Lhazaar Principalities

Industries

The people of the Principalities are sailors and fishers, pirates and merchant marines. They are more comfortable aboard a ship than on land, and some can’t abide solid ground for more than a short visit at a time. Each sea baron and pirate lord commands a fleet of ships that serves as his or her claim to wealth and power. A piece of land, either on the mainland coast or on one of the many islands that separate the Bitter Sea from the Lhazaar Sea, accompanies each title, but without a flagship and support vessels the land has no value in their eyes.

Some sea barons work exclusively as fishers, traders, or privateers, but the vast majority fly whichever flag is most advantageous at the time—including the skull and crossed swords of piracy. Even with this reputation, many of the dragonmarked houses and other enterprises hire Lhazaar ships and crews to move cargo from one destination to another, in order to take advantage of their expert knowledge of the sea and their ready-to-sail ships.

Government and Politics

The rule of the princes over the Principalities goes back more than two thousand years. These are not hereditary positions as the kingships enjoyed by the royalty of the Five Nations, though some bloodlines produce more leaders than others. Instead, rulership of each principality goes to the strongest, the toughest, and the most accomplished sailor or pirate or merchant lord in the pack. Determining the next prince (a term applied to both male and female rulers in the Principalities) can sometimes be a violent, bloody affair. In general, the captain with the largest fleet, the most powerful sailing vessel, or the greatest popular support takes the banner of prince for his or her Principality, but tests of skill, of battle, or even of wits have been used to select leaders among the islands of Lhazaar.

The most often used title among the rulers of the Principalities is prince. Other rulers give themselves titles such as sea baron, pirate lord, merchant king, captain, admiral, or duke. Such titles all depend on the traditions of the particular principality and the wishes of the current ruler. While a piece of land, which usually includes a dock or seaport and a small village, accompanies each ruler’s title, the true wealth and power behind the captain’s chair remains the ruler’s flagship and the size of his or her fleet. A prince can hold acres of land, but without a powerful flagship and a fleet of support vessels to sail the sea, he or

she has no real power in the Principalities.

Each principality maintains a number of lesser leadership roles that usually remain filled by the same people despite how often the prince’s crown changes hands. These administrators, navigators, shipwrights, and other positions necessary to the continued existence of the principality often attract and keep those best suited to the jobs assigned them. Occasionally a prince comes along who refuses to honor an existing rank or position and wants to place his or her own minions in power, but this is the exception and not the rule.

Few of the dragonmarked houses operate in the Principalities. The exceptions include House Thuranni, which has made its headquarters here since breaking away from House Phiarlan; House Orien, which follows trade and cargo across the continent regardless of which borders it crosses; and House Kundarak, which reluctantly maintains the island prison called Dreadhold.

Power Groups

Prince Ryger’s Seadragons

The largest band currently operating in the Principalities is the Seadragons, led by High Prince Ryger ir’Wynarn. From aboard his flagship, the powerful and fast Dragoneye, Ryger commands a fl eet of twenty ships that can be outfitted as easily for war as for carrying cargo. His port of call, the large town of Regalport, boasts some of the best shops and inns east of the Mror Holds and can easily be called the

jewel of the Lhazaar Sea. The prince has ruled the Seadragon Principality for fifteen years, and throughout that time he has claimed to have the blood of the Galifar kings running through his veins. Whether this claim is true or not, Ryger has demonstrated remarkable charisma, a gift for leadership, and a head for strategy that makes him one of the deadliest captains plying the waters off the eastern shores. In addition to overcoming the challenges that fl are up between the Principalities, Ryger’s fleet proved itself in battle repeatedly during the fi nal decade of the Last War. Pirate, privateer, merchant—Ryger has worn all of these hats and more since wresting the prince’s crown from the head of Horget Black, the previous high prince of the Lhazaar Sea.

As high prince, Ryger is seen as a leader among equals, and most of the sea barons and pirate lords bow to his wisdom and counsel (though not yet to his rule). Those who refuse to pay heed to Ryger do so quietly, so as not to attract the attention of his warships and loyal warriors. It was Ryger who gathered a council of captains and went to Thronehold to represent the Principalities in the talks that ended the war. Now, working mainly as a merchant fleet for House Orien, the Seadragons hope to gain an even greater advantage in peace than in war. High Prince Ryger wants to unite the Principalities under one banner—the banner of the striking seadragon on a field of blue-green waves, the banner of Prince Ryger ir’Wynarn.

