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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Libertad" data-source="post: 8944957" data-attributes="member: 6750502"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/pldxRfk.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" /> Chapter 5: The Trade League of VinyotNote: I forgot to post the sale page for the PDF. <a href="https://heartleafgames.itch.io/the-delvers-guide" target="_blank">You can buy it on Itch.io here.</a>This seaside nation has 8,000 miles of coastline, making the ocean and its bounty of utmost importance to daily living. Commercial port cities and winds allow for its fleets to sail the fastest of all the nations, and its government is an alliance of merchant companies known as the Trade League. Vinyotian culture encourages looking towards the long-term as well as individual ambition, although there is a bit of a romanticized emphasis on generosity in the form of it “being an investment with good returns,” and people take around two weeks off for funerals on account that having time to grieve is an important aspect of life. Vinyotian businesses are mostly family-operated, often bringing in outside help when the rest of the family cannot contribute to that particular endeavor.Beyond this, the Trade League’s governance has several commonalities: the head of government in a settlement holds the deed to a town collectively, and is known as the trade lord. The deed can be sold to another which often happens when a trade lord falls into debt, but otherwise they have the freedom to run their city how they want. Beyond this style of governance, there are Mandates passed by the Trade League that affect everyone in the land, and sitting members can vote on proposed mandates. The standing army is made up of sellswords that contract with individual cities, social class is divided into varying levels of workers and business owners with the trade lords at the top. There is systemic prejudice against tenebrine (possum, raccoon) people, whose nocturnal nature has caused other Vinyotians to presume that they’re inclined to criminal behavior and thus withhold jobs and services from them. This causes many tenebrine to engage in operating outside the law or in shifty and thankless jobs, which reinforces people’s prejudice against them. The criminal justice system works on restitution where the wronged party is financially compensated by the wrongdoer in the form of money or labor to pay off the debt.Vinyotian art is closely intertwined with the faith of Pirhoua, and many artists join bethels which have some of the most beautiful and elaborate sculptures, frescoes, and other works of art. Musicians perform in groups and not solos, and compositions are often worked on for years. Comedy stageplays are popular among all social classes and incorporate common character archetypes from history and culture to tell a greater story. This last cultural detail is inspired by the Commedia dell’arte of Renaissance Italy.Pirhouanism in Vinyot is given over to airs of propriety, and its bethels spare little expense in making themselves look literally “holier than thou.” The Divine Charges include mercy and taking care of people around you, that wealth is the primary force which one can use to change the world, and to express the goddess’ love in the world by making use of luxurious materials. Delvers operating in Vinyot often reconfigure their wagons to be amphibious, as many Dungeon entrances can be found underwater. The fabled treasures and resources adventuring crews find have earned the interest of many Vinyotians, particularly the lower-class who view the occupation as a secure means of social mobility.<img src="https://i.imgur.com/jZhnr6w.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />What to See in Vinyot has 29 locations, the most we’ve seen so far in this book. Some of the more interesting places include the Bella Madre, a Venice-like city built upon swirling rivers that converge in a whirlpool upon which a theater is built over; Dungeon Town, the only known place in the Beast World where the Dungeon is perpetually present, and is a semi-permanent encampment of delvers and adventurer-friendly industries whose streets and tunnels are prone to magically changing; the abandoned swamp town of Gonlaro, where a section of collapsed Loamlink resides as well as the personal fortune of the former armadillo foreman and ghosts of townsfolk who couldn’t escape; the Haven of the High Bethel, which is constructed around the last heartleaf tree whose fruits are believed to have been responsible for granting Beasts their willful nature; the Million Souls Overlook, home to a collapsed wizard’s tower contained in a sphere of frozen time; the city of Porta Strega, whose nearby woodlands are home to a large amount of animal ghosts* due to a thin separation between the real world and Netherworld; the city of Southwinds, which was the first to suffer casualties in the Invader War and until recent times refused entry to humans; and Wrightbarrow, a harbor home to the Wrightbarrow Shipping Concern that makes the maritime vessels Vinyot is most famous for, and is paying experienced delvers sweet contracts to live and patrol on the island to keep watch for Dungeon incursions.*a concept which doesn’t happen elsewhere, for ghosts are copies of willful creatures.Pristana sits on a peninsula but is more popularly known as a pleasure island  due to its surrounding natural beauty and bustling entertainment industry. The Fifth Market is a long concealed attic home to all sorts of criminal enterprises where vendors can escape through trap doors if the authorities are spotted nearby. The Winner’s Square is home to casinos that also host magical entertainment, and Center Street Bank makes use of draconic holographs that serve as magical bills of exchange. Due to the peculiarities of the Draconic language, both the writer and buyer have their identities magically imprinted on it, making it almost impossible to create forgeries. Varasta, the fox god of chaos, has a particular cultural importance here. His first notable influence was when he left a twenty foot pillar of solid gold in a town square to impress a woman, and those who kiss it may be cursed or blessed by him. Secondly, his druidic followers gather in gardens magically transformed into pockets of nature within the city.Our chapter ends with a write-up of the Chapel of the Faithful, a church-themed casino complete with two new gambling-focused minigames and a writeup of Roza, a tradewind fox who is the champion of an illegal monster fighting ring. There is also the Crystalfox Hotel, a high-class inn complete with an overpriced menu of food and drink, an overqualified raccoon wizard bellhop by the name of Lorenzo who is paying off the debt of his mother who tried to rob the hotel, and Zenon the stage magician who is looking for a crew to steal from a group of trade lords planning to stay at the hotel.