Driftholme

*...A price for everything, and everything for a price.* -A local's description of Driftholme

Driftholme is a Pirate port town in the Windward Isles. As the de facto headquarters of the Patched Flag, it is the beating heart of Piracy in the Windward Sea. Guarded by native Sirens, without whose permission and guidance the port is inaccessible, Driftholme is one of the most secure ports in the Isles. Though small compared to other major ports, it is a thriving town frequented by pirates, smugglers, adventurous traders, and all manner of fugitives, debtors and ne'er-do-wells.

## Geography

Driftholme is located on the northwest isle of the Singing Sisters, a trio of crescent-shaped islands southeast of Brannocksburg and Folly's Reward. The three islands are believed to be the lip of a submerged volcanic crater, with the body of water between them known as Siren's Lagoon.

The Singing Sisters are, like most of the Windward Isles, characteristically verdant and tropical. The coastal waters surrounding them, however, are notoriously treacherous. The Sisters and Siren's Lagoon are surrounded by an intricate maze of reefs, shoals, sandbars, and narrow dogleg channels. This natural barrier is virtually unnavigable without aid, and is the primary reason why Driftholme has been allowed to thrive without the interference of Law-bringing authorities. No charts of the passages into the Lagoon exist, as sounding is expressly forbidden by the Patched Flag under their pact with the Sirens.

It is under this pact that Pirates are allowed access to the Lagoon; when a pirate captain wishes to enter, they will lie to off the reefs, and observe a rite known as the Buying of Passage. The details of this rite are a closely-guarded secret, the only commonly known part being the tossing of a gold coin into the waters around the reef. Once the rite has been completed, the Sirens will begin to sing; not to guide the ship onto the rocks as one would expect, but to guide her through safely.

The town itself is a rambling sprawl of muddy streets, extending from shore-level at the docks up into the hills overlooking the Lagoon. The architecture of the buildings is an eclectic mix of styles and conventions from across Belaestus. Many structures have been built from or added to with the cannibalized hulls of condemned ships, giving them an oddly rounded and curving form.

## History

The Singing Sisters were, like many of the northwestern Isles, first discovered by the Sou'East Expedition under Bartholomew Tottleby. Approaching the islands at dusk, the captains of the expedition fleet chose to lie off the cost and wait till dawn to try a landing. That night, however, the Sirens of the lagoon struck up a chorus in an attempt to lure the sailors and their ships onto the rocks surrounding the Sisters. The story goes that Commodore Tottleby himself sung a song so sweet that the Sirens stopped to listen, thus saving his fleet. That dawn, Tottleby and his most trusted captains rowed out to a sandbar to parley with the Sirens, and a pact was struck between them; the same pact which pirates of the Patched Flag follow to this day. While the full terms of the pact are kept secret from most, one rule above all is followed: no sailor may set foot on any but the northwestern isle of the Singing Sisters.

Tottleby used the northwestern isle (dubbed "the Little Sister" by his men) as a forward base of sorts, where his ships could return to refit, resupply, and his men could enjoy shore leave during his continued expedition into the Isles. It became a true port town following the Fracturing of the Fleet, when Tottleby and his surviving loyal captains limped back to Siren's Lagoon. Now cut off from support, Tottleby recognized the need for a true base of operations, and the defensive benefits afforded by the Lagoon made it an obvious pick. Thus, he founded the town of Driftholme; so named, as Tottleby put it: "Because we drifted back like so much flotsam."

As the rush of colonization and trade in the Windward Isles began, a subsequent increase in lawlessness, mutiny and piracy occurred as well. The ragtag remnants of the Expedition Fleet, now dubbed "The Patched Flag", welcomed all comers willing to abide by their code.

## Culture

As the largest Pirate port in the Isles, Driftholme is rife with crime, vice and debauchery. Taverns and whorehouses can be found on every street, and any manner of illicit good can be purchased if one has the coin and connections. One is never far from the sounds of drunken revelry, song, curses, fighting, or the pleasures of flesh. Drunken brawls are a common occurrence in the streets and alleys of the town, and while killing in cold blood is frowned upon, it is not uncommon for sailors (or even officers and Captains) to lose their lives in knife-fights and duels.

While Driftholme has no laws or authorities to speak of, all visitors are expected to abide by a basic code of conduct. This code is somewhat arbitrary and open to interpretation; however, a few key tenets are universally observed:

* No ship may make anchorage beyond the waters of Safesound.
* No sailor may set foot on any isle save the Little Sister.
* No sailor shall give the location of Driftholme to any soul not initiated under the Patched Flag, unless they may be vouched to safeguard its interests.
* The Buying of Passage shall only be divulged to those who captain a vessel, or their trusted officers.
* No ship-to-ship actions are to be fought in Siren's Lagoon, or in the waters surrounding the Singing Sisters, as far as the horizon.
* No battles are to be fought ashore, save with fists alone; only duels may be fought with weapons.
* If a sailor is killed in cold blood, the Captain of the slain crewman may convene a Tribunal, there to stand in judgement of the accused together with the Captain of the accused and a neutral Captain.
* If a sailor or officer is found in grievous or flagrant violation of the code, they are to be hung from a yardarm of their own ship.
* If a Captain is found in grievous or flagrant violation of the code, their ship is to be exiled from and denied access to Siren's Lagoon.
* The exile of a ship may only be lifted if the crew of said ship abandon the offending Captain and choose a new one.

## Places of Interest

### Safesound

A region of sea in Siren's Lagoon where ships are permitted to anchor under the pact with the Sirens. Defined as the region of water between the horns of the Little Sister's crescent; ships that anchor outside these waters risk the ire of the Sirens.

### The Butchering Yards

The docks and drydocks where ships are repaired, refit and often dismantled. Overseen by Barnaby Horne, Dockmaster of Driftholme, who also keeps a tight control of trade in shipbuilding materials.

### The Hangman's Remorse

The largest pub in Driftholme, and a favorite of many pirates. The lower floor is a large, mostly open space featuring a bar and kitchen capable of serving dozens of tables, as well as multiple nooks and rooms set aside for private booths, trade negotiation, Garoshi hookah parlors, small coffee houses, boxing pits and gambling dens. The upper floors are given over to a large inn/brothel (there being little difference between the two in the mind of a sailor).