KAVU

According to pirate tradition, Kavu Isle is the sight of Illmark's first pirate hold. The island boasts several harbors, each capable of holding between ten and thirty ships, and still maintains a thriving settlement of nearly 5,000 people at its largest harbor (on the western coast) which is widely visited by the pirates, but as the number of pirates grew this harbor diminished in prominence as Jakaa became the primary pirate hold.

Kavu is a pleasant, fruitful island with nearly a dozen small harbors, each of which can hold no more than a half-dozen ships. The upper slopes of the island are covered with forest, and birds and other wildlife have been spotted. The island has several protected harbors, the largest of which is Kavu Kavu, and the sea-traffic here during peak season sometimes rivals that at Mithril or Kuvera! Because of the possibility of raids, there are no permanent settlements of smugglers on Kavu. However, there are some native fishermen, as well as a small colony of halflings who reside on this island.

The Kavu are a taciturn and unfriendly people, and tolerate the smugglers primarily for the gifts the smugglers bring. They are followers of Kagen Dur, Lord of Earth, and claim that their worship keeps Dread and the rest of the Crater Isles from sinking beneath the waves. It is this rivalry between Kagen Dur and Sawa, explain the Kavu, that brings the vicious storms every winter, as Sawa tries to wash the islands from "her" sea. The recent visit of Sawa during the Time of Troubles only strengthened their faith, as she attempted several times to wash the Kavu off their island and was unsuccessful.

The Kavu reside in rough houses of unworked stone, which have been built for them by earth elementals. All villages, and much of the rest of the island, are protected by high dikes and stone barriers to keep the sea out. Each Kavu village is led by a priest of Kagen Dur of at least 7th level, who supervises the building of homes and seawalls (through his ability to summon an earth elemental), and who decides all legal claims within the village. The Kavu tolerate the smugglers because their activities are irrelevant to the Kavu way of life. In payment for the use of Kavu harbors, however, the smugglers offer some of the earth's bounty (generally gold or silver) to be placed on the island to strengthen Kagen Dur's hold.

Additionally, the Kavu require that any ship which uses Kavu harbors swear an oath to not bury anyone aboard at sea. The Kavu will accept the body of any being for burial in their catacombs, but they claim that burial at sea strengthens Sawa. Violators of the oath are told that the earth will reject their bodies, and they will be forced to serve Sawa as zombie slaves for all eternity. It is a small enough thing to the smugglers that the oath is rarely broken.

The Kavu have some coastal sailing vessels, but nothing capable of making it to the mainland. However, the smugglers will often provide transportation for natives who wish to see the wider world.

Kavu Isle is the second strongest pirate hold in the Crater Isles, with Jakaa itself the only one more powerful. It is ruled by the iron fist of Sam Cain, a pirate lord who dares anything to achieve his aims, and dares Jakaa to stop him. Sam Cain's ship, the Eye of the Hurricane, is a wellknown pirate vessel. Few survive from the ships she captures, and his land raids are equally vicious; not only is the target village sacked, but its entire populace is captured and enslaved, turning the place into a ghost town. The few who escape his clutches seem to have their memories wiped out, overwhelmed by the fear of Sam Cain. Each of them describes the vicious pirate differently, and it is thought that he uses illusion magic to avoid being identified. Nevertheless, his crews are always obedient; there are no ex-crewmen from the Eye of the Hurricane.

Perhaps most serious, it is rumored that Sam Cain is in league with the H'El Lords, and may be planning a coordinated attack against the Kuvera. Should such an event occur, the nations of Testoria would have no choice but to turn their attentions to stamping piracy out again in the region.

As Sam Cain's fame has grown, various other captains have gone to join him. His original force of but a few ships has grown to a fleet of nearly forty; it is said that only his failure to occupy Illmark's Hold keeps Sam Cain from taking the crown as pirate lord.

Despite the increase in size, there have been no defections. Captains who join with Sam Cain seem to fit perfectly into their new subordinate role, with no friction with Sam Cain himself or the other captains (at least, not in public). Even some of the smugglers have begun to join him, seeing an opportunity to make more profit by moving more merchandise.

While Sam Cain risks bringing another reprisal fleet on the islands, none of the other pirate captains has enough support to challenge the renegade. As discussed above, none of the three contenders for the crown of "pirate lord" is able to command enough force to stop Sam Cain, and by temperament they are unlikely to cooperate unless Jakaa is in imminent danger.

The gossips of Illmark's Band have begun to whisper about Sam Cain. There is some concern that his control may be magical; two captains who were bitter enemies before joining his band have become the best of friends, to everyone's mystification. The fact that he never comes to Jakaa is also considered suspicious by many. Should he continue to increase tension in the region, the Band itself (which owes no loyalty to any of the claimants, although it favors Haroon) may have to act against Sam Cain: a task for which outsiders would be more than welcome.