The Tombstone

Art Credit: su jian, 2019, concept 201

Structure

The Tombstone is a creation of my own hand, and is guided by my singular instruction. As captain and Queen Pirate, it heeds only my command and all those that crew it lay subordinate to the wishes of their mighty leader. Even if my titles stay somewhat on the nose, they leave no room for misinterpretation, and all those who hear the name Tombs are instilled with a feeling of urgency, command, and respect--most especially those in the path of my ship.
Given its size, certain duties must be delegated, and all are entrusted to the First Mate, the only pirate you can trust, Relentless Ryland Parch. He has the unenviable position of being the captain's personal courier, guaranteeing proper commital of duties to individuals around the Tombstone, and performing burial rituals. Parch keeps a group of Quartermasters under him to seamlessly run the different areas of the ship, and they each have their own lackeys and henchmen. Despite any misconceptions or misgivings that come with the title of pirate, the ship is run as a well-oiled machine and is always kept in tip-top shape.

History

The waters that separate Themeria and Theotia are a unique place unlike any in the world--sheltered on all sides they remain mostly calm all year unless agitated by enormous creatures or foul weather. These conditions made it the perfect place to conduct sea-based trade, but that also made it the perfect target for piracy. In those waters, no name is as revered and feared as Tyrannia Tombs, the Pirate Queen. For 9 and 1/3 years, the Mistress of the Drowned terrorized merchant vessels up and down the Valley of Death and Renewal. So catastrophic and costly was the appetite of the Tombstone that Q'al Cune and Q'al Phassa jointly invested in the only known naval force on the planet to combat Tombs--they should have saved their money. Within a fortnight, every one of their ships, from Cog to Carrack, had been captured, their flags replaced with the emblem of the Red Renegade, and they had been enlisted as an advanced party for the Tombstone, like an early warning system.
With seafaring abilities second to none, governments all over the Sister States feared the complete shutdown of the only maritime commerce zone in the remaining world. With no end in sight to the reign of the Pirate Queen, a deal was struck on the first of the year, Y.E. 1135. A small island that existed in the valley between both landmasses was agreed upon for the meeting place of what would become The Traveler's Treaty. The goal was to find some agreement that would allow for the peaceful travel of goods over water without interference from the Pirate Queen or any of her associates and crew. The Sister States spent several days making increasingly attractive offers and enormous promises to motivate me into early retirement before a counter-offer was made to finally end negotiations. I said that I would only leave her life of piracy if I could be made a baroness with territory and claim to tax it. There was some squabbling as to which territory would be claimed until I was forced to interject again, saying that the seas would always belong to me.
The offer was simple, but its simplicity lent itself to strange, unprecedented, dangerous new rules. I wanted the largest ship of the fleet to become the newest barony of the Sister States, a territory that would begin and end with bow and stern. With this new barony, I would remain on the seas, keeping the waters safe, and would be entitled to tax all travel, merchants, and goods that passed through it. The delegates from Theotia and Themeria spent a full day decrying the proposition as lunacy, comparing me to thuggish mafiosos with outrageous protection fees--they finally seemed to understand the predicament they were in. Discussions went on for nearly a week before the delegates relented to allowing the ship to become the barony I wanted and another week after that before agreeing to a 0.576% tax rate for the Valley of Death and Renewal. On the 17th day of 1135, the Sister States welcomed their newest baroness into the Saga of Noble Houses. Now, the world's largest vessel, The Tombstone, continually patrols the interior waters of the Sister States, vigilant for any creatures that come spilling over from the zone of Ob-3, and eager to put down any pirate that tries to recreate the success of the greatest marauder to ever live.

This entry is narrated by Tyrannia Tombs

Founding Date

Built 1125, Codified Barony 1135

Type

Geopolitical, Barony

Leader

Tyrannia Tombs

Parent Organization

The Country of Themeria & Theotia