[PnP] Ships / Cultures 2 of 3

Scott Adams longshot at darktech.org
Sun Nov 19 04:38:40 CET 2006


      22. Fomorian Empire

          A. Aredan

             As their religion worships gods of Sea the ocean is part of
      their daily life.  This nation is near islands like Xaghan which
      may have pirates laying in wait for passing ships so the Aredan
      tend to have fast moving or well protected civilian fleets.  A lot
      of their income comes from harbor fees from ships that drop in for
      a rest or repairs.  Unfournately due to these pirates and the Shurikal
      presence the civilians stay on land for the most part so the true
      size of the civilian fleet is half of what it truly should be.
             There is about 35% chance of encountering a civilian ship in
      a coastal hex.  In a river hex it is only about 2%. The 5 warships
      of the Aredan navy tend to always stay in the Aredan port.  However
      if there is a critical merchant convoy one trireme may escort that
      fleet from one spot to another.  Another problem with Aredan is the
      resources for new ships is poor.  But due to ships that harbor in
      Aredan city they can buy timber but if the port is ever blockaded
      the city could be in drastic need of help.

          B. Ashudan

             Ashudan and Aredan work closely together in Sea Trade and
      anti-piracy operations.  Being a island nation they have more ships
      than Aredan but less room for their people.  The island of Xaghan
      has a small forest that helps to support the construction of new
      ships. The breakdown of ships tends to be as follows:
                City/Area        Civilian    Warships  Trireme
                Ashudan City        180         16        5
                Xaghan City         140         16        5
                Ashudan Island      500          1        -
                Xaghan Island       400          1        -
                Fort Novan           30          1        -
                Quequar              15          1        -
                Djaja                10          -        -
                Tariti                5          -        -
                Ocean Travel/Patrol 100          4        5
                         Total     1200         40       15
             The islands have over roughly 620 miles of shoreline in the
      two island areas.  They do have to worry about enemy nations nearby
      but not as much as Aredan does.  The chance of encountering a civilian
      craft in any Ashudan nation shore hex is 15% (1-3 ships per hex).
      The chance of encountering a warship is slim at 2%.  

          C. Atler

             Atler people will avoid war if they can but keep a strong navy
      for their tiny nation.  Their navy tends to be split up among their
      two cities at any one time rather than set out to sea.  The nearby
      river which goes deep into the forest and mountains tend to only be
      used by those who seek work in the mining or timber industry.  Most
      civilians will avoid it due to the dangers and the nearby tribes.
      Atler has a constant single river craft on patrol in the river to
      help against pirate and barbarian raids.  Of the civilian fleet 180
      tend to call Atler city as home while 100 call Maboiba home. The
      other nearby towns and villages get about 100 ocean going craft.
      The chance of encountering a river Atler craft is about 15% while
      on the coastline anywhere from 15-20 may be in the area so chances
      are high around 45% of encountering such craft.  The chance of
      encountering a warship however is only 5%.  The Atler people believe
      it to be their duty to be on the seas to prevent the Korchu empire
      from growing in that area.  They have excellent resources as they
      are near the big forest for timber for new ships.

          D. Kingdom of the East

             This nation consists of islands and some areas on the mainland
      which is dominated by the jungle.  Being in the sea in this area could
      be as dangerous as the land due to Katai and other raiders constantly
      on the prowl for prey. There is a rumor that a powerful ship sails
      the waters here that works for a secret society.  It is said those
      who see this ship never see anything else.  The breakdown of the
      various ships are as follows:
                City/Area      Civilian  Warship   Trireme
               Ocedan City      540        13        4
               Fadan City       320        13        4
               Lemdan City      230        12        4
               Pildan City      130        12        4
               Coasa Peninsula  450         3        1
               Lemdan Area      105         3        1
               Hunki Island      60         3        1
               Tyan island       80         3        1
               Musmasa Island    20         3        1
               Na'Asida Island   20         3        1
               Pira              10         3        1
               Na'Innamu         10         3        -
               Nara               5         3        -
               Na'Chobar          5         3        1
               Open Sea/Patrol  115        20       16
                       total   2100       100       40
             While the ocean ships are sea-worthy and well constructed the
      jungle is their main source of wood.  This wood is not as highly
      prized as forest wood but is a good alternative.  The navy has 1,600
      elite trained marines as well which makes them a strong fighting
      force.  Their river craft stay in the rivers and do not go out into
      the ocean.  But a lot of their ocean ships can enter the rivers so
      they do not have as many rivercraft as other nations may have.  

