The Coral Circlet

Impressions: The brilliant blue waters of the lagoon. A shock of bright coral poking above the waves. Ships drifting lazily through calm and gentle waters. Shining violet beaches. Verdant canyons and deep forest valleys. A scimitar-like sweep of cliffs. Crabs pacing grouchily up and down the beach. The feeling you might meet anyone in a place like this.

A ring of five little islands that encircle the warm, pleasant waters of the Mirror Lagoon. Their names: Sentinel Rim, Landfall, Crystal Sands, Crab Island, and The Shroud. Turning their high craggy backs to the open ocean, the islands of the Circlet hide their gentle beaches from the wideness of the world.

This atoll is the heart of an ancient tradition of setting out to sea, a place where ships are made and where they change hands. It’s also home to a tradition of embellished storytelling and gleeful rumour-mongering that is as old as the ocean itself. A perfect haunt for adventurers, in short.

1d6	Anchor
1	Crabs. The Circlet is home to hundreds of species of crabs, from those no bigger than a flea to those that can tower over a strider. Getting pinched by a crab is considered to be good luck, and some species are used to pull ferries between the islands.
2	The Sky Dancer. The goddess of teachers and wisdom is the patron deity of the Circlet. It’s considered good luck to assist fledgling seafarers in her name, and bad luck to interfere with a ship’s voyage. The Circlet’s oldest shipyard, the House of Knots, has been known to offer discounts to would-be adventurers for her sake.
3	“Every tale is true somewhere”. The Coral Circlet is known throughout the Archipelago as a haunt for adventurers and explorers, a place where dreams are born. No matter how unlikely it may be, a tall tale is always welcomed in the Circlet’s taverns - often accompanied by a humorous chorus of this old saying.
4	Swearing by Ash. In the old days, the islands of the Circlet were always in conflict. That changed, according to legend, when the volcanoes of Crystal Sands erupted and forced the island’s inhabitants to seek refuge with their neighbours. Even today, people swear an oath by ash when they’re really serious, or invoke it to calm down a fight.
5	Tower Wizards. On the Shroud, seven towers rise from seven hills. They are inhabited by seven wizards and their apprentices, who form a loose circle dedicated to the scholarship of magic. They are always in competition with each other, seeking to elevate the Craft to its most profound expressions. Most of the time, it’s a friendly rivalry.
6	Crab Mystics. An order of hermits and seers that mediates the relationship between the people of the Circlet and the beings that inhabit its wild places. They mostly dwell in the Landfall Jungle, which they jealously guard from shipwrights’ axes, and on the beaches of Crab Island, where they preside over the Festival of the Claw.

Sentinel Rim

A scimitar-like sweep of cliffs and beaches, and the Circlet’s seaward port. Dozens of vessels anchor here at all times, and a forest of masts is always visible from the docks. This is the Circlet’s lifeline to the rest of the Archipelago, and is always full of seafarers from far-off lands.

Landmarks

The Far Shore, the Circlet’s oldest tavern. It’s technically a shrine to the Sky Dancer, but they still serve drinks. Sky cultists offer blessings and advice to crews setting out on their first voyage.

Sunken Ways. A network of mostly-flooded tunnels and chambers that run underneath Sentinel Rim, delving deep into the cliffs. Secret entrances in certain sea caves connect to the Ways, and are used by smugglers.

Notables

Remnant. An old soldier who commands the garrison of Sentinel Rim and takes the defence of the Circlet very seriously. He is a “forsworn” strider who has forsaken the strider’s burden and turned their back on their enclave forever. (Dour, Measured, Soft-Hearted)

Crystal Sands

Shield volcanoes gave birth to the largest of the five islands, which is renowned for its shining white beaches. The noxious fog still belched forth by the mountain called Red Maw does little to damp the busy crowds and noisy markets of Orchid Bay, the Circlet’s only city.

Landmarks

The House of Knots. A shipyard with a long history that operates out of Orchid Bay. It isn’t the most sophisticated shipyard in the Archipelago, but the House has a tradition of discounting ships sold to would-be wayfarers.

Notables

Lucky Magpie. A smuggler who keeps the company of gutter alchemists, purveyors of false promises, and brigands of every kind. The city of Orchid Bay is her playground. (Brash, Thoughtless, Superstitious)

Crab Island

When the first rainfall of wet season arrives, millions of crabs in every conceivable shape and size surge over this island and march for the ocean. This great migration is always accompanied by the Festival of the Claw, a days-long celebration of harmony between the five islands.

Landfall

An island steeped in history and covered by verdant canyons, raging waterfalls and deep mountain valleys. The Landfall Jungle is home to many species that are found nowhere else in the world, but is always threatened by Orchid Bay’s insatiable hunger for lumber. It also holds the entrance to the Circlet’s strider enclave.

Landmarks

Zephyr Village. Nestled in the forested cliffs of the Landfall Jungle, this remote village is home to a unique tradition of artisan weatherworkers, who specialise in creating objects and devices that harness the wind. They are most well-known for their skyjammers, which allow the village’s hunters to soar through the skies above the trackless jungle.

The Shroud

The Shroud is the smallest of the 5 islands, so named because it’s always shrouded in fog. Making up stories about what the wizards of the Shroud are getting up to in their high towers is a favourite pastime of the Circlet. This is encouraged by the inhabitants of said towers, who aren’t above whipping up a peal of thunder to preserve their mystique. Although the tower wizards are what the Shroud is known for, a number of other mages and scholars of all kinds make this island their home as well.

Landmarks

The Falcon’s Nest. A tavern built on the top floor of an old ruined tower. The lower levels, riddled with holes, are an open air market for reagents, books, and all the other sundries that wizards hold dear.

Tempest Round. A circle of stones on a high tor that overlooks the Shroud. Weatherworkers looking for work demonstrate their craft here, conjuring winds and shaping the clouds for the benefit of the captains that might hire them.

Notables

The Wizard Aldermorn, a mangrove songborn who dwells in a dismal sea-cave lit by smoky flames. Considered eccentric even by wizards, his craft takes him far beyond the Garden Wall. (Eeerie, Obsessive, Regretful)

The Wizard Dusk. A famous mage whose youthful deeds of power once gave her the epithet “world binder”. Has scarcely uttered a spell in public since she settled down in the Shroud. (Reserved, Mischievous, Lonely)