Landry

Landry is an archipelago of twelve islands, though only two -- Landry, the main island, and Efalte -- are permanently inhabited. The group is near the center of the Corsair Isles, a chain of dormant and active volcanoes located east of Tyr. Rugged and mountainous, the isles are dominated by eroded volcanic peaks cloaked in dense vegetation inhibiting easy settlement beyond the coast. The highest point in the isles is "The Needle," rising more than 3,500 feet above sea level on Landry, a dominant feature behind the Port of Landry. Three basalt peaks, commonly called The Three Dooms or The Harridans, surround a volcanic caldera dominating the southern end of the island.

Unlike many of its neighbors, the coastline consists of many secluded harbors and small islets granting access to the lush forests originally covering much of the land. Pristine stands of subtropical hardwoods provided valuable materials to repair ships with, and eventually most of the accessible coastal reaches were heavily logged. With fair harbors and plentiful natural springs, Landry attracted many ships as a temporary stopover on the sheltered routes between Tyr and Pais de Leuvier; slowly the deep harbor grew into a functioning port with spurts of uneven development.

The climate is moderate, influenced heavily by maritime winds and favorable currents which enabled piracy to flourish. Landry experiences few seasonal variations in climate, although winters can bring heavy rainfall and occasional storms blown across the archipelago. Roughly 20 percent of Landry's forests have been cleared for agriculture. Numerous small, abandoned hamlets and dwellings lie buried along overgrown tracks where failed attempts to settle or break away from the buccaneers and privateers stationed on the southern end of the isle which offers the best harbours and safest approach. Though several modest communities existed before the invasion, they were largely ransacked in the war and the Gateway-sponsored garrison established several plantations worked by the local residents.

Historically one of the busiest ports east of Tyr, Landry has transcended its long notoriety as a haven for piracy, smuggling, and black market trade to serve as Gateway's premiere harbour for international trade with nations of eastern Ikol. Set squarely in the midst of major maritime routes linking Pais de Leuvier with Tyr and Sansa Maeja to the south, Landry has already gleaned lucrative contracts as a leading port of call for merchant ships. International trade fueled by domestic markets hungry for foreign products forms the backbone of the the economy, and the baronial government imposed a nominal port fee to stimulate faster growth and recovery in the market.

Landry is almost entirely reliant upon support from the other imperial isles to supply adequate food, manufactured goods, and a skilled workforce. The invasion destroyed the pirate haven and left very few crafters or artisans to engage in any sort of economic activity. Subsistence farming, fishing, and wanton harvesting of Landral forests composed the only significant industries until 505. Broad swathes of the economy simply did not function lacking the structures to support them, such as guilds, warehouses, and entrepreneurs. Heavy investments from Gateway and influxes of workers from neighbouring countries have contributed to creating some form of commerce, but the island is still dominated by trade.

Neighbouring isles in the South Sea, along with the pirates who profited so richly from their trade, await to see what this turn brings them. With next to no manufacturing for export to speak of, most Landral are employed either in establishing and expanding the barony's physical infrastructure, providing services to the port, or own a private business.

Dissolute and degenerate, the nation of Landry lived partially by the rule of the blade in its heydey. Drug addiction was rampant among the population with a large majority providing the illicit goods so desired. Murder was commonplace, whether in an established duel, by some trickery, or by even less savory means. Even harsher, the tradition of turning children out of their homes at the age of seven to live or die on Landry sounds much like a frightening story but too many Imperial soldiers can corroborate the scattered urchins running half-wild, a lost generation not even into its adulthood now.

Landry today is a very different place with a culture very similar to Gateway's, although the fusion of influences from Tyr and the Corsair Isles can be felt through the landscape and the architecture. The familiar has a twist of the exotic in its influences. Imported foodstuffs from Green Fields supplements a diet largely of fish and building materials from Guardians supply stone instead of the native timber, but the ceramic shingle roofs owe more to the Corsair archipelago than anything native. Most significantly difference in appearance might be the people themselves, speaking with distinctly different accents and dressing in accordance with their home culture than anything offered by the island.

Compared to yesteryear, it is a popular port of call for merchants and visitors of upstanding reputation rather than marked on the maps as a place to avoid if someone valued their life and good name. Strenuous efforts by the imperial navy to protect the coast against piracy, storms, and odder occurrences like the occasional wereshark attack have improved the island's standing internationally. Foreign vessels are regular sights moored up to slips along the deep harbour and their crews find easy welcome among local businessmen who know better than to turn aside money and repeat customers. It's far more beneficial for a fledgling business community to greet and integrate newcomers than drive them away with aloof dispositions.

Nonetheless, Landry holds an awful name reinforced by the worst of human behaviour over three hundred years, and was largely off-limits to anyone not affiliated with piracy until the Imperial navy blockaded and overran the port. Many foreigners still hold the Landral in suspicion if not outright contempt, an attitude relaxed only among the merchant classes and cosmopolitan individuals. Old habits die hard and a journey to the island is often commensurate with punishment in many long settled parts of the world.

Religion
The settlers of Landry are Gateway stock, and as such tend to believe in Providence and pay at least cursory homage to Her and to the Emperor in their daily lives. However, religion tends to be a taboo topic in conversation even amongst close companions and almost never reaches public venues. It is considered the height of rudeness to inquire about such ventures, especially given the trade that is to be found from the diversity of people who move through the port. It would not do to offend a potential business acquaintance with as personal a topic as religion.

Magic
Gateway's acquisition of its newest barony has presented an interesting problem for magic. With so many outlanders who are not as familiar with magic, Tyrean and Leuvian immigrants in particular, many still express unease and sometimes outright distrust of flagrant uses of magic. Naval and marine detachments serving as the guard for Landry approach arcanism cautiously, implementing measures to prevent abuses. It is still a rarity enough that people stop in the streets when beholding casting and its effects.

Landry has only been a viable island to visit safely, much less dwell on, since its imperial conquest. The pirates and natives who occupied it before this, even the innocent servants, were all destroyed, so nobody can be 'from' Landry. A character could conceivably have settled there in 502 when the Empire took it over, but only the harshest and hardiest of individuals were permitted amidst the original settlers.