Keelhaul Falls
Seat of the Pirate Kings; The tiered waterfalls of the southern big island jungles mark the domain of the dreaded Pirate Kings and their armadas. Wild, dangerous figures who raid and pillage along the Triton Seas. Though allied in name only, the three armadas, Lecanth, Turncoat, and Barkish, constantly clash and compete for control of the mist-soaked rope bridges that span Keelhaul Falls. The greatest among them commands a titanic octopus that prowls the deep coastal waters below the falls.
Battlemaps set in this location
Keelhaul Falls and the Pirate King
Damitri the Pirate King rules over the seas with unrivaled violence. Feared even by the Colloran Empire, no trade, raid, or journey occurs in Triton without a cut heading for his seat of power in Keelhaul Falls.
Enigmatic and ruthless, the Pirate King leaves bodies in his wake and has sent ghost ships filled with the dead into the ports of those who crossed him.
Siren Hallow
At the base of Keelhaul's cliffs lies a sea cave surrounded by jagged rocks and churning surf. Wooden docks and walkways cling to the stones, rising and falling with the tide. Far from ideal for mooring, but beggars can’t be choosers when you’re at the bottom of the pirate hierarchy.
Beyond the cave lies a vast open chamber beneath Lecanth Armada territory. Their massive ships, largest among the crews that call Keelhaul home, are moored here in shadowy safety, lit by a natural karst in the cavern ceiling.
Font of Reincarnation
Among the Lecanth armada, Pirate King Dimitri has an Ahdaiahian Font of Reincarnation that can bring any Pross back from the dead as lower Dhan, forever, making his fleet effectively immortal. He got this by extorting the fact that he knows the covens prevent those in the planes of avarice from venturing out beyond, like he has. He struck a deal with the hag, Auntie Po. She makes him a fountain, and he lets her move her coven mythology to Keelhaul Falls and keeps his mouth shut.
Since agreeing, Auntie Po grew in power and became the hag of the western sea. However, Dimitri, in his insatiable greed, continued pushing for more and more in return for his silence, extorting the covens to the point that they grow tired of him. Now she seeks to oust Dimitri and his Lecanth Pirate Armada and install the Brackish druid pirates in their place, and their pirate king, Vivian Noble, as the new big shot Pirate King of Keelhaul Falls.
There is a cloak and dagger cold war between the two that continues to this day, as both could reveal the secrets of the other and crumble the tenuous power and camaraderie of the pirates of Keelhaul Falls.
Lecanth Pirates
Largely made up of the humanoid animal people, Pross. Their kind seeks narvana by living a life of good and raising in ranks called Dhans. Reincarnated higher and higher each time, ideally eventually rejoining their souls with their goddess. However, that is not the case of the Lecanth Pross.
The corrupted reincarnation their pirate king has managed to take possession over does not allow them to ascend, keeping them at their lowest Dhan and reborn to the world as they are when they left it, stunting their cycle of reincarnation and making them effectively live forever as spiritual exiles. This power has made him an unstoppable pirate king as long as his crew remains loyal.
Auntie Po
The blue hag of the western sea, mother of the Brackish Pirate Armada, and Forgon shaman of the occult to all pirates. Auntie Po is a gator-like woman who stands 10 feet tall with long braids, glowing orange eyes like dying coals, and thin needle teeth. She is the last word in the story of pirate superstition, sculpting it into something close to religion, using her teaching to spread ideologies and rules through the otherwise wild pirates who call Keelhaul their home.
Pirates and sailors of all crews come to her for portents, protections, luck, and advice. They put their faith into her teachings completely, the blue hag nurturing them to flourish but steering them and their descendants to further rely on her and the coven for guidance over the pirate kings who actually rule the city.
The Kraken of Keelhaul
The octopus-like kraken is a brilliant and brutal monster who lives in the waves below Keelhaul Falls, seeming to obey or at least acknowledge the pirates within. It does destroy and consume ships on occasion, but it does not attack without thought and never when there is any opportunity to fight back, perfectly picking its targets.
Some believe there is a pirate within the Falls who commands the creature. They say there is an eyepatch which, when worn, allows one to speak into the mind of the creature and see through their blinded eye what the beast sees, to coax it to do as you wish. Such power could topple a kingdom and might just be wandering around within the den of thieves and cutthroats.
Topsail Rock
Topsail Rock is a very literal name for the central feature that sits at the heart of the Casam dividing the north and south sides of Keelhaul Falls. A jagged chunk of shattered mast fallen from one of the many wrecks repurposed to build the walkways above. The sails and their rotting rigging still dangle above the rapids below. Some pirates have taken to challenging each other to reach the old crow's nest of the rock, jumping down and swinging up from its ropes or swimming down the falls and clambering up the rock through the white water. Only a handful have made it, and just as many have died trying. A few legendary names have been carved into the mast of those who’ve risked it for the bragging rights.