          E. Fomoria

             The island nation of Fomoria has a long history with the sea
      and has proven their control over the seas.  There are three special
      ships that are specially built and blessed to perform the Tribute to
      the Spirit of the Lake. It is against the law for any non blessed or
      non-priests to board the tribute ship that is not approved.  Doing
      so may be punishable by the highest powers.  The merchants here have
      a monopoly of exporting Orichalum since they are the only source of
      it in the world.  These merchant traders can tend to sell the material
      at high prices.
             Because of the mist and the mystical mist in the past the
      Fomorians have become experts in the use of tactics in the fog and
      mist naturally found in the open.  While most sailors may be hard
      pressed to travel in fog the Fomorians would not if they know a
      battle is coming or there is a great need for it.  The island of
      Fomoria is one large mountain chain that has a great lake in the
      center with no access to the sea.  The Fomorians protect the gold
      on the lake floor from gold hunters and protect the island from
      raiders by keeping a active lake sea force.  The Lake force never
      exits to the ocean itself but they patrol the lake for any trouble
      and help in times of invasion if need to.  But being a enclosed lake
      the civilians use this lake in great numbers in pleasure, fishing
      and other duties of life.  There are many civilian craft in the
      lake at any one time.  Because of the strength of the Fomorian navy
      pirates in the area are few but brave.  The Lake itself may have a
      small collection of pirates who only act on little risk.  The ocean
      going pirates though tend to stay in hidden alcoves and caves waiting
      for passing ships.
             The breakdown of the ships is as follows:
                                 Civilian       Warships
               City/Area        Ocean  Lake  Ocean   Lake   Trireme
               Fomoria city     1,100    -     20      -       9   
               Fort Inan          300    -     19      -       9   
               Asidan             420    -     19      -       6
               Manadan            300    -     19      -       5
               Miridan             -    220    19      -       -
               Island Villages    680   680    19      -       5     
               Lake Patrol         -     -      -     15       -
               Ocean Patrol        -     -     20      -       8   
               Ocean Travel       200    -      -      -       8   
                          Total  2900   900   135     15      50
             All Trireme going ships are in the ocean not the lake as that
      would be a waste of resources.  The materials to maintain this large
      fleet of ships is imported or traded for as the nation itself doesn't
      have timber resources.

          F. Kingdom of the Islands

             This nation of the islands make their living by the sea. Most
      of the smaller islands though have trouble with weather so living on
      such islands can be dangerous.  The breakdown of the ships is as
      follows:
               City/Area    Civilian  Warship   Trireme
               Firdan City     170      10         5
               Firdan Island   300      10         6
               Bolgidan City   150      10         5
               Bolgidan Towns  300       3         1
               Zeudan City      90       3         1
               Zeudan Towns     10       2         -
               Zerdu Island     70       2         1
               Paidu Island     40       2         -
               A'henas Island   30       2         -
               Hoda island      10       2         -
               Island Patrol     -       2         1
               Ocean Travel     30      12         -
                        Total 1200      60        20
             The Kingdom depends on Kingdom of Fomoria in times of war but
      has a strong force to maintain some level of defense.  They have
      forests so have good resources to maintain the fleet they have.  

          G. Musira

             Due to their constant past wars against Shandan tribes they
      keep a stable navy ever ready for war and support operations.  Due
      to the size of the nation it is not big enough to support piracy but
      there is known to be one pirate ship that roams around the coastline
      at times. Musira port has about 140 civilian ships in berth or in
      between travel at any one time.  The surrounding towns and villages
      have another 260 or so ships at sea at any one time. Most ships are
      centered on timber trade operations.  The two triremes tend to always
      stay in the Musira port.  

          H. Port Doman

             This culture centers around slavery and as such their civilian
      ships cater to slave cargo.  In fact some of their ships are floating
      slave market places where many are sold from town to town.  Virtually
      all of the Port Doman navy is also rowed by slave labor.  The Prince
      has declared pirates to be outlaws.  Yet there is a undertone of
      partnership where pirates actually deliver some slaves to the state.
      Because of this the Price publicly hates them but privately welcomes
      their trade.  A foreigner found victim to pirates thus will likely
      see no help from the state.  At any one time 1-2 warships may be on
      coastal patrol of the Izza or Port doman shoreline which covers
      roughly 260 miles.  The chance of encountering a warship in these
      coastal hexes is only 2%.  There is one river dedicated warship that
      patrols the 200 odd miles of river the civilians tend to use (no port
      domans enter the desert river area). The chance of encountering a
      river warship is 1%.  The chance of encountering a civilian rivercraft
      is 30% since 1-3 may be in any river hex at any one time.  The chance
      of encountering a civilian craft at sea on the coastline is 30% (1-3
      in any one hex at any time).  Only the small portion of actual
      Fomorians tend to own ships in this area.  They use the jungle wood
      to make new ships but it is not as high quality as forest timber.  

          I. Shestar

             Shestar is aware the sea is a major battlefield at times but
      their goal of conquest of the plains has driven them to neglect the
      navy as much as they should have.  In fact most of the year they keep
      their small fleet in port and avoid the sea.  The nearby river gives
      a tactical advantage to them as they can hide their fleet and head
      out to the sea if needed.  Though if the river entrance is blockaded
      that tactic may fail.  The nation is in a good spot in terms of
      nearby enemy nations so they do have some breathing room for the
      civilian fleet.  However, storms in this area of the world tend to
      be fierce so many natives tend to avoid the sea and ship ownership.
      Thus at least half of the amount of ships that could exist are out
      there.  The port of Shestar tends to have 130 civilian craft call it
      home while the nearby towns and villages have around 300 on the
      coastline. For the towns and villages along the river they tend to
      have about 85 river craft (non sea-worthy) that venture up and down
      the river.  The military does not keep a dedicated river warship on
      patrol but tend to have one of their sea ships patrol the river at
      any one time. The coastline is patrolled by 1-2 other warships at
      any given time of the year.  The chance of encountering a civilian
      craft on the river is 15% (1-3 on any one hex at any time) while on
      the coastline it is only 5% (1-2 max).  While the chance of
      encountering a warship on the river is 2% and along the coastline
      is 2%. The river and coastline are roughly the same distance about
      140 miles long.   The warships are all small mostly intended for
      scouting, raiding and messenger service.  There is a small forest
      along the western shore that allows them good resources to replenish
      their ships and boats.

