Callent

CALLENT

“Here is a brave country.” Callentan legend has it that these were the words uttered by the first Baron Callent when he spotted the island that would become his home. Now, these words adorn the Callent Harbor gate, through which the crews of ten thousand ships pass every year, bearing treasure from across the Known World. Every year, regular as their namesake seasons, the fleets of Callent circumnavigate the continent, stopping in every port, trading with every merchant, and carrying every type of cargo, serving as the swiftest, most reliable, and most efficient mechanism for transporting goods from one corner of the world to another - thereby effectively creating the world’s economy.

But it was not always thus. Callent rose up from nothing, and despite all its economic clout has never sought independence from the Kingdom of Wellen to which it belongs. Very few know the true story of Callent’s rise, and if you ask any three Callentans they’ll tell you five different stories about it and swear each one is true. But if you ask the Runini - if you very politely ask the Runini - they’ll tell you a story that goes something like this:

About a hundred years after the fall of the Sarnathan Empire, the green farm country along the west coast of the continent was in turmoil. The farming villages were being torn to shreds by ravenous monsters, inexplicable demons that showed neither mercy nor reason. The farmers fell back, fleeing the threat, dying in droves. But they were saved when a band of knights arrived from the mysterious east, who rode out against the monsters and cut them down. Saved, relieved, the farmers thronged around the knights, and pledged themselves in service. By popular acclaim, the leader of the knights - named Wellen - became King, and all his companions became his Barons. King Wellen founded Wellenhall, and each of his Barons went off to found their own keeps and towns, where the farmers resettled.

One of the knights was named Callent. Always one to keep his own counsel, he did not claim a barony on the mainland, but instead made his way to the coast along with a small band of followers. There, on a broad sandy beach with an elm forest behind them, Callent taught his followers how to build a ship. Soon, they set sail.

No one knows if Callent sailed by faith alone or if he had some secret knowledge that guided him. But within a few days, his ship came in sight of a great isle: cliff-walled, mist-shrouded, ringed by gleaming beaches and topped with an emerald-green forest. “Here is a brave country”, he said, and they made landfall.

The Runini also tell that as Callent and his people built their settlement over the months and years that passed, from time to time the Baron would send a ship back to the mainland, where his sailors would find a company of pilgrims waiting on the beach to be taken to their new home. How the Baron knew where to find these folk, or how the pilgrims knew where to wait, none can say. But as time passed, the island’s population grew.

Callentans come from many backgrounds, but as they say, “the island makes us all seafarers”. The island might play a part, but there is no question that the Barons Callent took a hand, as well. From the beginning, the Barons supported the building of ships and encouraged their people to learn the sea. Fishing, pearl diving, and exploration have all had a hand in Callent’s growth, but it was trade that really built the island. Callentans threw themselves into seafaring, pledging themselves to Voll the Sea-God and befriending the Parya - the world’s greatest shipbuilders and sailors.

It was Eamonn, the third Baron Callent, who introduced the innovation that would transform the barony. Operating a merchant ship could be profitable, but building one was expensive and time-consuming. Worse, it had become apparent that there was a need for a great many trading vessels. The Barons Callent never believed in forcing their people to labor, and they lacked the treasure to pay for the fleet that was called for. Eamonn, Baron Callent returned one day from a very long hike into the island’s mist-shrouded hills with the answer.

Eamonn created a system whereby any number of people could band together into a company, and thereby assemble the funds, resources, and labor to build and crew a ship. Perhaps ten woodsmen might each earn a share by contributing the lumber; ten carpenters by cutting and shaping; twenty laborers by the laying of the hull, decks, and mast; thirty villagers by signing on as crew; and two widows by contributing the gold needed to buy supplies. Eamonn bought a share in each ship for himself by contributing copies of the very best maps and charts. At last, each ship and her company were listed in The Admiral’s Roll, published in Callent City for all to see.

The people of the island embraced “the company way” wholeheartedly, and very quickly, Callent had her first merchant fleet. By the next year, that fleet had completed the very first circumnavigation of the continent by human sailors since the Fall, and that fleet returned to Callent with the profits of their voyage: an enormous bounty, divided out amongst the barony by share. Callent’s prosperity has only grown since.

