Arcana: Among the Spheres

Wavebreak

Islands Ruled by a Class of "Protectors"

by Greg Stolze

An ambassador deceived; a state secret revealed; a magical artifact destroyed; and an ancient menace released--all on the doorstep of the city at the center of the universe. But one old man sees karmic patterns indicating that the worst is yet to come.... Check out Waves of Time by Greg Stolze for more information about Wavebreak.

Rule: Wavebreak is ruled by the High Protector, who is subject to certain limits. While a High Protector is placed in office for life, the title can be rescinded if a majority of the other Protectors vote to do so. There is no fixed number of Protectors; they can vote to admit new members to their ranks as they deem fit. In theory, admission to the Protectors is based on competence and a desire to serve the nation. In practice, factors like tradition, favoritism, and simple greed also play a part.

Protectors defer to each other on the basis of seniority, and are typically assigned geographical areas to rule, ranging from a small village to an entire island. Orders from the Protector in charge of a village can be countermanded by the Protector who rules the entire island. That Protector's orders can in turn be countermanded by the High Protector, who is in charge of the entire nation.

While admission to the Protectors is, in theory, open to any citizen of the nation, almost all of the Protectors come from a group of nine families that supported Admiral Laster in the revolution that put the Protector republic in place.

Religion: The people of Wavebreak worship a great number of deities, the most important being those concerned with weather and the ocean. Every deity is associated with highly specific duties, activities, or effects, and is considered to have both a masculine and a feminine aspect; accordingly, worship is split between a High Priest and High Priestess for each deity.

People: Since Wavebreak is primarily a nation of ports, there is a great deal of foreign blood mixed in with the native stock. Although the average person of Wavebreak is slender, with dark almond to bronze colored skin, black hair, and dark eyes, it is not uncommon to see many different shades of eye and hair. The stamp of a hundred different nations can be read on the faces of the people here.

Economy: Wavebreak's economy was initially based on fishing, supplemented with some harvesting of edible seaweed. As the population grew, however, the realm's economy increasingly came to rely on sea trade. Much of this trade involves the city of Everway, which lies to the northeast. It is a sea voyage of a week (with good winds) or two (with calm winds) to reach the great city, and this proximity to Everway and the gates of Roundwander has made Wavebreak fairly wealthy. Traders who are reluctant to go to Everway (for whatever reason-sometimes due to legal entanglements, sometimes simply to avoid Everway's taxes) often sell their goods in Wavebreak. Many Wavebreak merchants have arranged special trade incentives with various families in Everway, making it cheaper for them to resell goods brought to them from abroad.

Along with trade, several families run flourishing banks and merchant houses. Naturally, the families involved count many Protectors among their numbers.

War: Wavebreak's military might consists solely of its fleet, since there is no city of note on the islands that cannot be reached by sea. Wavebreak is far enough from most other nations to be unnattractive as a target of conquest, and their alliance with Everway has protected them for many years. The marines of Wavebreak are kept busy patrolling for pirates, however.

Magic: No form of magic is native to the humans of Wavebreak; they believe that their prayers can influence the deities towards mercy, but they don't believe that the priests and priestesses have any particular ability to call on miracles. On the other hand, being close to Everway and having a large number of visitors means that the citizens are exposed to different magic effects and beliefs. There are laws against "black Magic," but they are very broadly written and selectively enforced.

Technology: Wavebreak has considerable knowledge of the sea, the currents, the tides, and navigation. They have both the magnetic compass and the astrolabe, and their skill at shipbuilding is unsurpassed in the sphere. In other areas, they are not as sophisticated but are still fairly advanced. They know how to forge steel, grind lenses, and have a good knowledge of hydraulics.

Learning: A child's education is considered the duty of its parents. While the commoners are usually content to educate their own children, Protector families consider education to be a status symbol. This has led to a rich class of tutors.

Domesticated Animals: Horses and oxen are used, but they are expensive and fairly rare. Cats are extremely common and popular, especially aboard ship. An aquatic mammal similar to a dolphin, but smaller, is also domesticated. These "sea dogs" are about as intelligent as normal land dogs, and are used to guard ships, aid fishermen and pull small boats in teams.

Common Foods: Fish and seaweed are dietary staples, as are eggs and rice. The Protectors and other wealthy individuals often dine on imported delicacies.

Almost half the food consumed in Wavebreak is imported. If the merchant ships full of rice, grain, livestock, fruits and vegetables stopped coming, conditions on the islands would deteriorate very quickly.

Outsider Contact: The people of Waverise are very cosmopolitan, and indifferent to foreign visitors. They are somewhat more intrigued (or suspicious, depending on personal inclination) of the rarer spherewalkers, but almost everyone in Wavebreak is familiar with the idea of gates and is comfortable with the notion of other worlds.

Wavebreak by Greg Stolze and Journey Far Harbor by Martin McKenna copyright © 1998 Gaslight Press. All rights reserved.