Aasaer

At a Glance

Aasaer is a pock on the face of the bay that sits on the northwest side of Kaotoon Island. Seedy taverns litter every corner, murder victims rot in the alleys, and prostitutes crowd the doorways. Despite its cosmetic flaws, gold flows freely in the streets, and nearly everyone can guess the value of a gem by eye.

Government

The infamous pirate Aasaer, after whom this port is named, appointed his most faithful lieutenant to rule the city. "Most faithful", however, does not guarantee "best," and Thastt, the gentle Fhokki bard, died at the hands of an assassin within three months.
The city now answers to ruffians in the guise of soldiers and their leader, a vicious cutthroat named Pacuam. His aggressiveness and blunt manner make him an effective, if unloved, leader. The city has undoubtedly prospered in the six years of his rule.

Economy

The city has no laws to protect consumers or citizens. At its core, it is a market for stolen and looted goods. Lots of small ports share this distinction, but Aasaer also has a core of dedicated hog ranches, hemp farms, and alfalfa crops. These sources provide food and reliable trade throughout the year. It is a rare year that all three products fail.

Temples

Aasaer is nor really dead. He feared retribution for his crimes at the hands of the nearby Zoan navy (and one particular captain with a grudge), so he changed his name to Rolon and lives in a monastery operated by the Church of Everlasting Hope. Ironically, he raided this same monastery several times as a pirate.
The Order of Agony, the House of Knives, the Temple of Strife, the Home Foundation, the Temple of the Three Strengths and the Way of the Berserk operate thriving temples. The clerics generate far more income From wealthy patrons who wish to use their spells than from tithes, since the people of Aasaer even cheat their favored church. The temples are different from other bastions of faith in that each of them is a veritable fortress. While they might cater to the pirates and thieves, no cleric has any illusions about the sanctity of his place of worship.
People widely believe that the Imposters operate one of the other faiths here, but nobody agrees which one it is. The Imposters actually impersonate a magical society, claiming to be wizards seeking the fabled Twin Eggs of the Wyvern, lost in the Bay by elven refugees fleeing the Great Mountain Wars in 657 Y.N.D. (476 I.R.).

Mages & Sages

Kaino the Peaceful leads the monastery where Aasaer hides. Kaino's reputation For his skill at the spear is legendary among the pirates, who claim that Kaino once slew every man on board a ship while his leg was chained to a mast. Once free of distraction, Kaino freed himself and sank the ship, swimming the six miles to land. Kaino is a renowned philosopher and has written several books about his observations of human and demihuman life.
Zinomha the Ancient, a wrinkled crone from rural Meznamish, came to the bay to seek first hand information on sea monsters. She owns at least a dozen bestiaries describing these creatures, complete with drawings, maps, and descriptions. For the right fee (ranging from 20 gp to over 5,000 gp), she will sell one of her books to interested parties. The accuracy and completeness of the book varies with the cost. For the minimum fee, a character can buy a thin book full of stories and rumors; the Voyages of Captain Solok is better suited to bards than monster hunters. At the other end of the scale is her own work of recent years, Deep Trouble, that describes dozens of threats From eels and sharks to sirens, krakens, and sahuagin.

Underworld

Besides the universal pirate presence, the renegade assassin Zelmos, a Zazahni expatriate is hiding in exile in the city. Banished from his home for planning to kill a duke, Zelmos is fortunate that the authorities never discovered his intentions to kill six other dukes and leave one in position to bid for the elusive kingship! Zelmos leads a band of ten toughs who act as a sort of mercenary gang, collecting debts, intimidating merchants, and performing other strong-arm activities. Despite the danger, he has been itching for a bigger, more exciting job and is thinking about moving to 0' Par.
Crime in Aasaer is a daily activity and the government makes little attempt to hinder it. The official policy is to make sure that Pacuam and his soldiers are the least likely targets for crime. Punishment, when it occurs, its quick and lethal.

Interesting Sites

Aasaer boasts a long stone pier that extends into the bay. The city has no natural harbor, but its pier can handle the most massive of ships. The pier bears several warehouses, the home of the laborers' guild, an inn (the Mermaid's Kiss), and a lower level where fishermen trap crabs and fish For flounder.
The Twisted Lovers are two ancient trees that wrap around each ocher. A popular bard's song says that they were two lovers who were turned into trees by the Pure One when they spurned each other over a minor squabble. Once embraced, the two now try to grow as far apart as they can from each other. In reality, they are simply trees.

Alternative Name(s)

City of Pirates

Type

City

Population

6,700

Location under

Reanaaria Bay

Owning Organization

Reanaaria Bay Pirates