Shanters
From Axalon RPG
The Shanters
Created by Lint
Contents |
Overview
Capital City: The Strombrahm
Population: Cosmopolitan
Official Language: Lithian, the most practical language for a society of such ethnic diversity. Although it's exact origins are cloudy, it is believed that the Shanters were widely responsible for the propogation of it's speaking through seafaring. Local Shanters speak Lithian with a slight twang called Shantese which involves a lot of rolling r's like 'yarrrrrr' and using improper syntax.
Government
Government: Union/Federation?
Shanters are communal in nature and there is no official constitution and a very loose code of laws ingrained in an ancient sea shanty. To sum it up ,things in Shanter society pretty much run themselves. Of course there are departments which organise the city's civic functions but they are largely self-regulatory and interact mutually with other departments. The 'government' is a pseudo council of elected leaders named 'Captains' who each individually govern a city-state. The Captains, especially in modern times, regularly gather to a summit on Aquabah to discuss issues pertaining to Shanter society and how best to tackle them. While the Captain has no official power over the inhabitants of his city it is common knowledge that he has a considerable amount of influence and may use it with great prejudice. This is not to say he rules with fear, but what sane seaman would sail on a ship if he didn't trust it's captain?
State Religion
None.... but the nature of most Shanters are to be enterprising and capitalist
Culture/History
The Shanters were a civilisation that grew from a guild, to a community, to a nation in their own right. They originated from a collective of seafaring people who agglomerated their resources for their own benefit and convenience. Originally they built their own ports and stations situated all over Lith to sponsor trade, traffic and communications globally. These towns were so successful they were even granted their own laws and jurisdiction by some nations whose land they were situated on and the population grew as more joined the collective and founded families and homes within these communities. However the liberal nature of Shanter citizenship, morals and ethics gradually resulted in these cities becoming popular havens for piracy, smuggling and other illicit activities. As nations on Lith began to grow and develop their own economic infrastructure, Shanter presence became less tolerable and thus began the 'Great Shanter Purge' that lasted over a few centuries where Shanters were evicted from their settlements by expanding nations, in some cases violently with whole cities were razed to the ground. Many merchants swore fealty to the nations that evicted them to continue their businesses. Others, comprised mostly of those without legitimate trade were put their ships out to sea. With limited resources and many mouths to feed these fleets Eventually the first 'Captain' Thames Mudarrin united the main refugee fleets to found The Strohmbrahn, floating city comprised of ships connected by chains and gangways. This allowed an easy synergy of resources and expertise which would allow the Shanters to survive. The early years of Strohmbrahm saw it gain infamy as it's inhabitants subsisted on the plundering of treasure fleets and alleged lootings of seaside settlements. Many nations sent out military fleets to seek and destroy the Strohmbrahm but only managed to catch it on one occasion during the first battle for Strombrahm where by then, the floating city was a hulking impregnible fortress in it's own right and the attacking fleet was overwhelmed. Over time the Shanters became less dependent on piracy and began using their naval power, expertise and logistics for more constructive purposes. This led to the gradual worldwide acceptance of Shanters as a society and the growth of the Shanter civilisation.
Today the Shanters hold few major land-based settlements. Instead they have about a dozen floating cities and at least a hundred more smaller floating towns scattered across the oceans of Lith. They have a large city named Aquabah which is situated on an island they purchased off an archipelago nation. This is mainly used a storage and supply station for the floating cities. Floating cities are huge often mountainous beasts of construction spiralling with jetties and shipyards at the perimeter. These cities have become popular destinations for drinking, gambling, prostitution, illegal trade and other entertainment amenities. Apart from naval facilities each city has it's own airport/s where aircraft can be landed. As you can imagine, floating towns are nowhere as large as their city counterparts and are usually consisted of the traditional thousand or so naval vessels banded together as compared to the hulk of construction that are the floating cities. There are also no Shanter schools. Every kid learns a trade, attends a foreign institution or toughs it out on the streets. Despite the bustling trade, salvaging and commerce. Waste recycling is the biggest industry on any Shanter city, unfortunately this has not saved the cities from sometimes stifling pollution.
