History

World Weep Opening History

The Shackles were in a turbulent period of war when the First Heroes' March was organized. Some free captains heard and felt the call of duty, joining the march. And others reasoned it would end well enough and took this chance to attempt to push for more territory. When the First Heroes' March failed and the World Weep was created, the newly created Hurricane King and the pirate council of Free Captains attempted to operate under Mathesis' radar with varying degrees of success, more often than not meeting their grisly fate at the end of one of her numerous alchemical weapons in the following centuries.

Age of Collapse History — The Golden Era of Piracy

The chaos and instability of Mathesis’ millennium created conditions that allowed the captains of the Shackles to not quite thrive, but to still live much better than almost anyone else. Shielded by the never-ending hurricane of the Eye of Abendego to the south, the Free Captains marauded with impunity or extorted the new migrant population for the rights to shelter in little pockets of safety among the ports and havens around the archipelago.

Age of Renewal History

After the death of Mathesis, the Shackles finally started meeting resistance from the revitalized nations of the world, but these nations were playing a game of catch-up to the Shackles millennium of advantage. The Hurricane Queen of this new era plays an aggressive, proactive game, making sure the rest of the nations cannot organize corsairs nor privateers through aggressive naval raiding of the coasts, ensuring they are the top dogs of the Garund seas.

Government

The Shackles followed a system of Pirate Monarchical Republic, where Free Captains of the various pirate crews of the Shackles had their voice in representation of the regular meetings, and the Hurricane King or Queen of the time had some greater voice depending on their current position of power. Together, they follow and constantly revise the Shackles Pirate Code, a loose series of formal and informal rules and laws that help keep some semblance of order in the Shackles.

Points of Interest

Port Peril enjoys the same naming convention as it did thousands of years ago when it was founded. The actual location of the town has slowly shifted inward due to the erosion caused by the centrues of storms caused by the nearby permenant hurricanes of the Eye of Abendego, but the new buildings still serve the same purposes in being the largest port and den of vice in perhaps the entire world. Due to the influence of the trade agreement and other alliances with the Merchant Princes of the Sodden Lands, Port Peril houses more permanent structures than it did in the Era of Lost Omens, and serves as a popular vacation home destination for those merchants brave or armed with competent enough bodyguards to set their roots in this pirate-run city.
Various townships call their home in the chain of islands that form the archipelago of the Shackles. These townships often form under the leadership of some band of Free Captain pirates that have made that particular settlement their protected place, but some independent townships do exist that enforce neutrality in whatever way they can to the various sea-faring visitors that jump island to island.
Several settlements comprised of people of varied ancestries that have called the archipelago their native home have persisted despite the ever-increasing rule of the Free Captains. The islands of the Shackles all have their own unique environments and conditions, and have cultivated a multitude of different cultures. The largest of these groups is goblins, although several other ancestries of all types have their own settlements throughout.
The Forts are various fortified settlements that were built their homes inside and around the shattered remains of ancient ruins and other structures, although some new forts were built by aspiring stone masons have begun popping up in the new decades. These forts that are not controlled by Free Captain Crew are the most independent settlements of the Shackles, with some quietly declaring themselves as separate entities from the Pirate Council of the Hurricane Queen. These declarations often get met with an overwhelming response of violence, or complete and utter silence from the rest of the Shackles, depending on how competent the defensive force of these forts happens to be, with a unspoken trade embargo with the rest of the Shackles, the usual fate for those Forts too powerful to directly attack.

Organizations Within

The Hurricane Queen and the Free Captains of the Shackles form the bulk of the dominant political party within the Shackles. This Pirate Monarchy serves something like a republic where crews can argue for changes or amendments to the Pirate Code, but the Hurricane Queen has final say in any matters she feels particularly inclined to rule on, with the understanding that her rule by force is a delicate thing that can't be utilized too often nor too severly lest she risk a mutiny from the rest of the Free Captains. These Pirate Councils also form the military and adventuring guilds of the Shackles, with various contracts being offered by crews too attend to matters they need assistance with.
The Free Forts are a series of Forts that have created their own political network within the Shackles. Condemned to a trade embargo for not playing into the Pirate Council's political ruling, these forts attempt to band together for protection and trade for resources they need or lack. They often find these trade ships or caravans plundered by the Free Captains, and the Free Ports are constantly on the hunt for ways to protect themselves and survive in these harsh conditions.
The Merchant-Prince Embassaders are groups of merchants that run businesses primarily in the Sodden Lands or other nations of Garund, but have their offices in the Shackles for easier communication with the pirate crews that they contract with for protection or pilfering of their rivals. These merchants are one of the sources of flow of resources in and out of the Shackles and operate closely with the Free Captains in a symbiotic relationship.
Various small communities of religious people and all manner of cults inhabit the island chains, particularly those that worship the Eye of Abendego. These locations in the Archipelago benefit from the anonymity of nature's natural concealment and expand their power base through the plethora of treasures and powerful relics scattered all across the water and land of the nation.

Major Conflicts

The Great Garundi Blockade was a conflict around two decades previous to the founding of the Second Harbor of Hearts in which the previous Hurricane King attempted a multi-international blockade of various port cities all across the continent of Garund in an attempt at total control over maritime trade and travel. This blockade failed tremendously and was the largest loss of life and ship in The Shackles' history, and resulted in a mutiny in which the current Hurricane Queen took power after a declared honor duel to the death.
The Lovers War is a series of conflicts between Free Captains and Sodden Land priveteers under the control of the Merchant Princes. The war was said to end overnight after a major naval battle, and a supposed marriage between the Hurricane Queen and the head Merchant Prince happened out at sea, although only the highest Free Captains know the truth of that matter. What did happen was a complete end of hostilities and various trade and defensive accords that bind the Shackles and the Sodden Lands in a tight alliance that brought undisputed control over the West Coast of Garund.
The ongoing series of raids against most of the major nations of Garund and Avistan has earned the Free Captains of The Shackles international notoriety and automatic criminal sentencing in most nations. Recognized flags of the Free Captains are considered an attack on the site for most of the up-and-coming navies of the world at this point.

Events in the Age of Renewal

The Coronation of the Hurricane Queen, around two decades previous to the Second Harbor of Hearts, brought about several changes to the Pirate Code. Not all negative, not all positive, different and progressive in many ways. The code still encourages piracy, so many people of the various nations consider the Hurricane Queen a tyrant like any other ruler of the Shackles.
The Free-Merchant compromise is the outcome of the Lover's War, which was a series of laws and agreements that negotiated how the Free Captains of the Shackles could navigate the Soddenlands, and the Merchant Princes of the Sodden Lands could utilize the services of the Free Captains of the Shackles. These tenets have encouraged a number of bold merchants to open offices in the Shackles and brought about a number of permanent businesses like hotels, restaurants, an academy, and other infrastructure of higher society to the Shackles.
The Fort Freedom Proclamation was an announcement at the namesake Fort Freedom on the westernmost island of the Shackles, built upon the ruins of the ancient settlement Zhenbarghua. This proclamation was the first invitation of other Forts and settlements of the Shackles to join a trade accord and defensive alliance against the Free Captains and Pirate Council of The Shackles.

Other notable changes from the past Golarion

The general population and characteristics of inhabitants mirror the past Golarion. The modern Shackles enjoy more power than their ancestors, and thus there may be differences in the varying lavishness of certain towns and ships, and perhaps a culture of New Money in some places due to these fortunate circumstances.