The shipping lanes of Golarion’s seas and oceans are filled with fat merchant vessels laden with trade goods both mundane and exotic, as well as the pirates and freebooters who prey on them. Under the banner of their Hurricane King, these buccaneers sally forth from that archipelago of lawless pirate ports and anchorages known as the Shackles, plundering the shipping of countless countries and trade consortiums, then vanishing back into the maze of islands and reefs they call home. The nations of the Inner Sea would like nothing more than to end the pirate menace once and for all, but the eternal hurricane known as the Eye of Abendego has thus far shielded the Free Captains of the Shackles from the threat of retaliation.
Port Peril is the largest port in the Shackles and its de facto capital. It is situated on the mainland, rather than on one of the outlying islands, on the edge of the Terwa Uplands and overlooking Jeopardy Bay. The city is protected by walls, and the stronghold of Fort Hazard. All manner of vices can be found in its twisting streets, and its busy markets thrive on the sale of stolen goods. Rumour has it that the plunder from decades of piracy is hidden in sea caves beneath the city.
The harbour is deep enough to accommodate even the largest and most heavily laden of vessels. Visitors to Port Peril are required to dock at the Crescent Harbor, which is overseen by surly harbour-master Tsojmin Kreidoros. There, their vessels have their cargoes inspected before they are allowed to continue on to the main docks.
The city's poorest (and often, toughest) inhabitants live in the Beggarbriar district. Many of them earn a living crafting ropes, sails and other nautical supplies.
Eastwind is another well-known district, and is home to both rich and poor. It is built on the bluffs overlooking the city, and is divided into Low and High Eastwind.
Kerdak Bonefist makes his home in the fortress of Lucrehold, on the bluffs above Besmara's Beacon, the city's lighthouse.