Worldbuilding Wednesdays

Every week, the Lorekeepers spend a day brainstorming and coming up with cool lore and facts about the setting according to a theme. When the day is done, the lore will be presented as a teaser on the bulletin board, with the full version here on the wiki. These things are all considered to be canon.

Week #1: The citizens of Puerto Dorado
Think about the normal folk that live in the town, the thousands of people that aren't pirates themselves but are likely still involved in it one way or another. Who are these people? What jobs do they have, what do they eat, what clothes do they wear? How do they feel about the terrifying creatures and literal gods that walk among them? Let's pay a little attention to all the NPCs that live in the town we inhabit.


 * Food
 * A staple food is salt pork. It was very popular in the eighteenth century. Salted pork can stay good for months at a time, and is sold in the marketplace in large casks, usually containing the whole pig. This includes everything - heads, hooves, and tail. More expensive casks would usually contain better cuts of meat. An interesting note: fresh pork was cheaper than salted pork because salted pork was more desirable. Salt pork can also be eaten raw if you really needed to. (Cornilis)
 * Salt beef is another preserved food. It is not as desirable as salt pork but is cheaper and more common. Salt beef is extremely tough, so tough that it can be carved with a knife-like wood. It cannot be eaten raw and needs to be boiled for a while to be consumed without breaking your teeth. It’s essentially beef jerky but in bulk and way tougher. (Cornilis)
 * Other interesting preservable foods include cheese, butter, hardtack/ship’s biscuit, pemmican, and sometimes eggs. (Cornilis)
 * Pork is fairly common meat since pigs were brought over to the Caribbean and do well enough there. (Cornilis)
 * The most common drinks are beer and water. Both are stored on voyages. (Cornilis)
 * A good number of crops were grown in the Caribbean and thus also on Puerto Dorado, although as of right now (12/05/2022), the large farms haven't yet been restored. This means most farming is quite small-scale currently, more like little gardens. The crops include:
 * Citrus: oranges, tangerines, grapefruit, and hybrids of them
 * Fruits: akee, bananas, breadfruit, coconut, pineapple, mangoes, plantains, soursop, melons
 * Legumes: gungo peas, red peas, peanuts
 * Spices: ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, turmeric
 * Tubers: arrowroot, sweet potatoes, yam, cassava, dasheens
 * Vegetables: calaloo, sweet and hot peppers, onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, corn, pumpkin
 * Other: cocoa, coffee, cotton, indigo, onions, pimento, rice, sugarcane, tobacco (Kas) 
 * Clothing
 * Linen was used for just about everything – underwear, linings, caps, aprons, and other millinery, men’s and women’s clothing, you name it. It was cheap, readily available, and came in all sorts of weights. Most townsfolk are wearing linen of some sort. Wool is used for rougher, outer clothing garments that need to withstand both summer and winter. Think of a baker's apron, for example. (Miku)
 * Cotton and silk were used for the upper classes mostly since it was quite expensive. To show off wealth, the richest used prints on their textile. Floral and simple geometric prints were in existence, although solid colours were only introduced circa the 1790s. (Miku) 
 * Religion, government, and magic
 * Puerto had a very weak government, hence why they never bothered forcing the pirates out. But the pirates aren’t the only ones taking advantage of this. Over the years, a small number of merchants have amassed wealth and influence, becoming the true oligarchs of the island that the Pirate Lords aren't even aware of. They have complete control over the food supply, the incoming resources, and the land on which people live and work. They own groups of thugs to help protect their property, which, besides the militia, also serve as guards for specific areas. (Stray)
 * The townsfolk are terrified of the Nightwatch. The dead coming back to life doesn't sit well with them, even if they're supposedly protectors. They're glad that the skeletons rarely interfere with matters in town. (Jane)
 * Religion in Puerto Dorado is quite a mixed bag due to the nature of the island. A majority of the citizens are at least partially Christian in some way, and many regularly attend the various churches in the town. However, most have incorporated polytheism (the belief in multiple gods) and animism (the belief in spirits). Religion is a touchy point for most of the townsfolk, so most avoid discussions about it. (Jane)
 * Magic isn't just used among the pirates -- the common townsfolk have it too. Those who have it mainly use it in their day to day goings, to make things just a little bit easier. Think of a glassblower with fire magic, a doctor with calming abilities, or other such things. Magic often runs in the family and how to use it is passed down through the generations. Experienced mages might also take apprentices, for a price. (Jane)
 * Magical creatures are also quite abundant in the town. With how Isla de Oro is practically a lure for the supernatural, more than a few interesting creatures have ended up amongst the townsfolk. Countless spirits inhabit the island and thus the town as well. The people of town often leave out little offerings to appease them. Some families have made long-lasting deals with them and are on good terms with the spirits of their home. (Jane)

Week #2: The creatures of Isla de Oro
Isla de Oro is home to all sorts of strange creatures, both from the normal world and from fantasy. Who are these critters? Have some been domesticated by the pirates? What about ones that used to be domestic but escaped? Where do all these creatures live, what do they eat, and what do they look like? The ecology of this tropical island is wack, so let's see lives here.


