A Guide to the Drifting City’s Festival District
A map of the Drifting City’s festival district - keep reading for information on locations!
See full-sized image on DeviantArt. Artwork by J-Haskell.
Recommended Lore
To have the best experience with the Captain’s Carnivale event, we recommend you at least read up on the following lore if you haven’t already:
A General Overview of the Drifting City
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It is currently spring in the tropical Whaletooth Archipelago, and in the Drifting City that means the milder (but still warm) temperatures of winter are shifting towards the heat and humidity of high summer.
Newcomers to the Archipelago are most surprised by the Drifting City, for there is no other place like it in the world. A massive chain of wooden platforms floating on the open ocean extends outwards in all directions, linking every distant Southern settlement to the City. Moored to these platforms or anchored to the reefs and sandbars not far below are houseboats, market vessels, and pirate ships. It is a busy place, alive with hundreds of people, and the scent of food, the sound of music, talking and singing. Pirates, adorned in dizzyingly bright silks and bearing the scars that mark those who partake in their craft, are everywhere, as well as every type of merchant, entertainer, and person under the sun. Every few platforms spear-wielding shipwreckers stand guard, wearing the telltale black shoulder bands denoting an Urchin agent of the Sirens, watching over the city. Though don’t expect them to do much in the case of pickpockets; they are little more than glorified bouncers, throwing anyone who gets too violent out of the city to cool down. |
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A central series of docks located in the middle of the Festival District, and the busiest part of the city with the ongoing Carnivale. It’s here that the Captains vying for Pirate Queenship have set up their Trials, and where, on other holidays, different festivities are hosted.
The Promenade is also a common place for visitors to the Drifting City to dock their ships, with the Aleutian Square providing the most secure mooring in the whole city. |
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While true to its name, most of the city drifts and changes over time, Aleutian Square is one of few permanent fixtures in the Drifting City.
The popular story behind it is that Aleutian Square is where the eponymous first Pirate Queen set down her anchor for the last time, and that the grieving southerners made the spot a memorial to the dragon who had led them to safety during a time of great upheaval. Aleutian Square today is an immense system of docks, anchored firmly to the ocean floor, where the rest of the city can attach itself securely to a fixed point.
An enormous bronze statue of Aleutian, guiding a procession of ships beneath her wings, stands at a central point on the Square’s eastern half. Over the generations, hundreds of sailors and ships have passed under her watchful gaze. Southerners will often leave small gifts at her feet when departing the Drifting City, in hopes of good luck on their ventures to come.
The popular story behind it is that Aleutian Square is where the eponymous first Pirate Queen set down her anchor for the last time, and that the grieving southerners made the spot a memorial to the dragon who had led them to safety during a time of great upheaval. Aleutian Square today is an immense system of docks, anchored firmly to the ocean floor, where the rest of the city can attach itself securely to a fixed point.
An enormous bronze statue of Aleutian, guiding a procession of ships beneath her wings, stands at a central point on the Square’s eastern half. Over the generations, hundreds of sailors and ships have passed under her watchful gaze. Southerners will often leave small gifts at her feet when departing the Drifting City, in hopes of good luck on their ventures to come.
The Trial of Tongues is hosted on a pair of platforms carved to resemble duelling ships, one with a blue flag and the other with a yellow one. The contestants each take a seat on the prow of one vessel, where they are to remain until the contest is over. To step down is to forfeit and to attack your opponent means immediate disqualification, though Meridian and her crew will often let the contestants fight it out for a bit before sending them on their way.
A ways back from these platforms, crowds gather on decking painted to match each ship’s flag, and can show their support for one contestant or the other through where they stand, but also how they respond to what’s being said and done
A ways back from these platforms, crowds gather on decking painted to match each ship’s flag, and can show their support for one contestant or the other through where they stand, but also how they respond to what’s being said and done
The Trial of Storms is hosted on a platform that might remind its participants of a target range. Dozens of deadly potions are hung from strings and poles in dizzying patterns, providing plenty of targets for contestants - but also many, many sources of anxiety for the city’s firefighting force. With each round of the Trial, the sounds of thunder, explosions, and other devastating effects can be heard all around.
While participants in the Trial are welcome to use just about any tools they’d like for the task, for their safety as well as to increase the challenge involved, they are forbidden from crossing a painted white line set a few meters back from the potions.
