Darkwater/Reflection

Vassalage

Above the County of Darkwater, is Stormward March, Above that comes the Duchy of Grimhall, and then beyond, the Principality of Maelstrom.

Below the County of Darkwater, are the baronies of Blackshore, Redreef, (Unnamed Barony), (Unnamed Barony) and (Unnamed Barony).

Cultural Notes

Situated centrally on the north side of the Saffron Chain of the Mourning Isles, Darkwater Watch is on all the major trading routes and a port of choice for cargo transfers and resupply of merchant fleets. Despite it's small size, the city therefore has a strikingly cosmopolitan sampling of culture and trade. While not opulent, many of the more northerly attitudes are watered down, both by distance and the constant influx of trade.

Women are restricted, though less as a second-class citizenship, and more being bound to traditional gender roles. Men likewise may find themselves unable to pursue vocations customarily perceived as ‘women's work’ which including matters of administration, law, and arbitration. Darkwater has, due to its distance in both geography and vassalage from Maelstrom, more grey areas in which women can operate. Recent law has been made by the Count that women are entitled to inherit directly, rather than the nearest male relative.

Thralldom in commonplace, but less brutal, with the harshest treatment and worst jobs (such as plantation and mining labor) are reserved for fresh captives. More 'domesticated' stock can at times be hard to distinguish from the free, working in the city or shipyards. The children of thralls, so long as they be born of Darkwater, are considered free and can be educated. Recent law passed by Maximilian Darkwater prevents the movement of debt from a parent to a child, effectively ending generational thralldom.

A local beverage drunk served as a delicacy is ‘Choa’ka’, a mixture of coffee, chocolate, sugar and rum. This is served by the wealthy to the poor on holy days, and is a staple of parties and hospitality. Other delicacies include

Tattooing is an art form among Darkwater, with artistic skill being highly prized. Unlike Abandoned tattoos or the blunt lack of sophistry in Thrax tattoos, Darkwater tattoos are defined by elegant detail and fine needlework. Full color work is not rare, but it is still expensive and a mark of status to have a colored tattoo.

One of the holy festivals celebrated in Darkwater, in honor of the Queen of Endings and the Mother of Beginnings, is the Day of Lost Souls. Paper lanterns are crafted, with a candle placed underneath. The lanterns, released from the highest points of the Redoubt, drift over the bay as a waypoint for lost sailors to use to return to home.

The County Seat

The port of Darkwater Watch is dominated by the Ravens Mast, a pre-reckoning lighthouse that stands nearly 200 feet over the harbor. Constructed of black and grey basalt quarried from the construction of the Redoubt, this ominous black tower greets every ship that passes into the harbor. Trade in this port comes from all ports, with the advantageous positioning of the island making it a good meeting place for north and south.

The ancestral keep of the Darkwater family, the Redoubt, is a massive fortress carved into the side of Black Mountain. Very little of the castle is accessible from the outside world, as most of it is tunneled into the rock. This keep withstood the reckoning unconquered, sheltering its population for years at a time. Warehouses and living quarters for several thousand people exist in a warren of tunnels and chambers. The work of a thousand years, there are sections of the Redoubt that no man has been inside of in living memory.

Military Doctrine

Unlike its northern cousins in the Mourning Isles, the County of Darkwater's navy is built for speed and not brute force, owing to its history of piracy and shore-raiding instead of large scale fleet actions. A Darkwater raid knows what it wants, gets in and gets out without trying to destroy everything in its path.

The downside is that they lack the stoutness and ability to engage in pitched battles as their northern cousins. In group formations, Darkwater crews are excellent scouts and couriers, and are typically used to find, then harass enemy forces as the main body of the armada catches up.

Of special note is the presence of war-drums aboard the Darkwater vessels. A tradition dating back to before the Reckoning, the drums are used to communicate between ships, to terrify the enemy, and as a way of warding off ill luck. The ship's drummer is usually also the ship's priest.

Climate and Geography

Located at the edge of Mourning Islands, the island of Darkwater is situated on a large volcanic upthrust, with a central ridge bisecting it. Formed several thousand years ago, the highest crags have eroded, leaving a gently mounted slope with a wide ring of forested lowlands around the island. Volcanic in nature, the soil is highly fertile, creating an almost perfect climate for large scale plantations. The tallest summit in the area, Black Mountain stands at nearly 8,000 feet and can be seen for approximately 100 miles in any direction on a clear day.

The weather systems on the island can expect daily thunderstorms, generated by the warmer currents of the southern waters conflicting with the colder currents of the northern. These storms cause no disruption to trade, being quick and fairly gentle, but do, along with the soil, provide for excellent farming.

Industry and Economy

Major Exports: Sugar, Coffee, Tabacco products, Rum.

The primary economic sectors of Darkwater are agriculture, shipbuilding and tradeservices. Secondary sectors include entertainment, distilling and mining.

Agriculturally, plantations dominate the landscape of the island, with sugar cane, chocolate, tobacco and coffee being the primary exports. The volcanic soil and constant rain make these crops ideally suited for the realm. The portions of the island not given over to plantations are carefully maintained as forest land for shipbuilding, with an aggressive replanting program enforced by the Count. There are many crimes on Darkwater, but one of the most seriously punished is illegal logging.

The major heavy industry of Darkwater is shipbuilding and its feeder industry of logging and lumber preparation. The shipyards dominate the port while the low beaches are used to hull boats and service them. A notable aspect of the large port and its central location is the shipsellers bazaar. Vessels of all nationalities and sizes can be found here for sale on a second hand market. Even some outander vessels can be had if the price is right. When a ship goes stolen in the compact lands? This is usually where to check first.

Other industries include a robust distilling sector that churns out whiskey, vodka and the local specialty, Rum. While Darkwater is not exclusive in its production, its breweries are acknowledged at the very finest. Also of note are the tobacconists of the city, drying and cutting tobacco into pre-rolled cigarillo and pipe tobacco. The flavorings used in the tobacco include various fruit juices, alcohols and scents, and are growing in popularity as a luxury item, spread by sailors to every port.

Also of note, though not technically an industry, is the traders wholesale market. Merchants from all ports bring stocks here to trade with other merchants. This is not a place for peasants or nobles to go shopping, but rather for a merchant from Tor to get access to a half hundred yards of sea silk or an Arxian merchant to buy a few thousand pounds of coffee beans. The taxes generated here keep the county well fed with relatively low domestic taxation.