By Deacon Rayne

"Land of our Lady of the Maritime Stars" or more simply "Raynia's Rock" is a flying port city built on asteroids over the ocean in the far west. These rocks were wrenched from the main land mass during the Sundering and due to an aberration of gravity, have managed to stay above the newly formed sea.

Raynia's Rock is home to a well known society of swashbucklers who worship Raynia, the Goddess of the Sea. They call themselves "Suitors of Raynia" and have a near-suicidal sense of bravery and flair.

History
Raynia's Rock was founded by a pirate captain. The legend is that Captain Lindsey Zaede was a pragmatic man and thus never offered much in the way of worship to the Gods aside from the obligatory token gestures every captain makes before setting out to sea. That all changed when his treacherous crew mutinied, (they deemed him too merciful when he failed to execute prisoners), beat him bloody, and left him adrift on a plank of wood in the middle of the ocean. For days, Lindsey drifted there in the water under the burning sun, doing his best to fight off sharks and other creatures that took an interest in him. His will to live was strong and he lasted many days before he collapsed.

On that last night, as his eyes closed for what he thought would be for the last time, a wind picked up. Had he had his wits about him, the sailor in him would have marveled at how perfect this wind was. Strong enough to fill the sails tight, yet not so much as to cause even a single rope to strain. And upon that wind came a scent; perfume. Oh, such a perfume; a mixture of sea salt, warm sunlight, cool moonlight, smooth rum, good wood when it was sprayed with seawater; all the perfect things of the sea.

Weakly, Lindsey raised his head and would have gasped had he the strength; a beautiful woman, perfect and statuesque, clad only in a gossamer gown made of sea water approached him, calmly walking upon the surface of the water. She knelt by him as he clutched at the piece of driftwood, desperately trying to keep his head above water. Gently, she took him in her arms and cradled him, smoothing his hair back from his face. She shushed him when he tried to speak through cracked, bleeding lips and a swollen tongue. Dipping her hand into the saltwater she brought it to his mouth and he gasped in surprise when the water was not salty, but cool and refreshing. Hungrily, he slurped like a dog from her hands. The water never diminished as she cupped it for him and she offered no disapproval at his slovenly slurping, only a smile filled with quiet compassion and tenderness.

When at last he had drunk his fill, Lindsey was amazed to find all his wounds healed and his vision clear. He looked upon the face of his savior and was dismayed to see her weeping.

"My lady, why are you crying?" he croaked out, wounded to his very quick to see this vision of compassion and tenderness so wounded. She smiled at him.

"I cry because you are a good man, and my sea has not treated you well," she took his hand, gnarled and rough by a life of seamanship and pressed it to her smooth face. Lindsey nearly swooned.

"I cry because I love you, and all like you, and to see you suffer brings me more pain than I can bear," the vision whispered to him. With that she brushed her tears away with his fingers and folded them over onto his palm. Lindsey opened his hand to see that her tears had turned into rubies, purple topaz, and emeralds.

"Take these, the bounty of the sea, of me, and bring others like yourself. Bring beauty and peace and life to my ocean." She whispered to him and then placed a kiss upon his mouth. Lindsey swooned and passed out.

When Lindsey awoke, he lay upon a strange grassy land he did not recognize. His clothes were clean and repaired and he was well groomed. Strapped to his side was a curious sword; perfectly balanced, with a set of three gemstones set in the pommel.

He roamed the landscape and was amazed to find himself on a flying chunk of land surrounded by several others high above the ocean. Realizing at last that he had in fact had an encounter with the Goddess of the Sea, Raynia, the once theologically apathetic Zaede knelt with the sword and pledged himself to her service and more. From that brief encounter he had fallen deeply in love and set about to prove himself worthy of that love.

