Aragosta

Aragosta is a hodge-podge pirate settlement; architecturally, she's a mix of low stucco houses and her famous 'ship-houses' built out of the hulls of broken-down vessels.

She's divided informally into districts:

The Beach

The beach is Aragosta's harbor -- it has one long jetty that can handle deep-water ships, but most traffic is done by longboat, in and out, and pirate crews tend to set up camp on the beach, making it the raucus center of pirate life. "What's the word on the Beach?" is slang for gathering gossip among the crews who make Aragosta temporary travelers.

• As of The Res Publica. Charles Adeyemi and his freed slaves have set up on the beach as a community, trying to earn enough money loading and unloading ships to buy themselves their own farmland.

The Street

In contrast to the beach is the Street -- there really is only one Street of name in Aragosta, running up from the beach to the Bucket O'Blood at its head. If the Beach is the center of life for the pirate crews who rotate in and out, the Street is the heart of permanent Aragosta -- it is on the Street that all of Aragosta's businesses operate, its brothels and ship-chandlers and fences.

Most of all, the Street is home to the Bucket O'Blood, a many-times rebuilt large tavern at its head. It is at the Bucket that Queen Bonny and Cannonnanso Gatto -- the island's premier fence and the son of its founder -- hold court, and where the Council of Captains meet when it is time for serious pirate democracy.

• The Jenny-turned-madame Hayley's brothel is located on the Street; she serves as an information broker and is a friend of Axel's.
• As of The Res Publica, Orlando had rented space from a blacksmith on the Street to serve as a laboratory and recovery room for Jack.

The Merchant Districts

Inland of the Street at the Merchant Districts -- there are several of them, with each district controlled by one merchant concern. These merchants largely don't interface with pirates directly -- instead, they run through Cannonnanso or one of the lesser fences, and then they in turn move product off of Aragosta to friendlier ports.

As a consequence, the Merchant Districts are often hotbeds of intrigue, since the merchants who live their -- usually cousins to wealthier families in the Colonies or Theah -- bring connections with them to continental spies.

The Claws

Aragosta is protected by two large forts, the Claws -- one built by the Republic, the other a converted monastery. They watch over the harbor, though astute military minds might note that they are a generation behind Thean star-forts and potentially vulnerable to modern gunnery.

• As of The Res Publica, Queen Bonaventura had mysteriously taken half the garrison out of one of the Claws.