 * The creatures, just like animals in real life, adapt to their ecosystem in plenty of ways. For example, when there's a powerful predator that hunts during the day, creatures that live near it will change to be awake during the night to avoid the dangers. (Stonks)


 * Honey badgers are an invasive species which have come to thrive in Puerto after they were brought here by a ship that crashed on its shoreline. They have grown to be quite the nuisance and are very aggressive due to the lack of food and their need to compete for it. As a result. The honey badgers have evolved to roam in small packs, sometimes. Taking down things that they should not be able to. (Stray)


 * While at first, a non-savvy sailor might mistake the ominous green lights that glow from beyond the fog for some kind of lantern or waymarker, getting close to one will reveal to the poor whelp just how mistaken they were as both their ship and psyche are assailed by the horrible howls and wicked weapons of the wraiths that "live" (if such a word could even be attributed to creatures so devoid of humanity and life) in the thick mist that surrounds the Isla. While scholars are unsure whether these horrid facsimiles of the living have an interplanar origin or are simply lost souls of sailors who died with unfinished business, all know that these emaciated translucent corpses are a thing to be feared and that you should never follow a light in a storm lest you know where it comes from. (Grim)


 * Originally, the grey angelfish was a feature of the reefs around Puerto Dorado, weaving in and amongst the corals as they pleased. However, due to constant exposure to - and eating from - the bioluminescent algae found in the Siren Caves, the once monotone angelfish are now brightly lit with a pale teal glow. This is easiest to spot at night when various shoals can be seen together just off the shore. (Miku)


 * The Isla, besides, has plenty of fish surrounding it - most go about their lives in the underwater kingdom eating flies, plants, shrimp, worms and other minuscule creatures. However, some are poached and killed for food, mostly by a desperate populace when other methods of food production become unattainable or aren't on a large enough scale. Examples include:
 * Smooth Trunkfish
 * Queen Angelfish
 * Peacock Flounder
 * Yellowtail Snapper
 * Lionfish (Miku)


 * Deep in the maze caves of the isle, there are several rare and terrible amalgamations of limbs, eyes, teeth and folds of skin, as if thrown together and mashed together with spare parts. Despite their horrifying and seemingly useless biology, they are extremely dangerous, and can only be slain by cutting out or destroying the gem generally placed on the top of the beast's head. They can deform themselves to fit through cramped spaces and their origin is unknown, and not many live to tell the tale of seeing them. (Stray)
 * Most humans and animals have always lived by the two principles of "water is life" and "life is motion", but in a magical place like Puerto Dorado, it's unsurprising that there can be found a creature that perfectly combines both sentiments. The Mini-Marids are a species of water elementals that most often inhabit the streams and rivers on the Isla, using the fact that their only distinction from the water sources is the small orb of pale light that constitutes their eye to move around in the water and splash unsuspecting explorers before giggling to themselves and disappearing back into their homes. (Grim)


 * Those who've ventured any depth into the wilderness of Isla De Oro are probably aware of the Mini-Marids, small, playful and largely harmless water elementals that inhabit clear water in Puerto. However, only a few adventurers who dare explore the deeper part of the wilds and come back alive, know of the Mini-Marids deadly cousins - The Murky Marids. While similarly formless to the Mini-Marids and having the same eye-like orb of light at the centre of their being, the Murky Marids are not only larger than their freshwater relatives but contain within them a swirling mass of dirt, moss and waste common in the swamp waters they call home, and in place of playful tricks involving splashing passersby the Murky Marids prefer instead to pull ignorant adventurers down into the gloomy waters and drown them, after which they collect the belongings of the dead and incorporate them into their being. (Grim)


