Zebra Island - Impossible Pirate Guide-Atlas of the Known World

Notice to the Reader

What can the hell be an impossible Pirate Atlas-Guide of the Known World?!

We will try to explain that: first of all, this is an atlas since it gives an overview of the Known World which be as complete as possible; then it is as well a guide and Pirate because it's essentially designed for Pirates of all sorts, to help them navigate among its innumerable islands and dangerous currents…

But then, please, why « impossible »?! It is quite there, under our eyes, that atlas, or what!?

Yes, but… Reading this chapter gives to the Reader an extensive, when yet not exhaustive, knowledge of the world of Zebra Island RPG which is actually in the reach of none of the Characters living or having existed in the game, even if some Encyclopedists or Pirates of great Fame could possibly come close to it.

Those great Characters are rarely travellers. Several lives would not suffice to travel around the world and write down everything about it! But through their colossal collection and synthesis of information brought back by the great travellers and put to get covered by dust in the libraries and document archives of the great countries of the world, important parts of it could be satisfactorily described. This was and surely is particularly true of the greatest scholars of the Known World, who are to be found in the universities of big cities of the Navel of the World, on the Land of Kalimantan or on Underdamatress.

We have had the chance to put our hand on an important number of those books and documents, old and dusty. But moreover, we could access to documents containing a much deeper - and darker!- knowledge, of which we reveal here also some secrets.

Quite clearly, anything cannot be said to anybody, hence it is highly desirable for the pleasure of playing for all that, dear Friend Game Master, you be the only one granted access to that chapter, that you be in the position to reveal to the Players' Pirates, in the course of the game, new pieces of information according to their discoveries.

Moreover, one cannot describe or even summarise everything here from scrap, in a few pages. Thus are included in that chapter essential elements which are hopefully the most useful for the understanding of the Game's Universe and for the design of Campaigns: the general Map of the World, which actually nobody in the Known World yet ever possessed (for which there are reasons which we will try to expose); but also several more detailed maps of locations which are or will soon be familiar to our Pirate Friends, especially a Map of the Curry-Bean Islands and of the surrounding region, but also of the bigger islands such as Glabbooby and Mattink.

Last and to start with, a Map of the Yellow Lizard's Island, proposed starting point of the adventures of our Pirate Friends in the first Scenario available for Zebra Island RPG on that page.

In association with the maps and names which you'll find there, Friend Game Master, you'll find a description of locations and concepts of the World, not only from a geographical point of view, but also some elements of history, sociology, economics and a whole bunch of information more or less usefull on the regions which the Players' Pirates will probably very soon visit… and loot!

The impossible Pirate Atlas-Guide of the Known World has a natural vocation for never being finished, this is maybe finally the reason why it is an « impossible » one… At any rate, that section will be completed little by little and contain always more information on the Known World… So consider seriously to come here again and again!

Chronology of the Known World

For the sake of readability of the complex chronology of the Known World, it was divided according to two hemispheres (North-West and South-East), themselves each divided in three regions.

As a consequence, some parts of the chronology which cover the whole Known World, such as for instance the life of Captain Lamarck, can be spread over the two sections or be replicated.

North-Western Hemisphere

South-Eastern Hemisphere

The Known World in Maps

To make a long story short, the Known World of Zebra Island RPG, as the Player will soon start to discover, is that of the Caribbean in the 17th and 18th centuries, well at least as far as the regions of the Curry-Bean and Aunt-Sea are concerned.

What about all the rest of the world, then?

Well, it's actually just the same… by travelling to the other continents! But we let you discover the different regions of the Known World by yourself, step by step, with your Players.

Let's discuss right now a structuring aspect of the Known World, just before we enter in the details of each of its parts.

Navigation at the deep sea

On the one hand, navigation along the coastal lines, from one island to the next relatively close one or on the swallow seas of the archipelagos (Sea of the Lesser Curry-Bean, Shellfish Sea, Dvavavavanevaseva Sea, etc.) doesnt make any particular problem - except swell, sea sickness, gales and sharks. On the other hand, navigation at the deep sea or between two distant islands can be extremely dangerous, even suicidal! It is thus pure folly to lightly undertake with any a Ship a crossing between the Greater Curry-Bean and Madladscar Land; it is as well unthinkable to open a direct reliable sea road either between the Curry-Bean Islands and any other place of the Known World, or between Madladscar and Djavavava, etc.

