The Drakes

In the Aetherial Expanse, the word ‘drake’ is synonymous with pirates for good reason—the Isle of Drakes has been the home of fortune-seekers, glory-hunters, and thieves for over twenty years. Though the many pirate crews that consider themselves part of the Drakes spend much of their time squabbling for power and resources, they remain true to two key principles: they will never bow to the authority of Ayris or Karelagne, and they will never take the freedom of another.

The Drakes became a force within the Aetherial Expanse thanks in large part to Teruko the Drake, an infamous pirate who sailed during the height of the War of the Invaders. Teruko maneuvered past both the Ayrissian and Karelagne navies on her galleon, The Drake, to offer transport to stranded civilians, disillusioned deserters, and sailors looking for new opportunities. She took money for her services from some and skills-in-trade from others. She brought them to a cluster of islands in the Expanse’s earthward reach that she’d taken under her protection. She also made each newcomer swear a single oath—that they would never bend to the power of either the Ayrissian crown or the Karelagne Empire.

When Teruko the Drake was alive, loyalty to her and her ship kept the many pirates of the Isle of Drakes united, with crews working together to share the danger and profit of a pirate’s life, but her mysterious death at sea created a rift in her crew and shattered most of these fragile arrangements. While the Drakes will band together if needed in the face of a common threat—pirate-hunting privateers, for example, or bounty hunters working for Ayris or Karelagne they generally see each other as threats rather than allies, and won’t hesitate to turn on each other for their own gain. Despite their differences, Drakes share a come-what-may approach to life and danger, believing that a short life of freedom is better than a long one under the thumb of an oppressive outside power. Their belief in freedom also means that they generally do not take captives from the ships they attack without offering them the Drake’s choice of blood, land, or aether a quick death, exiled on the nearest landmass, or a spot on the pirate’s crew. While there are many pirate crews that either operate from the Isle of Drakes or consider it their true home, a few have gained enough renown that their names are known separately from the Drakes—the Blood Lilies, the Thorned Knights, the Children of Asteth, and the Shipwreckers. Each have their own agenda, with long-term goals that could shape the future of piracy on the Aetherial Expanse.