Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 johnbiles Dec 19, 2007 19:37:34	I'm still working on this, inspired by the recent thread. Here's a teaser, the 'what everyone knows about Ierendi'. What Everyone Knows About the Pirate Kingdom of Ierendi Tavern Talk From Other Lands Ierendi: Hardly a real country at all; it's tyranically ruled by marauding pirate bands who just kill anyone who looks at them funny. It's a collection of very wet and hot volcanic islands. The islands are full of slaves, insects, diseases, and lots of valuable crops and dangerous monsters. Everyone runs around half naked, plundering and robbing anyone foolish enough to visit. On the other hand, you can make a huge pile of wealth pretty quickly being a pirate. And buried treasure does sound exciting. But I'd probably just get bitten by an insect and drop dead. Pirates: I've heard they have special Pirate Law, but it doesn't sound to me like it really has much effect—they're still robbing people and sometimes killing them. If you want to visit, the best way to do it is to hire a pirate ship to escort yours; you'll get through safe then, as they don't fight each other. Hmm, maybe that's what Pirate Law regulates—Pirate vs Pirate conflict. That makes sense. The Ierendi will pretty much rob anyone who isn't Ierendi (and some who are, I expect.) The Pirates generally don't look half-naked like I've heard everyone is in Ierendi, but I suppose it would be dangerous to fight half-naked. Government: As I understand it, the Pirates took over after a slave revolt against Thyatis a few centuries ago, and now the toughest Pirate beats up the others and rules as King. They pretty much live by the rule of force—the strong rule and the weak serve. I wouldn't want to live like that; I dunno how they can call it 'freedom'. Slaves: I suppose it's not surprising that former Thyatian slaves would turn around and enslave other people, but I think slavery's a terrible thing and it's rather hypocritical of them. Anyway, they work them to death, then go kidnap more. Abominable. It could be that it's just the slaves who are half-naked. Mark of slavery. That would make sense. Ierendi Produce: Just because I'm drinking fruit juice and smoking a pipe and wearing cotton clothing doesn't mean I endorse the slavery that made all this! A man needs his luxuries at the end of a hard day's work. You'd think they'd wear more clothing wiht all that cotton. The People's Temple: Aren't they some kind of crazy athiests who are stupid enough to think the Immortals don't exist, so they make fun of the rest of us for believing in our Immortal Guardians? Are they blind? Haven't they ever seen a cleric perform a miracle? What is wrong with these people? The Pirate's Temple: I think they made up some pirate immortal to worship. Who is this Sinbad character, anyway? Sounds fake to me. Hmm, maybe that's why the People's Temple are such skeptics and mockers if the other major religion just makes stuff up... Ierendi Towns: More like villages, I hear, except for Ierendi City, the towns are all pretty small. Then again, a lot of ours aren't very large either. People don't run around without any clothing in OUR cities, though. Some of the cities are up on stilts so they don't wash away whenever it floods from all that rain. Ierendi City: If you want the action, this is it. Tons of entertainment, shops, warehouses, and every kind of good available if you know where to look. Most of the city sits up on heights overlooking the harbor, so it doesn't flood all the time. Except down at the harbor, but that's what stilts are for. The eastern city is a giant pit of vice and sin and people without shirts, but I hear the west side is a lot more normal with craftsmen and honest merchants and so on. And slaves. So I guess it's not as good as our cities. Safari Island: As I hear it, the whole thing is totally riddled with monsters, so people insane enough to want a basilisk or a dragon or a cockatrice can just go hunt themselves one. Or die horribly. And the monsters are naked too. Honor Island: I hear some cult worship the local volcano Immortal or something. Or do they make magic ships out of iron? Wouldn't it all rust? Doesn't sound sensible to me. Elegy Island: Ruled by undead pirates, right? Man, I wouldn't want to face that. How to Get Rich and Famous: Become a pirate, work your way up to command a ship, then start raiding your neighbors and stealing their hard-earned possessions, then retire, buy a plantation and live off the hard work of your slaves. Sure, the Fiends will devour your soul when you die, but you didn't ask about 'not burning in the Hells for eternity.' I expect sufficiently crazy adventurers could make good money looting the tombs on Elegy Island or maybe raiding Safari Island to sell live monsters or dead monster bits to wizards. If you can find a map to buried treasure, you could be set for life. Hot Tips: Don't go to Ierendi unless you look good without much clothing on and can fight off pirate hordes. Unless you ARE a pirate, anyway. Don't shortchange a halfling prostitute. (Ha ha ha! I'm so funny.) If you're a cleric and encounter a member of the People's Temple, expect to be mocked. So show him a miracle and watch his foolish brain explode. And never let them know you're Thyatian if you are Thyatian. Or Minrothadi. Of course, no one admits to being Thyatian anywhere if they can help it. Not even in Thyatis. From Conversations With a Veteran Adventurer Ierendi: The peoples of Ierendi are pretty diverse; it's a serious melting pot of people from all over the Known World, even a few Norwolders, Alphatians, and Sindhi. Humans dominate, but there are elves, halflings, and dwarves too. Especially halflings. A lot of the original inhabitants, the Makai, are slaves now, but some are free men. There are a few Ylari missionaries here; I expect they all go mad after a while, given most Ierendi do everything the Nahmeh says you shouldn't do. It's