Story
The wind was good that morning, full sails and clear skies. Merchant Master Eranor leaned on the rail, already tasting the profit his spices would fetch in Zarhalem. Then the lookout screamed.
Black sails. Low on the horizon, cutting the sea like a knife.
The crew scrambled, hands shaking as they fumbled ropes. Eranor's heart hammered as he counted the distance. Too close. Far too close. The black flag rose, and with it came a cheer from the enemy ship that chilled him more than steel.
Arrows whistled first. Men fell crying, clutching at shafts in their backs. The corsairs came next, grappling hooks biting into the wood, boots thundering onto the deck. Eranor drew his dagger, but the fight was madness-shouts, steel, blood. A sailor beside him toppled with his throat opened.
"Down!" roared a voice, and Eranor froze. Their captain stood among the chaos, hair braided with coins, blade dripping red. She grinned as if the slaughter was sport.
In moments it was over. The crew that lived knelt on bloody planks, bound in rope. Eranor dared lift his eyes, only to see his cargo being dragged away, chest by chest, barrel by barrel, sack by sack. One pirate clapped him on the shoulder, laughing as if they were friends.
"You're lucky, merchant," the corsair said. "The captain only wants your silver, not your head."
Eranor did not feel lucky. He watched his fortune vanish into black sails, and knew he would smell blood and smoke every time he closed his eyes.

Description

While they are no true nation, the pirates of the coasts and islands form a loose coalition bound by the Pirate Code. They claim no flag but the black one, and no ruler but their captains, yet in their own way they are as much a people as any kingdom. Their strength is scattered, but if ever united, their fleets could rival even the greatest navies.

The Pirate Code

The Code is old, said to have been first spoken by Captain Merrowblade two centuries ago, and is still recited when new crews are sworn. It forbids attacks upon fellow pirates, grants each crewman a vote in electing captains, and sets punishments for theft or betrayal aboard ship. Those who break the Code are flogged, marooned, or worse, depending on the severity.

Captains hold authority, but their command is not absolute. Crews can depose a weak or reckless leader. Even the fiercest cutthroat respects the Code, for it is the only thing that keeps the pirates from tearing each other apart.

Life at sea makes pirates equal. Captains are chosen by vote, and discipline is harsh for those who cross the Code. Whether man or woman, human, ogre, or elf, all stand as crew if they can carry their share.

Ways of Plunder

The pirates live on plunder, striking fat merchantmen and raiding coastal villages. They take silver, silk, spices, gems, slaves, and hostages for ransom. Useful slaves are often freed if they join the crew. Slaves know this, so defenders often find themselves facing a two front battle, with pirates from outside and a slave revolt from below. Yet no one should mistake this for mercy: pirates are brutal and greedy, living by drink and dice as fast as they can steal. Few die rich.

Still, they are proud. They boast that they kneel to no king and no god, only to the sea and the Code.

The Pirate Cities

Pirate towns are ramshackle and wild, half harbor, half den of vice. Taverns overflow with drink. Prostitutes, free or slaves, trade affection for silver. Markets bustle with stolen goods. Law belongs to whichever gang or captain has the most blades that day. Crime lords tax the weak, while smugglers and fences grow fat reselling loot to neutral ports.

The cities were never built with purpose, but grew naturally where pirates gathered to hide, trade, and mend their ships.

Major Havens

• Port Freeblade: A haven granted by Freevalor, which sees the pirates as allies against the Great Empire.
• Cliffside: Hidden among sheer cliffs, its narrow harbor makes it nearly unassailable. Crews from here hunt the Albireth Straits.
• Freeport: On an island beyond the Empire's reach, long a staging ground for raids toward Estoria.
• Goldgate: A rocky isle with a commanding position over routes from Zarhalem and the Twin Cities. Since the Empire built Port Invicta, raids near Estoria have waned, but Goldgate remains rich.
• Bayport: A thriving den preying on ships bound for Mataraaj and Zanakwe.
• Richport: The busiest of all, a crossroad of plunder between Zarhalem, Estoria, the Twin Cities, Mataraaj, and Zanakwe.

Pirate Cities and Other Powers

The pirate havens stand untouched, for every kingdom knows that to attack one would summon them all, fighting first to defend their dens, then to burn the attacker's coasts in retribution.

Pirate Captains

No council unites the pirates, but a few figures are whispered with fear or respect:

• Captain Jareth Crowknife, known for his daring escapes and ruthless discipline.
• Captain Fatgut Fearless, who is famous for attacking against all odds, and winning.
• Veyra the Red, who rules Bloodharbor and has never lost a boarding fight.
• Ograk Bonebelt, an ogre captain famed for ramming and splitting ships in half.
• Eryndor Swiftwake, an elf corsair who strikes without warning and disappears like smoke.
• Maelis Greytooth, matron of Richport, who deals with smugglers and keeps the city thriving.

Relations with Nations

The pirates are hated and feared across the seas, yet every nation has dealings with them, whether in secret or by necessity.

Freevalor treats them as allies of convenience. In return for safe harbor at Port Freeblade, the pirates harry Imperial supply lines, making them an unofficial but vital arm of Freevalor's defense.

Mataraaj is divided. Certain rajas secretly employ pirate crews to raid rivals, always with plausible deniability. Others curse their name and demand their heads. Some do both.

The Great Empire regards them as vermin and unleashes entire fleets to scour the seas. Yet even the Empire has never dared strike the pirate cities, knowing such an attack would unite the corsairs in furious retaliation.

Zanakwe and the Twin Cities despise them but rely on smugglers who funnel stolen goods back into their markets. The line between pirate and merchant often blurs here.

In the end, every nation curses the black flag, but most are willing to deal with it when the price is right.

Possible Secrets

The Hidden Council

Though pirates claim no rulers, a circle of elder captains secretly meets to settle disputes and coordinate large raids.

The Treasure of Merrowblade

The first pirate lord is said to have buried a fortune beneath one of the cities, but none agree which.

Imperial Silver

Several pirate kings are secretly funded by Imperial merchants, who pay them to harass rivals while sparing their own ships.

Slave Betrayal

A faction within the pirates intends to sell out all freed slaves to the Empire in exchange for pardon and land.

The Betrayer's Knife

There is always a rumor that one captain plans to betray the Code and ally openly with the Empire, but the knife's true hand is never revealed.

Adventure Hooks

Stolen Cargo

A merchant hires the party to recover a stolen shipment before it is sold off in Goldgate. The trouble is, the pirates already split it among several ships.

Captain's Challenge

A pirate crew has lost faith in their captain and is planning a mutiny. The players are caught in the middle, hired as guards or approached by the rebels.

The Vanished Ship

A noble's son was taken hostage aboard a pirate vessel, but the ship never returned to port. Was it sunk, betrayed, or hiding?

Blood Feud

Two pirate captains are at each other's throats despite the Code. Both offer the party gold to side with them in a looming showdown.

Press-Ganged

The party wakes up drugged in the hold of a pirate ship, forced to prove themselves as sailors or escape before the next raid.

The Imperial Hunter

An Imperial warship stalks the coasts, picking off pirate vessels. The pirates hire the party to lure it into an ambush.

The False Flag

A coastal lord accuses pirates of raiding his lands, but the attacks are actually being done by his rivals under the black flag. The players must uncover the truth.

No Ransom

A noble is being held for ransom. His family won't pay pirates, and hires the party to rescue the noble, and kill the pirates.

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