          J. Vahear  

             As a island nation Vahear has a great strategic location for
      conquest of the nearby sea.  As a island shaped as it is the inlet
      lets fleets  of ships sweep out in 3 directions (sea of Tears and
      the seas to the South East/South West). Pirates also use this inlet
      to hide their ships and then go out on raids before being seen.  For
      those with the courage to visit the cities and towns of this island,
      they find they are dens to pirates.  It is said the black market
      here is vast and if it can't be found here it can't be found anywhere
      else.  Due to the pirate influence here on the island merchants have
      set agreements to sail the seas without being attacked.  This may be
      from tributes to working for the pirates themselves.  Very little
      civilians actually have some free control of their fate here or if
      they do its not for long.  There are good forest reserves for new
      timber if need on a couple of the islands and mainland.  The break
      down of the ships are as follows:
               City/Area   Civilian   Warships Trireme   
               Vahear City    430        16       9      
               Inannadan City 120        15       8      
               Vahear Island  185        29       9  [Coastal Towns]
                                             
               Olphar         230        15       4  
               Olphar Coast   365         5       1  [Coastal Towns]
                                                      
               Mossal Island   30         5       1  
               Undisan Island  10         5       1  
               Bista Island    10         5       1  
               Rey Deu Island   2         5       1  

               Ocean Patrol              10       4   [Active patrol]
               Ocean Trael    118        10       1   [In transit]
                       Total 1500       120      40
             Chance of encountering a Civilian around Vahear island itself
      is 70% along the coastline.  Chance of encountering a warship around
      the Vahear coastline is 15%.  Chance of civilian encounter around
      Olphar coastline is 60% but a military encounter would be 10%.
      Chance of encountering a Vahear civilian craft around the 4 islands
      are 12% while a military encounter would be 5%. Chance of encountering
      a military warship in open ocean is 2%.  While chance of encountering
      a Vahear civilian on transit in open ocean is 5%.

          K. Xan   

             Xan has the best of both worlds with access to the Sea of
      Tears and the Western Sea.  But they are not as powerful enough to
      effectively conquer both at a time.  There has been a plan in the
      works by the leaders for over 75 years to do a canal between both
      seas at the shortest distance (about 60 miles).  They know if they
      could do such a canal they would prosper by charging transit fees
      and grow even more powerful.  But the problem as always is money.
      They have the slave labor but if they had the money the project
      would last for a couple decades likely.  It is rumored the leaders
      have even sought out wizards to create paths in the mountains with
      magic.  It is even said the High Elder (of the Dark Lands) was
      approached but refused.  Xan knows if this canal were to exist
      though Fort Kira as the spearhead by Clima and Gom would have major
      problems with it as the balance of power would surely shift to Xan.
      So the Xan leaders are always approaching Atler and Fomoria with
      possible sources of income for large deals or contracts.   It is an
      uphill battle to make the canal that may never come to life The
      breakdown of ships is as follows:
              City/Area      Civilian   Warships   Trireme
              Xantia City       300        45         10
              Western Shore      60         5          -
              Erdan City        140        30          5
              Eastern Shore      60         5          -  
              Ocean Transit      40         -          -
                       Total    600        85         15
             The military tends to keep 5 ships on each shore on constant
      patrol.  Ocean transit are those ships that are at least over 1 hex
      away from Xan's coastline at any one time.  The Western shore tends
      to be crowded with traffic (up to 20 ships in a Western Shore
      Coastline hex) making a chance of encountering a Xan civilian on
      the west shore at 80%.  The Eastern shore tends to be less crowded
      with about 5-10 ships in any eastern shore hex at any given time
      making it a 40% chance of encounter.  To encounter a warship in
      either the western or eastern shore coastline is a 5% chance.  Most
      of the warships stay in port always being maintained for any sign of
      trouble from enemy nations.  The Sea of Tears fleet however is also
      on many recon missions to scout the nearby nations for build up or
      raids.  Thus the Erdan fleet is designed for scouting and raiding
      compared to the Xantia Fleet.  Xan has access to nearby forests so
      they have great timber reserves.

