The Buccaneers

The Buccaneers are one of the four criminal syndicates that operate out of Highwater. They specializes in the smuggling of goods that were inhibited by the nobles. Some of these goods are ethical, only banned because of high taxes and greed of nobles, others more morally questionable. There is also quite some profit to be made due to the freezing lake, as imported food is worth a lot. They do not see this as unethical, after all it is cheaper than what the noble families charge for such imports.
Their home base is a large tavern on the docks of Highwater called 'The Buccaneer' (hence the name of their organization). It is secretly a ship as well, and in case of an extreme emergency can loosen itself from the docks, sailing unto the lake. Of course it can only do this once...
They are led by a man known as 'The Captain', who does not use his real name. He has 'The First Mate' as his second in command, who manages the day to day operations of the organization. Both used to be pirates in The Far South and came here with a small fortune.

The Captain and The First Mate

The leader of The Buccaneers is simply known as 'The Captain'. He was a pirate for the most of his life before coming to Highwater. He became very rich in The Far South, but the years of fighting also left it's toll. He now walks with a wooden leg, uses a hook for his right hand, and has to wear an eye patch. After these injuries he elected to use his riches to set up his smugglers operation far away from his past.
He still has a reputation to be very deadly in combat. However few living have ever seen him fight, as he rarely leaves his desk. His combat skills also sound unreasonable due to his wooden leg. His secret is an old flintlock-like pistol which he took from the south. Enough to kill a man in a single shot from behind his desk, yet he rarely uses it.
The second in command, simply known as 'The First Mate', is an old friend of The Captain from their old pirate days. He remains very loyal to his captain and takes care of most of the day to day management while The captain worries about the big picture from behind his desk.

Relations to other Highwater Factions

A largely neutral position towards most other factions. The nobles and merchants view them as enemies since their smuggling causes them to lose profit. Because of their lower prices they are quite liked among the common people and poorer merchants.

Type

Illicit, Cartel