Skull River Bay (Map) is one of the principle pirate havens and trading centers in the The Northern Reach. Lying as it does at the far south eastern edge of that scattered and wild archipelago, it serves as the last civilized gateway into an unexplored region. It’s proximity to the more populated islands of the The Inner Archipelago to the south and the excellent harbor the bay and river provide make it an import center for trade.
The area around Skull River Bay was originally populated by the First People. The town itself began as a small naval outpost of the Annwyn Empire, In Imperial times the area was known as a good harbor and hurricane hole and the Empire maintained a small outpost there to support patrols and forrays deeper into the Reaches. This outpost was intended to be expanded as a jumping off point for a more thorough conquest of the Reach, however when The Recall sounded, these plans were abandoned.
During the Interregnum, the community was mostly abandoned following the general anarchy and associated economic crash, being populated only by the remnants of the original tribes and a few hardy fishermen and seafarers.
Once order was restored and the Era of Independence got underway the island still remained an unknown backwater, though it was during this period it began its long arc as a haven for criminals and pirates.
This all changed with the coming of Mithra. While a native of Haven Towne, Mithra spent his later life as a blacksmith at Skull River Bay. It was here he had his Great Revelation and from here that he undertook his Journey Into Darkness that resulted in his deification and the founding of the Church of Mithras.
As a result, Skull River Bay became an important religious center and pilgrimage destination during the early years of the Mithran religion. It was during this time, approximately 150 years ago, that the Church of Mithra Risen, the Monastery of the Bells and the Abbey of St Claire were all built.
However, 129 years ago the Mithran Church suffered the first of its major schisms. When the Conclave of Pader ruled on several major doctrinal disputes in favor of the Orthodox Church of Mithras, the older but far less rich and populous churches of the Reach refused to accept the ruling and splintered into the Reformed Church of Mithras. This resulted in a schism between the Orthodox Church (centered in Haven which today contains the vast majority of believers) and the Reformed Church which is mostly active in the Northern Reach and Valoria.
While the two churches refuse to acknowledge the authority of their respective hierarchies, relations between them are for the most part cordial if strained. However the Orthodox Church has gradually deemphasized the spiritual importance of the Mithran holy sites in the Northern Reach in favor of those closer to Haven and has refused to accept as canon the writings attributed to Mithras during his time in Skull River Bay (called the Books of the River).
Today the holy sites in Skull River Bay are not visited often and rarely see pilgrims outside of the local region.
Economy
Skull River Bay’s economy is built around seafaring and Trade. As a free port, it is one of the few places in The Thousand Isles where goods and services can be freely exchanged without the necessity of providing a percentage to the local Merchant House, Guild or some other entity It’s Pirate Market is notorious and legendary across the Isles. In addition, while lacking a formal dry dock, the shipwrights of the town are superb at building and refurbishing the small, fast deep water ships that the Northern Reach is known for.
The town is also a notorious Pirate port. The ambiguous legal standing it exists in allows its Governor great latitude in the extent to which he prosecutes piratical activity and over the years a succession of Governors have discovered that aiding and abetting piracy is far more profitable than suppressing it.
Government
Skull River Bay is ruled by a Governor appointed by representatives of The Republic of Haven, The Antilles, The Twins and Etmarch. The Governor serves for life and other than appointing his successor the Inner Islands have little direct authority over his actions.
This system has been in place since the end of the last The Pirate Crusade 75 years ago. This campaign occured when the governments of the Inner Archipelago finally became fed up with the depredations of the pirates of the Northern Reaches and launched a joint military operation to clear out their havens and destroy their ships. Three years of scorched earth persecution hunted the pirates lords to near extinction and also dealt severe colotoral damage to the communities of the Northern Reach
While the original intent of the charter and governing system for the town, put in place following the crusade, was to suppress piracy, it has failed spectacularly. However the signatories of the treaty (some of which benefit from the current situation) have been deadlocked in amending it.
The town does benefit significantly from it’s official standing as “Archipelago Port”. This means that the three trading houses that own exclusive charters to trade in the Reaches cannot apply that monopoly to Skull River Bay. Normally this designation would also mean that only chartered merchant companies would be allowed to run cargo into and out of the port.
However since the Governor generally turns a blind eye to unchartered traders bringing cargo into the town (assuming they pay the relatively high import taxes) the town is effectively a legal loophole that allows the free traders of the Reaches direct access to Inner Archipelago markets and also allows the rest of the merchant houses that don’t own a monopoly charter similar access to the Reach.
Districts
Skull River Bay is an old town, parts of which date back for over 500 years. Most of the buildings are much newer however, since the town was seriously damaged in a great Tsunami 120 years ago and then partially burned during the Pirate Crusade 75 years ago. However The Redoubt and the stone docks date back to the Annwyn Imperial era, and the Temple of Mithras Rising, The Governor's Palace and some of the other larger buildings in the center of town are several hundred years old.
There are four main districts of the town
The Dockside is dominated by a long avenue paralleling the docks called the Rumbala. This street mostly consists of inn, taverns, cat houses and the like, the two most notorious of which (Bella Bell’s and Sally Brown’s) bookend the street.
- Cathedral Square, the center of town, contains governmental and religious buildings, including the grand Cathedral of Mithras Rising, the Governor's House and the Port Authority.
- The Bayou This part of town on the far side of Skull River abuts the great Mangrove Swamp and is wholly devoted to maritime activities like fishing and shipbuilding and maintenance.
- The Pirate Market This is a large fairground in between the rear of Cathedral Square and the southern wall. It contains few permanent buildings but on certain days it hosts the infamous Pirate Market.
Inspiration
In addition to the same 17th century Caribbean inspiration of the overall The Thousand Isles, Skull River Bay draws heavily from Santo Domingo with regards to layout and geography. Tortuga and Salt River Bay, both major pirate havens in the real world, also leant much inspiration. Finally there is a bit of New Orleans and Barataria in there (which inspired the Pirate Market)