Boblogiaig

This tribe lives on the west coast of Chevel and for generations the people have earned their living as shipwrights, sailors, fishermen and pirates. The tribal leader is Oelyn Llochia, a direct descendant of one of the founding families of the Boblogiaig. All Boblogiaig activity centres around the town of Llochesa, built on the estuary of the great river Chrau. The estuary of Chrau is a vast natural deep-water harbour, bordered on all sides by tall cliffs. Facing the sea are two stone watchtowers, the Twins of Llochesa, and from these there are narrow paths that wind back to a natural hollow behind the cliffs in which sits the town itself. This unique position gives the town protection from strong storms coming in from sea and land. From the town it is possible to look down to the river to view the mooring points and shipyards that line it. Moving away from the sea and the town itself are clusters of homes where the shipwrights live. Further from the river and Llochesa are foresters who wander the great forest of Broyddaa, forever seeking the best trees, the best copses and the best seed falls in order to guarantee that the Boblogiaig may secure their future as great sailors and shipbuilders. They never trade the wood they gather from Broyddaa and only use it for construction purposes. This wood is their guarantee of quality to the rest of the island and beyond. They care deeply about their forests and their skill as foresters is well known to all. As well as their great maritime tradition and their great forests, the Boblogiaig are also blessed with a myriad of tar pits, which are located throughout their land and provide a much needed resource for their ship construction. They live daily with the dangers of the sea and with those present in making the ships that sail upon it, and as a result of this they take every opportunity to celebrate being alive. At the centre of Llochesa is a great hall and taking pride of place in this building is the ancient cauldron called Chyflea in which the Boblogiaig mix potent drinks during their regular parties and feasts. They gather together frequently and as a result have become a broadly joyful group of people with a strong sense of community with every member of the clan willing to protect any other member. In addition to feasting the tribe also likes to race and every summer there are many boat races and swimming races on sea and river. Every winter, at the turn of the year, there is a famous running race from the oldest shipyards along the river, past the Twins of Llochesa, and back to Chyflea. Every equinox a high tidal bore runs down the Chrau and in anticipation of this all valuable materials are moved from the shipyards to the high ground of Llochesa, and a great dance is held to celebrate the moving of the tides.

Most of the food prepared by the Boblogiaig comes from the sea and the clan has dozens of recipes for fish, shellfish, seaweed and anything else that comes from the sea and is edible. They supplement their ship trade by trawling the depths of the seas and providing the type of deep-sea catches that other tribes do not generally catch for themselves. Furthermore, they also dredge sand from the bottom of the sea, which they also trade with other tribes of the island. They are the only suppliers of pearls to the island economy and have recently discovered how to farm pearls by seeding oysters with sand granules. The symbol used on the Boblogiaig flags is that of a towering wave, the fore and back edges of which are extended into a circle, set against a background of sea blue. There is a rumour that Boblogiaig navigators have amassed a vast treasure trove of maps and charts with secret details on how to pass through all the seas of the known world. It is further rumoured that these charts are held in a vault beneath Llochesa and that trusted captains are allowed copies of relevant charts when they set sail into dangerous waters.