Setting Snippet: Mhajapor I

This was written for Greyhawk, placed in the ocean south of the Amedio Jungle.

Mhajapor Archipelago

Various claims to royal titles and leadership exist

Capitol: (largest city):  Mhaja (pop. 23,000)

Population: 80,000 +

Demi-humans: Few

Humanoids: Few to none

Resources: Food, water, rare woods, spices, furs, jade, rare stones.

Geography

                The Mhajapor Archipelago lies in the center of the Blu Ocean, midway between Roquerre in the east and Ni’hon in the east.  North of Mhajapor are the Amixica Isles; south is Zhinda.  Trade between the three major powers (Roquerre, Ni’hon, and Zhinda) invariably passes through the Mhajapors, and there the pirates rule.

                The archipelago contains 3 major islands over 75 miles in length, a score between 10 and 50 miles long, and countless volcanic peaks, coral atolls,  and shallow sand spits visible only at the lowest of tides.  Indeed, the only unifying feature of these smaller islands is their lack of fresh water -- a fact that renders them useless, and thus uncharted and ignored -- save by the pirates who make their lairs among them.

                The makeup of the various isles differs depending on the locale.  The southernmost, and smallest, isles are coral atolls and sand spits.  These have no mineral wealth, little or no fresh water, and only isolation to recommend them.

                The central isles, in a band running from east to west, are the remnants of an ancient plateau, sinking back into the ocean from whence it once arose. These islands are of limestone, sandstone, and other sedimentary rock.  Marble and precious stones are often found on these islands, and most support a flourishing ecosystem and human population.  They have extensive cave systems above and below water and flourishing coral reefs and sea life, with the attendant dangers.  Ni'kiowa, Quihochica, and Xeochan are of this type. 

Finally, intersecting the mountain peaks at Ni'kiowa is an arc of fire, a north-south series of volcanic vents and peaks that form the backbone of Dhonai, Radamalya, and the Treasure Isle of the Dragon King.  Exotic minerals and gemstones are sometimes found in these lands, though rarely in any quantity.  The chief asset of these islands is their fertile soil, which supports a diversity of plant and animal species found nowhere else in Mhajapor.

People and Races

                Mhajapor has always been a melting pot of peoples, languages, and cultures.  The oldest recorded race are the Amixicas, who make up 40% of the archipelago's human population, and are considered the native people.  The Amixica pantheon is still the predominant religion of these peoples.

                Pirates, outlaws, merchants, and fishermen began arriving from Zhinda six hundred years ago.  40% of the region is still wholly or part Zhindan, and worship of the Nine-Hundred Guardians is the dominant religion of the "civilized" (a.k.a. non-Amixica) Mhajaporians.

                Finally, Ni'honese began appearing in the islands three hundred years ago, largely fishermen and pearlers seeking better grounds than their traditional homes.  This influx strengthened two hundred years ago with the arrival of the daimyo Shuutogo.   Since then the flow of immigrants has been low but steady, mostly dissidents and outlaws driven out of the Sea of Ni'hon by the authoritarian rulers there.

                Roquerrian’s have only recently discovered Mhajapor, and no more than 5% of Mhajapor’s population is Roquerrian.  Most of those are scoundrels, knaves, and outcasts no longer welcome in their homeland.