Coast Haven

Created on: April 27, 2008
Modified on: August 17, 2009

The population of Coast Haven is said to be one of the most diverse in the world. Thanks to a barely existent central government between the major city-states of Coast Haven, you will find a wide variety of individuals in the coastal and river trade cities. The people of Coast Haven - from the haughty nobility and merchants of Faust and Septufas to the more common sailors and workers of Leighyre and Angst - take advantage of a system of law largely enforced by private militias and local gangs.

Many within Coast Haven find themselves disenchanted with their blessed or mundane lives, and with the sea not far at hand, will often wander to far corners of Palmydia in search of their fortune and fame. As such, the rest of the world has started to grow accustomed to (and weary of) these ne’er-do-wells, and what loose political ties Coast Haven does have with the rest of the world are wary at best. None would contend, however, that the Merchant Navy of Coast Haven is the strongest on the sea, and is not to be trifled with.

The people of Coast Haven are almost entirely criminal. Even those that do not practice a traditional criminal profession tend to look at laws as optional and ethics as quaint. Most Coast Haveners develop personal codes of conduct that pass for their definitions of morals and honor. They often take these codes quite seriously, and can be very offended when they’re challenged.

Characters of the Coast Haven race are a human sub-race, and are considered for rules purposes to be human in all respects. However, the diversity of Coast Haven’s population is indeed profound, and you can choose to have your Coast Haven character be of any other race in appearance; you must still obtain Director approval to portray a Coast Haven character that is born of a restricted race.

Role-playing

Although Coast Haveners don’t have a particular accent of speech, they frequently use nautical terms and expressions in all contexts of conversation.
A Coast Havener cannot freely share or give away anything that belongs to her. To bestow something upon another, she must be able to rationalize a direct compensation that she has received from the person – such as having saved her life - or expects to receive in the future – such as giving her a share of some future treasure find. This compensation can be vague, but it must be concrete and she must believe that hers is the better end of the bargain. For example, the Coast Havener may insist that the person ‘owes her one’ without immediately naming what that marker is – as long as she keeps accurate count of each such marker and seeks to make the marker be of greater value than what she gave.

Costuming and Makeup

The manner of dress and personal habits of Coast Haveners tends to be as diverse as the population itself, though generally it falls into two categories – the ostentatious and the secretive. Those Coast Haveners that relish the outlaw life and enjoy a prosperous time of it often tend towards the ostentatious life, dressing strikingly and carrying on with gentlemanly airs and pleasantries, while those that prefer to remain business-like opt for a more secretive way, dressing plainly and keeping a low profile.