a collection of volcanic islands, very hot and wet with a yearly monsoon season which keeps the place very wet half the year. And pretty wet the rest. But there's a ton of opportunities in Ierendi for a man with a good sword hand or lots of cunning. You'd better be used to people who don't wear much, though. It's so bloody hot, I can appreciate why they don't, though. Oh yes, outsiders get sick easy, so BRING A CLERIC. Pirates: Pirates form the ruling class of Ierendi, but it's a pretty porous ruling class. Any freeman can try to join a pirate crew if he wants to experience the privileges (and dangers) of being a pirate. A special code, the Honorable Code of Piracy, binds the Pirates to treat each other honorably, so they turn their wrath on the enemies of Ierendi. Which seems to include most countries, but especially Thyatis and Minrothad, who they really hate. I've heard they have a truce with the Shires' pirates, but I wouldn't swear to that. Government: Pirate crews govern themselves like an elected monarchy, setting their own laws and electing a captain; the captains form the Conclave which rules the nation under the Pirate King, who is chosen by a tournament every five years from the ranks of the Captains. And any man could one day rise to be King of the Pirates. Towns also choose their own leaders by a vote of the freemen. Though really, they tend to have minimal laws; you protect yourselves by allying to others so no one can threaten you. Rather like how adventuring parties protect each other. Slaves: I wouldn't want to be an Ierendi slave. The climate kills a lot of them, and I expect there's going to be a reckoning; you'd think former slaves who revolted would know better than to keep slaves. Ierendi Produce: Ierendi traders have lots of goods that few other places around here can offer—tobacco, citrus fruits, cotton, various dyes, etc. You can make a lot of money that way, not that I know much about trade. Of course, it's all made by slaves, so you might want to consider if you really need it that much. The People's Temple: This is the slave cult; it's supposed to be illegal, but when you're already a slave, it's kind of hard to punish you more than you've already been punished. They mock all other religions and given the circumstances, I can't blame them. It's usually pretty funny, except for the crazier ones who do things like poison all the pies at the bakery made from slave-grown produce. The Pirate's Temple: They worship Sinbad and some other immortals. Good source of employment if you seem at least vaguely piratical. They urge everyone to, well, be pirates. Ierendi Towns: Mostly tiny, but good enough to get fresh supplies. Some of them are up on stilts to avoid flooding. And if you need to fence goods, there's a plethora of shops which will buy them, more than you'd expect. Port Siers is the second largest city in the country, I think; it's built over an old ruins. Good exploring there. Ierendi City: A city clearly ruled by pirates; if you're an adventurer, you'll love it, as it has the gear you need and tons of ways to have fun—shops, restaurants, brothels, theaters, etc. The west side of the city is full of craftsmen and merchants; the east side by the harbor is pirate land. Also, the King of the Pirates, currently a halfling, lives here in his castle, which I think seriously needs to be levelled and rebuilt to look less ramshackle. Safari Island: A great place for adventurers; it's overrun with monsters, though no one is sure where they all come from. Unfortunately, they tend to be low on treasure, which is understandable. Still, there's always work here. Honor Island: Stay away; fire mages live here and they will kill you deader than Gabronius IV. Elegy Island: Endless hordes of undead. Endless tombs, most of which are long ago looted, but if you can find the right one... How to Get Rich and Famous: Become a pirate and rob the Thyatians. Enter the Tournament of Piracy; even the losers become famous. Collect rare monsters on Safari Island for those crazy enough to buy them. Find the unlooted tombs on Elegy Island and loot them. Search for ancient ruins like the one under Port Siers and loot them. Organize an exploration expedition to distant lands. Go pearl diving and fishing off Roister Island. Explore the Royster Trench. If you feel crazy, Thyatis and Minrothad are always looking to hire spies to operate in Ierendi. Pay's good, but the Ierendi will make you regret you were born if you get caught. Hot Tips: Ierendi has the best prostitutes and it's always very easy to unload your gear in Ierendi City. If you're going to collect monsters on Safari Island, wait for an official hunt, so they will pay you to do what you were going to do anyway. Stay out of the People's Temple / Pirate Temple conflict unless you really are sure you want to pick a side. Don't mess with the Teamsters' Union unless you're sure you're tough enough to take 20 or so of them at once. Ganti's Flying Carpet Store is a good place to get useful magics. The transport spells are really handy once you've looted a dungeon. A Karameikan Merchant in the Shires Ierendi: Dealing with foreigners and their strange customs is something to get used to everywhere you go. It's harder in Ierendi because they are such a melting pot that they have lots of customs from many different lands. Fortunately, they're generally pretty accepting of outsider customs too, so long as they aren't things viewed as insults. The Ierendi tend to be pretty touchy and rely much more on personal relationships and group solidarity than on contracts or law. You can rely on a man's promise—so long as you understand what he thinks he's promising. And vice versa. If you do end up in a dispute, it's probably either going to end in violence or remain unresolved, which is the hardest part, as violence tends to waste money. Which is part of where that group solidarity comes in; in most disputes, the side with less allies or weaker