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PbP Setting Info
Starting City
Bel Akhana, The Port of Gluttony

Trade port specializing in rare and exotic goods- spices, magic, animals, some exotic slaves. Large volume of trade with other Rakh cities and Zen Zaran.

Ruled by Bahz Qasheen the Rotund, 3 headed Demon Prince of Rakhshasa. So fat he moves only by teleportation, so huge he blocks the sun, so gluttonous he starves whole provinces to feed himself. Consorter with Demons, binder of sharp pacts, ravenous beast of the unquenchable appetite. Despot, connoisseur, the mountain that rules. Bahz Qasheen is not old enough to remember the Cataclysm, but heard it from his fathers lips as he died, strangled by Bahz Qasheen’s own hands. Is seeking a rare flower that brings peace to the consumer. Greedily covets pearls and amethyst.

Bel Akhana lies at the South East tip of a medium sized island in the Shattered Lands archipelago, which itself lies to the South Western end of the islands. Total island population is ~75,000, with ~20,000 concentrated in Bel Akhana, the rest are scattered across the island in small holdings and farms. It is a sub tropical climate, warm most of the year, with pronounced seasonal Monsoons, wet in the fall, dry in the spring. The island is fairly flat, with a small ridge of low mountains to the north east. A vast grassland dominates the northern half of the island, and is where most of the livestock is raised for the Prince.

To the South West of the island is the Dala, an 800 mile long archipelago of rocky islands, many volcanic, and coral reefs, mostly uninhabited by land dwellers. The Narrows is a 20 mile long region of the Dala where ship traffic is largely safe from running aground on submerged rocks and corals, and the control of these islands (and the tariffs they can generate) is hotly contested by the intelligent sea creatures of the area.

Local area divided amongst Princes, Viziers, Guild Leaders, Generals, etc. Each pays dues to Prince in food, slaves, etc.

Naga (states will be provided) are the most common slave race, and subsist by raising Guinea pigs and alfalfa or soybean crops, while raising mostly livestock for the Rakhs. Halflings are prized as house slaves, humans for guards, most other races for pit fights and hunting. Gnomes are feared for their innate spellcasting prowess, and have been hunted almost to extinction.

Lords take whatever they want, and kill with impunity. Resistance is crushed with brutal repression. Most have an inordinate fondness for Pearl of any sort.

There is no priest hood to peak of in any Rakh city, though a few clerics (of all alignments) do ply their trade. Any cleric who wants to work openly must be registered, and is liable to being shut down anytime the authorities feel threatened by their message, congregation size, beliefs, hair cuts, etc. Some powerful Rakh spell casters have discovered ways to tap into divine energy without abasing themselves to worship, and they often have the ear of the Prince.

Trade in Bel Akhana
Most trade centers around the activities in the Port of Bel Akhana, which is administered at arms length by the Rakhshasa through the Shipping Guild. Over 150 ships call the port home, from base fishermen to the proud Triremes of the Princes Fleet and the elegant (and heavily defended) Guild Highliners. Most of the ships are privately held vessels, or owned by small trading companies, and engage in maritime trade with other small Rakh cities, Bel Aga and sometimes Bel Garaang when they are not at war. Less than one quarter of the vessels engage in the open seas trade with Zen Zaran, a human continental empire to the South West past the Dala Narrows. It is a full year’s journey, following the prevailing monsoon winds, leaving Bel Akhana in the fall, and returning in the Spring. Some ships go early or later, but risk getting caught in the Doldrums. Most trade with Zen Zaran is in exotic goods, but a small trade in raw materials (mostly wood, precious metals, and raw gem stones) is also flourishing.

Most of the ships are registered with the Shipping Guild, which maintains the port, provides for customs and inspection, and punishes those found in violation of any number of petty regulations, remediation for which is almost always found in a few coins changing hands. The Guild Highliners are owned directly by the Shipping Guild, and are responsible for moving the most precious cargos and the royal families, when needed. They are luxuriously appointed catamaran style bi-remes, with almost fortress like castles between the slave rowed spars.

Currency: Locally minted copper, silver, and gold coins, plus the Ivory chits used on other islands. Use of non-local currency is punishable by confiscation, and currency conversion is available through most Guild Halls. For a fee, of course.

Sellsword Guild Hall
Most common place for inexperienced adventurers to find employment, often guarding ships or caravans, scouting new (or lost) territories, or signing on for a term in the mercenary corps that make up the bulk of the Princes armed forces. A number of Companies were formed during the last War with Bel Garaang, but these are rapidly fading due to lack of work. Guild law mandates a 5% cut of base rate, 20% of loot, and Guild Masters have the first right of purchase on any loot. If the Guild Masters wish to buy your goods, you must sell, though the Guild will usually negotiate a fair price. For a fee of the final sale, of course. Sellsword contracts are enforced by the Guild and by word of mouth. Reneging on your Guild obligations can be painful, even fatal. Sometimes, the Prince will declare a Prize, which cuts the Guild out of the normal hiring loop, but forces the participants to fund their own expeditions on speculation. Many a Captain has succeeded in his Prize, but fallen to the knives of the money lenders for nonpayment of debts.

Politics
Currently, there is an ongoing struggle amongst the Guild Masters and the Viziers over the future of the City, each side struggling to be heard before the Prince. The Guild Masters want to open up new trade routes, explore new regions, and make new alliances, while the Viziers seek to reclaim the lost glories of the Ancient Empire. They also advocate exploration, but only insofar as it leads to rediscovery. The Viziers distrust the Merchants money grubbing ways, while the Merchants are openly disdainful of the eunuchs and their schemes. The Generals tend to stay away from politics, but the Generals of the Sea are more often sympathetic to the Merchants, as they often own their own ships in addition to the Royal ships they command, while the Generals of the Land really don’t care either way, as long as they get to kill and loot. The Lords throw their support behind whoever is giving them the most benefits at the moment, and may double cross or even play both factions against the other form time to time.

Despite the Evil nature of most of the participants, direct assassination is rare (though not unheard of), as by the time an opponent becomes powerful enough to want to kill, they are likely too strong to be overcome. Pressure is generally placed on the opponent’s family, Guild, business partners and interests, and other social contacts. This practice has been codified into a game called Makh. Subtlety and guile are favored over force and blood. Opponents who “bring good Makh” are respected, those who are overly blatant in their attempts are often mocked.

Races-
1. Core races- Humans, Dwarves, 1/2 Orcs, Halfings, and Gnomes. No elves or half elves, sorry.
2. 1/2 Orcs are refluffed as Common Rahkshasa and have tiger or other large cat heads.
3. Naga are humanoid from the waist up, snake from the waist down. They are the most common race outside of humans and common Rakshasa. More details forth coming.