The City of Callent:

Usually called “Callent Harbor” by the seafaring Callentans. As opposed to “the island”, meaning all the land and villages outside the city.

Population: 125,000.

Earth architectural reference: Valletta, capital of Malta; also southern Spain, see Cartagena City Hall.

Earth cultural reference: seafaring cultures: Portuguese, English, Danish, colonial New England.

Language: Westrud.

Heraldry: white ship with three white sails, sailing east on a background of dark sea and light blue sky.

Callent cultural notes:

Callent is ruled by the Baron, who shares his power with the House of Captains, the House of Charts, and the Mayors of the various villages that dot the island. Men and women are considered equal by Callentans. Non-humans are welcome in Callent, and many members of the non-human species make their homes on the island and often serve in the Fleets.

Almost every Callentan owns at least a small share in one or more ships, and at least a quarter of the population has served at least one voyage around the continent as crew. This shared experience binds the barony together culturally.

The primary religion of Callent is the worship of Voll, the Sea God. Callentans also worship Elenath, goddess of knowledge, Fusorin, god of craft, the Three Gods of birth, life and death, and to a lesser extent, Varda, the god of agriculture, and Corvanus, noble god of war. The worship of Helios is practically unknown on the island.The Priesthood of Voll is pervasive in Callentan society, and accepts responsibility to minister to the hearts of the people, reminding them to be explorers and not merely merchants. They also perform most ceremonial or ritual functions.

Callent cherishes the music of fife and drum - instruments that travel well and can lead a dance.

Callent and Wellen:

Callent is a Barony within the Kingdom of Wellen, paying annual tribute to the King in Wellenhall. Now that Wellenhall is held by goblins and kenku and the King and all his known heirs are dead, what comes next is anyone’s guess.

Callent military notes:

Callent maintains no formal military. Villagers are encouraged to train with the longbow and most Captains require their crews to train with the short sword, as a matter of community defense. A small company of knights, the Harbor Guard, protects Callent City itself.

Callent does not bother minting their own coins because that would be ridiculous.

The population of Callent is primarily divided between the City, the Island, the Summer Fleet, and the Winter Fleet.

Domain	The City of Callent
Location	Built around a broad natural harbor on the lower, flatter, southern tip of the island, about 150 miles from the coast of Wellen.
Ruler	Bran III, Baron Callent, has ruled for over twenty years. He is fifty-two years old and has dedicated much of his reign to building stronger ties with non-human leaders. The House of Captains, a popular assembly open to anyone who is Captain of a Callentan ship, serves as a school, a debating club, a marketplace, and an archive. The body regularly produces petitions for the Baron’s review, and have come to take this work so seriously that the Baron considers their petitions quite carefully. They are, in effect, a form of legislative assembly. The House of Charts began as a library of navigational charts, but eventually grew to become a library of arcane lore as well. From there, it became a school for wizards. They employ the scrying arts to provide the Baron with news from around the world, and often provide advice along with their news.
Notes	The City has become an even more cosmopolitan place of late, and many Callentans are now learning the joys of Parya cuisine, Salainen clothing, and Graditeli craftsmanship. As the population grows, a debate is also growing about whether to let the City expand on the island, or whether to establish Callentan settlements in other places. But where?
Famous Folk	Cuan Dunlang, Voice of the South Wind: leader of the Speakers for the South Wind, a group of healers and scholars who advise the Baron and protect the Barony. Agnes Briand, Voice of the North Wind: leader of the Speakers for the North Wind, a group of mystics and scholars who advise the Baron and protect the Barony. Bardiya Adarvan, ambassador from Saryasta Asraya, who has held that position for over three hundred years. Beloved by the locals who celebrate his birthday every year. Thunder’s Voice Morberga Siggi, priestess of Voll, leader of the Storm’s Wind faction, which believes that Voll is trying to warn the people of great danger and tribulation ahead.
Other	On windy days, City-dwellers love to fly complex and colorful kites from the rooftops. On rainy days, children of all ages race toy boats through the gutters and sluices that draw water off the streets and away from the city center. When ships dock in the harbor, gangs of “cryers” run through the city to announce the news from street corners, reciting any trade goods listed for sale.

