Deepberth is the beating, blood-soaked heart of piracy in the Pirate Isles: a sprawling harbor-town built vertically up three stony karst towers on the shores of southeastern Island of Tamerynd. This narrow, ramshackle town is are where fortunes change hands faster than blades are drawn. Murder, deceit, betrayal, and sudden wealth are not aberrations here but the city’s natural weather. A sailor can arrive penniless at dusk, command a crew by midnight, and be floating face-down in the harbor by dawn.
Every six years, Deepberth becomes the political center of the pirate world when the Warcaptains gather to debate, amend, and rewrite the Compact... the only law that pirates broadly acknowledge. During these periods, the city becomes even more volatile, as old grudges resurface and new ambitions are forged in blood and rum.
Geography
There is no geographic information for Deepberth
Terrain: Coastal karst towers
Climate: Tropical
People
Population: 9,500
Species Composition: About 65% human, 10% half-elven, 20% half-orc and 5% "other"
The people of Deepberth are composed of the flotsam and jetsam of societies and peoples from around the
Betshaban Ocean, washed up by the Great Gyre into one of the most violent, opportunistic and, conversely, one of the most free communities in the world. Though the population waxes and wanes with the arrival or departure of various pirate ships, there is a sedentary core of people who have come to live permanent in the ramshackle buildings stacked atop one another up and down the three karst towers that the town is built upon. The permanent residents all seek to profit one way or another off the pirates who seek haven in the city, either through prostitution, working he docks, fencing and shipping stolen goods or various other nefarious and even semi-legitimate enterprises.
Government & Politics
There is no formal ruler in Deepberth. At times in its history, a mayor has emerged, but he is always self-appointed, always temporary and always deposed once their strength has faltered. Authority in Deepberth flows from fear, wealth, reputation and the number of thugs you can muster at any one time rather than titles.
Law
There is no real law in Deepberth, other than the Compact that pirates are sworn to uphold (and sometimes do!). Each faction in the city has its own rules and regulations that it enforces as it is able, either in its business dealings or, sometimes, even over a whole neighborhood. Public killings are common, but inefficient or rampant violence is frowned upon... anyone who disrupts business too often tends to vanish quietly into the depths of the harbor.
Law Enforcement
"Justice" is more a cycle of revenge and retaliation than anything organized, characterized by crew retaliation, personal vendettas, syndicate reprisals, gang warfare and, rarely, arbitration by the Warcaptains.
Type: Anarchy
Ruler(s): None
Strategic Importance: Pirate haven
Religion & Belief
Superstition dominates in Deepberth and, generally, the overtly religious are unwelcome unless they are aligned with a god of the sea (the Compact begins with the declaration "Let it be known that no king rules the sea, nor any god save those who dwell beneath the waves." Deepberth is one of the few places in the world that
Taltos the Deepdweller is worshipped openly. Once every few years, worshipers or converts to
Betshaba the Wavequeen amass in secret to large enough numbers to challenge the worshipers of Taltos, which inevitably leads to blood-soaked docks and nights of terror until one faction or the other (usually the Betshabans) retreats into the shadows.
Major Temples
There are no known formal temples in Deepberth, though there are various shrines, often temporary, tucked into its nooks and corners for those who know where to look. There are, of course, constant rumors of a vast temple of Taltos under one of the city's karst columns or at the floor of its harbor.
Pantheon: Any
Secondary Faith(s): Various other faiths can be found in Deepberth, though typically worshipers keep their faith quiet or secret. Worshipers of
Cebren the Piper, god of music;
Orestea the Chalice, goddess of rain; and
Thea the Muse, goddess of art, are not uncommon.
Persecuted Faiths: Betshaban cults are often whispered about and cursed in the same breath. Though most of the city's pirates at least pay some lip service to Betshaba and Taltos alike, whenever Betshabans are uncovered in Deepberth, they are generally considered enemies by most, if for no other reason than they tend to disapprove of the main means of income for most in the city.
Culture & Daily Life
Deepberth’s people are hard, pragmatic, and often deeply superstitious. Sea-charms hang beside stolen relics. Names are treasured as one of the few possessions that cannot be stolen, but when sullied may be discarded as easily as knives. Loyalty is respected, but only as long as it is accompanied by profit.
Despite its brutality, Deepberth possesses a strange stability. Everyone understands the rules, even if none are written, and those who survive long enough often come to see the city as the only place in the world where freedom is absolute... right up until the moment it isn’t.
| This page has been identified as needing a map for clarity.
|