The Shanters are also heavily invested in the oil industry. When oil was first discovered, drilling was contracted to the Shanters because of their offshore-operations expertise and the Shanters themselves sought out innumerous leases to drill in foreign waters. This powered a small economic boom whereby five new floating cities were constructed using oil-money. However in recent times more nations have not been reknewing leases to the Shanters as they have developed their own drilling infrastructure. However the Shanters still position cities nearby to service these nations oil-rigs. The Shanters own and operate on a large oil field in their own waters under the Najaf City.
Shanters are undoubtedly a civilisation in their own right. Although Shanters are made up of a cosmopolitan mix of races from all over Lith most Shanters would go to war with a nation of their ethnic origin to protect their ideals and lifestyle of their fellow Shanters.
Many Shanters still hold a modern day resentment for the Great Shanter Purge so many centuries ago, especially towards those nations who exercised brutal force. Conversely there are many Lith who look upon Shanter's as a gang of mere criminals and vagabonds and do not consider them a 'society' by their own right.
Military
By and large Shanters are a peaceful pacifist society. They have never taken sides in a war and have never, as a unified power, taken an aggrevise stance against another nation. In the past they held considerable inherent naval power over the seas of Lith but with modern technology their dominance has waned somewhat.
The Shanters have no military. While there are no dedicated troops to defend a city it is an accepted responsibility that every Shanter (and visitor) should man their ship/aircraft/station to protect the city should it come under attack. In the old days it was not uncommon to see Strombrahm break out with a swarm of ships forming a defensive military fleet. There is also no shortage of military inventory that would be available within a standard city. Some of the older cities, like Strohmbrahm are built as strongholds capable of withstanding bombardment and retaliating against attacks. A few of the newer cities do not share this design. It should be noted that there are several specialised guilds who are armed with vessels highly capable of warfare. Some of these are mercenaries, others are pirates, many are simply military enthusiasts, but all call their roots from the Shanters.
Shanter technology advances with the exchange of information across the world. While Shanters may not have their own research facilities or military academies, the underground has an uncanny knack for uncovering top secret material and shrewd merchants have clever ways of obtaining limited-issue hardware.
The greatest weakness of the Shanters would probably be their low population as compared to other nations. This results in a low fighting force and manufacturing capacity. Their next weakness would be their lack of coordination and unity. Most floating cities operate like city-states and are located few are far between. In the event of a war against Shanters as a whole they would likely suffer the fate of their ancestors so many centuries ago.
The military strength of the Shanters is largely untested. While larger nations may scoff at their seemigly limited power, the Shanters, mobility, global network and unlegitimacy are bound to set them as a piece you would not want to play against.
Relations
The Pemen Order - While the Pemens generally look down on lesser nations, the normal reaction to the thought of 'Shanters' is peevish disgust. However that aside the Order has strong trade relations with the Shanters since they are heavy importers. The Shanters are also enthusiast of Pemen technology, the Black Saracens particularly seem to favour Pemen constructed warships.
The Rat Lands - Shanters are especially wary of Rat waters but strangely are one of the intrepid few who have constructive relations with them. A few guilds are invested in shipping in and out of Rat territory as precious Rat technology sells for a very handsome profit. Many Rat-phobic nations believe that the Shanters are simply acting as informants and slave-traders for the Rat Lands but Shanter society believes in free trade and therefore cannot forbid (and for that matter do not have the power to enforce such prohibition on) such activities.
Kyoz-Asgi World Power - No official diplomatic standing as yet. A few encounters, mostly in international waters. Shanters occasionally cross paths with Kyoz-Asgi tankers, who invariably try to sell them things, up to and including refueling or repairs at sea. This is considered highly suspicious behaviour by the majority of Shanters...but them musicboxes sure can make a long journey seem a damn sight shorter.
