| The Lordship of Kraken Shoals
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Duchy: Mists
Barony: Crescent Coast
Leaders: Lady Maia VusatunellNPC
Population: Estimated 5,500 (Pre-Schism)
Known For: Giant Tortoises, Port at Diuturnal's Cove, Beaches
Major Towns and Cities: Diuturnal's Cove, Jonah's Retreat
Characters of Kraken Shoals: Here
Description: Beauty and grace: those are the words that many have come to establish when describing Kraken Shoals, from the pristine beaches to the verdant forests that rest not far beyond the water's edge. The Vusatunells have watched over the region vigilantly through their tenure. The land has been well tended, the citizens take great care to protect the forest and shores as well as the ruling nobility. Located at the very northwestern edge of Mists in the barony of Crescent Coast, the lordship has been slowly undergoing some stretching and growing pains with the recent inclusion of the port at Diuturnal's Cove, much of the population dwelling in close proximity to the sea. It remains best known as a popular tourist destination.
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| History
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Kraken Shoals was settled and named as such due to the paranoia of its first lording family, the Blythes, a splintered branch of the Blith family who were very able-bodied sailors. Their second son estranged himself from the family after a frightening near-drowning experience, retreating inland, to Gryphon's Reach. His daughter, Sylvana Blythe, would return to the coast to visit family and spend weeks at a time at sea. Eventually, when the Lordship was formed separate from Enchanted Coral, Sylvana would become the first Lady. Irritated over her father's panic, outrage and other paranoid hysterics, she dubbed the new Lordship "Kraken Shoals" after the legendary sea monster.
The Vusatunell family has ruled over Kraken Shoals for almost two and a half centuries, watching over the development of their coastal lordship from a vacationer's retreat into host of a quietly growing, small port. The final generation so optimistic on the security of their line that their only son, Christophe, volunteered to be a squire at the age of 16 years old; the cut off age for any man to join the chantry. The lands securely in the hands of their elder sister, Catherine's, and their younger sibling Maia still sitting as an heir, the wedding of Lady Catherine to Master Jonathan Timberton in 500 A.G. seemed to cement their line.
Unfortunately, some things are simply not meant to be. Being active members of the Order of the Ready Arm, there is much speculation surrounding Lord Jonathan's death in 505 A.G., some even going as far as to speculate that the Lady herself had something to do with it. On the heels of her husband's death, Catherine ventured to Gateway to join court and distract herself from the tragedy, as well as clear her name in the eyes of her peers.
Things seemed to be going swimmingly, until March 29, 506 when Lady Catherine Vusatunell perished during a Leuvian opera held at the grand theatre in Crossroads City, Gateway. She was survived by her younger brother, Christophe, already well on his way to being Knighted; and her younger sister, Maia. Rather than give up on his dreams, Maia volunteered to step into her sister's shoes at the tender age of 18 and became Lady Kraken Shoals.
Working with the Baronial seat to make sure the new port flourished and grew, the young Lady has been a rather quiet addition to the court, stretching her legs and learning just what it takes to run a port city.
In early 507, a mysterious Black Ooze threatened the coastal line, decimating much of the coral reef and fish populations that surround the area and causing a wide spread sickness in the population. Forcing fishermen, coral and sand collection to come to a dead stand still while people were evacuated inland. The losses were much greater in Kraken Shoals and Wraith's Watch than the other surrounding coastal lands, including a couple deaths and severe illnesses, two small fishing villages were completely ruined and abandoned in this time.
While aid was being received, it was difficult to soften the blow. Some claim that the ooze was a result of Baroness Crescent Coast, Phoebe Forester, trying to force the Keeper to change the currents. The more religious people started praying at the coastline and offering flowers. Eventually and without any apparent reason, it eventually receded once more into the sea. The coral reef wrapping around to Enchanted Coral is yet trying to regain footing after that loss.
There was another slight hiccup in their trade when the port was damaged after being crushed by a renegade tidal wave after the Great Schism, but the decision was made to rebuild almost immediately after surveying the damage.