      23. The Fierazi Tribes

          The Fierazi are land based tribes that rarely if ever visit the
      sea.  Very few tribe members may never see bodies of water bigger
      than a river or the few lakes in the area.  Thus they have no sea
      going ships at all.  However due to the forest rivers and few small
      lakes they do have small light craft. Most of these may be fishermen
      or transport ships.  The Fierazi are not used to water combat so no
      water warship exists for the tribes.  If they do engage in battle
      it will be a melee combat rather than ship to ship.  Due to the
      hostile nature to outsiders the rare cargo transport may meet up
      with only Caldo river ships if at all.  They will not barter with
      anyone else.  In fact the tribal shamans tell of stories of dangers
      that exist in the water.  There are many myths and legends of the
      rivers and lakes. One in particular gets told over and over.  The
      myth as told by the Shamans states that in one of the lakes if a
      large gray ship is seen by a Great Shaman then this is a omen to
      visit that ship.  It is said that on the ship could be the key to
      the old empire del'nord power.  But the legend also states that
      the ship could also, if the shaman doesn't have complete faith,
      awaken a great danger to bring the old empire del'Nord back into
      power.

      24. Ghazai

          The Ghazai are fierce and vicious jungle fighters but they do not
      do sea going battles.  The Great Chief believes the gods forbid them
      to exit the jungle and enter the Great Water.  In fact scholars
      believe this to be a tactic to keep the tribes in line and stay in
      their borders as they have little population as it is.  They do have
      however a few river craft used for transport and the Great Chief
      allows use of the river but not the ocean.  These boats tend only
      to be for fishing or transport purposes.   The chance of encountering
      a Ghazai craft in any Ghazai river hex is 5%   These river craft are
      not prepared for battle in the river.

      25. Ghiamen

          The Ghiamen while organized at times have no desire to enter the
      cold north seas.  They have no ocean going ships but the rivers in
      the forest do have some barbarian craft that usually help in trading
      and hunting.  The only tribe to have a river is the Ghomen who have
      about 150 miles of river running through their forest.  They do use
      it for transportation and occasional fishing.  At any one time there
      may be 5-10 craft on the river. The chance of encountering a craft
      is 3% per river hex.  These craft, mostly small rafts, are not battle
      ready.

      26. Goidan 

          Goidan is a island nation in a desolate part of the Western
      Sea which sees a lot of storms.  The barbarian tribes are not one for
      ocean going ships due to their level of technology or desire, but
      they are one for some light river craft in their swamps and two
      rivers.  Trade is conducted by ships from Fomoria and Dirllar that
      keep a tight reign on their market and thus in a way protect the
      island from pirates and outsiders going to the island.  The river
      craft the tribes have are not advanced but simple craft to serve a
      purpose usually of transportation or fishing/hunting.  They tend to
      be wooden curraghs that would not last long in the open sea.  It is
      said the Red Branch keeps a ship for combat training in times of war
      if needed but the tactics and training is primitive.  The Barbarians
      keep the rivers clear of outsiders while the Fomorian and Dirllar
      ships skirt the shore of the ocean.  The tribes do keep a river ship
      of war in each river for a total of 2 warships.  But these craft
      would not last long up against a fortified Trireme.  But they do help
      defend the river against light craft.  They are also there to keep
      the peace along the river in skirmishes.  The people will tend to
      have0 transportation or fishing boats.
           The Connata tribe control the northern river of 100 odd miles
      and tend to have 15 civilian craft at any one time on the river.
      This gives about 12% chance of encountering such a craft on the river.
      The UiNeill control the southern river and tend to have 18 craft on
      the river at any one time in their 100 odd miles of river.  This
      gives a 15% chance of encounter.  Those in the Eoghan tribe have
      learned to use the swamps for their survival.  They tend to have 12
      craft in the swamps hunting or fishing at any one time for the various
      villages.  The chance of encountering a swamp boat is 5% in any swamp
      hex.

      27. Gom 

          Gom has a long history of warfare and defeat which has made them
      weary of combat.  They tend to prefer others to fight for them. Most
      Gomese seek personal profit so trade is common on the seas for the
      Gomese.    Most of the military fleet is rowed by slaves.  Gom is
      known as a good trade center in the Sea of Tears.  When the center
      of the dynasty changed from Gom city to the more isolated Sheiram
      many did not favor that decision.  It is cut off from the Sea of
      Tears.  The one river that is there runs over 1,000 miles to the
      Southern Ocean through the great desert and jungles to the south. As
      a result of this long journey most do not wish to take the long trip
      at all.  Most civilians who have naval interests move to Gom city
      itself.  The breakdown of the Gom ships are as follows:
                              Civilian            Miltary
            City/Area     River   Ocean     Warship   Trireme
            Gom City       100     370        25       10
            Gom Towns      100     700        12        2
            Sheiram City   300     280         -        -
            South Towns    350      -          -        -
            Ocean Patrol    -       -          5        2
            River Patrol    -       -          3        -
            Ocean Transit   -      150         5        1
                   Total   850    1500        50       15
          The Gom Towns cover the northern coastal towns and coastlines
      that would contribute to ocean traffic.  South towns are those who
      contribute to the river traffic on the southern river.  Ocean and
      River patrol are when warships are on patrol in those areas and the
      amounts.  Ocean transit are ships that are in the Sea of Tears (or
      rarely Southern Seas).
          For river encounters the chance of Civilian encounters on the
      Gom river is high 60%. The chance to encounter the 1 Gom River
      warship in the 100 miles of Gom river is 2%. The 320 miles of the
      southern river are heavily trafficked for the most part and encounter
      chance is 15% for civilian craft and for the 2 military patrol craft
      it is 8%.  For the greater amount of river (1000+ miles) the chance
      of encountering a Gom river craft is just 2%.  The Gom Southern River
      patrol (2 warships) would never venture past the mountains into the
      desert and jungle part of the southern river.  The chance of
      encountering a Gom ship in the sea of tears is about 2% in any one
      Ocean hex.  The northern Gom coastline is crowded most of the year
      and chance of encountering a Gom civilian craft is 30% in any Gom
      coastline hex.  Chance of encountering a Gom warship on the northern
      coastline is 10%.  Gom resources for ship replacement is not great
      so they have to trade for timber or gather it from the Wild Forest
      on the northern side of the Sea of Tears.

