Archipelago

The Archipelago consists of hundreds of island in the Shallow Sea. Home of the human civilizations as well as a number of different beasts. Bordered by Baltica and Groenlandia in the north, the Abyssal Ocean in the west and the Great Sea Chasm in the south.

## Islands

* Caledonia
* Hibernia
* Iberia
* Armorica
* Pyrenia
* Provancia
* Rhenia-Bohemia
* Ukraina-Voronezh
* Pelagonia
* Taurica
* Moesia
* Apulia

## Climate

The Archipelago has a warm, tropical climate with regular rains.

## Civilization

The Archipelago has various ***island-dwelling tribes***. Some of these tribes are ***nomadic***, barbaric hunter-gatherers, either wandering the inland on their steeds, or travelling the Shallow Sea on their boats. Others are ***village-dwelling farmers*** who plant palm trees and breed beakhog and longcattle, or ***fishers*** living in seaside fishing villages. Some tribes, instead of producing their own wares, have turned to ***raiding and piracy***.

In the last 700 years, the tribes of the Archipelago also built a high number of ***city-states***, most often around harbors. These small monarchies are usually governed by a dynasty of princes or lords, but some have government councils, consisting either of the tribal elders or by elected officials. They also typically have an organized army or militia. Most city-states also have a temple of at least one of the gods; in most harbor cities, these belong to Zomok, but temples for the Sun and the death goddess Teren are also common. On the flip side, there’s often also a criminal underworld. The city-states are typically inhabited by multiple tribes, whereas some of them are melting pots where travellers from near and far can find shelter and even settle down. The seaside city-states also typically serve as marketplaces where people from the nearby tribes and villages come and sell their wares. ***Wyrmtooth*** on the island of Pelagonia is just one of these city-states.

Much of the Archipelago has been conquered by the ever-expanding Campanian Empire. Some of the Archipelago’s tribes and city-states are subservient to the Campanian Empire, ruled by an Empire official (governor). Others are semi-autonomous, but their monarchs or chieftains signed a peace treaty with the Campanian Empire and pay taxes to them. Other city-states fight and resist, though their relatively small armies seldom have a chance against the Campanian conquerors.

There are also several ***crime lords*** inhabiting the smaller islands. These are often renegade warlords, pirate captains or black market traders who have acquired great wealth through illegal means. These typically have a crew of hired muscle, who serve as guards, raiders and enforcers; as well as a number of servants and slaves. Neither tribal traditions nor city-state laws are present on these islands; instead, the crime lord’s word is law. While the city-states typically disapprove of these crime lords, they typically lack the military power and authority to do anything about them. Meanwhile, their significance is typically too small for the Campanian Empire to bother attacking them unless they are actively targeting Campanian ships; in fact, the Campanians occasionally hire these crime lords and their enforcers as mercenaries. The ***Collector*** is an infamous crime lord who dwells on a tiny island to the East from Wyrmtooth.