 * There exists a pretty widely accepted notion across multiple cultures that strong feelings, especially negative ones, have adverse effects on the world and nature around. It doesn't come as a surprise then that in a place as suffused with magic as Puerto Dorado, strong negative feelings might take on a physical form - Such as that of the Efleeting. Named after its relations to the realm of fire and the fleeting nature of its short lifespan (spanning from about 10 minutes to a few days), an Efleeting is born when strong feelings of hate or malice are expressed next to an open flame that has consumed living matter, such as campfires made from live wood or torches that burn on oil that had once choked a creature. The Efleeting appear as small, red-skinned humanoids with yellow horns and fangs whose eyes burn with a determined flame, focused on their one goal - to inflict pain on those the negative emotions were directed at. The way an Efleeting goes about this goal depends on the person who expressed the negative feelings and the feelings themselves, so while an Efleeting spawned by a man furious at the lack of customers at his shop might only live a few minutes and spend them rampaging and messing up the stalls of competitors, an Efleeting that comes from the insidious ideas of someone who harbours malice towards a denizen of the Isla might introduce their target to an animal companion for them to befriend only to kill off said creature in front of their mark some days later and disappear afterwards. (Grim)


 * Stonks' Spirit Snacks: To improve the isle's knowledge of spirits both IC and OOC, Stonks has created Stonks' Spirit Snacks, a list mentioning how to appease the different spirits of the isle and some of their habits. Here (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JoL5dDxYxRtTVfcCj8C2B3E81eXFkoPR-xG8LniggSk/edit), you can find information on both how spirits behave and their diets, allowing the many members of Puerto to understand the mysterious creatures. (Stonks)


 * There are merchants in Puerto who sell and obtain a variety of creatures, among them are the usual pigs, cows, chickens, doves, etc., while also containing whatever magical beings they can find, such as pixies, spirits, enchanted/sentient items and magical lizards. (Stonks)


 * Puerto Dorado seems to be a hotspot for elemental spirits, and this is nowhere more seen within the existence of the mysterious Flurries that, despite their cute name, represent the darkest times of someone's life. They often occur in patterns (or gusts) of strong wind - specifically around the Screaming Cliffs - and are formed out of the cries, worries, and shouts of those who are heartbroken, including those almost driven to madness. Their form is transparent, aside from a vague spectral teal colour, and they move with the wind, so do not stay for too long. However, the more heartbreak someone feels, the more they feed off it, and if they were to grow sufficiently large, they could start to physically move someone - potentially, to their demise. (Miku)


 * While a seasoned adventurer that finds a suspiciously large amount of humanoid statues in the middle of the woods might at first suspect the work of a Medusa, a seasoned explorer of the Isla will know that this is the work of a group of Dao Divas. Dao Divas are small humanoid creatures with lower bodies made from stone and rock and upper bodies made of gently flowing floating sand or mud depending on where that particular Dao was made. A Dao Diva is born when a humanoid expresses great wonder at a natural landmark made of stone or similar material, as the earth feels the appreciative gaze and yearns to feel wanted again, manifesting a mobile form so that more creatures may view it. The origins of the Dao Divas also act as the motivator for their art, as the humanoid statues they construct by shaping their swirling top masses into tools are intended to represent their visions of themselves, which they consider more beautiful than any other creature. Dao Divas will continue to perfect these statues of themselves and bicker amongst each other about who's "true form" is the most beautiful, until finally another humanoid finds their gallery and decides for them which one is the best, causing all the Dao who participated in the contest to fade back into the earth, happy to be immortalized. Ironically, after the initial sighting, new humanoids visiting the stone groves might marvel at the craftsmanship of the disappeared Dao, potentially spawning new Dao Divas who will try their hardest to outdo and outdo their predecessors. (Grim)


 * Marooned Marids are a subset of water spirit - the remnants of the screams of damned sailors, their last shouts carried into the waves before their demise. They have no concrete form, but instead become whipping waves - sometimes, even a whirlpool - and, just if you look closely, pairs of hateful eyes staring at any nearby, especially humanoids. Being around them can feel like your body is pulling and shredding apart - but thankfully, they tend to favour the darker depths of the ocean. Most of the time, that is. (Miku and Grim)


 * It is said that teamwork is essential to success, and those who do not work together are prone to many mishaps. No one quite delights in causing such mishaps, however, as the Discordance Djinnis. Appearing as hard to perceive minor torrents of twisting air, these small tricksters enjoy using their natural ability to mimic voices by controlling the wind around them to whisper false orders and confusing messages to humanoids trying to combine their efforts to cause miscommunications and put the humanoids into disarray, thus causing them to make mistakes and accidents that the Djinnis can tell their friends about so that they may giggle at the bumbling bipedal fools together. The recent revolutionary ideas that have been spreading throughout the town have caused more Discordance Djinnis to spawn, as they enjoy floating away recruitment flyers and whispering wrong dates to those trying to meet to discuss the uprising. (Grim)


