Les Îles Flamboyantes were originally by sea-faring people. Their descendants became fierce protectors of the sea and feared pirates.
Taking a terrible toll on all non-illenians trading, some of the surrounding nations decided to do something about it. First, Karakos, then Threch and finally Xian.
In the end, all of them ended up fighting over these beautiful islands, and its people used this to play them one against the other. Their valiant efforts were financed by recently discovered secret amber mines, which won them their freedom.
Although many different people live on the islands, there are two dominant races:
Illenians which are the direct descendants of the sea-farers.
Belambrians which are very diverse mix of illenians, karakians, xiani and threchians.
Ruled by a council of prince and princess merchants, it is the land of traders and pirates.
Belambrian is the main language of the isles, but all other languages are spoken here as trade flourishes.
A more minor language is the tribal language of Illenians. It is still taught and spoken proudly, but less and less.
Belambrian names sound like French names and Illenian names sounds like Samoan names. For some ideas, you can consult the following site: FNG (French), FNG (Samoan) .
The largest of the belambrian islands has the two most fertile plains of the archipelago, one near Port-a-Lor, the other near Auxesclaves.
This island got its name from the fact that it is part of a large band of dangerous reefs that protect the South-Eastern approach to the islands.
This island got its name at a time that the islands were under heavy attacks and it served to house and protect the children of the various groups of pirates.
This slave trading city saw its commercial high during the xiani domination.
A long time ago this port was owned by a very intelligent pirate nicknamed finfinaud (clever guy) and the name stuck to the town.
This town is dubbed la retraite (retirement commune) because, by tradition, this is where older pirates end up to enjoy what they could out of their remaining gold, if any. It is also called la source (the source) because if any captain is looking for an experience pirate with a specific type of knowledge or skill, this is where you can find them.
During any invasion, this town was always the last to fall, costing countless live to the invaders. An easily defensible large fissure in a cliff can only allow one large ship at a time to enter a very small and deep anchor bay, making any assault, near impossible.
The town is build within naturally occurring caves. There are no beach or quay, everything is lifted out by crane, with rope ladders lowered for people.
A long time ago, when a pestilence would hit the islands, this is where they would be sent.
During the karakian domination, this was where all captured pirates ended up. The enormous prison built at the time is now an impressive citadelle.
At the height of its piracy days, this town was reputed to be so rich that gold was cheaper than salt water.
Belambrian names sound a lot like French names.