The Drink
The lowest fall before the river meets the sea is nicknamed the Drink. It’s become something of a local joke to toss rowdy pirates (or anyone, really) down into the deep water of the Drink, sending them plummeting over the falls into the sea. The final waterfall of the chain is wide and intimidating-looking but not very high up and relatively safe.
Dorntower
Dorntower is a Viking warship, out of place amongst the sloops and schooners used by the Triton pirates. It’s left leaning with its stern pointing to the sky, rigging tangled around a sharp peak of a jetting stone that holds it up. Left behind when the water level dropped to where it is now.
When the tides were high and the world of Crudilex had vast oceans, there was a culture known as the Brothers Dorn. They sailed in galleys and worshiped the god at the edge of the world. Their ships ventured farther than any others, and when the seas drained into the dark below, they were left stranded. All over the plane, you can find them-giant Viking warships left behind.
Blackfoot's Krast
The siren hollow sea cave makes up a majority of the underground space below the northern half of the Keelhaul Falls. Punched into the roof of the cave like a fist came from the sky and smashed down. Called Blackfoot's Karst after one of the long-dead pirate kings who sailed past the edge of the world.
Hangman's Bend
In the upper reaches of Keelhaul Falls is a large sharp turn in the river named Hangman’s Bend. The water here is extremely fast, even for the rapids of Keelhaul. The water erodes into the cliff face, digging a smooth half-pipe where the water’s floor is so fast and smooth the surface is unobstructed like a pane of glass.
Bilgebreaker Point
The southern cliffs of Keelhaul Falls are filled with misty, rocky beaches. Huge spikes of shattered stone jet straight up out of wildly churning surf, slimed and slick with tangles of seaweed and teeming with marine life. These rocks are comically bad for mooring a ship, and the dangerous rocky surf hides yet more daggers of broken rock below. Most pirates simply avoid the area altogether, a preference just fine with the monsters who lurk beneath its waves, preying on the foolish who sail too close alone.
The Brackish Pirates
Druid alchemists and masters of oceanic beasts, these pirates have aligned themselves entirely with the covens and embrace the occult. Though many have little to no deeper understanding of the magics they wield, they know the basics of how the alchemy is created and do so with abandon, recklessly delving into powers unsafe to wield.
Many Brackish partner with octopus or shark, utilizing polities and tinctures to water breach or control mats of seaweed. They are just as likely to fight a ship they are raiding boat-to-boat as they are to climb up their enemies’ ships from below the surf.
The Turncoats
At the southeastern quarter of Keelhaul is a stone fortress protected by four wooden towers with ballista harpoons keeping watch on the neighboring pirates and an eye in the sky for airships. Behind the fort is a field at the edge of the city absolutely packed with blue and gold military tents in formation. Home to the Turncoats.
Long ago, when Keelhaul was founded, the world was full with an ocean. A great sea broke up the lands into many small islands and continents. Naval warfare was the primary means of battle, and many nations kept huge armadas. But when the seas fell, these sailors were cast aside.
Some followed the sea, traveling to the “Last Sea,” Triton. These soldiers became known as the Turncoats. A strict, regimented battalion of soldiers turned pirate who never let go of their military leanings. Unique in their discipline amongst their fellow pirates. Turncoats can be identified by the disheveled uniforms worn still from their previous days serving, but now with a kind of casualness that hints at their loss of a true calling.
The Devil's Garden
The Devil's Garden is the infamous origin of the Devil’s Lily. A unique flower has a helixed stem containing two separate saps. When these saps mix, typically from a careless step or disturbance, the chemical reaction produces an extremely sticky substance that rapidly heats to dangerous temperatures. In the dry season, the reaction can even ignite fires, earning the flower its name.
Located south of Keelhaul Falls, the Devil's Garden is a dangerous field of Devil’s Lily blooms. The flowers vary in size, and some subspecies of the Devil’s Lily can grow to an astonishing six feet tall. This natural wonder can be treacherous to navigate and regularly once or twice a year burns to the ground, spreading pollen and seeds all over and regrowing even larger the following season. It is one of the most hazardous landscapes in the jungle but still attracts curious alchemists and botanists hoping to study its volatile flora.
The Kingmakers
Allied with the Turncoats but maintaining its general mercenary neutrality is the Kingmakers fort of Keelhaul Falls. Sellswords and bounty hunters never need for work in the city, as their contracts never expire on all the pirate kings. While they may not be so bold as to collect, there is a constantly growing pool of coin supplied by their rivals who want them gone without fracturing the fragile peace of Keelhaul. As the bounty grows, more and more Kingmaker mercenaries become tempted. After a point, the bounties here have grown so great from spent treasure hauls and pilfered plunder that some of the greatest legendary hunters of Crudilex have been seen around the city looking to collect on the promise of the head of a pirate king.