ones backs down to avoid putting things to the test. So it is crucial to build up alliances so you can point to how Captain Jungo won't be happy to hear about how you've just been shortchanged. Pirates: If you are going to deal with Ierendi, you have two choices—hire a pirate escort or throw a lot of money into mercenaries to defend yourselves. The Ierendi pirates only attack if they're pretty sure they'll win. It's just that they are usually pretty sure, unless you have some defenders. I still don't quite understand how their ships work—who exactly owns the ship? The whole crew? So what happens when people leave ships? Some fascinating property issues, I think. Just remember, when the captaincy changes hands, it's time to renegotiate deals. Government: Not much of a government. The Pirate King deals with other countries and restrains the worst excesses of the pirates and each ship governs itself. Personal relations and promises grounded in the pirate honor code largely take the place of law. Which makes Ierendi a rather dangerous place. If I couldn't make so much money, I wouldn't go there, for all that it can be rather fun. Slaves: A repugnant practice in general. Some Ierendi are relatively kind, others are harsh and cruel. However, as a businessman, I can't afford to turn my nose up at such things. Ierendi Produce: Ierendi produces many things my homeland cannot but which my homeland desires to possess--a variety of fruits and vegetables, cotton, indigo, sugar, coffee, etc. If you can ally yourself to enough pirates to travel unmolested, then you can make huge profits buying and shipping these goods. And don't forget to stock up on lemons to avoid scurvy. The People's Temple: More a form of slave street theatre than a church, I think. I can't blame them for protesting, but was it really necessary to depict the Immortals...actually, best I not talk about it. The Pirate's Temple: Honorable theives. More or less a religious theives' guild. But one that stays bought, which is what merchants need. Paying bribes is part of business, so long as the recipient stays bought. Ierendi Towns: Not very many towns of note, though Vlaad is a very good source for Makai-style art, Port Siers has cheaper fruit than Ierendi City, and the architecture on Utter Island is incredible. Ierendi City: This city has a split personality. For merchants, the real action is in the western part of the city where merchants and artisans live and where you can find high-class entertainment. By contrast, the harbor side of the city in the east is a giant dive of crime and depravity to entertain the pirates. You will need to make a few strategic visits there to build alliances, but you're best otherwise avoiding it, unless you like random brawls and prostitutes with interesting diseases. Safari Island: You can make huge amounts of money transporting dangerous creatures, but sooner or later, they WILL break free and kill you. So be aware of the risk. Honor Island: I expect anyone who could get them to sell their secrets would be set for life, but I'm taking no chances. Elegy Island: You can make really good money supplying Nula with goods; I can't imagine why these people are crazy enough to live there. They make good jumbo, though. How to Get Rich and Famous: Cut a deal with some pirates and make regular runs from the mainland to Ierendi, buying up Ierendi produce and selling it on the mainland. Just make sure you pick the RIGHT pirates. Ones who stay bought. If you are particularly tough, the exotic animal and monster trade can make you a huge pile fast, but also risks horrible, horrible death. King Mungo is buying up anything for operating underwater he can find, so there's an opening for someone with access to magic. Hot Tips: Visitors to Ierendi spend a lot of time being sick. So bring a cleric or at least a skilled healer and don't drink unboiled water. The fruit juice is tastier, anyway. If you can go topless without blinding others or looking embarrassed, it's a good way to show yourself a man of the world and they will treat you better. Wearing a hat untypical of your homeland also helps. Stock up on jewelry for gifts; they love that. If you can show some proficiency with a boat, that'll also ease your negotiations and raise your stock with them. In other words, go native as much as possible. Just remember to go un-native before you go home, unless you want to end up like my nephew. Trust me, you don't. First Draft of Said Gazeteer I finished the first draft tonight! Here it is.
#2 Cthulhudrew Dec 20, 2007 20:53:18	Looks like some interesting reading. I'll try and post some more thoughts later as I read it more thoroughly, but a couple of things popped out initially, in regards to their relations with other nations: 1) You mention that they don't have any commerce with Sind- what about Jaibul? I'd think with their interests in piracy and slavery the Ierendi might have some interactions with the nation of the Black Rajah. 2) Similarly, I could see them being involved with the Iron Ring in Karameikos. Perhaps there are some cells of the Iron Ring that operate out of Ierendi?
#3 johnbiles Dec 20, 2007 22:13:26	Looks like some interesting reading. I'll try and post some more thoughts later as I read it more thoroughly, but a couple of things popped out initially, in regards to their relations with other nations: 1) You mention that they don't have any commerce with Sind- what about Jaibul? I'd think with their interests in piracy and slavery the Ierendi might have some interactions with the nation of the Black Rajah. 2) Similarly, I could see them being involved with the Iron Ring in Karameikos. Perhaps there are some cells of the Iron Ring that operate out of Ierendi? Good idea for #1. Yeah, gonna have to read up on Jaibul. And yeah, really good idea for #2. This Ierendi would be a prime customer for them. (One problem with Iron Ring in canon is there's no one for them to sell people to except Thyatis.)