Editing DnD5 theSavageTide (section)

==CULTURES OF THE ARCHIPELAGO==
BASIC HUMAN CULTURES
*Baklunish. These are golden-skinned humans. They dwell mostly on the Eastern part of the Island Archipelago chains. Many of their island nations have joined the Merchant League and their ships can been found throughout.
*Flannae. These are the aboriginal inhabitants of the northern Archipelago Island chains, their bronze skin ranges from a lighter coppery hue to deep brown. Their hair tends to be wavy or curly, and from black to brown. They have strong, broad faces and sturdy builds. Many have immigrated to other Human Islands and migled well with the other nations. 
*Oeridian. These people have olive or tan skin and any color of hair from honey-blonde to black. The Oeridians founded the mighty Great Kingdom of the Easter-Northern Island Chain (on one of the larger Islands of the Archipelago) and co-founded the kingdom of Keoland (in the West-Nothern chain). Many of the island nations were also once territories of the empire and so their influence on everything from language to culture in the A is considerable.
*Olman. The Olman are a brown-skinned people found mainly in the tropics of Hepmonaland and the Amedio Jungle Islands of the Central Archipelago. Their hair is straight and black, and their eyes are very dark. They have high cheek bones and high-bridged noses.
*Rhennee. The Rhennee have olive-toned skin like the Oeridians, but darker, curlier hair. They tend to be short, but wiry and strong. They are a very different people culturally, thought to have originated on another plane of existence. In the Archipelago, they exist culturally as nomadic sea wanders aboard great galleys where many of the live full time. While few of their ship-homes have joined the Merchant League they are on good terms with Greyhawk and many other members and enjoyed favored statues even through not members. 
*Suloise. The Suloise are pale, some nearly albino, with kinky or curly hair of blonde or red. They tend to be narrow and lean. Their island nations are concenttrated in the southern polar regions of the Archipelago. 
*Touv. The Touv have dark brown or nearly black skin, straight or wavy black hair, and brown or startlingly blue eyes. They dwell mostly in the island nations along the equator to the east and west of then the more central jungle islands. They tend towards isolationism but a few city-states have joined the Merchant League. 

===Island Nations===
Most of the civilized nations form a ring of island chains around the central islands of the equator (which are mostly jungle islands). 
*'''Greyhawk'''. Home of the Merchant League, this city-state is located in the north-cemtral parts of Archipelago chain. Their merchant ships are found throughout the Ten-Thousands Islands and they are one of the best known city-states.
*'''Keoland'''. Located in the western parts of the Archipelago, it controls five islands. It is a full member of the Merchant League and trades thoughout the Ten-Thosand Island. This nation state has existed for many centuries and has had a great deal of influence of much of the western island chains.
*'''Furyondy'''. Once a part of the Great Kingdom it gained its independence over two hundred years ago. Located in the south-western parts of the Archipelago, this island nation-state controls at least a dozen islands (most of only average size), but their navey is very strong (one of the strongest in fact) and they can be found through the Ten-Thousand Islands (both war and tradeships as they are also part of the Merchant League).
*'''The Great Kingdom'''. Only a shell of its former glory, the island where the nation-state was first form is only partially held by them today. Other port cities on the island are full independent of the Kingdom which is now rumored to be lead by an undead 'Emperor'.
*'''Kingdom of Nyrond'''
*'''United Islands of Ahlissa''' 
*'''Urnst Islands'''
*'''Ulek Island'''
*'''Kingdom of Iuz'''. A chain of some eight islands (of various sizes) in the north-eastern chain. Ruled over by luz, a supposedly mighty cambion (deamon) and demigod. These lands are dark and forboddin and almost no one trades directly with them. They have been at 'peace' with most other island nations however for over a hundred years. Most just assume their ruler is bidding his time for something.
*'''Hold of the Sea Princes'''. Pirate nation formed by so-called Pirate Kings and Queens some 20 years ago. Many up of all species and cultures of the Archipelago. These islands are located in the south, far-western parts of the islands. 
*'''The Frost Islands'''. Located in the far southern parts of the Archipelago these islands are home to the Frost, Snow and Ice Barbarians tribes of Human, Dwarf and Elf origins. They are have similar cultures to the Blood Stone Orcs of the north but they are also just as likely to hire themselves out as mercenaries for a season or two. 
*'''Ironhold'''. The largest Nation-State of the Dwarfs is located in the southern extermes Island of the Archipelago on a large island. This nation state has joined the Merchant League and Dwarf Ironclad ships due prowl the Seas to trade but most trade they conduct is at their own island markets.
*'''The Steel Islands'''. Located in the south-eastern Island chain of the Archipelago is the island ''Chain of Steel and Iron'' as it is called. Here the Dwarfs have a string of six islands where they dig deep into the volcanic mountains of the chain. They trade with the League but are not members (nor are the allied with Ironhold). Gnomes are also common here and are a few villages of Halflings and Human farmers who feed the nation. 
*'''Celene'''. Another large forested island located in the south-western Archipelago is where the Elf nation of Celene and is home to both High and Wood Elf. Somewhat isolationist they never the less have the Port of Green on their northwestern coast where the trade with anyone who wishes to come (and are peaceful). 
*'''The Seven-Silver Hill Islands'''. Located in the north-western far fringes of the Archipelago are a seven islands chain where the Halflings hold sway and their rather peaceful nation sits. Two of the islands are full members of the Merchant League but the nations only have a few merchant craft that are manned by other species and a few Halfling captains.
*'''Blood Stone Islands'''. This is a collection of Islands in the far northern exterme of the Archipelago where the Orcs (amd many of their Ogre allies) reside. Their culture is very 'Sea Raider' based. Most Trall warriors are farmers and herds people during much of the year but 'go a raiding' during the late summer period. Many peoples fear these raids as they do not consider anyone 'civilian' and they especially like to attack and pillage holy sites and places of worship. Their own gods encourage this among them.  
*'''Ring of Surtr'''. Within the Blood Stone Islands these islands are inhabited by the Silfursvin clan of orcs, who dwelled on a small island chain. The central island of this chain, the largest, ad bares a volcano known as the Eye of Imix; clan legend held that a portal to the Underworld lay deep within it, and it was true that the mountain would at times disgorge terrible monsters: fiends, mutated animals, creatures of living lava, and worse. The Silfursvins believed it was their sacred duty to contain the horrors within the mountain, and their greatest warriors, the Andariddari, dedicated their lives to doing just that. Their patron was the god Silfurloginn, seen as an enormous silver boar with the silver scales of a dragon and tusks of fire, and whose sign was flames that burned silver.

