Nelanther

Take an old salt’s advice and beware the Pirate Isles of the Sea of Swords, the Nelanther. Here, all manner of seafaring or sea-dwelling creatures live, from lizardfolk and minotaurs to orcs and ogres, with a smattering of humans and others thrown in for variety. Where some pirates hold to their own code of conduct, the folk of Nelanther care nothing for rules, honor, or even good, neighborly sense: they attack each another as often and as viciously as they do any passing ship or convoy. Simply put, the Nelanther Isles are a chain of reavers and raiders, who eke out a living fighting whomever they can find.

No one’s ever bothered to count or name all the tribes of these islands, and I doubt anyone’s going to start now. For one thing, it’s a fool’s errand: tribes split up or are destroyed at such a rapid pace that by the time you finished counting, you’d have to start over anyway. For another, it’s dirty, dangerous work, and dealing with pirates is a task best left to swift ships, well-armed navies, and the kinds of fools that would want to count them in the first place.

If you do find out the name of a tribe in the Nelanther, be careful about mentioning it to another Nelanther ship unless you can confirm that the ship belongs to a friendly tribe. Even so, be advised that alliances are short as summer storms in these isles, and it’s not likely you’ll be around long enough to witness a new one being forged. Proclaiming your allegiance to a certain tribe might anger the one you’re talking to.

Still, if you’re looking for cheap, strong hands, Nelanther may be the place for you, but don’t expect much in the way of loyalty or cleverness out of them. Hiring too many Nelanther sailors on a ship is just asking for your ship to be taken from you, sailed back to the islands, and given new life as a pirate vessel.