Main / AnglerIsland

Angler Island

Angler Island is part of the Northern Island Group and lies west of Borinquen and Gate Post. Angler is a key stopping point before sailing south to Kedge.

Angler Island
Mariners Map of Angler Island.

Locations

Angleburg is a fishing city of some 1500 people, the only city on Angler Island, taking advantage of the natural protection offered by both the high cliffs surrounding most of the island (averaging a mostly vertical height of 700 feet) and the enclosing bay. The Potentate's family is a noble one, and rules by virtue of land rights. The various Merchants' Guilds, when united by some issue, between them hold power almost equal to the Potentate's; thus, keeping them disunited most of the time is a major goal of the Potentate's policy.

The majority of the citizens make their living by fishing and pearling, while a few renowned shipwrights craft a variety of different styles of ships to order. Due to a steady trade with various distant ports, the Angleburg Markets offer a wide range of both common and esoteric items at inflated prices (2x standard rates). By contrast, fresh fish and other sea-harvested cuisine are plentiful, with great variety at bargain prices.

Visitors to the city can choose from a variety of seaside hostels and inns whose characters differ. A favorite of many who visit Angleburg often is Leroi's Sweetclover Inn, where black-bearded, blue-eyed Leroi brews a mean Redhawk Ale, the taste of which is rumored to have brought a smile even to the lips of Guiruis the Sea Prince. Additionally, the accommodations at the Sweetclover Inn are clean and can be had at a reasonable price 2 gp per head a night).

The Beacon House is perched atop a 750-foot cliff looking out over the wind-tossed sea. The house serves as a lighthouse to warn off ships who stray near the island in the dark of night. The lighthouse is normally manned only by old Helen, whose grandchild Kris daily buys supplies from the Angleburg Markets.

Crystal Springs Lake is fed from below by a natural spring of the same name. The water is clear, clean, and cold. Much of it pools to form the lake, but the overflow constantly washes over the cliff to the west, forming the magnificent Crystal Falls, visible many miles from the shores of Angler Island.

The Lake House next to the lake is where the Water Bearers' Guild jars the water in clay pots, selling them down in the market in large quantities.

Both the Near Downs and the Razorback Downs appear as tumbling grass-covered hills, mostly barren of trees or bushes. Large rocks protrude from the worndown hills, giving the downs their rough appearance; this is especially true of the Razorbacks. Rabbits, gophers, snakes, and the occasional fox can be seen on the downs.

A dense tangle of bushes and palms around the edges of the Greenroot Forest gives ground further in to mainly coniferous trees adapted to the environment. A huge variety of bird life lives within the forest, as well as mice, weasels, the occasional wild pig, and perhaps even a remnant of the original monkey population.

The waters of Halfmoon Bay are calm, protected by the towering cliffs of the strait. Even during stormy weather, the water within the bay is still navigable to larger ships; only exceptionally bad conditions would scuttle a ship inside the bay.

Fishing within the bay is not allowed; the bay serves merely as a gateway for the hordes of fisherman who issue forth each day to try their nets on the open seas.

Built on the edge of Dolphin's Point, the Last House looks 800 feet down a sheer cliff to the crashing waves of the sea. The Fathomer Laurish Samprey makes the lower levels of this 5-room lighthouse his home (his apprentice Nod also lives here).

The 'Plain of Yellow is named for the yellow-green grasses grow in thick profusion on this high plain. A few years ago, a consortium of five Angleburg fishermen who lost their boats in the waters pooled their remaining funds to buy a half-dozen head of milk cows, which they graze on the yellowish grass. The fishermen and their families get by on the distinctive yellow milk they sell fresh daily in the Angleburg market, but it's difficult and constant labor just to make ends meet and keep their families fed.

The crooked finger of rock that is Rateliff Reach points towards one of the best pear ling beds in the nearby seas. Only the privileged Diving Guild has permission to harvest these waters, paying a double tithe (20%) from their profits to the Potentate, who uses it for the benefit of the city and island as a whole.

The Watch Towers are similar to the lighthouse construction of both Beacon House and the Last House. However, a contingent of 10 specially-trained Dock Guards man each of these towers, monitoring for foreign ships (the fear of pirates is a strong one). Ballistae and catapults mounted in the towers on top of the 300-foothigh cliffs effectively cover the strait and have a base 30% chance of scuttling any ship attempting to illegally enter or leave Halfmoon Bay.