives realized their mistake too late when the slaving operations began and no one could or would stand up to them. a strict communications blackout is in place when outbound ships are concerned. only Aspis mercenaries, officials, and cargo leaves. it has been astoundingly effective with Cheliax cooperating in exchange for warships from the new shipyards on the coast, only very recently has anyone from the inner sea taken note of the situation. all this took place over a period of around 20 years and it has been 5 years of status quo
