Bato Archipelago

## City Description

The lawless town of Bato ias a pirates paradise. A safe place for outlaws and wanted criminals to lay low. The cluster of island isn't run by anyone but it does have a set of rules people have to follow or be killed or banished.

There are 3 main laws

1. No killing unless challenged to a duel.
2. No stealing (but most people interpret this rule as don’t get caught stealing).
3. No collecting government bounty's outside Bato.

A lot of criminals come in this area to get away from the different bounty placed on them by governments. Its also a place to sell black market goods, mainly obviously stolen items or things taken of corpses.

Although there is no leader of the lawless town most crews look at Marcus Morgan as the voice of reason and his assistant Hugo Joy. Marcus carried on the tradition of 'The Assembly of the Crews' in which 5 of the most powerful pirates at that time have a meeting to discuss whatever they were called for. The current 5 are

1. Marcus Morgan's The Scarlet Sailors
2. Ford Merrygold's Mad Dog Marauders
3. Cirus's Bluekin Pirates
4. Cathrine O'Malley's Buccaneers of the Platinum Coin
5. Vodmik Redaxe's Crimson Raiders

### **Geography**

Being called the Bato Archipelago its name indicates a town in and around a set of small islands which is great for losing someone who's chasing you and doesn’t know their way, there is also caves and tree cover people can hide in and around. You can sail to a number of places close by, those being Al-Caresh, Baywater and the Iraberg Isles a port that allows ships cargo to go inland and a mysterious island to the west
that rumors say a dragon lives and any ship that goes searching never comes
back.

### **Weather**

Another bonus of this region is the weather, it's hot most days even when it's raining, Bato can be quite humid at times as well. As well as the obvious tactical positioning of the island they say the weather is the second best reason this pirate town has thrived.

### **Gods**

You wouldn’t think many gods would be worshipped here but a small amount of people do worship some, such as Mask (Gods of thieves), Tymora, (goddess of good fortune), Umberlee, (goddess of the sea).

## City Life

Bato can be quite ruthless if you're not prepared or know how to handle yourself. Being the city of thieves it's exactly what it says on the tin. Not too many people live on the island apart from store owners, employees and a few farmers. Mostly it’s a place pirates or merchants come to trade goods, that be materials or items. Although a lot of the people there are criminals it's not without law itself and everyone on the island knows and respects that, they know without some sort of of rules there would be no point to the sanctuary as living around criminals is risker than the mainland. After all the works done for the day there are a number of things to do, go to a brothel, drink at a tavern, listen to music or there's always a duel going on at the beach or in the street to watch.

### **Demographic**

Bato is quite small containing only about 1800 people as not many people want to come to a place that is packed with wanted criminals, and considering the people living on the island are only there because they have to be/ only place safe the region it isn't a place people want to plant their roots and settle down. There isn't a majority race in the archipelago as criminals come from all races and background.

## Notable Locations

Building/ Shops

***The Bards and the Bees***: A popular Brothel

***Smelting Pot***: Blacksmiths thats split into two sides one for weapons and one for armour

***GURTS BEGEST SOWRDS AN STUF***: Weapons Smith

***The Ugly Mermaid***: A Tavern

***Honest Works Respite***: Seedy Tavern where are all the worst criminals go

***The Mirage***: Arcane shop smuggler shop

***Bato's Bibliotheca***: The very restricted and near empty liberty that Hugo has tried to create

Locations

***Moss Branch Fort***: An ancient fort that has always been there and was abounded by the time the first pirates came across the island

***Boneyard Necropolis***: A lot of death happens in Bato, through disease or straight up murder and the skeletons end up in the necropolis

***Shipwreck Manor***: A very run down manor house that was made out of a ship, two captains made a bet and the winner took the others ship, instead of putting it into his fleet he destroyed it and made a house from it.

***Gallows Row***: A number of gallows are set in a line near the beaches of Bato, this is to warn anybody coming to the island what happens if you breaks the laws of the island. Although it method isn't always the case for rule breakers it is a majority of the time.

## Military

There isn't a military in Bato at all. Mostly everyone is out for their crew or themselves. However if a crime is committed the mob in the streets takes it upon themselves to put any wrongdoer in their place. The people are the judge jury and executioners. Also not many people outside of the thieves guilds and criminal underworld even know about Bato, so no military has tired to conquer it. However if they did the town is known to band together to stop anything that threatens the existence of the sanctuary