Yalanza

Hidden deep within the inlet known as the Bay of Pirates, the
secret shantytown of Yaulazna serves as a refuge and hangout
for many of the pirates who ply the waters along the coast of
the Great Sea. Half of this hamlet lies on shore; the other half
on a floating platform composed of derelict ships that have been
lashed together. The landbound portion was built on a much older
site—a collection of ancient foundations and odd stone columns
dating from the same time and culture as the ruins at Chasolne.
Numerous tunnels, warrens, and chambers honeycomb the ground
beneath and behind the shantytown, where the mountains rise
up from the ocean.
==Stats==
Yaulazna (Hamlet): Conventional; AL LE;
30,000 gp limit; Assets 9,000,000 gp;
Population varies (about 180), averages 300; Integrated (human 37%, halfling 23%, half-elf 13%, half-drow 9%, half-orc 7%, elf 5%, tiefling 4%, other 2%).
Authority Figures:
*Yargo (LE male lightfoot halfling rogue 9/Great Sea corsair 8), the Pirate King of Yaulazna.
Important Characters:
*Zuusted Nimderval (NE male human conjurer 20), Yargo's right-hand man;
*Cam Beely (NE male human rogue 7/Great Sea corsair 4), captain of the Starsnake and formal rival of Yargo;
*Ly'stri Faerow (CE female half-drow rogue 4/fighter 7/Great Sea corsair 8), captain of the Black Widow and considered the most notorious pirate on the Great Sea;
*Wamdra Brooling (N female human rogue 3/expert 14), former courtesan of Calimport and proprietor of the Purple Genie tavern and hostel.
Yargo's Butchers
Ships' Crews: At any given time, 1d6+4 ships are in port. Each has a captain with character level 8th - 12th (usually a rogue or fighter with several levels of Great Sea corsair), plus 2d20 fighters, rogues, experts, and warriors of 1st to 10th level.
Other Characters: Barbarian 1, bard 3, bard 1 (2), commoner 7, commoner 6, commoner 5 (2), commoner 4(3), commoner 2 (7), commoner 1 (18), expert 6, expert 5(3), expert 4 (3), expert 3(2), expert 1 (2), fighter 6, fighter 5(3), fighter 4 (7), fighter 3(8), fighter 2 (11), fighter 1 (13), rogue 3, rogue 2 (4), rogue 1 (7), sorcerer 2, sorcerer 1, warrior 3, warrior 2 (5), warrior 1 (8), wizard 1.
==The Vanishing City==
An outsider might find it somewhat surprising that the
navies of the coastal countries have made no effort to shut
down Yaulazna, but Yargo has planned for such a contingency.
In fact, both Halruaa and Dambrath have tried several times to
sail an armada into the Bay of Pirates and burn the shantytown
to the ground, but each time ships have arrived, their crews have
found nothing to put to torch—as if the whole place had simply
vanished. This impression is actually not far removed from the
truth. Yargo has a powerful friend—a renegade wizard from
Halruaa named Zuusted Nimderval (NE male human conjurer
20), who has developed a variation on the plane shift spell that
actually causes the entire shantytown to vanish to another plane
temporarily. For security, Yargo simply posts watches near the
entrance to the bay and higher up the sides of the mountain (to
watch for skyships), and Zuusted uses magical means to detect
scrying spells and creatures trying to approach with magical
stealth. At the firstsignoftrouble,theshantytownandeveryone
in it shifts away until the heat is off. Yargo uses a good portion
of the money that pirates pay him for storing their treasure to
keep Zuusted happy.
==Yargo, Pirate King of Yalanza==
Authority Figures: Yargo (LE male lightfoot halflingrogue 9/
Great Sea corsair 8), the Pirate King of Yaulazna.
Important Characters: Zuusted Nimderval (NE male human
conjurer 20), Yargo’s right-hand man; Cam Beely (NE male
human rogue 7/Great Sea corsair 4), captain of the Starsnake
and formal rival of Yargo; Ly’stri Faerow (CE female half-drow
rogue 4/fighter 7/Great Sea corsair 8), captain of the Black
Widow and considered the most notorious pirate on the Great
Sea; Wamdra Brooling (N female human rogue 3/expert 14),
Unlike Purl to the east, Yaulazna has a strong central authority
figure—the legendary Pirate King Yargo (LE male lightfoot
halflingrogue9/GreatSeacorsair8).Yargoconsidershimselfthe
owner of Yaulazna, and for all intents and purposes, he is right.
He maintains iron-fisted control of the community, and he has
the hired muscle to back up his word. But despite his authoritarian
nature, most of the pirates welcome Yargo’s authority in
Yaulazna.
First and foremost, Yargo provides pirates with a suitable
place to hide when either the law or a rival is hot on his trail.
The Pirate King couldn’t care less what a pirate does on the high
seas. As long as he minds his manners while in port, he’s free
from persecution or retribution.
Second, Yargo happily resolves disputes between feuding corsairs
who come before him. His one stipulation is that anyone
who chooses to submit to his counsel must abide by his decision
or never be welcomed back in Yaulazna again.
Third, Yargo maintains a standing offerthatanyonewishing
to store plunder can keep it safely in the caverns beneath the
town for as long as desired, so long as Yargo gets ten percent of
its total value, payable upon placing the goods in storage. The
Pirate King has demonstrated his own trustworthiness on so many
occasions that most of the pirates feel comfortable taking him
up on his offer, and an astonishing amount of booty is hidden
in the network of chambers underground. Once in a while, a
rogue pirate sneers at the thought of handing his treasure over
to Yargo for safekeeping, but the Pirate King never has to defend
his practice. Almost every other pirate in town quickly speaks up
on Yargo’s behalf when such a situation occurs.