Rise of Freeport

Founding

The future city of Freeport is founded on the island of A'Val in the @Black Isles.

The largest surviving bit of Valossa is an island chain known as the Black Isles. The main island of the Black Isles, A’Val, has a natural harbor that is easily defended. As the younger races took to the seas, roving captains quickly found A’Val. At first, it was just a place to rest, get fresh water, and refit. Before long, though, a village sprang up, which eventually grew into a town. It was able to thrive by offering services to passing ships and providing refuge to those unwelcome elsewhere. The sailors took to calling it Freeport, and the name stuck.   With its relatively isolated location and natural attributes, Freeport quickly became a magnet for pirates and ne’er-do-wells of all types. It didn’t take long for buccaneers to take over the town, and Freeport became perhaps the most notorious pirate haven in the world.   What made Freeport work in the early days was a simple pirate code: do whatever you want on the high seas, but don’t go against your brothers and sisters in port. That meant no stealing, no killing, and no kidnapping while there. Duels did occur on occasion, but they were formal affairs that took place outside the walls. Most of the crews confined their fighting to drunken brawls, of which there were plenty. By and large, though, the peace in Freeport was kept.   This era is often referred to as the Golden Age in Freeport. Pirates ruled the waves decade after decade, preying on vessels from the mainland and other distant ports. Although individual captains and crews suffered setbacks, piracy as a whole flourished. This was a time of legendary deeds, when brave buccaneers seemed larger than life.