Guide to Towns

Currency of information

This information was current when the guide was written. However, those reading in 2009 should note that this is over a year old.

Derby Evening Press's Guide to Towns

So you know you want to visit the island, but you aren't sure what town is for you. The Derby Evening Press has compiled a quick reference for towns and their cultures so that you can better decide what town is best for you. Already have a town, but looking for a good group to join? Read the DEP's Guide to Clans.

Native Towns

Raktam

Raktam's central location as a crossroads for all cultures has allowed it to develop futher than its sister settlements. Raktam was once controlled by the powerful Raktamites. Since their decline into obscurity, Raktam natives now follow the Royal Court of Greater Raktam, the sole native geopolitical power of significance, which occipies an ornate palace in the northern section of the city. This royal power consolidated its control by smashing the pirates in battle, and then wrecking Durham. Despuite this formidable history, outsiders are welcome in Raktam so long as they come with open hands and on official business. Now in its second dynasty and with its third set of rulers (a king and a queen), Raktam is a power to be reckoned with and is the centre of native politics on Shartak.

Wiksik

Wiksik is a non-entity in Shartak politics. Wiksikians who gain prominence typically do so in a manner unrelated to their town. Wiksik is the most mystically-inclined of the native villages. The Wiksik-based Necromancers' Guild urges its members to listen to the ancestors' cries, using their healing arts to cure ailments resulting from the practice. Exorcists find themselves unwelcome in Wiksik, in contrast to other towns, where a peaceful exorcist will find protection from even outsider police forces. Wiksik is occassionally confused with the WickSick Headhunters, the infamous but unconnected native warrior group.

Dalpok

The only native town west of Mt. Shartak, Dalpok has the misfortune of being close to both the shipwreck and York, the two largest hostile population centers on Shartak. As a result, Dalpok has been ravaged again and again by raiders. This has resulted in the town's cultural development being stunted. The loss at the Battle of Archer's Pool was a setback for the village. The new regime, the Dalpok Crownlands, with its Citadel, provides a focal point for activity in this grim village.

Outsider Towns

Derby

Derby was once isolated and backwater, completely irrelevant in Shartak politics. The rise of the relatively large and well-organized Eastern Federation, meant Derby arguably become the center of outsider culture on Shartak. The town has gained a reputation for balancing diplomacy and force. Derby and its satellite French city of Port Breton are allied as the Peninsular Federation, and exert influence and dominion along the southern coast.

York

The central outsider town, York was once the second-largest population center on Shartak. While its location makes it a popular destination for traders and explorers, it is an equally popular destination for invading forces of pirates, natives, and rogue outsiders. York has suffered multiple invasions in its brief history, more than the other two settlements combined. York clans such as the York Coalition, the Colonial Police, and the 1st Colonial Militia were very experienced and respected fighters. With the decline and disappearance of these clans, however, York is presently a disorganised and quiet village, a far cry from its heyday as the centre of Shartak politics.

Durham

Durham, the sleepy town on Shartak's western peninsula, was largely ignored in Shartak politics until the [[Burgundy War], in which the ruling powers in Raktam allied to the town north of Durham, then called Fort Creedy, and came into conflict with the Durham government. Defeated, Durham withdrew into itself and for a while was known as the People's Republic of Durham. Nowadays Durham enjoys good relations with its northern neighbour under the influence of the Palermo family of businessmen, and is mostly intent on its large agricultural operations around the Durham lakes.

Pirate Base

The Shipwreck

The most heavily populated base on Shartak, the Shipwreck is also possibly the most anarchic. While pirate clans appear and last for a time, they tend to be ignored by other pirates, who seem equally happy to kill natives, outsiders, or each other. While many pirates are honorable or peaceful, the actions of the worst pirates have turned much of Shartak against shipwreck residents. Non-pirates are advised to be very cautious about sleeping on land or within the ship, and pirates should be wary outside of their home.