History of the Vosk League

Guardsman of Gor describes an epic river battle between the pirates and the Vosk town ships. The fleet of the Voskjard attacks the defending river town ships at the chain. The defenders are able to defeat and capture a number of the pirate ships though eventually some of the pirate ships do get past the chain. The defenders then disguise their ships, pretending to be Voskjard ships, and try to enter the stronghold of Policrates. His stronghold is guarded by an iron sea gate. The defenders though are permitted entrance and are then able to capture the fortress. They then wait for the remnants of the real Voskjard fleet to arrive at the stronghold of Policrates. When it does arrive, the defenders are able to destroy most of the Voskjard ships.

But the pirate leaders, Policrates and Voskjard, remained at large. Policrates only had forty ships remaining and Voskjard only had twenty. They decided to attack Victoria anyways for vengeance. When they arrived in the town, it appeared deserted. They were then ambushed by the armed residents of Victoria. The pirates retreated to their ships but then found their escpe route blocked by a fleet of ships from many of the river towns. The pirates were defeated and captured. Both Policrates and Voskjard were enslaved and then sold. Their strongholds were burnt and destroyed. The stranglehold of the pirates on the Vosk had been broken.

In 10127 C.A., after this battle, twenty-one Vosk River towns formed the Vosk League, an alliance to protect against piracy. These nineteen towns included Port Cos, Victoria, Turmus, Ven, Tetrapoli, Tafa, Fina, Ragnar's Hamlet, Hammerfest, Sulport, Sais, Siba, Jasmine, Point Alfred, Jort's Ferry, Forest Port, Iskander, Tancred's Landing Woodhaven, Ar Station and White Water. The treaties were signed on the wharves of Victoria. Victoria was appointed the capital of the League and a High Council for the League was formed. Callimachus, once a Warrior of Port Cos, was appointed the Commander of the League's forces.

The purpose of the Vosk League was to protect against river piracy. After the Vosk League was formed, institutionalized piracy on the Vosk had been largely removed. The topaz used to be a pledge symbol, used among pirates, when combining for massive assaults. The topaz was captured by the Vosk League and now is a private pledge between Port Cos and Ar's Station. The topaz is broken into two fragments of polished stone. When joined together, the discolorations on each piece make the picture of a river galley.

The Vosk Delta

The delta is a treacherous are and difficult to navigate. Its channels change almost overnight and is often little more than a trackless marsh. There is little visibility due to the rence plants. Its sluggish, muddy waters vary from a few inches deep to deep enough for a ship. The average depth, after the spring thaws upriver, is three to five feet. It is teeming with wildlife. The eastern portion has fresh water. The delta is claimed by Port Kar which lies some hundred pasangs from its northwest edge, bordering on the shallow Tamber Gulf. The delta is at least over four to five hundred pasangs long. Ships from Thassa cannot pass through the delta to the Vosk River due to the delta's almost impassibility.

At The delta lies at the western end of the river, a vast marsh and swamp that is over five hundred pasangs (350 miles) long. The depth of its waters ranges from deep enough for an average ship to pass down to a few inches. The average depth though is commonly three to five feet. It is extremely difficult to navigate and its channels change frequently, sometimes almost overnight. Visibility is limited due to the proliferation of the ubiquitous rence plants. Though Port Kar claims sovereignty over the delta, the Rencer Caste actually controls much of the delta, especially now that they use the long bow. The Rencers are not kind to strangers traveling through the delta. Due to the delta's nature, it is almost impossible to maneuver a ship from the Vosk River, through the delta and to Thassa. It would certainly not be cost efficient for Merchant ships to attempt.

The Vosk River

This is a mighty river, some forty pasangs in width, that passes by Ar and pours into the Tamber Gulf. The Vosk is below Ko-ro-ba and north of Ar. Most towns on the river are free states and belong to the Vosk League. River ships of Ar and Cos battle here for influence over the river and its towns. The southern bank is much less populous than the northern bank.