>OK, I give up on Nimistor pirates despite RQC and the fact
that they seem
perfectly plausible to me.<
I could see Nimistor pirates, but in the form of Mike Fink-style river pirates who branch out occasionally to grab off a coastal trader by boarding it from large rowboats. There'd likely be similar types skulking in the backwaters of the Solanthi River and especially the upper Noshain River, to prey on the trade route between Ralios and Handra. Note that in "How to Tell the Barbarians Apart" in Enclosure #1, the Nimistori are known for their ability in boating.
Keith then goes on to doubt what the Khorst Chamber of Commerce has to say about their City:
>Is it just me or does anyone else harbour suspicions about
the supposedly
friendly city of Khorst. Trachodon Marsh to the [West],
Ramalia to the [East],
Pralorela to the North and the Pirate Kingdom of Smelch to
the South. These
Khorstites must either have some super defensive powers, or
a deal with the
pirates of Smelch. I suspect them of being big time fencers
of pirated goods.
Their 'escorts' are simply a protection racket, their
'Merchant's Guild' a
front for the biggest Kindom of Thieves in Genertela.<
For eastward bound merchant ships wishing to avoid the fatal consequences of landing on the shore of Ramalia I would think Khorst would seem like a pretty welcome port to put into, both for hiring escorts and local pilots familiar with the dangers of the Mournsea. The Deer Hsunchen of Pralorela seem pretty harmless and the Elves of the eastern Tarinwood probably keep to themselves as well. As for the so-called "Kingdom of Smelch" I don't doubt there is a certain amount of trade in "salvaged goods" taking place between them and Khorst, but as pirates go the Alatans strike me as what some here in the US refer to as "big hat, no cattle" as far as danger goes.
>Maybe I'm just paranoid.<
Actually you probably sound like a typical Ramalian. Imagine what they say about the Council of Guilds in Handra. Democracy AND seatrade? The heathens! =)
"While wait for the wind to shift to the west (the pilot having come on board in Khorst) the ship's cook, a jolly little man with Janubian accent, prepared us a unique meal. Each of us was served a small pot which, when opened with a puff of fragrant steam, revealed one of the small flat fish with both eyes on the same side of its body locally called a 'Slontos Sole' stuffed with herbs and lying on a bed of wild rice, which the natives harvest (at some personal risk) from the nearby marsh. It seems almost a shame to disturb the artful pose of the fish, but the flakey flesh and savory juices gave the rice a marvelous flavor."
Gary R. Switzer
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