The only safe landing point on the Krell Lands coast, Chitin Cove is named for the cast-off exoskeletons that wash up on its beaches—debris from Krell molting cycles carried downstream and deposited by coastal currents. Ships occasionally anchor here to trade with the survivors who've learned to live at the edge of insect territory.
Geography
Chitin Cove occupies a natural harbor on the eastern coast of Ve, where a river mouth creates a protected anchorage sheltered from the worst weather. The cove is roughly two miles across, with sandy beaches giving way to jungle on three sides.
The beaches are distinctive. Krell chitin—pale, iridescent fragments ranging from fingernail-sized to shield-sized—accumulates in drifts along the waterline. The exoskeletons wash downstream from the hive territories, accumulating where the currents slow. During certain seasons, the beaches are more chitin than sand.
The jungle presses close to the waterline, but the Krell don't venture to the coast here. The cove lies far enough from major hive territories that scout presence is minimal, and something about the salt air or the water seems to discourage their approach.
The Coast-Dwellers
A scattered population survives along the Chitin Cove shoreline—perhaps two hundred people in shifting family groups who've built their existence around mobility, observation, and knowing when to run.
These coast-dwellers are descendants of fishing communities that predated the Consumption, supplemented by refugees who reached the coast during the fall of the old kingdoms. They live in temporary structures that can be abandoned within hours, own nothing they can't carry, and maintain constant watch on the jungle treeline.
Their survival strategy is simple: never stay in one place long enough for the Krell to notice, never accumulate enough resources to be worth swarming, and always have boats ready to flee into the water if necessary. The approach has worked for two centuries.
Trade
Chitin Cove's value lies in what washes up on its beaches. Krell exoskeletons have alchemical and industrial applications:
- Chitin powder — Used in potions, armor treatments, and certain enchantments
- Large plates — Can be worked into lightweight armor or decorative items
- Specialized organs — Occasionally intact glands wash up, valuable for specific alchemical processes
- Intelligence — The coast-dwellers observe Krell behavior patterns and sell information to Yuki and others
Ships from Shyona, Chimea, and occasionally more distant ports anchor in the cove to trade. They bring food, tools, and luxuries that the coast-dwellers can't produce; they leave with chitin, information, and occasional passengers seeking escape.
The trade is irregular—perhaps a dozen ships per year—but profitable enough to sustain the coast-dweller economy. Prices are negotiated on the beach, payment in goods rather than currency, and transactions completed within hours. No one lingers in Chitin Cove.
Dangers
The cove is safer than the interior, but "safer" is relative:
Krell scouts — Patrols occasionally reach the coast. The coast-dwellers have learned to read the signs and evacuate before contact, but mistakes happen.
Pirates — Ships visiting Chitin Cove sometimes decide taking is easier than trading. The coast-dwellers have little defense against armed crews.
The jungle — Non-Krell threats persist: predators, poisonous creatures, and the general hazards of tropical wilderness.
The sea — Storms, currents, and the creatures of the Sea of Fools all threaten those who flee by water.
The Chitin Harvest
Twice yearly, the coast-dwellers conduct organized harvests—gathering the accumulated exoskeletons for trade. These events draw the entire population to the beaches for several days of collection, sorting, and processing.
The harvests are dangerous periods. Concentrated activity attracts attention, and the Krell seem to sense when their cast-off shells are being disturbed. Scout presence increases. The coast-dwellers post extra watchers and keep boats ready throughout.
Despite the risks, the harvests are essential. They provide the bulk of trade goods that sustain the coast-dweller economy through the year. Missing a harvest means poverty; mishandling one means death.
Reaching Chitin Cove
By sea — The most common approach. Navigation is straightforward; the cove is well-charted and visible from offshore. The main danger is the Sea of Fools, whose poisoned waters lie not far to the south.
Overland — Possible but rarely attempted. The route passes through active Krell territory or the Raptor Hills, neither of which is casual travel. Expeditions sometimes exit via Chitin Cove after missions in the interior, arranging pickup by pre-positioned ships.
By air — The astral currents don't reach this far east, but smaller flying vessels occasionally make the journey. The coast-dwellers view aerial visitors with suspicion—anyone with that kind of resources probably wants something they can't easily refuse.