The Dogbeards

A band of privateers or pirates, depending on who you ask. The Dogbeards operate out of Gazhou primarily, but travel all along the southern coast of Lerulious, escorting passengers, securing trade routes, and carrying cargo, all for the right price. They're also incredibly comfortable with attacking foreign vessels in waters that they perceive to be theirs, though when under retainer by a local government this can be kept to a minimum.
All Dogbeard vessels fly the same flag- A black field with a red wolfhound head, fangs bared.

Structure

The Dogbeards have multiple ships, each of them run by a Captain who owns the vessel. The Captain has a first mate, generally selected at the outset of any expedition by the crew, and act as captain in the event that the captain is incapacitated in any way, as well as speaking for the crew when dealing with the captain.
The Captains endeavor to act in concert whenever possible, especially in terms of cooperation with governments. When a Captain acts outside the goals of the Dogbeards, they may be stripped of their membership in the group by word of other captains, though a group of at least three captains are required to disbar another captain. When word of this occurrence reaches the crew of the ship of a disbarred captain, its very common for them to either disband immediately, in search of another Captain. Less commonly, if they somehow receive word at sea, a crew may mutiny, and either kill or jail the Captain in question.

Public Agenda

The Dogbeards, overall, have a positive reputation in central south Lerulious. Most people consider them nothing more than heavily armed merchants, though port city officials generally know better, and treat them with respect in order to assure they have access to their services.

History

The Dogbeards have been around for at least 100 years, and possibly much longer. What's known for reasonably certain is the namesake of the group. A sailor whose true name has been lost to time found himself on the losing end of a duel during a boarding engagement, and was struck to the ground, bleeding fiercely from the neck. In what he thought were going to be his last moment, the man's dog charged his attacker, and laid viciously into him. While the attacker was held in place long enough for the sailor to get back to his feet and finish off his assailant, his dog perished in action.
Unwilling to part with the animal who had saved his life, the man kept the dog's pelt before giving it a burial at sea, and he wore that pelt as a scarf the rest of his days. He came to be known as Dogbeard, and as he eventually acquired his own ship, his men became known as Dogbeard's Men, and then The Dogbeards. Since then, the organization has swollen significantly.

Founding Date

Pre-history

Type

Guild, Privateers