The Blacksand League is an confederation of the major pirate factions of the Kilche Sea. Though they do not fully control the islands, the pirates use ports within the Blacksand Archipelago as their bases of operation. The League is tenuous at the best of times, though the fleets usually manage to keep each other in check.
Geography, flora, and fauna
Factions
Alliance of the Red Banner
See also: Alliance of the Red Banner
The Alliance of the Red Banner, known colloquially as the Red Flag Fleet, carries with it a reputation as both the most aggressive and most successful of the pirate factions. The faction leader Shiyang is known for her unconventional approaches to warfare and diplomacy.
Four Thousand Eyes
See also: Four Thousand Eyes
The Four Thousand Eyes, under Samudra Raksa, has given itself the task of protecting the ports of the Blacksand Archipelago. Ships of the Four Thousand Eyes guard the islands from outsiders who would seek to control the pirates and their enablers, effectively privateering the privateers.
Lost Winds
See also: Lost Winds
Perhaps the most eccentric of the factions, under Yawad Hava's leadership the Lost Winds have become a motley group of misfits, outcasts, and those that could or would not conform themselves to the standards of other pirate groups. Among the other pirates, the Lost Winds have an only partially deserved reputation as slothful, preferring to stay in port and drink over plying the seas.
Orange Lotus Fleet
See also: Orange Lotus Fleet
While many pirates pay at least passing homage to Besmara, those of the Orange Lotus Fleet are Besmaran devotees. Mera Munia has drilled the pirates under her command to be extremely coordinated, implementing a military-like command structure. Individual Orange Lotus ships and crews are renowned for their ability to hit far above their weight, even capturing massive, fully armed and crewed Kea Rachan warships alone.
Santelmin Order
See also: Santelmin Order
The Santelmin Order is the smallest of the major factions of the Blacksand League. All members of Santelmin crews are casters, and the faction does not openly recruit. Rather, to join the Order, one must be specifically selected. Most Santelmin ships are magically automated, driven and maintained by constructs, animated objects, or undead. The Order serves as something of the kingmakers among the League factions - when they deign to speak on a matter, the others soon fall in line.
History
Despite its inherent instability, the Blacksand League has managed to survive the last few hundred years. An outgrowth of earlier efforts between pirate admirals to forge alliances for mutual gain, the League has successfully brought together the major pirate forces of the Kilche Sea.
While some factions, most notably the Orange Lotus Fleet and the Santelmin Order, have managed to remain united and cohesive upon the deaths of their commanders, most quickly fall apart and scatter once rendered leaderless. These now faction-less ships and crews gradually coalesce again, merging into other factions or forming new ones. The number and strength of factions within the Blacksand League has varied greatly over time as allegiances shift.
The islands of the Blacksand Archipelago have been inhabited for centuries. Trade routes through the Kilche Sea have long carried goods going north and south, and gradually communities and ports were established to support this trade. Pirate activity in the Kilche has grown and ebbed over the years, causing the ports to slowly change in character from respites for merchants to pirate coves and back again.
Demographics
The ports within the Blacksand Archipelago are inhabited by individuals of many ancestries. Humans account for a plurality of the population. Joining them are large populations of tengu, tieflings, half-elves, half-orcs, halflings, catfolk, ratfolk, dhampirs, ganzi, and undine.
The crew of the pirate fleets tend to be similarly diverse.
Culture
Government
Economy
The people of the Blacksand Archipelago depend heavily on the activity of the pirates. When the pirates do well, so do the communities of the islands. The ports trade with and supply the pirate crews, allowing both sides to prosper. Some merchant ships still make port within the archipelago, bringing additional trade and opportunities with them.
The archipelago also has some natural wealth, most notably the beaches of black sand, some of which are composed of a magnetic mineral valued for some specialized applications.