 * There is a clan of tight-knit alligators that live in the swamp. They're all generally laid back in attitude, but are very hard workers when it comes to creating tools, homes, and things of the like thanks to their ability to go bipedal and possession of thumbs. Although the gators are all generally peaceful, they do not like the townsfolk or pirates (either they're scared or hateful of them) and will grow aggressive if their territory is intruded on. On that note, they don't stray out of their swamp unless they want to go exploring, but will always be sure to stay clear of the town. They also respect the spirits that roam the island, making sure to always be careful to not anger them when they do anything drastic and out of the ordinary. The gators all follow and respect the basilisk, Balthazar (they/her), who has lived alongside them for centuries. Balthazar appears to be a giant, feathered, dark green snake with piercing yellow eyes that can easily turn anything living into stone with a mere glance at them. Balthazar is a huge perfectionist when it comes to keeping their area of the swamp clean. One will know that they're in their territory if they start to see scattered statues of humans and other creatures that progressively grow more and more plentiful the closer they near her den, which is hidden below the trees and various ponds in the swamp. She is also full of pride and thinks she's above everyone else, so if one angers her in the slightest, she can and will obliterate them without effort. Or, if one decides to anger her and the clan, they all will leave absolutely no trace of whoever came. (Kas)


 * Insects (Everett)
 * Dead Forest:
 * Pale, greying, semi-translucent husk versions of their vibrant counterparts can be seen, from all across the range of insect species. Dragonflies lose their pigment, and their eyes become dull and blind - but don’t let that fool you, they can sense your spirit from a mile away. Trading their normal vision for spirit sensors, these creatures have eyes in a higher plane, seeing the world through the silhouettes and traces of spirit energy, which most living beings have. Everything else in their world is pitch black until it is illuminated by the essence which they feed upon - and even then, the world is as drained of colour as they are, everything only in greyscale, apart from the vibrant lights of soul and other such things.
 * Trees and plants also have their life-energies flowing throw their xylem and phloem, though most don’t exactly have souls.
 * Corrupted by their surroundings, they have developed a taste for the very essence that makes up your soul. Life-force, what sustains you - however you wish to put it. Landing on a living creature, they slowly sap away at your energy, a little at a time - barely noticeable until it’s too late. Their victims collapse as the colour and life are drained out of them, also, their souls never reach an afterlife.


 * The Jungle:
 * Carnivorous butterflies metamorphose from flesh-hungry caterpillars - but do not fear, they mostly feed on corpses. The butterflies do not tend to hunt down living animals, but, a swarm of them may all fall upon an injured or lame animal if flesh or bone is exposed. They are also insectivorous, competing with carnivorous plants - stealing from them. However, some species of carnivorous butterflies work with their plant counterparts, luring insects closer with the false promise of safety. Both the plant and butterfly can get their fill this way.
 * Army ants terrorise the jungle - any living thing obstructing their march is taken over at frightening speeds, flesh gone within seconds. They are truly the piranhas of the jungle grounds. Climbing the trees won’t save you either, as many unfortunate monkeys have found out - they are ruthless in their conquest to seemingly clear everything in their path. Using the bodies of their colony to cross rivers and build bridges, your only reprieve is that they do not seem to pursue their prey for too long of a time, losing interest, and finding easier catches. Get out of their sight and range of smell, and you should be home in one piece. As the colony is a complete hive mind (thanks to a wonderful thing called magic!) you can send them into brief disarray should you kill their queen - but getting that close was your first and last mistake, she’ll be replaced before you can get out of their way.


