Exotic Locations: The Blood Alliance

Exotic Locations: The Blood Alliance

The Blood Alliance is a coalition of kingdoms and city states primarily populated by the Minotaurs. They were annexed into the Celestial Empire in the days after the Neogi Invasion, after the Imperial Navy assisted them in repelling a massive assault. Prior to the conflict, they were a constant bane on Imperial shipping. Pirates struck from nowhere and retreated among the many shoals and atolls that make up Alliance waters.

Nowadays, the Blood Alliance is made up of a single vassal state run by an Imperial Governor. The Governor's duty is primarily tax collection which comes in the form of gold and conscripts. The Blood Alliance is expected to make annual contributions to the Imperial Navy, and patrol the Southern waters for Neogi threats.

Alliance culture is violent. Born from pirates and warriors, the minotaurs are skilled fighters and hold strength and honor as supreme virtues. Despite the terms of annexation, many pirates still operate in Alliance waters, preying on Imperial ships. These actions are tolerated as the Navy is typically too busy and frankly, lacks the skill to deal with these crafty bandits. Independant merchants are left to their own devices in defending against pirate attacks, and it is not uncommon to see cargo vessels heavily armed with cannon.

Alliance culture is also simple. Although they are often skilled in navigation and mathematics for trading, yields and loads, along with naval engineering, the minotaurs do not have great appreciation for art or literature.
Most minotaurs have a single name, adopting a second name if they encounter someone else with the same name, or if they fancy another culture's traditions. The intellectually starved amongst the minotaurs typically adopt other cultures to the disdain of their peers, and look down upon their own upbringings.

While many organizations make up the Alliance, the most famous is the Crimson Trading Company, run by Duke-Admiral Labrys. Most of them dwell in ships for the majority of their lives, landing only for repairs. The Duke Admiral is based in Telesto, the Floating City. Here, thousands of ships gather in a massive harbor created by a crescent island. Shipworks and other workshops compose the bulk of the island's landmass, and most food is either imported or harvested from the sea.

Other Aquatic Cultures: The Minotaurs are the most aquatic folk anyone in either the Clans or the Empire know of. It is known that the merfolk and sahaugin live beneath the waves- the dragons say so, but they are not encountered on a regular basis. Since the Invasion, encounters with less organized groups are far less common. It is assumed most were Taken*.

*enslaved by the Neogi