Domain	The Island Country
Location	The rest of the island of Callent; outside the city.
Ruler	The whole island answers to the Baron, but each village outside the City has its own Mayor, who is held accountable by the Baron for the well-being of the village. Mayors are chosen by the popular acclaim of their fellow villagers. Being Mayor is generally regarded as an endlessly difficult job, and usually falls to those particularly moved by love for their neighbors.
Notes	Callent’s countryside is heavily wooded and hilly, so most agriculture operates on a small scale, on the order of gardens or plots big enough to feed a village but not big enough to allow for export. Springs hidden in the rockiest of hills create streams which wind through the island and become modest rivers before reaching the sea, and these rivers are lightly fished for small, delicious trout that are only eaten once a year. Aeryll, the fifth Baron Callent, invited priests of Varda to the island, and since then the disciples of the Farm Father have helped guide the villagers in their use of the land. The average Callentan village is small, with a population of less than a thousand, and there are around a hundred of them.
Famous Folk	Ystradel Llydanwen, Chief Druid of Callent. Ystradel, who looks to be at least 80 years old, tells people she was living on the island as an owl when the first Baron Callent arrived, and insisted that the Mother allow her to return as a human. The last three Barons have made it a rule to seek her permission before taking any trees for ship-building. Clara Cristofini, Parraturri of the Vocinabbia. Clara leads the Runini population on Callent, who travel from village to village as performers, bearers of news and tales, and merchants of the peculiar. The Vocinabbia tribe left the mainland fifty years ago at the invitation of the then Baron, and were quickly woven into Callentan society. Clara is famous across the land. Alexander Colmain, Captain of the Ready Wander. Colmain returned from the last sailing of the Winter Fleet convinced that the Known World is headed for war and disaster. Since then he has campaigned to convince more Callentans to learn to fight and sign up to crew ships, because “the world will need us sooner than you think”. He is a familiar figure in the country as he travels from village to village. Hungry Jim, an elderly itinerant vagabond who wanders from one village to another. Widely regarded as a master storyteller and probably secretly a wizard, Hungry Jim is always made welcome and offered room and board. Those who welcome him in always report good fortune after his departure. Voll’s Queen, a mysterious woman spotted from time to time by travellers in the island’s northernmost hills. She is said to appear before great storms, standing on the northern cliffs and gazing out to sea, chiding her husband and reminding him to be kind to the island’s people. A woman of indeterminate age, with long silver hair, dressed in a white gown, sometimes with a staff of yew.
Other	From a distance, it might be possible to mistake Callent’s villages for their counterparts in Bellgard or other lands, but up close the differences are plentiful. The houses are spacious and snug, with glass in the windows and tall brick chimneys. Horses, carts and ponies are plentiful. The villagers themselves are well-dressed and well-fed, generally happy, and free. The difference is that every village in the barony reaps rewards from its investment in one or more ships of the fleet, and so their livelihoods do not depend on the fickle harvest. Moreover, the Baron taxes very lightly, and there are no other lords to support. Children in the villages grow up chasing around the gardens and through the misty woods that surround them, listening to tales of bravery at sea from their neighbors and family.

