The Black Diamond Trade Federation

Written by Commando Chipmunk

“The black diamond, the four pointed star, etched across smuggled and worn maps of Ashnuw. In the cities, in the wildernesses. They may reside in a forgotten swamp, but the reach of The Trade Federation stretches across the entire continent, like a hidden cancer.”
The Trade Federation of the Black Diamonds is an alliance among the current five Pirate lords of Pura and their unknown sponsor. The Trade Federation has infrastructure and trade routes and customers all throughout Ashnuw.

Structure

Though each Pirate Lord has different skills and different crews, and though they often compete and war with each other, when in Pura they agree to be at peace and work as a single unit. Despite their villainous nature, the five are held together by oath, and any lord and crew that might try to abandon the federation would be quickly destroyed by the remaining four.
The Current Five Pirate Lords are:
Captain Welhelm Viola III – Arguably most wealthy and powerful of the Five. Strangely noble, almost knightly pirate, sometimes merciful. Older, very authoritative, loves quality. But still very much evil.
“Lady Dora” - A female pirate woman who's sole life purpose is the be better and harsher and crueller than the guy pirates. Sometimes goes on weird rescue missions to take female prisoners out of the other pirate's hands and recruit them/free them. Or to kidnap young wealthy heiresses and try to groom them as pirates.
General Cash Woodstone - A pirate and his gang who know the waters, inland and on the ocean, like the back of their hand. Very fast, very cunning, very cruel. Have much more of a ruffian, former military go.
“Captain Rackshank” - Pirate who is very cruel and hates animaloids. Deals especially in animaloid capture and skinning. Wealthy, savage vibe.
Lord Tor – Founding Captain. There has been a “Lord Tor” in existence for the last 700 years. Works through representatives instead of meeting directly. Mysterious dressed-in-all-black pirate who speaks with a refined accent and is often absent from Pura. Almost gentlemanly. You hear more about his devastation than see it. Supposedly he may be secretly friends with Dora.

Public Agenda

No one really knows what The Diamond Trade Federation’s ultimate agenda is, other than to make money and conduct business with willing buyers. They are indeed good tradesmen and offer an array of goods from over all of Ashnuw. However, their focus on slave trade and underhanded deals has made them notorious. In addition to this, each Lord and crew has slightly different agendas:
Captain Viola – Has the best trade reputation. Works honestly and is very professional in his dealings. Has a taste for excellence and class that make him stand out. Sports the widest array of goods, but is certainly not beneath taking up kidnapping, slaving, murder, bribery, and blackmail jobs for a good price.
Lady Dora – Sells a few high quality items (Fine spices, herbal blends, exotic plants, exotic pets, exotic race slaves, high end diamonds and jewelry, etc.). But Captain Dora’s true hobby (and strange fascination) is recruiting and kidnapping female crew members to her ship and grooming them into full fledged pirates as if they were her daughters. She especially targets young heiresses or those or noble birth. As far as criminal dealings, she is willing to do anything. Her style is very cutthroat and ruthless, as she is constantly trying to outdo the male Black Diamond Lords in every way.
General Woodstone – Mercenaries or mafias. General Woodstone was a former military general from Heuntsia and recruits only the strongest warriors. They will gladly take up a cause or join an army so long as they get paid. When they are not being recruited, they work through their associates in the major cities of Ashnuw as a loose mafia, lending, then forcing payments with high interest, taking on jobs, etc.
Captain Rackshank – Captain Rackshank deals almost exclusively in slave trade, especially among animaloids. He targets races and natural animals with exotic skins or wings, or will gather his favorite individuals/creatures to add to his personal slave/pet collection. His crew is the poorest, but definitely the most savage and cruel.
Lord Tor – Lord Tor is very mysterious. There are rumors that instead of passing down his crew name to following captains, as some of the captans have in the past, he is actually the same person. No one is certain of his agenda as he does not seem to focus on trading. There are stories of him sometimes coming to the aid of outsiders or releasing other crew’s prisoners, making him unpredictable. However, none of the other Lords have the power to oust him. He is still definitely a pirate as his representatives have their own ships and work in the slave trade like the others. Some of his prisoners simply disappear.

Assets

Assets vary according to crew.
Captain Viola – Has a high-end and professional fleet of nearly 25 elegant sky galleons. Each galleon is outfitted with canons. Many of his men have gunpower and rifles and pistols. Roughly, the entire crew adds up to about 1,200. Each crew member easily has 50 gold at their disposal.
Lady Dora – Has a professional fleet of 5 powerful and very fast mag glides with razor hulls. The glides are outfitted with sniper guns rather than canons for flexibility’s sake. Skilled with swords, rapiers, pistols, etc. Each crew member has an average of 70 gold to at their disposal, and there are roughly 500 crew members.
General Woodstone– Has traditional mag glides, and a very strong, cohesive, disciplined crew. Their mag glides are outfitted with two large canons a piece, one on each end. The crew has with guns and sabers and great endurance. There are roughly 400 crew members and each has 60 gold a piece.
Captain Rackshank – Has a large fleet of small, scuttled mag glides and speeders of various powers and sizes, their number anywhere from 50 to 80. Their equipment is not top notch, but cruel and effective. Same with their weaponry – it varies greatly by individual. There are roughly 250 crew members with 20 gold a piece.
Lord Tor – Has 7 representatives, each with their own black sky galleon. Not flashy, but very durable and outfitted with full canons. Easy to camouflage on dark nights and in fog. Tor members all wear black bands around their wrists. These bands are rumored to summon weapons. Tor member’s weapons are usually all black and very high quality. The number of crew members is estimated around 200, each with 80 gold a piece.

History

1027- Lord Tor rumored to be in Pura Swampwoods. Black Diamond symbol beginning to appear on maps and correspondence.
1033- Pura Overun by Darassum, Pirates seem to disappear.
1044-Lord Tor returns when Darasuum overpowered. Pirates begin to return to the swamp.
1333- Black Diamond Trade Federation officially formed and truce between three strong pirate captains.
RECENT
1663-Captain Rackshank leads his clan band into the swamps, begins rise to power and terror
1673-Lady Dora becomes first female Pirate Captain to enter Black Diamond Trade Federation at age 21
1674-General Woodstone becomes captain, having defected from Heuntsia and risen through the ranks of his former captain’s crew.
1681-Captain Viola supplants his father in the “family business” of five generations as Captain Wilhem Viola III

Type: Criminal Alliance

Founding Date

1333

Alternative Names

“The Trade” “Pirates” “Five Diamonds.”

Demonym

Pirates (Common), Merchants (Amongst themselves),

Leader

Lord Tor