Welcome to the Islands of Alliejen

The Kingdom of Alliejen consists of hundreds of islands. A few are “large” (~5,000 square miles) and densely populated (~100,000 people), but the majority are unpopulated or have only small villages. Estimates of the kingdom’s population range from one to three million, though any sort of accurate count is simply not possible given the cost of travel.

The islands are fairly closely clustered. Any two islands could be between 20 and 1000 miles apart (4 hours to one week by boat in favorable winds). The farthest islands are 3000 miles apart.

The vast majority of people are sustenance farmers. Many people have some simple command of magic (usually the village leaders and shaman), who are able to help by watering crops, speeding up their growth, mending broken tools, and the like. A few people are sailors, responsible for inter-island trade and the large number of cross-island marriages. A smaller set yet is “nobles”, most of who live on the larger islands and form the government.

The government is bare-bones, as there is no threat of foreign invasion—ship that have sailed in any direction find only open sea or never return. Essentially, any village in which some crime occurs that is too heinous for the village to address problem will send the convict to the large island, where the convicted is essentially enslaved. Best get along with your neighbors.

There are three PC races known on the islands, each about as common as the others: humans, elves, and gnomes.

• The term “human” refers to both the human and dwarven races in the PH. Dwarves in this campaign get 4 extra skill points at first level, and 1 extra skill point each level thereafter, but have only standard vision, do not have stonecutting, have no bonuses versus orcs, goblins, or giants, no bonus to appraise, and no bonus to crafting. Generally, humans can live to 80 or so, and dwarves to 120.
  
• The term “elf” refers to both elves and half-elves, as in the PH. Half-elves live as long as 200 years, elves as long as 250.
  
• The term “gnome” refers to both halflings and gnomes, as in the PH. Gnomes can live past 120 years, halflings generally not longer than 100.
  
• There is no PC “half-orc” race