Prince Mika’s Cloudreavers

Wild and terrible, a powerful band of marauders known as the Cloudreavers hides in the caves and coves around Port Krez to strike swiftly at passing ships or those whose crews have been disoriented by the mists of the Gray Tide. Prince Mika Rock face commands the Cloudreaver Principality, with its fleet of six fast ships, a less than hospitable village, and the hamlets spread out around it. Mika’s pirates and raiders terrorize the sea lanes that run along the southern shore of Khorvaire and strike at coastal villages in Q’barra, Aerenal, Darguun, and Zilargo. Brelish and Zil naval forces have attempted to stop Cloudreaver raids in the past, but without success.

House Thuranni

When the elf family that carries the Mark of Shadow split during the Last War, the newly formed House Thuranni needed to find a place to establish a headquarters. While Thuranni has enclaves and outposts throughout the more inhabited portions of Khorvaire, the patriarch of the new house accepted an invitation from High Prince Horget Black to set up shop in the town of Regal port. For twenty-five years now, the

Shadow Network has made its home among the islands of the Lhazaar princes, providing information and other intelligence-related services to the princes as well as to factions in Karrnath, Droaam, Q’barra, and the Order of the Emerald Claw, among others. Like their cousins in House Phiarlan, the elves of Thuranni don’t advertise their espionage services. Instead, they claim to be entertainers, artisans, courtiers, and information brokers—legitimate businesses operated under a common banner.

Whispers of the true nature of the Shadow Network are murmured in the back halls of government and in the inns and taverns of the roughest neighborhoods in every town and city. When someone has a need for information, or when the Shadow Network has something relevant to sell, a representative of the house appears with an offer and a knowing smile. Baron Elar d’Thuranni, patriarch of House

Thuranni, leads mercantile activities ostensibly related to entertainment but really devoted to espionage and assassination. The greater shadows Wrem and Wrek, creatures as dark as night and as insubstantial as smoke, protect and advise the patriarch and are never far from his side, whether he’s overseeing operations from his manor house in Regalport or coordinating activities from his tower

apartments in Sharn.

The Blood of Vol

Far to the north, on the frozen island of Farlnen, the lich called Vol holds court. In the halls of Illmarrow Castle, among the ice-laden peaks of the Fingerbone Mountains, Lady Vol nurtures her plans for dominion and revenge. In life, Vol was the heir to the fortunes of House Vol. She carried the Mark of Death and proudly proclaimed her heritage as both elf and green dragon. Her half-dragon blood, once thought to be a way to end the elf-dragon wars, eventually led to the eradication of House Vol as both elves and dragons declared the mixing of the species to be an abomination. Lady Vol survived the destruction of her family,

but became an undead creature—a lich. In the centuries that followed, she gathered followers to her side and created the cult of the Blood of Vol (as well as more recently the Order of the Emerald Claw, which

secretly serves her). Cultists loyal to Vol spread word of her religion throughout the Lhazaar islands, and a handful of people among the Principalities consider it their primary religion. Most followers know nothing of Vol the lich or her history. Instead, they worship the idea that blood is life and that undeath provides a life beyond death and a path to divinity. Vol uses her highly placed loyalists to gather information and issue suggestions to the sea princes and their advisors. In many cases, Vol is the power behind the throne—both in the Principalities and in unexpected places on the mainland.

History

The Principalities developed during the same period when the Five Nations were formed, more than a thousand years before the birth of Galifar. By the time King Galifar I was uniting the Five Nations, the Principalities were well established, as was their inhabitants’ well-deserved reputation as raiders and pirates. When Galifar proclaimed that his kingdom “stretched across the width and breadth

of Khorvaire,” the Lhazaar princes ignored him. Their domains were far from the great cities of the Five Nations, separated by a formidable mountain range and the endless seas over which the princes ruled supreme.

By 28 YK, King Galifar had fortified his hold over the Five Nations and turned his attention to the threat from the east. The Lhazaar princes and sea barons were wreaking havoc among the coastal communities, interfering with shipping and refusing to bend to the will of the crown. Thus began the Galifar–Lhazaar War, a series of naval engagements that lasted nearly a decade. The sea barons

knew the currents better and started out with better vessels, but Galifar dedicated his efforts to building a powerful navy. Aided by magic and the help of some of the dragonmarked houses, Galifar was able to garner enough victories to force the Lhazaar princes to meet to discuss terms. In the end, the Principalities became part of Galifar’s kingdom but remained autonomous, the Lhazaar princes more or

less independent within their own domains yet agreeing to pay tribute to Galifar and recognize him as the legitimate ruler of the mainland kingdom.