Anyone who made the mistake of docking near Captain Hurricane’s Trial has quickly corrected that choice, and you will find no ships anchored near the Trial of Storms.
While participants in the Trial are welcome to use just about any tools they’d like for the task, for their safety as well as to increase the challenge involved, they are forbidden from crossing a painted white line set a few meters back from the potions.
Anyone who made the mistake of docking near Captain Hurricane’s Trial has quickly corrected that choice, and you will find no ships anchored near the Trial of Storms.
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The Trial of Faces is hosted on a large, beautifully decorated stage. Dark stained wood is patterned with painted golden dragons spiralling along the walkway, marking the path contestants should walk to show off their fashion and persona. During the Trial itself, Chomper watches from a shaded throne of cushions in blankets, comfortable no matter how the Trial goes on below.
Behind a set of silk curtains, Chomper has made a large wardrobe of clothing and jewelry - sized for a variety of body types - available to contestants. If your first thought on hearing that was of opportunities for theft, continue at your peril; if caught, you’ll be lucky only to lose a finger. Those who particularly impress the Captain, however, might walk away with one or two items as a gift. |
Chomper, comfortable on his throne of pillows. |
The Trial of Blood is hosted in a spacious wooden arena, roped off to mark its boundaries, at the southern edge of the Captain’s Promenade. The arena is simple but clean, with only the red banners of Captain Oarfish - a dragon facing the viewer, wings dripping blood - flying in the wind for decoration.
Oarfish herself watches the Trial from a raised dais, giving her a high vantage point from which to observe the proceeding fights. She has no reservations about jumping into the Trial and knocking both contestants to their asses if she feels that her rules are not being observed
Oarfish herself watches the Trial from a raised dais, giving her a high vantage point from which to observe the proceeding fights. She has no reservations about jumping into the Trial and knocking both contestants to their asses if she feels that her rules are not being observed
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A marketplace located west of Aleutian Square. Busy even during normal times, with the Captain’s Carnivale underway the Merchant’s March is buzzing with activity. Merchants from across the Realm have travelled great distances to peddle their goods during the Carnivale. Just about anything can be found here, with few restrictions placed by the Sirens on what can be bought and sold.
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The Anemone is a casino hosted in a large houseboat, painted in coral red and robin’s-egg blue. It has been a fixture in the Drifting City for as long as anyone can remember, mooring in different parts of the city at different times of the year, and never missing out on a festival or party.
Inside, the Anemone is bathed in dramatic UV runic lighting, giving the place an otherworldly appearance. Burly shipwreckers walk between different tables, keeping a watchful eye over the gamblers to keep the games fair and to interrupt the occasional fight that breaks out. Its proprietor, a century-old shipwrecker necromancer named Anemone, has little patience for deception or thievery.
Inside, the Anemone is bathed in dramatic UV runic lighting, giving the place an otherworldly appearance. Burly shipwreckers walk between different tables, keeping a watchful eye over the gamblers to keep the games fair and to interrupt the occasional fight that breaks out. Its proprietor, a century-old shipwrecker necromancer named Anemone, has little patience for deception or thievery.
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A bustling open-air market at the heart of the Merchant’s March. Merchants from across the Realm have travelled great distances to peddle their goods during the Carnivale. Just about anything can be found here, with few restrictions placed by the Sirens on what can be bought and sold.
While there are some legitimate craftsmen and traders in the market, many of the goods being peddled here were gained through piracy - something that the southerners see no shame in, nor any reason to hide - and many visiting Captains plan to take full advantage of the festivities to get rid of as many ill-gotten goods as they can before setting sail once more. The market is patrolled by Urchins working for the Sirens, though don’t expect too much from them; most couldn’t care less about pickpockets, and will only step in during violent crimes. |
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A large open-air theatre and music venue that hosts shows throughout the day and night. The shows vary wildly and performers from across the Realm have come to show off their skills to adoring crowds, though the content tends to trend towards the bawdy side. In the afternoons, the Seafoam Theatre holds public karaoke events, where any volunteer party-goers are welcome to take part, so long as they don’t get booed off the stage for a poor singing voice.
The Moon-and-Star inn has become a popular retreat for tired carnivale-goers to stay for the night, or just to get a drink and a seat for a few hours. The inn’s owner, a moonviper named Clementia, is friendly and welcoming to all comers, provided they don’t cause trouble or start fights inside. If you must solve things with fists rather than words, he’ll politely ask you to take it outside.
