The Shackles
When explorers from Cheliax first reached the Shackles in 4111 AR, they found the island chain rife with ruins from the ancient cyclops empire of Ghol-Gan. The remaining walls of these colossal buildings were so densely illustrated with murals of blood-soaked rites and unholy sacrifices that no Chelaxian dared consider these haunted shores suitable for colonization. Yet that same fearsome reputation made it an immediate destination for northern pirates. They flocked to the supposedly cursed islands in droves, settling there in relative safety while launching lucrative raids against merchant ships in the Abendego Gulf.
With the appearance of the Eye of Abendego, however, trade along the western coast of Garund greatly decreased, and the pirates were forced to band together to survive. United under the first Hurricane King, the newly named Free Captains of the Shackles became a single fleet, their actions guided by the Pirate Council—pirate lords powerful enough to each control one of the archipelago’s major ports. In addition to its usual raiding, the new fleet sold its services to Sargava, promising to secure the colony’s independence from Cheliax in exchange for tribute.
Though the overthrow of Sargava’s colonial government eventually ended the agreement, it lasted long enough for the pirate government to fully establish itself, and the buccaneer federation has to date managed to weather several invasions by fleets from Cheliax and Rahadoum. Today, under the rule of Hurricane Queen Tessa Fairwind, the pirates of the Shackles are bolder than ever before, raiding all along the western coasts of Avistan and Garund.
The Shackles themselves are as chaotic as one might expect, with each port having its own laws and customs enforced absolutely by its pirate lord. By far the largest is Port Peril, situated on the mainland and guarded by the cannons of Fort Hazard on the cliffs overlooking Jeopardy Bay. In its narrow streets, fugitives cut deals with addicts and unscrupulous merchants, happily ignored by the pirates who run the town. Adventurers sometimes stop in the port before heading into the Terwa Uplands in search of legendary sites like the Temple of the Ravenous Moon—or down into the sea caves beneath the city, where fortunes in pirate gold are said to be stashed away.
Yet the nation’s de facto capital is only one port of many. For most outsiders, the port of Quent is the most welcoming, with the Calistrian-run House of Stolen Kisses brokering companionship and information. Hell Harbor’s imp-filled sky and Chelish affectations offer a taste of the north, run by disgraced Chelish ex-admiral Arronax Endymion. For those who enjoy living on the edge, Widowmaker Island offers all manner of gambling and blood sports—including mock naval battles in a monster-infested lake. Less welcoming to outsiders are captains like the Master of Gales, the druid who rules the driftwood shanties of Drenchport, or Avimar Sorrinash, whose werewolf crew hunts his own port city of Ollo when the moon is full.
Brigands of all kinds can make a home in the Shackles, but half-elves, half-orcs, and humans of all ethnicities are most common, along with the bird-headed tengus whom local sailors consider a sign of good luck. Outside the few settled ports, however, inhabitants quickly grow more monstrous, with sea devils and locathahs claiming the waters, lizardfolk Terwa Lords raiding from the north, and water nagas hunting the mainland along the Slithering Coast. Yet despite the danger, scoundrels and fortune-seekers of all nations continue to flock to the Shackles, seeking opportunity, hideouts, or possibly relics of the powerful sorceries that brought down the cyclopes’ empire.
With the appearance of the Eye of Abendego, however, trade along the western coast of Garund greatly decreased, and the pirates were forced to band together to survive. United under the first Hurricane King, the newly named Free Captains of the Shackles became a single fleet, their actions guided by the Pirate Council—pirate lords powerful enough to each control one of the archipelago’s major ports. In addition to its usual raiding, the new fleet sold its services to Sargava, promising to secure the colony’s independence from Cheliax in exchange for tribute.
Though the overthrow of Sargava’s colonial government eventually ended the agreement, it lasted long enough for the pirate government to fully establish itself, and the buccaneer federation has to date managed to weather several invasions by fleets from Cheliax and Rahadoum. Today, under the rule of Hurricane Queen Tessa Fairwind, the pirates of the Shackles are bolder than ever before, raiding all along the western coasts of Avistan and Garund.
The Shackles themselves are as chaotic as one might expect, with each port having its own laws and customs enforced absolutely by its pirate lord. By far the largest is Port Peril, situated on the mainland and guarded by the cannons of Fort Hazard on the cliffs overlooking Jeopardy Bay. In its narrow streets, fugitives cut deals with addicts and unscrupulous merchants, happily ignored by the pirates who run the town. Adventurers sometimes stop in the port before heading into the Terwa Uplands in search of legendary sites like the Temple of the Ravenous Moon—or down into the sea caves beneath the city, where fortunes in pirate gold are said to be stashed away.
Yet the nation’s de facto capital is only one port of many. For most outsiders, the port of Quent is the most welcoming, with the Calistrian-run House of Stolen Kisses brokering companionship and information. Hell Harbor’s imp-filled sky and Chelish affectations offer a taste of the north, run by disgraced Chelish ex-admiral Arronax Endymion. For those who enjoy living on the edge, Widowmaker Island offers all manner of gambling and blood sports—including mock naval battles in a monster-infested lake. Less welcoming to outsiders are captains like the Master of Gales, the druid who rules the driftwood shanties of Drenchport, or Avimar Sorrinash, whose werewolf crew hunts his own port city of Ollo when the moon is full.
Brigands of all kinds can make a home in the Shackles, but half-elves, half-orcs, and humans of all ethnicities are most common, along with the bird-headed tengus whom local sailors consider a sign of good luck. Outside the few settled ports, however, inhabitants quickly grow more monstrous, with sea devils and locathahs claiming the waters, lizardfolk Terwa Lords raiding from the north, and water nagas hunting the mainland along the Slithering Coast. Yet despite the danger, scoundrels and fortune-seekers of all nations continue to flock to the Shackles, seeking opportunity, hideouts, or possibly relics of the powerful sorceries that brought down the cyclopes’ empire.
Type
Island
Location under
Owning Organization
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