Domain	The Summer Fleet
Location	Abroad upon the ocean from Newgreen through Home each year, in port Highwinter through Stormwinds.
Ruler	Admiral Olivar Arsendis has led the Summer Fleet for eleven years. He is soon to reach the end of his twelve-year term, and the Captains are competing to see who will succeed him. Admiral Arsendis has embraced the Baron’s mission of growing closer to the non-human peoples of the Known World, and often hosts dignitaries upon his ship, the Bright Endeavor. Once he retires, he plans to travel to Saryasta Asraya and spend time visiting his Parya Surya friends.
Notes	The two hundred ships of the Summer Fleet leave Harbor once the last of winter has blown away, and round the Cape of Kirenar as harvest festivals begin. The ships of this fleet are lean and fast, the better to transport fresh produce from the southern ports to the rest of the Known World, and then race home. It is traditional for Callentan sailors to make their first circumnavigation in the Summer Fleet.
Famous Folk	Captain Ramon Augusti of the Big Lazy Duck, who makes a point of taking on as many first-timers as possible on each voyage. Callentans who sail with Captain Augusti learn seamanship, history, and how to play the fife. Giles Heymann, Navigator to the Bright Endeavor. A wizard, an astronomer, and a mathematician, Heymann is widely hailed as a genius. He is also hailed as “HEYYYYY-MANNNNN”, which is what the crew of other Summer Fleet ships call out as they sail past the Admiral’s ship. Blusius Kawlokala, a representative from a Metsa Salainen town on the Parashi western coast. Called “Bluesy” for short by the entire fleet. He lives aboard the Bright Endeavor but spends his time hopping from ship to ship, interviewing sailors towards a book he plans to write. Mabellia Ethnard, Speaker for the South Wind. A woman nearly seven feet tall with a huge shock of red hair, famed among the fleet for being able to summon any type of beast, fish or fowl to her aid. The sailors tell stories about seeing her talk with whales and gulls alike. She technically has a berth aboard the Bright Endeavor, but is often found sleeping in the crow’s nest of some other ship in the fleet.
Other	Among the Summer Fleet, there are no rules for what gender a sailor might be, and the crews all tend to be mixed. Each year, about fifty of the fleet’s ships load up with foodstuffs at Bellgard and turn back to sail to Callent; this is called the Home Squadron. The Home Squadron is used to train new sailors. A few ships in each Summer Fleet pick up no trade goods at all, but instead save room for the inevitable pilgrims waiting in each port to be taken to their new lives in Callent.

Domain	The Winter Fleet
Location	The Winter Fleet sails from Festival through Stormwinds each year, and is in port Newgreen through Midsummer.
Ruler	Admiral Constance Veltran, who is widely seen as being in her prime at 60 years old with seven years of her tenure remaining, leads the Winter Fleet. Two years ago, she led the Fleet to defeat a horde of pirate vessels off the Ruestorm Banks, along the continent’s north coast, thereby becoming the first Callentan admiral in fifty years to fight a major sea battle. Since then, she has insisted on double the traditional amount of combat training for her crews. Her ship, the Black Dragon, takes on no cargo; all the space in its hold is reserved for fighters.
Notes	The purpose of the nearly three hundred ships in the Winter Fleet is to gather up vast quantities of grain, barrels of wine and ale, and other less-perishable goods from Bellgard, and disperse it across the Known World while winter descends. Publicly, people of the northern lands call it the “bread and beer” fleet; privately, the rulers of those lands call it the “salvation fleet”. Voors runs out of its locally-grown grain by Midwinter, and without the grain from the Winter Fleet, would have starvation by Stormwinds. The ships of the Winter Fleet are big, heavy, and less nimble than those of the Summer Fleet, because they must transport huge amounts of bulk cargo through the gales of Highwinter.
Famous Folk	Duran Carrada, Speaker for the North Wind, advisor to the Admiral. The crew of the Winter Fleet watched Speaker Duran weave powerful, confounding illusion magic to deceive and mislead the pirates during the battle of Ruestorm Banks, and since then have held the otherwise quiet, serious man in very high esteem. Captain Huc Namaria of the Tall Blow has somehow befriended a 300-foot gray whale which swims with the fleet along the north coast of the continent, and seems happiest when Huc descends into a small boat to be closer to her. Admiral Veltran’s position is that when Voll and the Mother send you a sign, you should pay attention to it, and so she does everything possible to enable Huc and the whale to spend time together. Baron’s Astronomer Roberta Baldovi has served with the fleet for five years, compiling an incredible log of sky observations. It is known that she was introduced to the Admiral by the Baron, and rumored that she has a secret mission on his behalf. She is a shy, tiny, adorable woman who wears huge Graditeli-made spectacles that make her eyes look enormous; despite her glasses she is constantly tripping over and dropping things, but thanks to the crowd of lovelorn sailors that are never far from her side, her clumsiness rarely has consequences. Aldo Greenwood, called “Prince Aldo” by the other sailors to his great embarrassment, distinguished himself in the battle of Ruestorm Banks by rallying the crew of a beleaguered Callentan vessel and leading them to turn the tables on the pirates around them. It is widely agreed that he will be made a Captain sooner than later.
Other	Life in the Winter Fleet can be very difficult, and those who sail with it form the kind of bond that only arises from shared hardship. The Admirals of the Winter Fleet try to prevent sailors from getting “stuck” with the Winter Fleet for too many years; the hardship they must endure can harden hearts over time.