Fortunately enough for our dear friends Young Pirates the Players' Characters, proverbs and popular wisdom of their familiar islands can guide them on the most recommendable sea roads until they try to navigate on their own sails, attempting the craziest follies, until they splinter their walnut's shell into thousand pieces right in the middle of a pack of giant sea monsters only a few (nautical) miles away from the furious (but, let us remind however, still hypothetic) Celesta volcano… The daily dangers and good opportunities will probably retain them for a while in safe range from a land and maybe even dissuade them to attempt an adventure which could soon be the last a few dozens of nautical miles too far away…

Map Book

Arcana

Curry-Bean Islands

The Pirate Culture

This section boards an important topic for us even if, in some way, the said topic actually doesn't exist! Indeed, is it possible to talk about the PirateCulture ? Well, no need of a petty rhetoric here, however complex it would be, the answer is: yes and yet no, of course!

The Pirates of the Known World are, on the one hand and first of all, Sailors; yeah, that's true, some tend more to being Bilge Rats, others have become Ol'Sea Wolves while others again the Explorators of lands, yet to explore but, basically, they are all right Sea Men, sharing values, techniques and pieces of knowledge, oaths and curses and even a vision! (Even if not yet all are conscious of it…)

On the other hand, each Pirate bears an individual origin, personal history and a unique way into Piracy: what could be in common between the Bornold ex-prisonner, taken as a slave on Mattink Island and come to Piracy over Marooning and an unexpected encounter with Pirates « at port » in a barely accessible bay of the island… and the son of the Pirate Governor of a small island in the Curry-Bean who, having stolen his father's Ship abandoned for too long, set sail for adventure on the high seas of the world?

Obviously, nothing! Well, almost nothing… Indeed, both certainly have felt that call for Liberty deep inside and there is much to bet that they'll run after their ideal to and 'til the end!

That long introduction should now come to its original intent, namely to explain what comes in the following sections: first we'll try to graps the diversity of the origines of Pirates, as well as the common cultural assets of Piracy through the various dimensions of, among others, language, education, philosophy as well as look and its fashion (including accessories!) and even Tatooing.

Origins, education, political phylosophy

Pirate Values

Pirate Language

Pirate Fashion

The Lwa of the Voodoo

Voodoo, of which Mecca is located, actually not in Mecca but still on Hattea – no big surprise so far – is not only a belief or a study topic for weird researchers, it is indeed the widest spread religion and the most effective magic to be found in the Known World, if not the only ones. And Voodoo Crafts are particularly well developped throughout the Archipelago of the Curry-Bean Islands but also on Mattink and Glabbooby Islands.

The body and soul (not to say the laws!) of the Voodoo are the Lwa. Generally speaking, the term has the meaning of sorts of spirits or gods of strange and important powers, whom one will pray by the means of rituals or attempt to channel in into enchanted artifacts. Without any other precision, the term - as it is used in the Curry-Bean and especially on Hattea - covers the Lwa of the « Hattean Voodoo ». One doesn't know much anyway about the Voodoo of the Zebra-Lwa and even less even know of that of the Kitchen Gardener Lwa. Some however and each day more numerous believe – and fear – that the Zebra-Lwa could be the « Great Lwa » who rules over all the others or a terrible and demented personification of Daddoo Eschoo. Whatever it could be, its name may not be spelled out, or one shall suffer the pain of the most terrible punishments! What's up?! No, no! Our bones rots on the Loud Highland if we spelled anything even barely approaching it…

Hence:

A full section is thus dedicated to the Hattean Voodoo and its Lwa;
But also a section about the Voodoo of the Great Z…, from Zebra Island they say (Shhhhtt!) will be developped;
At last - but not least, oh no! - one section will be dedicated to the Voodoo of the Kitchen Gardener Wearing a Straw Hat, originally from the Island of Evil.

The Hattean Voodoo

Characters

Instead of scattering the Characters of Zebra Island in the different sections where they appear, we thought it more advisable to regroup them here in different categories.

As a result, Friend GM, you find in this section which will grow over time, a source of most diversified Characters to make your own stories or continue those we began as full fledged campaigns but also simply to help your Players when creating their own Character if they suddenly lack some inspiration.