Most of Clementia’s clients are quick to jump to their defence and give any too-rowdy customers the boot; the innkeeper can’t pour drinks if she’s crying, after all!
The Moon-and-Star itself is a quaint little inn on a houseboat made of dark-stained wood. Much of its decor is made of hand-carved wood or stone, depicting images of the moons and oceans.
Most of Clementia’s clients are quick to jump to their defence and give any too-rowdy customers the boot; the innkeeper can’t pour drinks if she’s crying, after all!
The Moon-and-Star itself is a quaint little inn on a houseboat made of dark-stained wood. Much of its decor is made of hand-carved wood or stone, depicting images of the moons and oceans.
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A pleasant crescent-shaped island located east of Aleutian Square. Known for Sweetwater Bay, a shallow sandy beach that’s a popular spot for citizens of the Drifting City to come relax, and Sweetwater Farm, a prosperous sugar plantation. The reef located off the island’s western shore is marked off with floating buoys to prevent ships from running aground, though accidents do still happen, and over the years a collection of wrecks have accumulated around it.
The water on the eastern side of Sweetwater Island drops off quickly, getting deep and dark mere metres out from the shore. |
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A coral reef located along the edge of Sweetwater Bay, where the shallow waters begin to descend. Though it is a beautiful place filled with fish and corals of all colours, the reef has been the end of many ships.
Scuttle Reef’s edges are marked with floating buoys, studded with candlestone, to prevent ships from running aground. Despite the best efforts of the Urchins, accidents can and do still happen, and the dark waters around the reef are littered with wrecks of many sizes. Because of this, the reef has become a popular location for daring treasure divers, and occasionally bits of sunken pirate treasure will wash ashore on the bay. One of the most famous wrecks, located in deep water, is The Night Galley: the flagship of Pirate Queen Mindanao. The galley was not a direct victim of the reef; instead, it caught fire when Mindanao’s daughter, Okhotsk, snuck aboard to assassinate her mother. The Night Galley was cut free of its anchors by citizens afraid that the rest of the city would catch fire, where it would eventually sink near the shores of Sweetwater Island. |
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Sweetwater Bay is a sunny, pleasant beach with white sand and gentle currents. It’s a popular place for residents and visitors to the Drifting City alike to relax and enjoy the weather. For those who like to recline in the sun, there is plenty of space to sprawl out and catch a nap, while the waters offshore are safe enough for even poor swimmers to enjoy. More daring divers can find reefs further out to explore, beyond several sandbars.
The local sugar farm runs a small stall on the bay called ‘Nautilus’ Snack Shack’. They sell fresh food and drink to beach-goers here, including ice cream, fresh coconuts, all manner of desserts, and other sweet treats. |
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A long band of rocky mountains that divides Sweetwater Island in half. The Stalwarts are jagged and knife-thin, making for poor perches. While some have attempted to climb them, the rocks that make up the Stalwarts are quite sharp, and would-be hikers tend to return from their adventures with many small cuts.
Past a jagged outcrop of rock, the eastern half of the island is home to the Sweetwater Farm; a sugar plantation where dragons work long, hot days to harvest and refine sugar. Though sugar farming is considered an undesirable job by most, it is extremely profitable, with sugar often referred to as the Realm’s “white gold”. The workers at Sweetwater Farm are as heavyset and strong as any northerner, and any would-be robbers are often sent running with a few fresh bruises.
The farm’s owner, an elderly shipwrecker named Nautilus, will employ anyone who works hard. One would be mistaken if they thought her soft-hearted because of this; she will not tolerate others trying to take advantage of her, and it’s widely thought that she makes hefty donations to the Sirens to make them more interested in looking out for her farm.
The Sweetwater Farm sells the scum skimmed off from their sugar production to local taverns in the Drifting City for rum production.
The farm’s owner, an elderly shipwrecker named Nautilus, will employ anyone who works hard. One would be mistaken if they thought her soft-hearted because of this; she will not tolerate others trying to take advantage of her, and it’s widely thought that she makes hefty donations to the Sirens to make them more interested in looking out for her farm.
The Sweetwater Farm sells the scum skimmed off from their sugar production to local taverns in the Drifting City for rum production.
