[hider=P I R A T E S !]
[center][img]https://i.pinimg.com/736x/a8/04/dc/a804dc67cc82f5ed393299c0f81d7dc5.jpg[/img][/center]
[Center][h2][u]The Pirates of Ealinata[/u][/h2][/center] 

[indent]In a world as diverse and wondrous as Ealinata it should be no surprise that pirates are an every day danger of sea travel. The pirates if Ealinata are no common bandits, however. The seas of Ealinata are dangerous, filled with monsters, demons, violent and sudden storms and other creatures that have developed to thrive in the harsh deep waters that surround the continent. Being a sailor is treacherous work, being a pirate is doubly so. It takes a great deal of strength, courage, and no small amount of insanity to survive.[/indent]

[center][img]https://i.pinimg.com/564x/ae/6c/67/ae6c67ed36fa46eb6c03e29c9ef4c3e1.jpg[/img][/center]

[center][h2]________________[u]Pirate Culture[/u]________________[/h2][/center]

[indent][indent][i]“Above all else, I only sought the freedom to do whatever the hell I wanted. My only regret is that you caught me. Bastards.” - Pirate Lord Caelbal Thorn, moments before he was hung by East Balmmarian authorities. [/i][/indent][/indent]

[indent]It is likely that “culture” is not the first word that pops into your head when you think of pirates, however, the pirates who call Ealinata home are not simple murders and cutthroats; they are that too, but that isn’t all they are. Ealinatan pirates care little about ones gender, age or even what sort of monstrosity you are. Strength and cunning are the major determining factors in how good of a life a pirate lives. If you are strong enough to take what you want, when you want it, then you can count on the respect of your peers, as much good as that will actually do you. 

A pirates crew is often like a family, with the captain acting as the head of the family, and the first mate acting as the eldest sibling that will smack the shit out of any misbehaving children. Mutiny is surprisingly rare on Ealinatan pirate ships, as any pirate that would betray their own family is seen as the lowest form of scum and seem to quickly disappear. Its is likewise very uncommon for pirates to truly fight among themselves. Though there are certainly disagreements over territory, a pirate values their own life and freedom above almost everything else, and so wont waste it on petty squabbles. 

What many find surprising is that there are rumors of a hidden pirate city, where all ships that sail beneath the black flag can call home and find...relative safety. [/indent]

[center][img]https://i.pinimg.com/564x/fb/98/ee/fb98ee44026a4c2f2c0c591043a6f2f0.jpg[/img][/center]

[center][h2]___________________[u]Location[/u]___________________[/h2][/center]

[center][i]“Nice try Knave!” - Literally Any Pirate You Ask [/i][/center]

[indent]It is common belief that pirates have a stronghold of some-sort hidden between the Akeza Jungle and the ruins of Old Balmaria. It has, however, never been found, nor its existence confirmed. Countless agents of Balmaria have searched the area only to come up empty handed, or mysteriously disappear. Some believe that there is powerful magic that hides the “home” of the pirates from interlopers, though many think its just as likely that any foolish enough to enter what is believed to be an entire city of pirates without invitation would surely meet a quick, gruesome death.[/indent]

[center][img]https://i.pinimg.com/564x/0d/14/6d/0d146d0fbc90b2c9ca792cd6b242821d.jpg[/img][/center]

[h2][center]________________[u]Pirate Lords[/u]________________[/center][/h2]

[indent]There are those among the pirates who become so powerful and feared that even other pirates steer clear of them. Most of them lead a small armada of ships, acting more as admirals then captains. These pirates become known as pirate lords. For most of recorded history there has been exactly 7 pirates lords at one time, each one ‘ruling’ a different part of the sea that surrounds Ealinata. Few know why there is only 7, as there are countless strong pirates who the layperson would think could take the title of pirate lord. Most believe that is comes from the way in which a pirate lord is ‘crowned’. 

For a new pirate to take up the mantel of ‘lord’ a previous pirate lord must perish, which usually means they are killed. Battles for the title of ‘lord’ are often gruesome, bloody and short. The last battle for the title of lord took place 17 years ago, in which the former pirate lord Delanise ‘The Gray’, a drow woman who had made a fortune in the slave trade, was quite literally torn in half by her opponent, a pirate that would later be known as the ‘Red Demon of the Sea’. (All Pirate lords get weird nicknames, it comes with the territory.) 

What exactly a pirate gets out of becoming a ‘lord’ is hard to say. Most think that it is the respect and fear that the title gives them that makes them seek it out, others believe that there is a more tangible reward. It is, in general, incredibly hard to get a pirate lord to talk about their title. [/indent][/hider]