Otherwise all people and cultures have intermingles on many of these islands. The Merchant League trades with most except those of the Blood Stone Islands and the Hold of the Sea Princes.

===Other Islands and Unusual Features===
These islands hold no real dominate nation-state but are well known and occasionally visited. Some even have minor ports set up as semi-permentant cities run by other nation-states or independently.
*'''The Bone Isle''': Located south of the main Great Kingdom island, this curse island was the sight of a great battle where the dead where abondent in the aftermath. A necromancer (or two) set up shop here and is rumored to import bodies from unsavory sorts to the island. It is now overrun by the undead and avoided by all but the desterate or greedy.
*'''Bright Islands'''. These three larger islands located in the north-eastern part of the Archipelago chain are rocky deserts with little or no vegetation on them and even less life. They are avoid by most and rumored cursed. However there does seem to have been an ancient civilization on it at one time in its past and ruined stone structures can be seen dotting the islands.  
*'''Hepmonalands'''. A chain of volcanic islands near the center and eastern-cental parts of the Archipelago chain. Many of these islands are quite large and most are only lightly populated by sentient beings. Thunder lizards and other mythal monsterous creatures are far more comman and plentiful.   
*'''Amedio Jungle Islands'''. Another island volcanic jungle chain of islands these are located on the western-central parts of the Archipelago chain. They tend to have more civilized cultures and ports then then in the Hepmonalands but are also populated by a great number of 'thunder-lizards' (big dinosaurs) that threaten all peoples.
*'''The Pomarj'''. Located south-western chain this is a heavily forested and cursed island. Fairly large in size it is home to only one sentient species -- the Gnolls. These cannablist tribes fight each other as much as they raid the surrounding islands for their demon god '''''Yeenoghu'''''.
*'''Crystalmist Islands'''. These huge volcanic islands are located on the far eastern fringes of the Archipelago chain. They are the location of some of the tallest islands in the Known World and many have no places for a ship to easily land on. They are for the most part inhabated only by Dragons and a few other wild flying beasts. This chain is made up of at least a dozen fairly large islands.
*'''The Sargasso Mire''': On the western half of the equator is a large expanse of brown sargassum seaweed and often calm water. It bounded by four currents forming an ocean gyre of unatually stable water where the seaweed has grown exponentially and is dangerous to sail even close too. Many an unprepaired ship has been trapped within the expanse and moved deeper into it. Legends say that some of these ship retain their treasure holds full of bouty.
*'''Vesve Isle'''. This is an uninhabited heavily forested island in the northwester part of the Archipelago. There are rumores of a few wild elf communities on the island or at least there were at one time but now the island is cursed. Those whom have set foot on one of the island's few beaches have described a overwelming sense of foreboding and quickly left. Passing ships have heard monsterous cries coming from the thick interior but no creatures are ever seen (except a few island birds).