<img src="https://i.imgur.com/C5N42Kr.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" /> Chapter 6: the Feline Isles of Al’arThis tropical island chain isn’t part of the continental mainland, located 1,000 miles to the west of Vinyot’s shores. Most of its population is feline, and they are ecologically conscious due to viewing the world as a gift from the Beast Mother. Most of their cities are made up of tent and hammock dwellings and wooden docks, with stone structures being rare, and they make use of crop rotation and wild-sown crops to make foraging a plentiful endeavor. Like Vinyot, maritime occupations are an important part of their culture, and their vessels range from personal sailboats to schooners designed for long voyages. It was Vinyotian sailors who made first contact with Al’ar, and relations were initially positive. However things took a worse turn when platinum deposits were discovered on the islands. Al’ar’s refusal to let them be mined caused the trade lords to go and try mining it anyway, resulting in several small-scale battles. The conflict would soon come to a close when the Vinyotian miners realized they were being used as pawns and didn’t view the risk to life and limb as worth it, so they allied with the cats and delivered a warning to the trade lords that Al’ar wouldn’t be colonized.The Al’ari are semi-nomadic, pulling up their belongings at the end of the dry season to relocate to another island where they build anew. This is known as a Storm Voyage, for it coincides with the passage of tropical storms that go through the isles in a semi-predictable pattern. Their greatest possessions are wearable jewelry and waterproof scrolls, the latter for being the best means of containing knowledge in the humid climate, and locally-grown spices are also a valued trade commodity. Pigments made from plants are used for colorful textiles and paints which they put on everything, and every year during December the holiday of Foxencat celebrates the Al’ar-Vinyot friendship. The holiday involves painting a feline and vulpine engaged in friendly activities on the side of a mountain; every storm season the rain washes the art away, meaning that the mural is always different year by year.There are of course pirates, who Al’ari have a sort of nonaggression pact with provided they are compensated and don’t get too violent; attacking migrating ships during a Storm Voyage is universally hated, as the lost resources can doom a community to starvation. Many former pirates have become Delvers, seeking to find fame and fortune in the Dungeon rather than on the high seas. Beyond this, Delvers have a mixed reputation in the isles: on the one hand, they provide useful skills in taking care of monsters and Dungeon incursions, but also bring the outside world closer which can also bring in the positives and negatives of tourism.Pirhouanism in Al’ar venerates the goddess as one of nature, wandering, and curiosity, and its bethels are dedicated to using divination magic and sea charts for maritime travel. The Divine Charges include spreading goodness through the world by visiting other places, giving back what you can to the natural world after taking from it, and piquancy where culinary skills are valued as an important part of life’s blessings.<img src="https://i.imgur.com/lOsB4jf.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />What to See in Al’ar is a rather brief section, consisting of 13 locations. Five of those are the largest islands: Aurica holds the world’s largest platinum deposit and mainland pirates often use the place as a stopping point; Dakshin has a jungle home to druids and their quiet-minded pets; Jarik has densely-populated dock towns that feel more like mainland cities; Kandela has an active volcano and Dungeon incursions are feared to agitate it into erupting again; and Sampura has many Dungeon incursions that have forced dock towns to resettle.Other interesting places include Muraya, a “city of walls” that is located among the porous cliff sides of Sampura; the city of Tempestat, where most natives possess a Windstring magical item which can fill a sail with enough wind to quickly maneuver about the city; and Trebe, or the Three Babes islands, whose center holds a vast mangrove forest rumored to be haunted.Port Tonoro Is a pirate town and the largest settlement in the region, although it too is mobile due to the Storm Voyage. Its leader is a beloved tiger pirate known as Skull Charlie, and the city’s ill-gotten gains make their way into fence markets for crews looking to get rid of stolen goods. The port has few rules, the most notable being to not attack ships making a Storm Voyage, to warn the lookouts if naval vessels are spotted within a hundred miles, and to not steal from or attack ships that are docked in town. They’re also rather lax about the use of enchantment magic, viewing their use as no great offense provided that those influenced aren’t forced into any permanent decisions.Our section ends with two establishments and their occupants. The first is Anton’s Shack, owned by a tiger bartender who is a well-traveled sailor and his girlfriend Josie. One of its regulars is Crabman Chris, a fox who was exiled from his town after buying a malfunctioning steam engine from a mole conman to use on a ship during the Storm Voyage. This resulted in the ship capsizing and him being exiled from his community. The other establishment is the Surrender Parlor, owned by a bard known as Jaden who operates what can be most accurately described as an S&M Club. But instead of physical pain, he makes use of enchantment magic that can elicit various mental states in the client.Thoughts So Far: Vinyot and Al’ar are really good chapters. Both do a good job of explaining interesting factors in local culture and customs, and Al’ar helps weave a sense of verisimilitude regarding how society and resources are shaped by the Storm Voyage. While Al’ar has interesting people and places, I feel that Vinyot has won out in diversity of locations and adventures to be of interest to PCs. There were some elements that stretched my suspension of disbelief, although in that Beast World is meant to be more optimistic than other settings I can find it forgivable. The first is that aspects of Vinyotian greed can be curbed by charity and generosity, and that the Vinyot-Al’ar war was ended simply by the bulk of sailors defecting to the natives’ side. Couldn’t the trade lords just find even more desperate people to replace them, or did they sink too much money into the colonization that it became too costly? I presume the latter.Join us next time as we complete our terrestrial travels in the Beast World in the United Lands of Arneria!</blockquote>

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