      28. The Helva 

          The Helva are a vicious tribe that rather fight than co-exist
      with their neighbors.  This matriarchial society is always on the
      watch for their neighbors and weary of any advances on their
      territory.  They are always watching for problems and will be ready
      to stop any invasions even if its just the least amount of people.
      The tribes are land locked so do not have any ocean going craft.
      But two of the tribes do live alongside rivers.  These are the Kiesa
      and the Karashaka whoa re in the mountains and forests respectively.
      The Kiesa live near a winding river on their southern area and tend
      to have 12 small wooden river craft on it at any one time.  The
      chance of encountering such a river craft is about 2%.  The other
      Karashaka use the river to move among the hills and small mountains
      faster.  They tend to have 8 ships on the river at any one time.
      These craft do not enter into the heavy mountain chains though only
      stay to the hill river hexes.  The chance of encountering such a
      craft is 5%.  The Kiesa tribe do not stray far from their nearby
      territory while on the river.  These tribes do not have any river
      warship craft.  Most tend to be fisherman, transportation or small
      trade craft (usually of small to medium raft size).  

      29. The Humagi

          The Humagi are like the Helva, vicious fighters.  They are known
      to capture and torture people like the Helva but also take heads as
      trophies or just eat the person.  They are specially trained horse
      warriors who aren't fully capable in the water.  They are a land
      locked culture so there is no access to the sea for ocean going
      ships.  But there are two Humagi tribes that have access to nearby
      rivers.  The Srimoga have about 160 miles of nearby river to enter
      while the Kaoga have well over 250 miles of river. They will use
      these rivers for patrols, recon, fishing and transportation.  Most
      river craft are wooden rafts but some may be as large as 20 person
      rafts.  The Mopoga tribe do have a nearby river but do not venture
      on it as the Zen'da are very territorial of their river.  The Humagi
      do not have river warships.  It is common knowledge that most
      outsiders should avoid these river areas or risk their lives at
      great peril.  The chance to encounter a Srimoga river craft in any
      nearby river hex is 3% while the chance to encounter a Kaoga river
      craft is 10%.

      30. The Ipanza

          The Ipanza are a hardy people who live in the most extreme cold
      climate in the Perilous lands called the Frozen Lands. It is nothing
      but Tundra for hundreds of miles.  These nomads are hunters and
      gathers who try to survive in this harsh environment.  They rarely
      deal with outsiders.  There are no rivers in this area so no river
      craft exists.  There are hundreds of miles of coastline but the arctic
      like northern sea tends to be so cold, stormy and in some cases full
      of floating icebergs that they do not desire to sail the sea.  So in
      all these people have no ships or boats at all.  The only time they
      may trade is with Novarask or in the Dark Lands nearby if at all.  

      31. Iravoy 

          Iravoy is land locked with no rivers just miles of hills. They
      do not have ocean or river going craft.  However a rich Iravoy
      citizen may own a craft that is berthed in a Aratad Confederacy port.

      32. The Izza

          The Izza are hated by many neighbors so know they could not
      muster a well defendable fleet.  Being nothing but jungle land
      there is no good port as well.  Though they allow Port Doman to
      help them in times of war.  The only craft the Izza may have is an
      occasional coastal craft that is for transportation (going from one
      place to another) to avoid long areas of jungle.  The chance o
      encountering such a craft along the Izza coast is only 2%.  These
      craft would not last in the open sea so only stay within a few
      hundred feet of the coastline.

