The Peleset Union (pronounced PELL-eh-set) is a collection of independent sea-faring peoples, originally from the island of Peleset in the Akrotirian Isles. Left without a permanent home following the destruction of their island, the Pelesetian fleets have slowly grown as they wander the seas.
History
Originally, the people that now comprise the Peleset Union lived within the Akrotirian Isles, north of Arrapha on an island known as Peleset. The island, though small, was home to a number of prosperous maritime communities. In Y9645* the island and everything on it sank into the sea, a result of a massive cavern in the Darklands below collapsing. Some evidence points to this event as having been intentional, but the gugs and other hostile denizens of the Darklands have managed to keep away any who would wish to investigate.
Some inhabitants of the island, those that were at sea or elsewhere in the Isles at the time, managed to survive the violent destruction of their homes. Many, though not all, of this group eventually banded together into a makeshift fleet, wandering between the port cities of the southern Chaska Sea trying to find a new place to settle. While some Pelesetians eventually did so, many chose to continue their new nomadic life at sea, forming what would eventually become the Peleset Union.
Demographics
Though the inhabitants of the island of Peleset were mostly human, with smaller half-elf and astomoi populations, the Peleset Union today includes individuals of various ancestries. The Pelesetians are known to be very welcoming of refugees and others who seek to join them, which in large part has contributed to this demographic change.
The entire population of the Peleset Union is relatively small, perhaps ten thousand or so.
Culture
Religion
Due to their diverse origins, the people of the Peleset Union adhere to a number of beliefs. Most worship the gods of the Chaskan or Khapeshan pantheons, but others venerate those of the Hellean pantheon, or other faiths entirely. In general, however, deities concerned with the sea are of central importance to the Pelesetians. Most ships have small shrines to Usumu, usually in a protected area in the ship’s hold. Some larger ships in the city-fleets have space set aside for full temples as well. Taliash is also worshiped by the Pelesetians, but to a lesser degree than Usumu.
Society
While some Pelesetian ships travel almost entirely independently, this is not typical. Instead, most associate themselves with a large "city-fleet", a major concentration of ships that is functionally a population center at sea. These fleets vary in size from ten ships to upwards of thirty. While never fully stationary, fleets of these types tend to be fairly easy to locate as they generally have a range of territory they remain within. For example, the Eunomia Fleet tends to remain within roughly 150 miles of Arsenoe and Charax. Ships periodically leave and rejoin these fleets, some sticking to one and others moving between them.
The fleets and ships of the Peleset Union can usually be found within the Chaska Sea and Sea of Khoros, though they do sometimes wander farther afield, including into the Kilche Sea.
Pelesetians view loyalty to the crew and ship as central to their social stability and mutual well-being. Everyone is expected to contribute to the best of their abilities, an idea that is reinforced from a young age. Crews sometimes but not always function essentially as clans, with extended families living on the same ship.
Trained animals are widely used by Pelesetian crews. Seabirds, particularly albatrosses, are trained and used as messengers to facilitate communication between distant ships. Dolphins are used as spotters and scouts, checking if the seas ahead are safe or keeping an eye on possible threats.
Piracy is an anathema to the people of the Union. While they are accepting of any who wish to join their fleets, they refuse to extend this to former (or current) pirates. The Pelesetians have simply lost too many ships and too many people to piracy over the course of their history, and now have an "attack on sight" approach to pirate ships. For their part, most pirates have the sense to leave Peleset ships alone - going after a fleet is suicidal, and the retribution that comes after attacking a lone ship is rarely worth the potential loot.
Peleset children are taught to swim before they can walk. From a very young age all Pelesetians are instructed on how to best survive if cast adrift at sea, including how to navigate by the stars, safely acquire food and water, and defend themselves from sea creatures.
Ships
The Pelesetians use a variety of types of ships. The majority are the typical sort of galley that sees widespread use in the Chaska Sea. Though fewer in number, larger junks form an integral part of the city-fleets, particularly valuable as storage depots, living quarters, hospitals, and schools. A handful of turtle ships are also in use by the Pelesetians, usually to guard the fleets.The Pelesetians are also known to employ at least a few of the Rothurlandic redwood longships, though these are rare.