Utilizing his combination of charisma, savvy and newfound zeal, Captain Zaede made his way back to the mainland (some say a dragon was involved, others say Sea Elves) and recruited twelve other captains who believed as he did. It was said that all who sailed with Captain Zaede never once lacked for a strong wind or a clear sky; proof enough of the goddess's favor. With his fleet, Captain Zaede hunted down and captured his old ship, now captained by his treasonous first mate. Sparing those who would convert and follow him, Captain Zaede took the ill-gotten treasures from his former shipmates' hold and made his way back to the mainland where he bought all manner of supplies. He promised his fleet a home far from the wars and plagues of the mainland and brought them to the flying rocks of Raynia where they discovered that their ships could take to the air.

And so Raynia's Rock was founded. One man's vision of freedom (and profit) upon the high seas and the love of a goddess came to fruition. When Captain Zaede died of extreme old age (one hundred and fifteen though he could easily pass for a fit man of fifty; yet another gift from Raynia) it is said that he whispered her name and all in attendance at his deathbed felt a cool breeze and the scent of perfume. He died with such a contented look upon his face, the look of a man returning home to his sweetheart after a long voyage at sea, that those bearing witness could not help but envy him a little.

He was home.

Geography of the Rock
The flying rocks of Raynia, and the waters underneath them, repel gravity. When a ship approaches the Rock (A nickname for Raynia's Rock), it enters a patch of negative gravity, in essence, and the entire ship begins to float up and away the surface of the ocean. Fortunately, the rate of ascent is very gradual and oddly enough, the rudder still functions in the air above these magical waters, though no one is sure why. Subsequent Raynian ships have incorporated specially designed rudders which capitalize on the anti-gravity air currents for more precise control.

Traffic controllers from the docks of Raynia guide in the ship using grapples. Pyremantis mounts can also fly out to a ship and attach grappling hooks to its bow and stern. As the ship is very light because of the near-zero gravity, it can be easily pulled towards the docks by the longshoremen who work there. Once docked, a person need only cross the gangplank (which is braced over open space and has been known to cause vertigo in those who are foolish enough to look down) to step upon the dock of Raynia's Rock.

Raynia's Rock is made up of one large central asteroid, several smaller asteroids chained to it, and smaller asteroids chained to those. All these asteroids are bound together with multiple chains (huge metal things rumored to have been forged by giants) and ropes, though the individual asteroids remain fairly stationary on their own. Massive sails are placed at the poles of various asteroids. This allows a very limited form of maneuverability for the purpose of protection. (Rotating an asteroid under attack so that it's sheerer, cliff like face is presented to the attacker as opposed to the vulnerable cities for instance.)

Far from being either barren or uniform, Raynia's Rock offers a variety of temperate ecosystems, including mountains and a lake. How exactly the vegetation remains fertile now that its soil is no longer part of the larger planet remains a mystery. The scientific point towards the moisture from the vast sea which lies below the tangled latticework of exposed roots dangling from the bottoms of the various land masses while the religious take it as a sign of Raynia's Favor.

Society
Raynia is the most popular, wealthy and prestigious of any port city in the Land of Ruin. Travelers come from leagues around to see the flying ships of Raynia and the seaport in the sky. As such, anything can be found here for a price; slaves are the only exception, as the ruling theocracy takes a very dim view on anyone making a profit from depriving another of their freedom.

Raynia's main import is water. Though there are several rain catchers built into any number of asteroids, these are hardly sufficient to supply the needs of a city of sixteen thousand. Also, due to strange meteorological phenomena brought upon by the Sundering, acid rain is not unknown. And so Raynia imports water to irrigate their crops and tend to its population. Wasting water on Raynia's rock is heavily frowned upon, and poisoning water is punishable by death.

Raynia exports a variety of items: rope, some crops, etc... But its true wealth lies in the fact that it takes a percentage from every transaction that takes place there. Since traders come from around the world to trade there, this becomes quite a lot of percentages. Also Raynian mapmakers, shipwrights and navigators are the best to be found anywhere.

Naturally Raynian Pirates and Privateers (and indeed even "normal" sailors) are the best in the world and are quite frequently hired out to other countries to supplement their navies.