      33. Ja'xon

          Ja'xon is a small nation but it controls a major land trade
      route that is heavily used.  In some ways the river allows trade
      to be sent through the desert and their land all the way up to
      Roghara city.  Since Ja'xon is friendly with the Shanda they use
      the city as a trade site as well.  Ja'xon has no ocean going ship.
      The river that goes through Foha does go to the southern seas but
      goes through the desert and jungles to the south.  The desert tribes
      raid any Ja'xon if they see fit therefore most Ja'xon do not travel
      that far south on the river.  If at all they only travel 20 odd miles
      into the desert away from Foha port if that.  Ja'xon has 2 river
      warships that are large patrol barges based at Foha city. They keep
      the peace from any desert raiders or enemy craft that may brave going
      up the river toward their land. Most times those these 2 river
      warships are idle and their crews do get lax most of the year.
          The city of Ja'xon does keep some river craft in the deep mountains
      (about 50 at any one time) for mining operations mainly.  Half of
      those may be non-merchant pleasure craft.  They seek a part of the
      river that is known to have a 3 mile rapids area which fun seekers
      love as tourist spots.  The chance of encountering a Ja'xon city
      craft in the north 60 miles of the river is high at 50%.  These river
      people tend to feel safe in this part of their territory even from
      Gom.  Foha on the other hand has about 30 craft at any one time on
      the river portion they control (up to the desert).  The chance of
      encountering such a craft is only 10% at any one time.  These people
      tend to only use the river for a purpose like fishing or
      transportation up river.  They know the desert and thus raiders are
      always nearby.  Foha is also a trade center that sees a lot of traffic
      so the river craft mainly serve as transportation here.  Most rich
      Ja'xon city land owners who may own a bigger sea going ship will
      berth it in Roghara city to the north.  Another 20 odd craft may be
      on the river at any one time from river bordering villages and towns
      (usually in their hex) for fishing, pleasure, mining or transportation.
      These river craft are in the river between Ja'xon city and Foha and
      the chance of encountering a river craft in these areas increase at
      times by 10%.  There is a rich merchant in Ja'xon who does charter
      a small fleet of ocean going trade ships for the Sea of Tears (based
      in Roghara).  But this is only done during the summer months when
      travel is best. The number varies from 10-20 ships depending on the
      level of trade goods to ship.  River pirates who have strayed from
      authorities (escaped from really) or in hiding seek the river for
      shelter.  They know the mountains are safer than the jungle and
      desert so some may risk the trip up the river and prey on Ja'xon
      river traffic.

      34. The Kakana 

          The Kakan tribes are not very big but they worship the god Kototh.
      Part of this religion makes them think like a serpent and thus fear
      water.  While they live by the ocean and two rivers they do not use
      the water at all so they do not have any craft.  In fact they live
      deep within the jungle, many may never see the water in their everyday
      life.  Kototh may imbue a quest on one of their great elders every
      few years.  In this case that elder may override his imbred fear of
      the water and build a small raft to brave the river to go to a nearby
      land for scouting or some other purpose.  But this would likely be
      the only reason they would ever create such crafts.  One such quest
      was found out by a trader when he spotted a Kakana near the road in
      the desert far to the north.  The single warrior was there seeking
      out some strange object of merit.  This person was last seen entering
      the great desert but never again.

      35. The Kalem 

          The Kalem are almost the opposite of the Kakana in their nature.
      They are more peaceful but dedicated warriors when they need to be.
      They have a short area of jungle coastline to the sea.  They prefer
      to hunt and farm in their isolated villages.  The only time they will
      make a small shoreline boat is to trade when times are hard for their
      people like during sickness or other problems with the people.  During
      these rare events they will make 1-2 coastline boats to watch for
      passing ships to trade with.  The chance of encountering such a craft
      during the spring and summer is 2%.  During fall and winter they would
      not do this at all due to the storms and their inability at ocean
      seamanship in the rough seas. These craft stay within sight of land
      since if they head out of sight of land they are doomed.

      36. The Kameran

          The Kameran are a small tribe who pride themselves in the
      conquest of the forest and nearby hills.  Their weaponsmiths are
      known far and wide for their unusual metal weapons. While the Kameri
      tribe in the hills have no water for craft the Alesi tribe in the
      forest have a nearby river they do utilize.  The river is used for
      transportation, hunting, moving simple cargos of metal or minerals,
      fishing and secret rites.  These secret sites are performed by the
      Blue Moon mystical lodge which is a subset of the Ancient Moon group.
      This sub-group has found they do their best work during certain
      periods (phases) of the moon.  They have learned the river shifts,
      though very subtle, at certain times (tides).  This group even helps
      nearby villages to plan their harvest and growing periods based on
      the moon with the help of the flowing river nearby as it shifts.  It
      is said this group has a hidden base at the tip of the river but is
      hidden by some means (its unclear if its magic or nature - rumors say
      both).  At any one time the river will have 30 river craft on it.
      While about 80 miles of the river is in their established area
      another 220 odd miles are in other areas.  They are friendly with
      the nearby Zen'da clan so they drift down the long winding river
      (about 250 miles up to the point in the west where it branches
      northward and continues westward).  The chance of encountering an
      Alesi river craft is 10% in the 250 odd mile river stretch.  The
      chance of encountering them in the eastern part near the Moon
      fortress is 15%.  These craft are simple rafts or small barges not
      prepared for battle.

