Gulfithorp Isles

X Worldbuilders:

GM James R

Gulfithorp Isles

Wind battered coasts and clffedge towns

Type	Archipelago
Government	Clan-based
Location	Amusa
Inhabiting Race	Various

The Gulfithorp Isles (also called The Pepper Isles) are an archipelago region of the continent of Amusa. The grouping of five islands lies off the northeast coast of the continent and borders the region of Troverth. Gulfithorp’s name roughly translates to “whirlpool dwellings” due to the chaotic seas that span the inlets between the islands and slam the coasts of Amusa and the nearby continent of Levinkan. While the archipelago is named for the seas, the individual islands’ names are derived from their main export: crops that most closely resemble “peppers.”

Geography

The largest of the islands is Capsicum, the southernmost isle and home to the region’s capital city of Scoville. The northernmost island—second-largest after Capsicum—is Dorsetnaga. Its position at the northwest edge of the archipelago means it bears the brunt of the seas’ wrath. Thus, it is the most sparsely inhabited of the five islands. The three smaller islands that lie between Dorsetnaga to the north and Capsicum to the south are known collectively as the “Devil’s Tongues.” Their names, from west to east, are: Jolokiana, Morugana, and Doparana.

Climate

The climate of each of the islands is very similar: windy battered coasts with cliff towns form the outer rim of each island, but those cliffs quickly drop down into lush valleys where the major exported pepper-like crops tend to grow.

History

Throughout the various ages, especially Before the Reckoning when dragoons roamed free, many consider the Gulfithorp “peppers” to actually be dragon peppers. Scores of adventurers attempted to sack the islands and steal the crops from the local farmers due to the dragon peppers’ magical qualities. However, when those adventurers eventually returned to their homes they brought ordinary Gulfithorp peppers back with them, sweet and spicy varieties but containing no magic whatsoever. 

The five islands were hotly contested throughout the major wars of Quelmar’s past. Their strategic position between Amusa and Levinkan guards the sea passages between the continents and their thousands of miles of coasts and inlets make them a haven for those attempting to evade capture or hide their riches from prying eyes.  

Governance

The local farmers have for years been self-reliant and self-governing. Small clan-like communities and kinship ties are loosely spread across the islands with no real governing structure to speak of. The internal politics of the Gulfithorps are incredibly peaceful. Each island, aside from Dorsetnaga to the north, has a stable population with plenty of natural resources to sustain their communities. And because Dorsetnaga's population is so sparse, its inhabitants have no need to compete for resources, however they do contend with the roughest seas and harshest weather of any of the islands. 

The region’s “capital city” of Scoville is really only a capital in name—it is simply the largest urban center on any of the islands, and thus where most of the trade and interaction with beings from other parts of the realm occurs.