For the next eight hundred years, the Lhazaar princes continued to live in relative harmony with the Five Nations. Lhazaar pirates slowly developed into traders and explorers, keeping their illicit activities to a minimum so as not to attract the attention of Galifar’s ever-improving navy. When the Last War broke out, the Lhazaar princes initially stayed out of the fray. As the months of conflict and unresolved issues of rulership wore on, the princes decided that their longstanding agreement was with the united Galifar, not the individual successor kingdoms. With the kingdom shattered, the princes felt no obligation to honor the ancient pact.

During the century of conflict, the Lhazaar princes one by one reverted to their ancient ways. First, the princes (and their subjects) fought against each other for dominance in the Principalities. Then they turned their sights toward more lucrative prey. Throughout the war, Lhazaar ships engaged in piracy, hired out as privateers, and began to carve out their own pieces from the corpse of the once great kingdom. Under the leadership of Prince Ryger ir’Wynarn, who claims that the royal blood of Galifar flows through his veins, the Principalities settled their own differences long enough to present a united front at the peace

treaty talks on Thronehold.

Now, with the Principalities recognized as a legitimate confederacy by the rest of Khorvaire, the princes have once again traded their pirate flags for the colors of merchants—at least outwardly (what may be a merchant vessel today can switch its flag and sail as a pirate or raiding vessel tomorrow). Prince Ryger is determined to unite the Principalities and create a naval force the likes of which Khorvaire has never seen before. Then, whatever happens on the mainland, the Principalities will be safe, secure, and powerful beyond imagining. Unfortunately, none of the other princes are quite ready to bend their knees to

Ryger, and so his dream remains unfulfilled.

Major Settlements

Regalport (Capital Port Town, 3,300)

Regalport is the capital of the Seadragon Principality and the de facto capital of all the isles. Built around a sheltered deepwater bay on the island of Greentarn, the town has grown wealthy on the bounty of the sea. High Prince Ryger is a fair and conscientious leader. He uses his own wealth to ensure that town guards and other officials are well paid, hoping to minimize corruption and bribery.

Dragonmarked Houses: The dragon marked houses are not well represented in the Lhazaar Principalities. The relatively small number of permanent settlements and the general instability of politics in the isles makes the houses understandably hesitant to assign resources and personnel to the region. Regalport is an important exception, and the town features small outposts for all the houses and sizable enclaves for House Orien and House Ghallanda. In addition, House Thuranni has its headquarters here.

Pirate Exchange: Though its name summons up visions of an unsavory tavern for first-time visitors, the Pirate Exchange is Regalport’s popular public market. The largest collection of vendors east of the Mror Holds, the Pirate Exchange bustles daily with merchants selling goods from across the continent, as well as local seafood and treasures from the isles. With the possible exception of Sharn, the market is also the best place to find goods from Argonnessen and Sarlona.

Port Verge (Port Town, 2,100)

Port Verge on the isle of Questor is the seat of power for Prince Kolberkon, leader of the Direshark Principality. Though his capital is not as large or as well developed as Regalport, Kolberkon has plans to change that. His hope of leading the Principalities rests on his ability to outshine High Prince Ryger in every way, and Port Verge is his starting point.

Kolberkon has struck deals with the Order of the Emerald Claw and House Lyrandar for the financing of his grand schemes, but he is well aware that these alliances carry risks. In particular, Lyrandar is intent

on expanding its influence in the Principalities—and of ultimately gaining at least partial control over the Lhazaar merchant fleets.

Port Krez (Pirate Village, 900)

Port Krez is the easternmost town in the Lhazaar Principalities, situated on the island of Krag and looking out on endless miles of empty sea. Home to Prince Mika and her Cloudreavers, Port Krez is the

antithesis of Regalport—everything one pictures when imagining a town run exclusively by and for the pleasure of pirates. Any vice can be indulged here, and the only regulations recognized in town are the laws of the sea. Mika’s folk take what they can and hold it as long as they can defend it.

From Port Krez, the Cloudreavers launch attacks on seagoing trading vessels, unprotected towns along the Khorvaire coast, and any ship unlucky enough to come out on the wrong side of the Gray Tide.

Tempest Isle (Uninhabited)

Jutting up from the sea near the southern coast, Tempest Isle takes its name from the never-ending storm that rages over its central mountains. Some say this phenomenon is caused by a clan of storm giants

descended from Xen’drik exiles that landed here millennia ago. Others assert that a mighty wizard lives atop the peak, and that the storm is his warning against visitors.

Whatever the cause of the storm, rumors of fabulous wealth hidden on the island bring ships from across Khorvaire to these waters. It is said that pirate captains in ages past used the numerous natural caves and caverns on the isle to store their treasure, and that one such trove in particular holds more gold and jewels than the wealth of all the Lhazaar princes combined. No one has ever found this legendary trove,

of course, and most treasure hunters who set foot into the island’s jungle-shrouded interior never return.