Dispaterland - Most Shanters, as with most other peoples, to be sure, are completely perplexed by Dispaterland. The pixie-dust glittering magical kingdom is also a far cry from the shambling, grey constructions of the Shanter cities. Nonetheless, the Shanters still make a tidy business by supplying Dispaterland with what their great wizards cannot conjure (yet): namely, customers. One Shanter ferry operator has raised the concern that every year he sails more people into Dispaterland than he sails out, but he is also considering scrapping his returns package and sticking with one-way trips.
Hiranipra - Shanters do not have a long a relationship with people from the sky as they do with fellow earthbound civs nonetheless these differences have not made the relationships any worse. While it is Shanter protocol respect others cultures, Coreolis merchants do take amusement in testing the high strung religious zeal of Hirani envoys and those like them. Naturally some Shanters are extremely interested in trading and/or assimilating Magitek-nology but have not been able to glean anything from the very few token artifacts they have come to possess. Perhaps the mechs have been conducting their studies from a totally wrong perspective?
Solaris Empire - Interesting looking people who might be Solari have fallen out of the sky (and subsequently perished) but officially, no prior contact.
The Tranikwan Kingdom - Trade has been growing in recent years between the Tranikwa and the Shanters
Noteworthy Guilds/Organisations
Within Shanter society there are many guilds operating. These are by no means exclusive to Shanter territory as some guilds hold houses all over Lith. However Shanter society is where many of these guilds were born and definitely where they most flourish.
The Black Saracens
A fearsome guild who have often been labeled 'pirates' by nations from time to time. In these more modern times they have lent their expertise to naval logistics and escorting treasure fleets. They operate out from mostly from Shanter towns and cities and are reknowned for their fearsome-looking vessels. While their main forte is naval protection, their skills extend into all sorts of, sometimes questionable, activity. Conspiracy theorists go as far as to say that the Saracens are the Shanter's secret military arm and that they possess a floating battle-city called Shadow-One. There has been no actual proof of this and most Shanters refute this claim as ridiculous given their knowledge and extensive traffic over the high seas. The Captain of Coreolis City, Jerek Hewson is a Black Saracens member. There are many guilds like the Black Saracens, but the Saracens have the greatest reputation of them all.
The Scrappers
Founded by the First Captain Thames Mudarrin, Thames Scrappers & Salvagers or just 'The Scrappers' is one of the oldest Shanter guilds in operation today. While originally they built a business of decommissioning and salvaging large ships they have now used their offshore-operations expertise to go into the drilling business and as a result became the foremost experts of offshore drilling for the newest emerging global resource, OIL. This has also made them the richest guild to date as nations needing to tap this valuable resource outsource drilling operations to the Scrappers. However in recent decades nations have been developing drilling infrastructure of their own and more and more oil-field leases are not being renewed to the Scrappers. The Scrappers head office is situated on Najaf City, which itself sits on a large oil-field in Shanter-owned waters.
Ruuks Recycle
Runs most of the recycling plants on the Shanter cities. Is headed by the famous Ruuk family who are knowned to be heavily connected with (if not commanding) the criminal underground. The many members of the Ruuk family own businesses throughout all Shanter cities. While Shanter cities remain habitable due to Ruuks operations, the pollution is still terrible and many question how much recycling is actually being done at Ruuk facilities. Needless to say, nobody is really too vocal about this doubt. On the flipside Mako City Captain Reza Lucia, who is an extended-family member of the Ruuks has given the rights of the recycling business to Eco-Sprite, a foreign-owned company.
The Cities
There are about a dozen floating cities and hundreds of floating towns scattered all over Lith. While all floating cities are primarily hubs for trade, commerce and industry each have their own unique functions and peculiarities. While in the old times these cities were simply ships shackled together with boardwalks and chains nowadays they are hulking masses of contruction kept afloat by stations that provide ballast.
