Jade Islands
| Jade Islands | |
| Capital | Seagarden |
| Population | 692,990: Common: (humans) In the Pirate Kingdoms: 3,822: Common: (humans), Uncommon: (oruch, half-orcs, giantborn, gobbers) |
| Government | Merchant Oligarchy |
| Religion | Navos, Rada, Dana, Gilead, Deimos, Tarien, Vardama |
| Imports | Beef, fruit, silver, slaves |
| Exports | Tropical fish, wine, fruit, timber, ancient items |
| Alignment | All |
| Naming Ideas | Caribbean and some Indonesian Island-style names have been used in the past |
| Affiliated Characters | Jade Islander |
A luscious green chain of islands connects the continent of Vantyre with the island continent of Cellene. At one point in time, these islands and the respective nation of Esentra was under the control of Veyshan. War with the trade princes and sailors of these exotic and beautiful domains caused The Golden Coast to lose its control and Esentra to grow on its own merits. Esentra is a study in contrasts and division so much so that the two most distinct areas, Seagarden and The Pirate Kingdoms, often deserve their own entries and entire sections devoted between them.
Esentra, the main nation among the Islands, sits comfortably in the southwestern ocean and stretches a great length of area. The great area gives it great diversity as well as easy striking distance for a number of different coastal nations. Greater Esentra is at once an exotic and beautiful land of strange food, beautiful people and great wealth with skilled craftsfolk and accomplished hunters dwelling in white towered port-cities or living in lush jungles. However in addition to this there is a part of Esentra that was once called The Dreaming Isles that has since been overtaken by societies of raiders, pirates, mercenaries and cut throats from all corners of the world. Some maintaining trade and relations with The Desolation and Charn and others out there simply for the thrill of it all. These Dreaming Isles have been renamed The Pirate Kingdoms and are a sister culture to The Bandit Kingdoms in The Desolation.
Life and Society
A land of contrasts and different social structures, Esentra's larger towns are ruled over by a merchant council that exists in the beautiful
port city of Seagarden. These wealthy merchant families and princes
control the various mercantile consortiums that rule the country while common folk are either workers of vineyards and groves or sailors, shipwrights and other forms of provisions. The people here are known simply as The Esentrans and are descendants of those who originally inhabited the old mercantile empire of Vantyre before it split into Veyshan and other notable realms. The descendants of the folk of Vantyre are tall and ebon skinned with hues ranging from light brown and the color of mocha to deep colors of ebony to contrast their ivory teeth and the whites of their eyes. The humans of Esentra dwell in one of the ten large cities on the scattered islands of the archipelago and enjoy warm tropical climates and friendly atmospheres. They enjoy particularly spicy food but are also known for the potency of their wine and breweries and some come from all over the world to sample their grapes and vineyards in hopes of discovering the secrets behind it.
By contrast, the deeper jungles of Esentra house more tribal groups and
individuals who shun the semblance of civilized life and soft living
that they believe plague the coastal cities. Their often precarious situations do not afford them the luxury of letting their guards down. The jungles of Esentra are said to be among the beautiful places upon the face of Gaea but they also contain many hidden dangers and reminders about the past.
One trait shared by the sea going merchants of Esentra and the pirates of The Pirate Kingdoms are their uncanny skill with sailing. Although a few nations are moving forward with airship technology, for The Esentran there is nothing like life on the open sea. They are sailors without peer and are world renown as far north as Stormgarde and as far east as Dran.
Major Geographical Features
By and large, Esentra consists of a handful of major islands and political boundaries and hundreds of smaller islands, some inhabited, others treasure troves for pirates or lairs of powerful monsters.
Eshtar: Beautiful Eshtar is the heart of Esentra culture and consists of two of the largest islands and a number of smaller chains. The famous jungles cover the largest island while the second largest is partially covered but houses most of the major settlements such as Seagarden and Seareach.
Navara Jungles: On the jungle covered tropical island of Navara and its chains, only the tallest mountains rise above the verdant growth and seas of green. Mysteries abound here on these islands which also contain a few settlements allied with the mercantile consortiums based on Eshtar. The bulk of lizardfolk civilization is here as well as Zanlagan, the Yuan-Ti empire.
Important Sites
Despite the dangers of the jungles and the anarchy of The Pirate Kingdoms, Esentran remains known for its civilized lands and exotic goods.
Seagarden (Large City, 16,580): Seagarden faces east towards the greater expanse of the ocean and it looks to the rising sun. A great white walled city of marble buildings, granite columns, hanging gardens and busy overwhelming bazaars, the heart of Esentran worship, trade and travel takes place here. The Mercantile Council meets in a grand structure known as Arganda Garden which is a great open aired pavilion in the middle of a grand orchard and vineyard.