 * The Swamp:
 * Mosquitoes thrive in these damp conditions, gathering in the thousands over the Green, algae-filled water. Their larvae swim around, impatient to be grown. Being bitten by the mosquitoes is not only irritating, painful, and itchy, but it can potentially be deadly too - birth defects, malaria, the list goes on. It would be wise to visit your local physician after getting bitten, who knows what sorts of parasites and diseases are lurking within their blood-filled bellies? Even worse, is the possibility of fungi or bacteria floating around in your bloodstream after being fed upon. The magics of Puerto have enhanced some parts of these flying nuisances - some grow to frighteningly large sizes after feeding on the magical wildlife, and the larvae have a larger capacity to be vicious, changed by the strange swamp water.
 * Leeches are still as prevalent as ever within swamps - though these have taken to feeding more than once every four to six months. Their hunger is insatiable, so much so, that they are willing to feed around twice a day - however, their tolerance to salt is still low. Giant leeches can be seen lurking around the bottom, too large to move quickly, but they love to wait near the shallows, attaching themselves to the necks of unsuspecting deer and other creatures, draining the large prey animals dry. Occasionally, they develop an even larger appetite, one that blood cannot keep under wraps alone, and the carcass of the mammal never resurfaces above the water again.
 * Water skeeters have developed serrated and sharp feet-pads, almost, on the parts of their legs which they skate with. With this newfound feature, they skate around at lightning-fast speeds when they spot an insect on the edge of the water, able to slice through some of the softer bodied organisms. However, they cannot do much more than feed on small insects, as their size - though doubled, is still quite small. As they are not exactly at the top of the food chain, they are still hunted by birds, large fish, and medium-sized mutated leeches.


 * The Badlands:
 * Some of the insects there have also fallen under the ‘curse’ that those in the dead forest have, with only one difference - their vision is inverted so that their surroundings are a blindingly bright white/yellow, while spirits/souls/life energies cause shadows, and tend to be deep hues, and dark blacks.
 * Bombardier beetles shoot a fiery concoction of acids, except these solutions are more fiery than most ordinary beetles - think, a Molotov cocktail. The friction between certain parts of their behind acts like a flint and steel, sending sparks into the highly acidic and flammable substance that they’d shoot out of their rear. They have also gotten a little hardier, shells as hard as a crab’s, and meaner than ever.
 * Termites/White Ants: the worst pest species that any homeowner faces is building bigger, destroying larger homes, and growing in size themselves. Whatever was in the soil, was certainly affecting their rapid growth rate - and enhancing the speed at which they reproduce. There is now the unexpected danger of mountains being practically hollowed out by these destructive insects, building their tubes in harder and harder rock as opposed to their smaller cousins and the mud tubes they create. The mountains are safe… for now. The insects are not stupid enough to cause their home to topple. But should you dig in just the wrong place, well, you’re in for an unpleasant surprise - the mandibles of rock-dwellers compete with steel tools at this point.


 * Herbivores/Prey Animals (Everett)
 * With the abundance of predators on the Isla, there must be prey and herbivores for the beasts to feed upon. Most of the animals/creatures are in the middle of the food chain, and though predators themselves, are also prey. This list will include exclusively prey animals.
 * Pudu: A type of deer that lives within rainforests/climates of similar temperament. The Pudu stands at roughly 12inches at the shoulder, with fawns as little as 6 inches at the shoulder. Impossibly cute, but also positively scrumptious. The deer is a staple in terms of prey animals, and the Pudu is no different. The Pudu of Puerto have learned to be silent and swift - they had to be, lest they be wiped out in a second. Developing very basic camouflaging capabilities and extremely keen senses, the Pudu is not an easy catch. Some speculate that certain herds of Pudu had been blessed by Dryads that live within the forest, possessing a magical third eye that allows them to see from the back of their head - but none have been able to confirm this theory. Those that have hunted down those groups rumoured to possess this gift have found that any possible magic had completely dissipated - returning to the earth.
 * Giant Forest Hog: Travelling in herds (sounders) of approximately 20 members, the giant forest hog is said to be nocturnal, however, is seen on cooler days when the sun doth sit in the sky. Their lower tusks are dangerously sharp, and they use them to slash at rival males and predators when necessary. Often catching other animals by surprise, the males sometimes attack without warning if unwelcome creatures are too close to their herd. The females of the hogs also bear tusks on Puerto - their tusks rumoured to be sharper than a shark’s tooth. Being so close to pirates, it appears that they’ve developed an affinity for precious metals, sometimes being spotted wearing rings and chains that fit around their tusks - some even claim that the metals melt into their tusks, reinforcing them, like steel-toed boots. It’s wise to keep out of their way. All herd members will also protect the young.
 * Mycelium Rabbit: Rabbits are yet another staple in a predator’s diet. These Rabbits, however, have combined with fungi, in a seemingly mutually beneficial relationship. Mushroom bunnies are not organically made, though if two mycelium rabbits mate, then there is a possibility that their offspring may arrive with a mushroom on their fur - however, it will always be the birthing rabbit’s fungi on the young. The mushrooms do not seem to hurt the rabbits, and can come in a variety of species - it seems that it is more dependent on the genes of the rabbit than the fungi, for this relationship to work. The mushrooms do not tend to be poisonous, however, it is not unheard of that toxic species will combine with their rabbit hosts - but this usually ends in death for the Leporidae, the poisons leaching into their bloodstream. For the lucky few that do survive, they become beasts in their own right. When edible (in most cases), however, the mushrooms only add to their deliciousness. No need to forage for mushrooms for the stew too! Two ingredients in one - two birds with one stone. More unfortunate pairings between fungi and animals end in the fungi taking control of the host (insect), for example, ants, beetles, moths, or butterflies, and forcing the insects to climb to create heights before the fungus bursts out from within it, spreading its pores to the next unfortunate victim. The fungus is aptly named ‘Zombie Ant Fungus’.

