Red WizardThe Hatui Islands
The Corsair Kings
The Hatui were once a modest people, living simple lives as goat herders in the high places of the world. They were long subjugated by other, more advanced civilizations and toiled beneath the heavy boot of thralldom and oppression. Their only solace was in their gods, marked out in the starry skies above, watching over them in solemn silence. As decades of slavery turned into centuries, the Hatui were hardened, and a strong belief in strength through unity of faith and culture evolved. They had perhaps been subdued as a people, but their way of life would endure.
Then came the floods.
As the deluge turned the valleys and lowlands first into lakes and later into seas, the Hatui became more and more isolated from their previous masters. With the isolation came freedom and autonomy, and although the people suffered from the drowning rains there was also a kind of spiritual renaissance or awakening among them. For the first time in remembered history they were the masters of their own fate, such as it was. The former herders adapted to the new world, becoming fishermen and sailors. But as the yoke of oppression was lifted, the struggle for power emerged. While still being united in their way of life, settlements began waging wars and skirmishes against each other for control of territory and resources. During a large part of their modern history, the Hatui were constantly fighting among themselves.
At the end of the era of infighting, some of the settlements began venturing into the outside world, discovering other kingdoms and peoples. Where the Hatui had once been isolationist, they slowly became more cosmopolitian, welcoming trade and interactions with foreign actors. Far from all of these interactions were peaceful, however, as the Hatui had become warlike during their long period of strife. It was soon not rare to hear of Hatuan raids on coastal villages and ports, where buildings were burned and people taken slaves. Some foreign nations took advantage of the circumstances and employed Hatuan corsairs as privateers, sending them to harrass their rivals.
Today, the Hatui are known for their brutality and are sometimes referred to as the Corsair Kings by outsiders. They are a people that are as likely to trade with you as strike you down and steal your possessions. Traversing through their territories is a dangerous venture as pirates could appear at any time, but still people try. The larger settlements on the Hatui islands are said to hold some of the greatest markets seen in the world, and the rumor is that anything can be bought there if you have the money to spare.
And still, after all this time, the heart of the Hatuan culture has endured. They still pray to the same gods and employ the same principles of morality today as they did almost a millennia ago.
