The Sea of Pearls

The Sea of Pearls is an expanse of island-dotted waters that stretches from the western coast of Leng. This archipelago is famed for crystal-white beaches and the richness of mineral deposits beneath the islands - it is for these beaches that the region receives its name. The majority of these islands, especially in the east, are colonies of the Arelonian Empire; though Arelon once dreamed of ruling Leng, they are now content to focus their efforts almost entirely on maintaining a policing their many profitable colonies. The Admiralty of the Empire wages a constant battle to maintain control of the islands, for the prevalence of piracy and the sheer number of islands makes enforcing imperial law difficult at the best of times.

On the surface, the people who dwell on the Sea of Pearls are similar to the inhabitants of Leng - particularly in the Arelonian colonies. They speak same language, follow the same customs and even worship the same gods for the most part - though the Old Gods are far more powerful on the Sea of Pearls than anywhere else on Leng. On the open seas, Ahti and Myrkul rule supreme. The differences do not end there, however.

The people of the Sea of Pearls are free-spirited and rebellious by nature, and these waters have always had what the Admiralty call “the piracy problem”. Many of the unaffiliated isles that dot the Sea are friendly to smugglers and outlaws, and ships moving between colonies often find themselves waylaid and robbed. Even within Arelonian colonies, a great deal of smuggling and subterfuge goes on under the Empire’s nose. The Admiralty has bent its considerable navy towards eradicating the pirates, but they simply do not have the manpower to completely quash them.

The further west one goes, the less like Leng the Sea of Pearls becomes. Beyond the Sea of Pearls proper, one enters a “no man’s land” that is ruled over by the self-styled Baron of the West. In the Sea-Barony, life is lived in a chaotic and lawless state, and the only law that has any true weight is the Pirate’s Code.