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 to strike at merchant vessels along the busy Kilche trade corridor. The League is tenuous at the best of times, though the fleets usually manage to keep each other in check.
Geography, flora, and fauna
See also: Blacksand Archipelago
The Blacksand Archipelago is a semi-tropical group of islands within the Kilche Sea, not far offshore from Tarkuus. Though most of the islands have a volcanic origin, there are few active volcanoes in the archipelago today. A small number of the islands are artificial, having been built by Tarkuus for unknown purposes then later abandoned.
The archipelago is named for the distinctive magnetic dark sand that makes up many of its beaches. Though this magnetism is mostly quite weak, sailors have learned to avoid certain islands due to their tendency to interfere with compasses.
Factions
The following are the current major factions within the League, alongside a number of smaller fleets. The major factions vary in size, from a few dozen ships on the one extreme to hundreds on the other. The innumerable smaller factions might consist of only a few allied crews each.
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. Raksa has drilled the pirates under her command to be extremely coordinated, implementing a military-like command structure.
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 turned the pirates of the faction into an effective force that is loyal to Besmara and the fleet but little else. 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 by the pirate admiral Heshwen. Most Santelmin ships are magically automated, driven and maintained by constructs, animated objects, or undead. The Order serves as something of a kingmaker 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 islands have a comparatively large undead population - tensions between the living the undead are always present, though rarely outwardly hostile.
The crew of the pirate fleets tend to be similarly diverse.
Culture
Religion
The inhabitants of the archipelago worship a number of deities of varying pantheons, evidence of the diverse backgrounds of the people of the islands. Both the islanders and the pirates often worship Laverna as a god of piracy, though most only pray to the goddess on occasion. There are few large, permanent temples on the islands - religion tends to be a more personal affair.
Traditions
Pirate activity within the islands is heavily reliant on the seasons, as the storms and monsoons of the summer months causes a decrease in the mercantile traffic of the Kilche trade routes. The months of Lamashan and Neth are known as the "pirate season", sometimes colloquially referred to as the "Pirate Wind", where pirate attacks noticeably increase in frequency and aggressiveness.
Languages
As those who live within the Blacksand Archipelago come from a variety of backgrounds, Common has become the de facto language within the port communities. Racial languages, Meroitic, Tabahan, Sangiran, and even Necril are widely used as well.
Art
Both the pirates and the other islanders heavily decorate their bodies with tattoos. Designs vary, though depictions of sea creatures are particularly popular. For many communities and crews, it is traditional to receive new tattoos upon a achieving a major accomplishment or some other significant change in life - many people essentially communicate their life stories through the artwork on their skin. Near-full body tattoo coverage is not unusual, especially for those later in their lives. Magical tattoos are widely used as well, both among mages to record their spells and among others to grant a variety of effects.
Food and cuisine
The diet of the islanders of the Blacksand Archipelago is heavy reliant on the sea. Fish, shrimp, crab, and squid are widely used in Blacksander cuisine; sea turtle, jellyfish, and other creatures of the sea are also used, though less frequently. The native flora of the islands also provides a great deal of food for the inhabitants, and includes rambutans, ackees, jocotes, and many other fruits. Imported (or pilfered) foods supplements what is caught or grown locally.
The fruit of the gac vine is sometimes served with ice cream, a popular local sweet.
Occupations
While the islanders have a reputation as being entirely pirates, this is not at all the case. Most work as fishers, craftspeople, or in other roles in their communities. Especially in the major ports, however, it is nearly guaranteed that any resident will have regular contact with the pirates.
Architecture and urbanization
Most buildings within the Blacksand Archipelago are constructed of local materials, primarily built of wood with thatched roofs of palm leaves. Rather than design structures to survive the frequent storms and the strong winds they bring, the inhabitants of the island instead prefer to build simpler constructions that can be rebuilt when they inevitably blow away. Ultimately, this method is simpler and cheaper for most. Some ports, particularly Mokuan and Port Zuyi have more permanent town centers, composed of older, more stately buildings constructed when the ports were first established by Pela Huban merchants.
Almost the entire population of the islands lives within or near the ports, either in one of the major cities or in one of the great many small hamlets and villages along the coastline. There are very few inland settlements.
Technology
Some pirate crews, especially those of the Santelmin Order, use cutlass spiders aboard their ships. These constructs are bristling with weapons and can make short work of any foe, though they are quite expensive to build.
Sports
See also: Freebooter's Folly
Government
Within the Blacksand League, the pirate factions maintain an uneasy balance of power. Each faction governs itself as it sees fit, refraining from interfering in the affairs of others. The basic terms that govern the League are codified in the Laws of the League:
- The crews of each faction can live as they see fit, following their own laws and rules.
- Disputes between factions are arbitrated between a council of faction representatives.
- Outright conflict between factions is strictly forbidden, on punishment of being removed from the League.
- The ports of the Blacksand Archipelago are neutral ground. Pirates are not allowed to fight within the towns or their harbors, and neither are they allowed to control the lives of their inhabitants.
One notable omission in the Laws is any mention of who it applies to - participation is voluntary, but not adhering to the rules means forgoing the relative safety it brings. The requirements for a faction to be allowed to bring representatives to League councils is similarly vague, and is essentially down to having the force to back it up.
It is broadly understood that Tarkuusan administrators maintain regular contact with the faction leaders, though the exact extent of this relationship is not known to most. Certainly it seems like ships that sail under flags more subservient to Tarkuus are targeted less by the pirates. Agents of Tarkuus are regularly spotted in the ports of the archipelago, and the undead empire makes only minor gestures to removing the pirates that infest the islands just offshore from its coastline.
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.