Each city is given almost absolute autonomy in it's operation. The annual summit of city-captains at Aquabah sits down and discusses what actions/resolutions are best for the Shanters as a whole.
The Strohmbrahm
- Captain: Bisstinnamine 'Dusty Hands' Dreyfus
- Function: Administrative Capital, Stronghold, Manufacturing
The first floating city and administrative capital of the Shanters. It is also the largest of the cities with it's main body diameter spanning about 50 miles. (There are annumerous constructions and sattelites which extend past the core diameter for another 10 miles). The city of Strombrahm is built like a magnficent mountain fortress in the centre with urban sprawl extending for miles beyond. In the centre of the city and built 'under-ground' is the main propulsion system which allows the city to cruise over sea and helps keep the hulking mass of construction afloat. This is by no means the only system that keeps the entire city afloat. Numerous other ballute stations operate independently to maintain floatation. This design is central to all floating cities. Strohmbrahm is currently located on a major trade route and has a grand task in organising sea-traffic in that space of ocean.
Aquabah
- Captain: Brant Braddock
- Function: Supply/Repair Station, Storage and Recreation
The biggest Shanter land settlement. It is situated on an island bought from an archipelago nation and because of it's strategic location, acts as a suppy base for the floating cities. It is also used extensively for storage and the beaches do well for Shanters who want to stretch their sea-legs on 'real' land once in a while. Aquabah is also famous for it's exotic and flavoursome cuisine with Aquabah-style restaurants on every floating city.
Najaf
- Captain: Milla Sisawi-Mudarrin
- Function: Services Shanter oil interests over Najaf Oil Field
Originally intended to be a city operating in the frigid northlands, in the midst of it's construction the Scrappers discovered an oil field deep in their own waters and construction on the Najaf was rapidly revised to manage the drilling projects that would be commencing over the field. Needless to say Najaf city has extensive shipping and construction infrastructure not to mention a large sector devoted to chemical processing.
Mako
- Captain: Reza Lucia
- Function: Sea Resort, Entertainment
Boasted as the most beautiful of the Shanter cities and the white-gem of the sea. It is also the largest consumer of white paint on the planet. It is also one of the smallest Shanter cities with a resident population of less than 250000. Mako City was constructed as an enterprise into the tourism industry and offers five star accomodation, classy nightlife, gaming as well as relaxation and water activities. It is also one of the fastest and well travelled cities as it cruises about Lith delivering tourists to famous and exotic localities all over the globe. It's cleansiness is largely attributed to Eco-Sprite, a recycling and environmental control company which is in charge of waste management in this particular city, whereas Ruut Recycling is responsible for most other Shanter cities.
Coreolis
- Captain: Jerek Hewson
- Function: Trade City for 'Western' Lith
A more modern version of Strombrahm servicing the western world. Is probably best known for it's 'wild-side' namely illegal racing, drugs, brawling, gambling and most extensive red-light district. The Ruuk family has a strong influence here as well as the Black Saracens guild. It is also famous for it's markets which showcase a large selection of products from throughout Lith, and vastly greater selection behind closed doors.
Piper-Omelette
- Captain: Boris Coffee
- Function: Object of ridicule
Often dubbed 'the sunken city' or 'the junk that sunk', the fate of Piper-Omelette does not need much more hinting at. About a century ago a band of Shanter engineers designed a new flotation system. While the system worked at first, it failed somwhere along Piper-Omelette's voyage to East and sent it plunging into the ocean. Although there were many survivors, the exact location of Piper-Omelette is unknown to this date.
Shadow-One
- Captain: ????
- Function: Base?
A mythical floating city that people have told stories about but have never seen. It is rumoured to be a city owned and operated by pirates and murderes as a base for criminal revellry and other sinister activities. It is also rumoured possess extensive military technology. Most Shanters refute the possibility that a whole city can evade (especially their) sightings on the high seas but conspiracy theorists never give up.
