Menagerie Coast
The Menagerie Coast is the region of Wildemount situated west of the Cyrios Mountains and along the coast. The term is also used politically for the confederation of city-states on that southwestern coast of Wildemount and the Swavain Islands united under the Clovis Concord.
The region thrives on open trade and cultural freedom. This confederation controls most of the long-distance imports and exports for the virtually land-locked Empire, as all maritime imports and exports must pass through the Coast’s ports.
Spanning the length of Wildemount’s southwest coastline along the Lucidian Ocean, the Menagerie Coast is a lush, rain-swept, tropical region filled with scattered forests and jungles, rocky seaside cliffs and beaches, overgrown islands, and bustling trade routes that traverse the perilous seas. The coast is ruled by a nation comprised of seven city-states whose cultural and political leaders have united to form the Clovis Concord. This land is known far and wide as a place for lively trade, vibrant art, performance, and excellent food—as well as the indulgence of vice, piracy, and illicit business.
Five of the seven cities have open shipping ports, supporting a robust economy of goods, services, and contraband. The Myriad crime syndicate has had its hands in the affairs of the concord for decades, and while officials publicly deny that the Myriad is still active along the Menagerie Coast, local guildmasters and politicians fear that the Myriad is stronger than ever.
The major cities that comprise the Menagerie Coast are Port Damali, Feolinn, Othe, Nicodranas, Gwardan, Port Zoon, and Tussoa. Beyond the coastal cities, the Swavain Islands are scattered across the Lucidian Ocean, bearing shipping posts, dangerous reefs, and ancient secrets hidden in the bellies of hungry jungles. The pirates of the Revelry stalk the oceanic trade lanes, hassling merchants, marines, and adventurers alike. As any adventurer will attest, all this danger guarantees that travel along the Menagerie Coast is an anxious, thrilling, and profitable experience—if you know where to look.
Merchants of import, such as those present for the Victory Pit tournament in Zadash, wore silks, billowing pants, and jewelry consisting of many finger chains attached to rings.
The style shares a visual aesthetic to that of classical Europe.
Cities in the Menagerie Coast mint special gold coins called “galleys”.
A History of the Menagerie Coast
While destruction came to the farthest reaches of the world during the divine conflicts of the Calamity, the islands of the Lucidian Ocean off the western coast of Wildemount thought they might fare better than most. But though they were far removed from the central fury of the magics unleashed in the final battles, the region’s civilizations were instead wiped out by massive floods. Immense tidal surges left the coast drowned and empty, the islands consumed by the raging ocean, leaving behind only the most accomplished of sailors. Eventually, the waters settled once more, and nature swiftly reclaimed the lands with lush green jungles.
The Ki’Nau
The few scattered survivors of the floods found shelter among the higher jungles of the Swavain Islands, gifted with the bounty of a more plentiful and tropical environment. These seafaring people rebuilt among the islands and took the name Ki’Nau, meaning “the Water Children” in their language of Naush. Though the terrible floods of the Calamity had passed, the deadly seas and flourishing horrors of the wilds were still a persistent threat to the Ki’Nau. Each generation struggled to survive the elements that sunk their boats and the predators of the jungles and ocean depths.
Over time, an older mind began to call from the waters and entered their dreams. This powerful being, a leviathan creation abandoned by his creator Zehir in the Divergence, called himself Uk’otoa. He spoke of his divinity and promised protection to the Ki’Nau people in exchange for their worship. The Ki’Nau accepted the persuasive entity as an ally and protector, allowing Uk’otoa to rise up as the guardian of the islands and help the Ki’Nau become a proud society of warriors, establishing dominance over the region for centuries.
The Marquesian Alliance
Around the year 400 PD, an exploration vessel from the distant land of Marquet was nearing the end of its provisions when it reached the Swavain Islands. Discovered and captured by the ever-watchful Ki’Nau, the desperate explorers made trade offerings of foreign gold, spices, and fine silks. This diplomatic approach won over the leaders of the Ki’Nau, and an alliance was made with the Marquesian travelers to return with trade goods and establish a Marquesian outpost, which was to be named Damali.
During this time, a cruel seafaring culture called the Vukan discovered the Ki’Nau and coveted their lush homesteads and rich, sea-gathered jewelry. These Vukan began a series of coordinated assaults on the Ki’Nau, killing and kidnapping a number of them under the shadow of night. The Marquesian guilds who had sent the exploration ship agreed to offer naval support to combat these attacks, but it was Uk’otoa whose fury ultimately annihilated the Vukan at their home villages and erased them from Exandria.
Having lost a portion of their fleet in these fights, the surviving Marquesian naval ships remained to build small settlements along the coast to aid in their trade with the Ki’Nau. The Ki’Nau leader Tauan kept a tentative peace with the foreign sailors, but Uk’otoa wanted to dominate the new arrivals who refused to renounce their old gods and bow to him. These tensions came to a head when a secret sect of Marquesian worshipers of the Cloaked Serpent Zehir were given a task by their enraged god from beyond the Divine Gate: to destroy Uk’otoa for his insolence. With the aid of a powerful cult leader within an archeological guild known as the Allegiance of Allsight, a series of temples built to Uk’otoa were corrupted with Zehir’s influence and used to seal Uk’otoa deep beneath the rock of the ocean floor, robbing the Ki’Nau of their patron.
Birth of the Clovis Concord
At this time, the city of Ank’Harel in Marquet had just named the mysterious J’mon Sa Ord as their new emperor. In the transition, the Marquesian colonists now living along the coast demanded independence from Marquet to begin building their own society and identity alongside the Ki’Nau. Ord eventually accepted the request, and the emancipated Marquesians allied themselves with the Ki’Nau to build a new civilization. Over the following centuries, numerous port towns sprung up and grew into city states, trade routes expanded along what is now known as the Menagerie Coast, and the emerging guilds consolidated enough power to become the region’s ruling class: the Clovis Concord.
The concord works together to keep the surrounding Lucidian Ocean under their watch and rule, setting trade laws and guiding the fortunes of those who sail on the open waters. The blend of cultures that forms the Menagerie Coast creates a diverse community where the arts are lauded and coin is king. However, the shadow of the Myriad syndicate continues to infiltrate the streets, while the pirate alliance known as the Revelry has risen to harry the trade routes and rebel against the concord. Tensions are further escalated by the threat of expanding war to the northeast between the Dwendalian Empire and the Kryn Dynasty.