The Red Fleet

The Red Fleet is a loose coalition of pirate ships operating in the Varotra Sea, and occasionally heading west to the Margbreytinn Ocean. The fleet operates as a confederacy, with each ship ultimately deciding if they are members of it or not. Those who decide to be members gain many benefits, such as immunity to attacks or raids from other members of the fleet, as well as the right to sail the crimson sails and flag that are unique to the fleet. The rules for members of the Red Fleet are simple:

1. Do not attack or raid other members of the Red Fleet.
2. Escort paying customers to where they want to go under protection.
3. Do not attack or raid those who are employing the Red Fleet as mercenaries.
4. Show no mercy or forgiveness to those who betray, attempt to trick or impostor the Red Fleet.
5. Protect Port Jardic from any potential attackers

The Red Fleet will abandon their crimson sails when trying to raid other ships, while those that are resting or patrolling the isles will typically be sailing with them. This is so that other members and outsiders can recognize members of the fleet. For members, it is important that other pirates part of the Red Fleet recognize friendly ships so as to not cause friendly fire. The first step for many crews of the Red Fleet will be to learn the crews of other ships so that they are not accidentally attacked out at sea. This is important, as there are some merchants or other pirates who attempt to fly the Crimson Sails to avoid being attacked. A ship that doubts another's true membership is free to plunder or outright attack other vessels with the sails.

Some ships have no intention of fleeing or fighting the Red Fleet, but lookout for their ships as they approach the islands. Many of these are explorers, travelers to and from Port Jardic, or exotic merchant ships who wish to buy goods from Jardic to trade later. Such ships will often look for the crimson sails and hail the Red Fleet to protect them from other pirates and escort them to the city. However these ships don't do it for free and the size of the requested payment can vary widely from just hundreds to tens of thousands of silver pieces. Though expensive, it is by far the safest way to travel, as many other pirates that are not part of the Red Fleet patrol the area.

Despite it being against the rules, members of the Red Fleet are constantly fighting each other. But that is simply an inevitability for many of them. The greed and treachery of certain ships makes it all the more important for ship captains and their officers to make as many allies within the organization as they can. Many ships in the fleet have become famous for their fair treatment and even friendly demeanor towards outsiders and opposing crews to diminish the odds of being attacked. While more successful and well known ships become the target of both jealous captains and those seeking to further their own riches. Some times, members of the Red Fleet will attack each other out at sea, as leaving survivors means they will report the misdeeds done to them to the rest of the fleet. While many ships have destroyed fellow members under, 'self defense,' unless there are survivors all others can do is take their word.

That is not to say the members never get along. Many in fact do, and some even work together to create traps and raid coastlines together, diminishing profits but making their work safer, and success more certain. Some ships will team up if other pirates in the region have established themselves, sometimes offering membership to the fleet, but more often than not simply attacking and taking their loot. Should a former member of the Red Fleet be known to have betrayed it, the response often depends on the likeability of its crew and its captain. Should they have been unknown, the response is typically little, while a hated ship will often warrant no reaction from the rest. However, should a ship with a well loved crew or captain go down, other members of the Fleet will convoy in groups as large as a dozen ships to exact revenge.

During times of war, the Red Fleet may be hired as mercenaries. This is tricky, as whoever is hiring the fleet not only has to pay a massive sum for their help, but must make their way down to Jardic to do it officially and get word out to the other members as fast as possible. While each member of the fleet can choose to accept or decline the offer, declining warrants no rewards and they are still expected to not attack ships of the hiring party. Unless they have serious plans of their own, they accept more often than not.

Lastly, should Port Jardic be the target of any nation or coordinated attack, the fleet is to rush to its aid immediately. This is one of the few undisputed and almost universally followed rules of all members, as Port Jardic serves as a base of operations for recruitment, trade, and repairs. The city does not care that pirates inhabit it, and even assists them in order to help them get back out into the seas. While there are a handful of other cities that members of the Red Fleet can sail into, most are not as helpful to them, and others are in less strategic positions, such as Soldern. Because of this, if Port Jardic were to be captured or otherwise destroyed, the Red Fleet would be crippled.

Type

Illicit, Pirate Crew