      37. Katai 

          Katai is a culture teaming with life over 7 million strong. They
      are the most populated nation on the world and have 1 million just
      in the 20 cities.  Most of Katai is hills and plains but there is an
      extensive river network which allows the citizens to transport
      materials and people from place to place quicker than overland routes.
      Many of these rivers go hundreds of miles inland and extend out into
      the sea nearby.  Katai has no forests of its own and must trade with
      Choshai for its timber for ship production which makes them an
      important trade ally.  Katai crime gangs do help to promote piracy
      on the rivers and open seas so piracy is common in some high traffic
      areas even while the military tries to stop them from their operations.
          Citizens have thousands of ships and boats.  Most are small
      purpose craft like junks which serve as cargo, transportation or
      fishing mainly.  But every level of society from the lowest peasant
      to the richest Katai household has craft that serve in virtually
      every purpose.  There are three main groups of trade going on with
      the various ships.  The huge agriculture market moves all the food
      around to various distribution centers.  The metals from the mines
      and hills give a metal cargo trade market and thus complete the
      manufacturing market in the cities for finished goods from simple
      every day items to fine luxury items.
          Two cities Tirat and Katai (with over 200,000 people which is
      the world's largest known city) are inland and land locked too far
      from the sea or river.  There are 8 cities that are right on the
      ocean coastline.  They are:
                        Civilian      Encounter Chance
            City     River    Ocean   River   Ocean Hex  Hexes   #
            Tiansar    -       300     20%      20%       2/7  10/10
            Si'chava   -       270      -       25%        6    30
            Koulou     -       290      -       40%       15     8
            Musdao     -       200      -        5%       24     1
            Qimou      -       800      -       90%       42    40
            Dzhamou    -       150      -       20%       12     4
            Ul'liaou   -       180      -       20%       15     4
            Jiuquo    750      530     45%      50%      15/15 10/11
               Total  750     2820 
          Katai is a huge land with thousands of miles of coastline. So
      there is no short coastline for any one craft to patrol or use.  As
      a result the above encounter chances are slightly different than
      other cultures.  The above cities are all coastal cities. Jiuquo is
      near a river though not right on a river so they have a lot of river
      craft as listed above while also a lot of ocean going craft.  Tiansar
      also is near a river so has both river and ocean traffic.  The column
      listed as Hexes is the number of hexes around the city the ships tend
      to stick in.  For example, Dzhamou, most craft stay in the nearby 12
      hexes around them.  This would be 3 rows and about 6 hexes on each
      side.  Thus the 20% chance of encounter is chance of encountering
      just one Dzhamou ocean going craft.  These hexes are not set in
      stone but are only here as a general reference.  The # column is the
      number of craft typically found in each hex at any one time. More or
      less may come about due to time of the year but this is the typical
      amount.  If two numbers then first # is for river and second is for
      ocean.  Qimou is a large city and thus has 800 craft at any one time
      in port or at sea or in some other combination.  They utilize up to
      120 miles out to sea around the city for various purposes like fishing
      or trading.  The area here is so crowded with ships its sometimes
      hard to navigate with all the ships.
          The other cities are those that are on a large river network or
      at the end point of a river itself.  These cities tend to only have
      river going craft but may have a small amount of ocean going craft.
      In the Hexes column below is the number of nearby river hexes the
      city has access to.
                        Civilian      Encounter Chance
            City     River    Ocean   River   Ocean Hex  Hexes   #
            Koi'lan   410       50     15%        1%      31    3/-
            Scaloo    380       10     25%        1%      24    5/-
            Kodao     500      200     70%       70%      10   20/20
            Choundeu  780      100     70%       25%       6   20/5
            Pamau     125      250     35%       40%       6    7/8
            Shantou   200      200     10%       10%      25    2/2
            Sangsao   100      100     50%       50%      10   10/10
            Ci'jian   110      220     20%       40%      10    4/7
            Da'qaid   240       60     40%       10%      10    8/2
            Li'jian   100      700      5%       90%      10    1/20
              Total  2945     1890
          Koi'lan is a city with 31 river hexes it can have access to the
      north or down south to Tiansar and the south ocean. Scaloo, Kodao and
      Choundeu are all on the same river which leads to the ocean.  Scaloo
      is deep inland while Choundeu is nearing one end and Kodaois at the
      sea part of the river basin.  The city of Pamau is at the sea but it
      has 6 hexes of rivers that go into the mountains.  This river is not
      used as much by most civilians other than hunters, farmers and miners.
      Shantou and Sangsao are on the sea with the first being midway and
      second at the sea coastline.  Ci'jian is a city where the river craft
      is mostly timber oriented where they go up river to meet with trade
      convoys on the road to deliver new wood from the Choshai forest.
      Da'qaid and Li'jian are on the same river.  Most civilians do not
      venture far into the river mountain hexes as that frontier sees some
      high dangers (like occasional Zen'da travelling bands).  They tend to
      stick to the hill river hexes.
          The grand total of the Katai Civilian fleet is as follows - 3,695
      river craft and 4,710 ocean going craft in the water in various levels
      (10-60% of those total in the water at any one time depending on the
      time of year.  At least 80% of these craft are not sophisticated
      enough for any battle conditions.  About 10% may be prepared for a
      pirate repulse if the sailors are skilled while another 10% may be
      just designed to be well protected (like rich merchant ships).  It
      is not uncommon to have water traffic jams in some areas of a river
      or river basin area due to the amount of water craft.  But the Katai
      have learned to live with this as a everyday thing and thus this
      tends to only upset outsiders.
          For the military Katai has an Imperial fleet and nine provincial
      fleets. Their strengths are as follows:
             PROVINCE      WARSHIPS  RIVER PATROL   Encounter Chance
             Imperial        20         40              2-10%
             Tiansar         10          0              2% / 0%
             Koi'lan          0          5              0% / 1%
             Si'chava        15          0              5% / 0%
             Musdao           5          0              2% / 0%
             Choundeu         0         15              0% / 10%
             Scaloo           0         10              0% / 2%
             Sangsao         10          0              5% / 0%
             Jiuquo          15          0              5% / 0%
             Ci'jian          5          0              2% / 0%
             -----------------------------
             TOTAL           80         70
          Encounter chances will depend on the time of the year and how
      busy the military may be at the time.  For a culture of millions 80
      warships is nothing compared to many other cultures so they are
      spread thin.  Imperial warships will patrol the coast and rivers
      depending on trouble spots or imperial decree.  Chance of encounter
      varies from 2 to 10% depending on coastline and river length.  Chance
      of encountering a Tiansar based warship is 2% in the open nearby
      coast and 0% (no chance) on the river.  Koi'lan no chance of warship
      encounter and 1% of encountering a river patrol barge. Si'chava there
      is a good (5%) chance of spotting a warship on active patrol in this
      area.  The Musdao fleet is always concerned about nearby Chunrey so
      tend to always keep the sailors in top notch readiness.  Choundeu
      tend to patrol the river in pairs so there is a good chance of
      seeing not one but two river patrol barges at any one time.  Scaloo
      river patrols are thread bare so its hard to find them in any one
      river hex.  Sangsao doesn't have much to patrol so there is a good
      chance of seeing a warship here.  Same goes for the Jiuquo fleet.
      Finally Ci'jian is not so rich so the chance of seeing a warship
      is not so high.
          Each warship is small to medium while the imperial warships may
      be fairly large.  They do not have sophisticated weapons but can hold
      their own if need be.  Each river barge has 40 soldiers in its crew.
      These soldiers are not elite.
          Katai pirates are common in some areas due to the crowded sea and
      river lanes.  Many criminal organizations do nothing but piracy on
      the high seas in fast moving ambush craft.

