Corsairs of Kassoth

The Kassothi Corsairs (officially the Conclave of Free-Sailing Captains) is the term given to the loose confederation of pirates, corsairs, and freebooters operating in and around the southern coast of Eigentica. Nominally lead by an elected overcaptain, many of them use the large island of Kassoth as a base of operations with the city of Crimsonhold serving as a de facto capital.

History

Formation

While the Achinad Sea and Kassoth in particular had always been a hotbed of piracy, the current league of captains coalesced in the early 1600's under the leadership of Almos Korvallis. In response to the ever-growing power of the Empire of Räsgard and competition with the Rumiyyad-funded pirates Júzir Isles, Korvallis convinced a number of fellow captains to band together into a fragile alliance. Calling themselves the Conclave of Free-Sailing Captains, together they elected Korvallis their overcaptain and signed a treaty with the Räsgardic Emperor Ulrich Reisenwulf that came to be known as the Old Oath. According to this treaty, all captains of the Conclave would swear not to attack any ships flying an Imperial flag; in return, the Emperor paid a yearly tribute to the Conclave to be distributed among the various captains. Additionally, the crown reserved the right to call upon the pirates to serve as an impromptu naval militia, with the stipulation that when the conflict was over the overcaptain be allowed to demand his share of spoils and treated as any other head of state in peace talks. Due to the high price of this stipulation, this clause was only invoked twice.

Second Räsgardic Civil War

During the Second Räsgardic Civil War, the Corsairs were called upon by then-emperor Albrecht to sail up the Aiberrun River and defend Alcaster from rebel incursions. As such, under the leadership of the overcaptain Dominque Vos the corsairs were allowed to sail directly into the capital where they remained for several months. Unbeknownst to Albrecht however, Vos had already made a deal with the rebel leader Oras and agreed to help unseat his usurping uncle. The corsairs proved to be invaluable in reclaiming the city.

Alvoro Bay Invasion

After the fall of the Empire, an emissary from the Kingdom of Hildonia was sent to negotiate the continuation of the Old Oath with the Kassothi overcaptain at the time, Ramsey Claiborne. Claiborne agreed to maintain the status quo of yearly payments in response for non-aggression. However when the corsairs were called upon some years later to assist in the ill-fated Alvoro Bay Invasion, Claiborne claimed the corsairs were obligated to assist the Emperor; as such with the Empire no longer in existence his corsairs owed no loyalty to the Hildonian crown. Some of the corsairs found this cowardly and dishonorable, and a small flotilla under the command of John Foote set sail for Galdemar. Upon arriving at the scene Foote realized that his ragtag fleet was far too small to make a difference in the battle, and rather than throw his crew's lives away he chose to turn back before entering the fight.

Foote-Brink Dispute

Upon Foote's return to Crimsonhold he discovered that a corsair named Bramwell Brink had killed Claiborne and styled himself the new overcaptain. In response, a Conclave was called to elect Claiborne's replacement. Foote himself entered the election, and for the first time in the Conclave's history the vote was tied and no overcaptain was declared. For three months tensions rose between the two captains before a barroom brawl escalated into a citywide battle between Brink and Foote's forces. In the end Foote's men gained the upper hand, and with the Conclave in attendance the two captains signed a peace deal. Brink would be banished from Crimsonhold but would take with him the Flag of Korvallis, thus making it impossible by law to elect a new overcaptain. All in attendance swore that no overcaptain would be elected until either Foote or Brink lay dead, and that no man of their crew would attack another. This resulted in a shaky but effective peace that lasted for two months, until Foote hired a passing group of adventurers to assassinate Brink for him and recover the flag; as the band was not part of his crew, this technically did not break the rules of the peace deal and cleared the way for a new Conclave to be held.

Members of the Conclave

In the aftermath of the The Battle of Crimsonhold, there are currently eight standing captains of the Conclave:

• Anton von Rheintach: The current overcaptain of the conclave, Anton von Rheintach commands four ships: the Mangy Dog, the Darrington, the Kingfisher, and the Aelin's Call. Known members of his crew include Mute Bob, Ari, Glarm the Bewitched, S'vadda, Jason Stilwell, Cecily Hallock, and Roland deWitt.
• John Foote: Captain John Foote commands the Amity, and lost the Pride and the Kite in the Battle of Crimsonhold. A known member of his crew is Josiah Tropical, a tiger trainer who was formerly among Bramwell Brink's crew.
• Jonathan Bones: Captain Bones commands the Ravenous Queen, the Seaward, and the Pomme de Terre, having lost the Sea Ghost and the Anustart in the battle. Known members of his crew include Nix, Eustace, Antoine Voullé de Larron, Locke, and Seamus.
• Ide Onobonjo: Commands the Maharamia. Known crew members include Mama Waasi.
• Zhao Linwei: Commands the Golden Fleet from his flagship Haido. He lost four ships in the battle and currently commands at least six.
• Mary McCormac: Commands the Hyacinth, having lost the Corsair and the Chimaera in the battle.
• Roddard Blacktallow: An elderly pirate who is long-since retired but is still counted amongst the Conclave due to respect for his past exploits. His ship Lucky Linda is mothballed in a hidden cove along the shores of Kassoth.
• Morlaer kho'Serezh: Commands the Anvil, having lost his previous flagship the Axehead in the battle.

Flag of Almos Korvallis, the first Kassothi overcaptain. The flag is traditionally adopted by all successors to the title.

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Name:
Conclave of Free-Sailing Captains
Also Called:
Kassothi Corsairs
Type:
Association of pirates
Base of Operations:
The Scarlet Fortress, Crimsonhold
Leader(s):
Anton von Rheintach
Enemies:
Hildonian military