Union ships can be easily recognized by their flags, all white with a blue hourglass in the center. Galleys and other single-sailed ships often carry the same design on their sails. Ships commonly alter this design to add symbolism that carries a specific meaning to the crew.
Traditions
Culturally, the Pelesetians are highly eclectic, a side effect of absorbing the cultural practices of the various people they meet. In particular, a sizable proportion of the Union’s population joined after the Deluge devastated Akhom. While many of their traditions are broadly similar to the peoples of the Akrotirian Isles where most of the Pelesetians can trace their ancestries, these have been greatly changed by centuries of life at sea.
Magic
When possible, Pelesetian crews employ magical means of reducing the labor required in the maintenance of their ships. A small number of Union galleys use animated oars or construct laborers to drastically reduce the base crew that must be carried, but in general the Pelesetians avoid the use of undead for this task.
Languages
Most Pelesetians speak Common, though other regional languages like Chaskan, Meroitic, Hellean, and Telan are commonly understood as well. In addition, Pelesetians of non-human ancestries often use their racial tongues.
Arts
The ships of the Peleset Union are often richly ornamented and decorated. The walls of holds are frequently painted with murals, usually depicting scenes of life at sea and the history of the ship. The exterior of hulls are often brightly painted as well, but usually with abstract patterns and shapes. Ships that have encountered and defeated giant creatures of the sea sometimes mount their skulls or other body parts on their prows or at the top of masts.
Food and cuisine
Pelesetian cuisine is almost entirely derived from the sea, as might be expected. Fish, crustaceans, and squid make up the bulk of the Pelesetian diet, alongside oceanic plants. Some of the larger city-fleets have small numbers of terrestrial livestock on board as well, but this is rather uncommon. Trade with land-dwelling peoples supplements their provisions with fruits and other foodstuffs that can’t be found at sea.
Government
The Peleset Union is functionally treated as a sovereign nation by the land-based states around the seas in which they roam.
Traditionally, the role of ship captain within the Peleset Union is elective and semi-informal. An individual achieves the title of captain only with the approval of the crew, and can be immediately removed and replaced if the crew determines their leadership has been harmful. As such, captains are usually those with the most experience and the best interpersonal skills, able to convince others their proposed plans of action are in everyone’s interest.
City-fleets are led by councils consisting of the captains of each ship. While these councils can make collective recommendations, no ship is beholden to them. If a captain and crew disagree with a decision, they are free not to follow, but are usually pressured to depart.
There is no central leadership within the Peleset Union. Each city-fleet essentially forms its own faction, and ships outside the fleets usually have a specific faction with which they claim association. The Union is tied together far more by common culture and shared purpose than by governance.
Economy
The Pelesetians make their living in various ways. Some choose to live an essentially entirely nomadic, hunter-gatherer lifestyle, acquiring food and resources from the seas and coastlines as required. Diving for wrecks or valuable resources from the sea provides supplemental income for trade. Others find work by offering their ships and services to merchants, carrying goods between ports. For many smaller merchants who cannot compete in scale with the wealthier merchants of Eretrebus or the Tirionite conglomerates, Pelesetian services are welcomed for their relatively cheap rates and experienced crews.
To some nations around the Chaska, Eretrebus and the Ersas City States in particular, Union ships and crews are important if unofficial parts of their navies. Rather than incur the costs of building up their own fleets, they rely on contracted but independent Union ships. This is beginning to change as southern Hellea slowly develops and re-militarizes, however.
Pelesetian ships sometimes take on pirate-hunting contracts. Many port cities, harassed by raids, have found retaining Union crews to be far more reliable than patrolling shipping lanes themselves.
While Pelesetian ships that venture out alone or in small flotillas are usually generalists, able to perform any task that is required for life on the sea, ships in the larger fleets often specialize. With many other vessels nearby that they can rely upon, ships in these fleets are able to find a specific niche. For example, some ships may be dedicated to the production of certain goods, or be entirely used for storage or habitation.