Thursday, June 22, 2023

Sea Princes Nobles 576 CY - Archbaron Gavin III

Greetings Greyhawk courtiers! Today I think I'm going to share another NPC noble from my Sea Princes 576 CY series. Gavin III is the ruler of Galeside, a small but rich town on Flotsam Isle that I hope to develop a bit more when I get around to fleshing out my Sea Princes campaign. Until then enjoy!

His Indomitable Nobility, Gavin III, Archbaron of Galeside, Captain of the Courser. (House Toli, Toli Armada, Rogue 10)

The archbaron of the small port Galeside is incredibly wealthy largely owing to his station in House Toli but also his ruthless ambition. Gavin is widely known as a capable sea captain and explorer. His personal ship, the Courser has notably voyaged beyond the Densac Gulf into the south seas several times, and on each return to port he has brought more wealth to his familys’ coffers. Archbaron Gavin III is married to Kerri of Jetsom Isle (Rogue 2) a noble lady who lives a comfortable life in a walled manor overlooking the sea. When her husband is away on a long voyage the archbaroness is rumored to go on her own adventures in the Hold. 

Politics and Intrigues: The cousin of Prince Varek IV the head of House Toli, Gavin III is constantly plotting with members of his family to further enrich themselves through the exploitation of the Amedio Jungle and its coastal islands. Kerri is the younger sister of Baron Deran Insley, a fellow explorer whose relationship and thirst for maritime knowledge is often exploited by the archbaron to aid Galeside in exploring the south seas for new resources and trade routes.

Archbaron Gavin III is an ideal mid-level NPC patron to use for campaigns that involve a lot of exploration by ship (see the Dungeon adventure path, Savage Tide for more on this). His home port of Galeside is a low key base for characters who want to avoid the dangers and intrigue of larger cities.

House of Peers in the Sea Princes

The Hold of the Sea Princes comprises thirty domains, divided amongst a dozen noble houses. A few of these houses can trace their lineage back hundreds of years to the first Suel migrations, while most are merely fabricated hereditary titles of pirate captains who settled down a century ago. While the Hold is currently ruled by the Prince of Monmurg, the Prince of Port Toli has led the House of Peers for much of the Holds’ history. In political situations, the twelve houses are evenly divided between naval factions called the Princes’ Fleet and the Toli Armada. Those Sea Princes captains who choose to avoid house politics, nominally defer to a fleet named the Hold Flotilla in times of war.


2 comments:

David Leonard said...

Good stuff, as always.
Is Gavin likely to run afoul with the Kaoish navy anytime soon?

Mike Bridges said...

Thank you David! Gavin or any of the Sea Princes would run afoul of the Keoish if they get greedy yes. Luckily the Keoish don't have the stomach for exploration like they used to.