      38. The Kazi

          The Kazi are in a barren and desolate area full of badlands for
      the most part.  They are one of the most blood-thirsty warriors on
      the continent.  They are mostly warriors, hunters and raiders but
      some of the tribes do have rivers nearby which the Kazi will often
      use.  One river goes all the way to the western sea but they never
      go that far (they typically stop where the river ends at the base of
      the badlands in the west).  The Kazi are friendly toward Dwarfs and
      the Caldo so they have some experience on the river with these people.
      While they do not do major trade they will barter for things they
      need.  Six of the 8 tribes have access to nearby rivers and may use
      them.  These tribes have 60-80 miles of river at their disposal.
      They will often use this small stretch of water for transportation,
      fishing or hunting.  The break down of the river craft is as follows:
           Tribe   Number of River Craft  River Hexes  Encounter %
           Kado           16                   3            20%
           Riora          15                   4            15%
           Gazdo          12                   4            15%
           Haido          11                   4            10%
           Kirra          11                   4            10%
           Shara          10                   2            25%
            Total         75
          The 75 river craft is assuming the max number of craft on the
      river at any one time.  Usually 1/3rd to 2/3rd may be on the river
      at any one time.  Most of these craft are light wooden boats not
      ready for battle.  The Kazi have no ocean going ships or warships.
      There is enough nearby forest to maintain enough wood reserves.
      There is a special society of dagger duelist that use boats for
      ceremonial challenges of Dagger members. For more detail see the
      special ship section.

      39. Kirazan 

          This land locked nation is a major trade center for nearby
      cultures.  They have no sea or river craft at all.  However, rich
      citizens may own a craft or two in the Shestar city or along the
      Shestar river.

      40. The Kll'maun 

          The tribes are made up of fanatical skilled fighters who are
      also known to be deadly trackers.  There is only one tribe that has
      direct access to water.  The other tribes along the Eastern Forest
      have coastal areas that are to the ocean but the tribes wish not to
      have any sea going craft.  With this said though individual tribesman
      may meet up with ocean going craft for trade but this is a in-frequent
      event.  The forest is plenty of land to hide the tribes from invaders
      so the tribes do not have to put up much defense on their coastal
      borders.  As a matter of fact pirates use the coastal forest zones
      to hide ships and wait for others that pass by for prey. The coastal
      tribe villages have been known to attack pirate camps often so pirates
      stay at their own risk.
          The only tribe to have some form of craft is the tribe set in
      the hills and mountains - the Soraun.  This tribe are chaotic oriented
      and are followers of the Sorceress of the Dark Lands.  They act like
      a small army for her but they know it is a relationship that is on the
      edge  at any time which could break if one did something to offend her.
      This tribe has 9 river hexes (180 rough miles) of river in the
      hills and deep into the mountains.  This river extends west and
      southward through the great plains.  The tribe will have 15 river
      craft on the river or riverbank at any one time.  For those who are
      in their land the chance of encounter is 5% per river hex.  These
      craft are not battle designed but mostly are for transportation,
      scouting, hunting, tracking or minor mining operations.  The
      warriors on these ships though are ready for battle and can fight
      while on the river.
          There is a rumor among those in the Dark Lands that the Soraun
      have a special craft that do missions for the Sorceress. She will
      send her minions to the Soraun and a small band of warriors will
      use this craft and head down the long winding river to shorten the
      lengthy ocean trip.  Because this single unusual craft goes through
      enemy territory she has implanted many wards and magics on it.  







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