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| Politics
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Political undercurrent has become more important to the lordship since Phoebe Forester became Baroness Crescent Coast. As she began her project of the port and started creating a stir by asking for the currents to be changed from Polaris Port to Diuturnal's Cove, more eyes have been turning towards the Lordship. Generally, the somewhat quiet young Lady has been content to simply follow orders, micromanage the port and let her superior take the brunt of the questions.
Less invested in politics and more concerned with learning how to run her lordship's new source of income, who knows what will develop in the coming years as the Lady matures, or even, should she marry. She is of 'that age', after all.
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| Succession of Lords
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??? – Present
- Lady Maia VusatunellNPC (This character is available for application!)
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| Geography
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An enchanting stretch of coastal land that curls around into a small, secluded cove, the soft sandy beaches are bleached to an almost luminescent white, fading from the striking silver of the coasts further east. The peninsula to the west is draped in lush greenery and crawling into island flora before it blossoms into verdant forests, inland.
Small get-away islands dot the seas just off the coast, offering a beautiful view of the sea or the coastline of Mists. One such popular spot is Jonah's Retreat, named after the somewhat sullen younger brother of Lord Caven Vusatunell around 370 A.G. His brother, Jonah, was prone to running away for short stretches of time to collect his thoughts. A particularly fine swimmer, his favored retreat was that small plot of land in the cove.
Because of its somewhat more secluded state from its more popular coastal lordships, Kraken Shoals makes a small profit keeping homes for well-off nobles and other families who want a vacation spot, but don't want to be bothered, tripping over tourists.
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| Economy
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With the building of the port in Diuturnal's Cove, Kraken Shoals has slowly started dealing with minor trade in components and smaller trade. Though it still remains secondary to Polaris Port, Diuturnal's Cove is showing the first signs of a promising city, growing steadily in culture and economic growth through trade. This was waylay-ed when the port was damaged during the Great Schism, but the order went out soon after to rebuild and repair.
Before the port came into existence, Kraken Shoals was a place that thrived off of tourism. Perhaps not as much as Eleki Beach and Enchanted Coral, being located further away from the main port and settled against the somewhat more infamous Wraith's Watch, but it still managed to cast an alluring light on itself for some of the more adventurous vacationers. Offering adventures into the inland woods, or exploring the small islands that speckle off the coast, or relaxing and statuesque spots like Jonah's Retreat, the citizens like to think of themselves as amateur adventurers and tour guides.
Beyond those services, there are a great number of fine craftsmen that take the time to carve tortoise shell items, toys, amulets and figurines for tourists and other important items and foci for mages. Fisherman and others who make their living off the coast take care to gather fish, crab and lobster from the sea for component use and using some of the more decorative carapace's.
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| Culture
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People well-versed in the more active forms of entertainment and tourism, the citizens of Kraken Shoals tend to think of the more soothing, relaxing vacationers as boring or lazy. Why spend the time sprawled out on the beach like a corpse when you could be riding turtles, swimming with tropical fish or venturing out into the beautiful forests or miniature islands?
Since the addition of the port, the attitude and climate of the people has subtly shifted toward a more businesslike mentality. While before, they were skilled at haggling with tourists, now more and more they find legitimate businessmen among their ranks, talking about profit margins, net gains and export costs.
There's also been more permanent businesses setting up in the port city, expanding its borders and encouraging advances to be made in the design and structure of their lifestyles.
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| Bestiary
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Giant Tortoises: There are seasons that Kraken Shoals does close their gates to visitors during the mating season of the great tortoises that call these shores home. Their shells have become intricate to the magic that comes out of these lands, from being ground into dust, added to candles, mixed into spells to mundane uses such as the beautifully crafted jewelry that causes the lordship's shops to thrive.
Though visitors are advised not to let the tortoises' beauty deceive them. Even immature tortoises have jaws sharpened to a razor's edge and able to open tough giant clams. Many a fool has lost more than a finger to the graceful beasts.
Giant Crab
Giant Lobster
Mistian Fireflies
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