Hobgoblins

Dangerous and cruel, the Corsair-Folk of the Lothian Isles are a danger to all Akiviras. Many tales tell of their vicious cruelty in battle and their unending thirst for plunder. They are described as having black or red skin, viciously sharp horns, and pale armour painted with emblems of horrifying creatures. To anyone who has heard of them, the Corsairs are truly the stuff of nightmares. Such is their ferocity that they have been given a special name in the ikethi tongue: hobgoblins. 'Elf-tall goblins'. 

Origins

The first recorded Corsair-Folk attacks date back to the year 32, and may have occured even before then. Early sailing technology was incredibly crude back then, so boats were rarely used for anything other than transportation. However, weapons and armour uncovered on the Western beaches appear similar to modern Lothian designs, making the actual start date of Corsair incursions murky but certainly early. It is believed that the first Lothian raiding parties followed the Westmen fleets that sailed to Akiviras, meaning they may have been present on the continent even in Pre-Emergence times. Early Twelve Kings-era sources depict creatures similar to Corsairs engaging in raids and pillaging expeditions across the western shores. Some sources even report their raiding parties striking as far east as modern-day Dutharia. Attempts to communicate or negotiate with the Lothians were presumably made, but no records mention such things and only describe them as 'brutes and beasts incapable of mercy or reason', leading historians to believe that such efforts were roundly unsuccessful.

Similarly, little is known of the Lothian Isles from which these people hail. It is said to be a feudal society of warriors where the only contributing factor in advancement is military might. This would certainly explain the constant flow of warriors sailing the coasts of Akiviras, pillaging and looting any they come across. They are particularly fond of magic items, suggesting that they lack the means to craft them themselves. They are also very fond slave-taking, with large numbers of captives estimated to be bound for the Lothian Isles every year, never to be seen again. Some historians theorise that the Westmen originated from the Lothian Isles, sharing the archipelago with the Corsairs until their aggression became too much to stand. This would explain the unrivalled hatred the Lothians seem to have for Westmen, but the fact that most Western history was lost during the Hundred-Year Black makes it impossible to confirm. 

Modern Day

The Corsairs remain one of the oldest current threats to human life. Groups of them regularly sail the coasts of Akiviras, plundering anyone they come across and taking any survivors as slaves. Though they prefer to attack ships, they may raid a coastal settlement if they go too long without finding plunder. Some crews, driven by desparation or greed, may even move further inland, though they never venture more than a weeks travel from their ship. Land expeditions tend to be costlier in terms of lives than short naval battles, and a long march back to the ship can severely diminish plundering returns, meaning Corsairs definitely favour naval engagements. When at sea, Lothians sail a great many ship configurations, generally merchant ships of either small or large configuration. Galleys are rarer, as they are difficult to sail across the open ocean. Early legends also tell of mighty iron-reinforced warships crewed by hundreds of Corsairs, but those have not been seen on Akiviras in hundreds of years. Lothians are motivated by plunder and the desire to advance higher in their feudal caste society back home, meaning they generally have more backbone than your average sailor. However, most crews are also deeply loyal to their captain, and will often gladly die on their behalf. 

In addition to their naval prowess, Corsairs are masters of fire, and skilled in using burning oil and flaming arrows to sow terror among their foes. They are also adept siege-masters, and will always have war machines around if sufficient wood and time can be found. Their fortifications, on the rare occasions when they construct them, are square and utilitarian, typically constructed of wood as they make for poor stonemasons. Despite their drive for plunder, Lothians are not unaccustomed to a military life and can subsist on very little when on extended inland campaigns.

Corsair Equipment

Lothian armour and weapons are a strange affair, a byproduct of a different culture with its own unique traditions and quirks. Most of their lower-class foot soldiers wear a type of scale armour made of close-fitting leather or metal scales bound with cord. This armour is augmented with large shoulder guards or iron and leather plates dangling from their front and back, giving them more protection than standard scale mail. More important or high-ranking corsairs are known to wear a boxier, heavier variant that combines plate and scales to create protection roughly equivalent to modern banded or splint mail. A particularly recent devlopment in Lothian engineering has seen the infrequent distribution of their own suits of plate armour, as bulky as plate mail but offering more protection. Curiously, Corsairs have never used shields in combat, nor will they given the choice. Corsairs universally wear elaborate helmets carved with intricate designs meant to inspire loyalty and instill fear in enemies. Corsair weapons are highly cultural and have deep artistic meaning, though that is often not apparent to outsiders. A common weapon is the long curved sword known as the katana, and its shorter companion blade the wakizashi. Their spears are between eight and eighteen feet long depending on their use, consisting of a shortsword-like blade mounted on the end of a long pole. They are also known to use glaives, ranseurs, and the occasional bec de corbin. Their ranged weapons are limited to the long bow, generally about six feet long. 

One curious element of Lothian tradition is their unwillingless to integrate weapons and armour technologies outside of their own into their use. Whether this is due to religiour or cultural restrictions or because of a sense of national superiority is unknown, but Lothians will only ever use their own weapons and armour, except in the case of magic weapons and armour where the benefits outweigh the taboo.

Corsair Worship

Nothing is known of any Lothian faith that may exist back home, as nobody has spent extended time among their civilisation in anything other than a slave capacity. However, it is known that Lothians have no clerics among their numbers. Their cultural stigma against adapting outside ideas means that they do not wield magic either, though they are aware of its existence and do not fear it. Their only dalliance with magic comes from ancient pacts with Terror Druids of the Darkest Deep, though the latter are rare enough to generally prevent such alliances from forming in modern times.