Kraken Reach Isles

Originally a conglomeration of pirates, nautical ne’re-do-wells, and deserters from the Pharidae War, the Krakiids have become a distinct culture in their own right; one devoted to living life to the fullest, no matter the cost… but all the better if someone else pays! A notably fickle and untrustworthy folk, their laugh-at-death humor and devil-may-care courage is nonetheless legendary. The isles for which they are named are notoriously difficult to navigate, surrounded by hidden shoals and sharp reefs which help to protect Krakiid shanty towns from vengeful navy forces.

### To Be A Pirate King

The Grand Corsair of each Krakiid fleet is considered the equal of any mainland regent, at least by the pirates themselves. Therefore it is said that many pirate kings ply the western sea. This can lead to confusion when foreigners seek to parley with combined fleets. The Krakiids take great merriment in confounding enemy diplomats, allowing them to meet with multiple leaders, each claiming the highest authority. They call this game “monarch under cups.”

### Crew Clans

Though the Krakiid do possess ports and villages, many are born and raised aboard their ships. They come to view their fellow crew members as relatives, therefore arguments on Krakiid ships are often called “family squabbles.”

### Terrors Of The Deep

Krakiid sailors must stay vigilant for more than just enemy fleets. Sea serpents and the giant squids that earn the isles their moniker hunt the deeps… as do merfolk, fickle celestials of N’ray and N’rord, whose hypnotic songs have drawn many unwary seafarers to a watery grave.

### Cult Of The Kraken

Sailors wisely pay homage to the twin goddesses of the sea, hoping to appease them and their unpredictable messengers. Yet, in recent years a new religion has begun to surface around the isles. Devoted to the worship of a deified kraken, the movement preaches that taking from others is a sacred duty. As to whether this monster deity is real… it’s priests have been known to exhibit healing powers and some sport tentacle mutations.

### Notable History

Note: Not only are Krakiid poor record keepers, their realm was founded quite recently; therefore a small selection of events lie below...

**538MR** – At the height of the Pharidae War, the first Krakiid arrive in the Kraken Reach Isles. After much trial and error, they find ways to navigate the treacherous shoals. With a base to retreat to, they survive by hunting supply vessels engaged in the conflict.

**559MR** – **The Battle Of Booming Waves:** Krakiid under Grand Corsair Lancúr Hess ally themselves with the Murethic navy (whom they had initially attacked) in an effort to escape an undead fleet. Flash powder is used to set a trap, which the undead fall for, losing many of their ships to the ensuing conflagration.

**583MR** – The Pharidae are defeated. Krakiid take to the seas with renewed vigor.

**588MR** – **The Shanty Scuffle:** Older pirates, no longer comfortable on deck, set about building slapdash settlements across the isles. Some of these shanty towns have wharves protected by clever traps, others grow around temples to the twins... most are little more than sprawling pubs. With raw materials scarce on the isles, the town builders start stealing from each other. Theft turns to vandalism, vandalism to violence, and before long the isles are riddled with gangs of thugs led by crotchety old sailors. The seafaring captains find this amusing... at first. But when they find their downtime disturbed and their crews caught up in the brawls, they step in. The worst offenders are keelhauled, while the rest resentfully simmer down.

**595MR** – Prophets across Scy’kadia receive visions of the Weftyril portals reawakening. Confusion meets these portents, but opportunistic Krakiid start risking the journey up the River Wyrd in search of wealth.

**603MR** – A new religion surfaces in the isles. Called the Cult Of The Kraken, they preach less about respect for the sea, and more about a piratical lifestyle, extolling greed as the highest of virtues. Most captains avoid the cult, but some welcome it aboard, discovering (to their surprise and suspicion) that the presence of tentacled priests oft leads to greater plunder.

**636MR** – **The Grand Eel Chase:** Grand Corsair Wolter Peyro sails too close to Arkhos, drawing the ire of House Hollander. Pursued by a substantial fleet, he leads them in a cunning game of cat-and-mouse through the Kraken Reach Isles. A full third of the Arkhosian ships are wrecked or captured before they finally turn homeward.

**642MR** – "Lucky Boots" Shim, a notoriously awful sailor, is shipwrecked in Vylkland. Captured almost immediately by locals, he smooth talks his way to freedom. He then skips from village to village, even visiting some orc encampments, spinning yarns and dazzling with his charismatic charm. In each stop along the journey, he gathers followers eager for a life at sea. At last he arrives in a port village, with a full crew of humans, orcs, and half orcs, and enough riches between them to purchase a large Vylkling ship. Now dubbed Captain "Two Tongues" Shim, he returns to piracy... though none let him steer. Ever.

**644MR** – Grand Corsair Nikol'rik "Green Beard" Nok (on account of his seaweed strewn beard), a high priest of the twins and fed up of getting undercut by Kraken cultists, starts raiding their ships and temples. Alas for him, the cult rallies in defiance. Green Beard's fleet is stalked by fantastically crewed and provisioned vessels bedecked in squid iconography. Beneath the waves, actual krakens pluck lookouts and unsecured escape boats from his decks. Nok is eventually captured and sacrificed to the cult's beaked deity, but not before witnessing his ships methodically overrun and picked clean. Krakiid society is left in no doubt as to the expanding power and resources of the cult.