Raynia is a theocracy, ruled by the temple of Raynia. This is not as bad as it sounds, as the church espouses virtues of charm, class, and above all, freedom. The current ruler is Cardinal of the Maritime Tears, Captain Aeson Maestro, a high ranking Suitor of Raynia (a sort of swashbuckler paladin) and descendant of the founder of Raynia. Beneath Aeson is a ruling body of Archbishops, Bishops and Priests.

Also represented is the Captains Council, a collection of twelve pirate, privateer and trader captains whose interest lies along Raynia's commercial value rather than its theological (though Aeson is trying to remedy that). The Mercenary's guild, the single most powerful organization on Raynia not related to either the worship of Raynia herself or the business of piracy and privateering, includes foreign dignitaries from nearby Daynen's Folly, and representatives of merchant houses and domestic trading companies.

The majority of Raynia's citizens encourage an orderly city (at least orderly enough to turn a healthy profit at trade) though there is still a good degree of anarchy. Pirates and Privateers cannot simply stay in port and hope to make money. Most of the Suitors are out on quests to impress their goddess and those that remain are far too few to effectively police the populace (or at least maintain some kind of order that allows for smooth business transactions). As such, bounty hunters and mercenaries are hired as a combination police and militia force. This town watch (called "The Maritime Watch) is owned by the church which ensures that corruption (above the usual graft of any outlaw city) is kept to a minimum. Members of the Maritime Watch can be found patrolling the streets either by foot or rickshaw, or patrolling the skies using Pyremantis mounts (large insects that look like a combination of Praying Mantis and Dragonfly, colored bright red).

The Centerpiece of the City of Raynia is, unsurprisingly, the great temple known as the Bazaar of the Lady (also called the Brothel of the Lady by detractors). It is a huge edifice with open ceilings, pillars and spacious foyers. These form the great Market of Raynia. A sprawling marketplace lies within encompassing the grounds surrounding the temple, transforming it into a mercantile hall. The Grand market/temple is where all pirates, privateers, and merchants come to sell or trade their goods under the watchful eyes of Raynia and the temple guard. The temple serves as the prime destination for most travelers to Raynia's Rock.

As far as crime goes, there are several street gangs and violence breaks out frequently. While crews from different ships will occasionally brawl and the same goes for members of different mercenary companies, true war breaks out when the two meet. The mercenary companies don't appreciate being treated as peasantry by the pirates of Raynia and the pirates aren't interested in sharing the legacy of what they consider to be THEIR city, founded by one of their own. And so vicious street brawls break out between the two factions that can quickly escalate into full scale riots. There are in addition, one or two thieves' guilds, but that is hardly a surprise given the clientele and citizenry of the city. So long as they remain discreet they are tolerated far more readily than the street gangs.

The primary make up of the city's population is human. Because it is such a famous (or infamous) place of trade and merchant ware, a number of smaller, ethnic neighborhoods have manifested, formed by crews and traders who arrived at Raynia and simply never left, as well as mercenaries imported from all over the world who choose to make their home in the city that provides their livelihood. There are dwarven enclaves, halfling burrows, and elven glades within the city. In addition, orcs, gnomes, eogwaith (very high in demand as mercenaries), and other exotic creatures make their home here.

Another hotbed issue in Raynia is racism. While most pirates and mercenaries have a fairly open mind regarding creatures of other species (traveling abroad tends to do this), others have not had the opportunity to broaden their own horizons or worse, have done so and have found nothing worth appreciating in the cultures they have visited. These xenophobes regard the other races as intruders as best, and pests and trespassers at worst. This attitude can manifest in a variety of loathsome behaviors ranging from prejudice in the marketplace (raising prices or refusing to sell to certain races), right up to violence and murder. While the temple of Raynia embraces all races that pay homage to the lady of the ocean and attempts to enforce a policy of tolerance, more than one elf has wandered down the wrong alley and been beaten to death by a street gang led by a xenophobe.