Week #3: The factions of Puerto Dorado
During the first Worldbuilding Wednesday, we made it canon that the town is ruled by cut-throat merchants that run different parts of the town much like gangs would, demanding taxes and "safety money" for the locals to be allowed to live and work there. Who are these merchants? What other factions and political powers are at play? There are a whole bunch of districts, all of which would have their "leaders" of sorts, on top of other organisations such as schools and churches. Who has power in this town?

'''WARNING: This particular WW is outdated and does NOT reflect canon! Sections that aren't accurate at all anymore have a [*] at the start. These all have the old district layout as well. Current information can be found in Factions.'''


 * One of the oligarchs is a man known as Mr. Lynde. He deals in curiosities both natural and unnatural, taking special interest in magical artefacts and mythical creatures. For the right price, everything of his is for sale, and he caters to the wealthiest around the globe. Puerto Dorado is one of his main trading locations, being a primary source of supernatural materials and beings. Aside from a few warehouses and a villa, however, he has little territory. (Jane)


 * Another important figure is Elijah Cole, a wealthy merchant who specialised in exotic animals. Aside from that, he'll trade in anything that is worth money: spices, metals, minerals, and fine textiles. He's taken control over about a quarter of the Comerico District, offering protection to its inhabitants from the other factions, but for quite the high price. If they don't pay up, he sends his hitman Tómas Álvarez to extract payment in blood. (Jane)


 * The Militia is a minor faction of Puerto Dorado, made up of volunteers from all over town. Their main headquarters is some rebuilt barracks in the Crown Park District, though another main camp is at the stockade, in the northwest portion of the town. The militia was founded and led by Cornilis de Roiter, with another leader being Carles Glason. The militia is meant to help fight against invaders, and police the streets - though, recently, the townsfolk have begun to dislike them. (Cornilis)


 * [*] Rence’s Raiders is the major faction in the Gran Residentia District, led by Robert “One-Eye” Rence. This gang of thugs prowls the poorest district, extorting every penny they can from the poor, and murder is certainly not off the table. They don’t act very much outside of the district, as they’re rather weak in comparison to the other factions, only really thriving due to intimidation and the fact that they prey upon the weakest of people. (Cornilis)


 * The Church - itself split among Protestants and Catholics - is a small, neutral faction, centred in the churches of Puerto Dorado. They work to spread the word of God, albeit with much difficulty in such a godless place and also assist those in need. The Catholic sub-faction and the Protestant sub-faction hate each other, though they are often forced to begrudgingly tolerate each other. There are other even smaller sub-factions, that being mostly Puritans, however, they mostly consist of a handful of households. (Cornilis)
 * The French have been a new, emerging faction, ever since showing up during the Action of February 26. They have been clandestinely funnelling small amounts of money into the town, but they haven’t made any moves… Yet. (Cornilis)


 * Deep in the isle, there exist a somewhat secret gathering of thieves among thieves, one’s that exists beyond the whispers shared in the inn about them. While the idea of keeping your crimes secret from pirates might seem unnecessary, in the mind of the thieves, their precautions are useful and allow them to leech off the more barbaric and murderous sailors without being caught, even when they steal off the townsfolk, the missing goods are chalked up to the pirates and ignored. (Stonks)


 * [*] The Lopez Family is the oldest faction in Puerto Dorado, springing up from a family of wealthy Spanish merchants dating back to the very first colonization of the island. They operate in the Commercio District, though they are on the decline. Following the death of the oldest Lopez, the faction is led by a council of his sons and daughters - and, as siblings do, they often end up in disagreements. The Lopez Family, despite seeming ready to fracture, keeps an iron grip over most of the merchants in the district, their only competitors being the few pirate stalls and Elijah Cole. There’s a reason why prices are so high… (Cornilis)