Pirate Haven

History of Helias Compendium - Sargar -

Spreading out like the corpse of some giant dead sea creature, Sargar is a festering den of pirates and outlaws. Dangers lurk around every corner and in every dark alleyway. Outlandish plots and crimes are hatched in every tavern. Thieves, assassins and brigands slip through its shadows as mysteries lurk in the cellars and sewers.

The infamous Pirate Haven is built in the southern coves of the Sedk Peninsula. Nestled in the Garmo Bay, within easy reach of the Sturgeon and Goliath rivers that lead to the central jungles of Kr'ull, it was built upon the ruins of a much larger ancient city, whose name has now been forgotten.

Two hundred years before the Noctua Inquisition, the ruined docks of the olden city, began to be used as shelter for pirates and fugitives but it quickly became a thriving community. The first would be leader of Sargar, Woram Broken-Oar, Captain of the brigands know started restoring its decrepit walls and abandoned roads and the ruin stated to look like a really city once again . Under him trade was encouraged and Sargar grew prosperous. Unable to establish dominion over other powerful groups, his dream of building a Pirate State never came to pass, with power in the city shared among the most powerful groups.

In Sargar like anywhere on Kru'll, the strong rule ruthlessly with an iron fist and the weak die broken and forgotten. The city is a beacon and haven mainly for those that ply their trade plundering the high seas, especially those that raid the mercantile trade routes of the Kingdom of Torja.

The crumbling city is divided in sprawling districts, each under the control of some nefarious gang or crime lord who control each area ruthlessly and those living under their patronage. Most buildings are tightly packed together, and roads turn into step flights of steps with winding, narrow streets and ancient, weather-beaten houses. The narrowness of the streets and overhanging nature of the upper stories of buildings make the streets dark even in the day.

The smell of raw fish permeates the air most days, worsened in foggy and rainy weather very typical of the city. The buildings near the ports serve not only as warehouses but also as markets where plundered goods and slaves are traded and anything can be bought for the right price.

The ancient architecture of Sargar is full of overhanging upper storey buildings and crumbling dwellings like towers, bridges and passages above the ground. The streets are unclean, covered in mud and droppings and packs of wild dogs roam the streets. Their number only separated by humans and rats who are by far the most common animal in the city and a huge part of people's diets after fish.

Sargar is a complicated city politically. Although ruled by no one House, there are a great many powerful factions which control the destiny its denizens and their fate.
These include the Pirates Enclave, and the murderous Kayk Lovers, The Blackwave, the Scarlet Raiders and the Hadran Conclave.

It very name conjures up an image of depravity, evil and crime but many are those that come to seek your fortune in the city's labyrinth of crime-infested back-streets. Most that do, however, fail...