[hr][hr][h1][b][i][color=Gold][center]Have At You!!![/center][/color][/i][/b][/h1]
[hr][hr][h3][b][i][color=Gold][center]Premise[/center][/color][/i][/b][/h3]

It is a time of high adventure, of danger and intrigue, of crashing waves and singing steel. The island colonies on the Antillean Archipelago have become a hotbed of intrigue and opportunity, as the distant kingdoms of the Old World struggle for a grip on the New World, while a rising tide of revolutionaries vie for independence. Commodities like sugar, cotton, and gold have led to huge industries of exploitation in the Archipelago, and artifacts from the Old Empire are irresistible lures for explorers and treasure hunters. And wild rumors of ancient ruins, strange monsters in the waters and jungles, and treasures with supernatural powers draw in the curious, the bold, the ambitious, and the mad.

In the middle of all this is the sprawling city of Free Sail, a haven for spirited adventurers and bloodthirsty pirates. In theory, it is a neutral port of fair trade for all of the Old World kingdoms and their colonies. In practice, it is where political agents go to hire mercenaries, spies, saboteurs, and assassins; where buccaneers and explorers go for rumors of the strange and the valuable; where marauders of the dreaded Black Fleet come to spend the spoils of their plunder and look for their next prey.

In such a time and place, the only true law is the steel at your side. More conflicts are settled by duels than by judges, and master swordsmen can carry the authority of a king or queen, at least until another duelist comes to claim their title. No matter the allegiance, the golden rule of the Archipelago is “it's only yours if you can fight for it,” a rule that applies to everything from treasures, to lovers, to your very life.

The city of Free Sail has no end of opportunities to be found. Wealth. Power. Treasures beyond the imagination…

…but only if you can fight for it.
	[hr][hr][h3][b][i][color=Gold][center]Overview[/center][/color][/i][/b][/h3]
[b][color=Gold]Setting:[/color][/b] The city of Free Sail, in the heart of the Antillean Archipelago (a fictionalized version of the Caribben Sea).
[b][color=Gold]Time Frame:[/color][/b] Roughly the Age of Sail (1600s-1700s), but with anachronisms ranging from the Vikings to the Napoleonic Wars. 
[b][color=Gold]Technology Level:[/color][/b] Pre-Industrial Revolution; gunpowder is available, but guns are limited to single-shot flintlock pistols and muskets. Far and away, the more common weapons of the day are sabres, rapiers, cutlasses, and daggers.
[b][color=Gold]Starting Season:[/color][/b] Late spring, with seas deceptively calm but with the risk of sudden massive storms at any tjme. 
[b][color=Gold]Magic Availability:[/color][/b] There is no innate spellcasting, but there are artifacts and treasures rumored to have supernatural powers. You can't cast a lightning bolt, for example, but you might find a jewel or a crown that lets you control the weather.
[b][color=Gold]Tone and Vibe:[/color][/b] This RP is meant to be focused around dashing heroes, flashing blades, and acts of derring-do. I'm less interested in gritty realism or sneering cynics, and more interested in gallant sailors fighting off cut-throat pirates, colorful masked vigilantes fighting for the oppressed and the downtrodden, scoundrels with hearts of gold. At any given moment, someone should be able to swing from a chandelier without it feeling out of place.
[b][color=Gold]Inspirations:[/color][/b]
Classic adventure films like [i]The Sea Hawk[/i] and [i]The Crimson Pirate[/i]
Treasure Island (any version, pick your favorite)
The Princess Bride
Pirates of the Caribbean
The Three Musketeers 
The Mask of Zorro
The 7th Sea role-playing game

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I'll provide a world primer with factions and whatnot if there's sufficient interest.