Deeptide Reavers

I'm telling what I was that day where no mere men, but devils from the deep that have come to punish all for what has happened in Ardania and drag us all into a watery grave. - Survivor from Deeptide Reaver attack

Structure

Because of their current circumstances the Reavers of act independently with one another by their ships and crews to carry out their raids and other tasks, but all follow the will of the Lord Admiral and follow their orders along with the Tide captains under them as their lieutenants.
Lord Admiral: A title given to those who have power of a large number of ships, often being of noble birth, but the title has been used by pirates as well.
Tide Captains: A term given to the commanding officer of naval ship in a military and are given special rights to keep their crews in line.

Culture

Being a Member

There are no innocents when they side with the empire; they are just as guilty for aiding them in their atrocities. - Enraged Reaver

We once swore an oath to defend the water from all that would harm it. But now, those days are done with the empire controlling these waters and our homeland. Now is a time to return the favor through blood and steel upon all that stand with them. We lost everything to them, and they must suffer to understand that truth. The imperials are a menace that must be cleansed from the land and the sea, no matter the cost. This is the path we must take, not that we must take to see justice done for our people. For generations, our people have watched over the sea, so we know it better than they ever will; that is how we shall defeat them with that knowledge. From now on, there will be nothing to hold us back from doing what must be done to defeat the empire and drive them from our shores. Good men are no longer needed for what we are about to do, for only monsters are needed to bring terror and fear to all who stand against us as the sea shall run red wherever we go from this day forth.

What People Think of You

Many people have grown to fear these pirates due to the brutality they use on the ships and settlements they attack. So much so that ships have begun to avoid going near the coast of Ardania to avoid crossing their path. This caused problems for the Vatian Empire with its occupation of the south as needed supplies were not being delivered to its forces there. Making it a priority for the Imperial Navy to find and hunt them down to start trade in the region again. But it has also gained them friends, often being of the criminal elements that help them conduct business through stolen goods and smuggling to earn a quick profit.

Public Agenda

The Reavers' only goal is to spread terror and damage the power of the Vatian Empire in Ardania through piracy and raid to help free their homeland from their control.

Assets

The Reavers have acquired many ships that either belong to them or they captured during their raids, along with safe holds where they can dock and rest without being seen. But the wealth they have acquired from their raiding aids them in being better equipped.

History

From Drowned Ashes

The War of the Raptors was a costly war for the Kingdom of Ardania that cost them everything when it was over with all in ruins. But while it took four years to send it all crashing down for many, a few suffered the fatal blow more. While the war took place, mostly on land, very few could forget the war that raged on the seas as the empire tried to commit to an amphibious landing for the kingdom on multiple attempts, with none other than the Sea Guard holding them at bay. While there were many victories for the guard, they had suffered many losses, and before the war's end, their fleets were in ruins, with very few remaining to keep up the fight. Soon enough, they would be unable to stop the Imperial Navy from setting foot on Ardania's shores, leading to the coastline being pillaged and their holdings destroyed. Most would believe that would be the end of the Sea Guard, with all of its ships and forts destroyed. This, however, was not the end but a new beginning, as there were still survivors of the guard that survived the war and soon enough regrouped with all that remained of them. They knew that there was no hope of retaking their homeland and the seas were now under the empire's control, but instead of leaving to sail to a new land to call home, they swore an oath of blood and vengeance to the end their days against the empire. With less than a dozen ships, they set out upon the seas to raze terror and mayhem where up all that sided with the empire.
The early days were nothing much, as their resources and manpower were small, leaving them to plan their targets carefully to have the upper hand in battle. But one advantage they had was the dense fog that was common near the coast of Ardania. Many were experienced navigating through it, allowing them to have the element of surprise over the unsuspecting ships they targeted. Their targets were supply ships transporting resources from food to equipment to further the occupation of Ardania. Still, these ships never came to port, as when the fog came over, the pirates would attack and overwhelm the ship's crew with stealth and speed. Very few survived these attacks as the pirates wished to keep their presence a secret for as long as possible; most were killed before being tossed into the sea, and the unfortunate ones were still alive when thrown overboard. With time the small band of guard remnants grew in power as they gained more ships and resources for each raid they committed to. Soon enough, they became bolder, and under cover of fog, they would attack the coastline looting anything of value from the imperials stationed there, along with gaining a few recruits along the way, before vanishing just as they arrived before a counter-attack could be done against them. From that time on, the imperials that witnessed these attacks began to call the pirates Reavers for their savage nature and fighting, and the name stuck with the Deeptide Reavers being what they called themselves from now on.

Terror of the Seas

It has been many years since they began their quest for vengeance against the empire, and they have left a trail of blood on the sea as a warning to all. Any ships affiliated with the empire have suffered a dark fate, and their crews are never seen against, or their remains are found later on. Those who try to go after them often go empty-handed, as they can never find them, and often vanish without a trace. Making them have control over much of the waters around Ardania with little to no opposition to face them. Sea trade has stopped in the region because of this, and the lanes remained empty except for a few who dared to travel to Ardania. But as the sea became empty, the Reavers turned to the shoreline as their new hunting ground. Outposts and holdings belonging to the empire go silent, only to find their occupants slaughtered to the man with everything of value taken from them. This has caused the Imperial Navy to tighten its grip in the region to try and stop these raids from happening. Leading to clashes with the elusive band of pirates that have grown in number and become better equipped than previously thought. It seems now that the time for lurking in the depth of the sea is over, and the war against the empire has finally come to fruition.

Terror from the Deep

Founding Date

1528

Type

Illicit, Pirate Crew

Alternative Names

Pirates, Silent Death

Predecessor Organization

• Sea Guard

Demonym

Reavers

Leader

Thalia Seacrest

Notable Members

• Thalia Seacrest

Related Species

• Humans

Related Ethnicities

• Ardanian

Allies in War

I don't care if you don't like them, they hate the empire as much as we do, so they are good in my book. - Reaver Captian

The Reavers, in recent years, have made many enemies from their acts of piracy, but it has also gained them some friends as well. The most notable is the infamous Hyperion League that sees them as an ally in their plans of liberating Hyperia. Both groups work with one another by sharing resources and information to further their goals; relations between them have remained positive as their hatred of the empire has given them enough common ground to work together despite the fears of their goals getting in the way.

Harbingers of Terror

We are the reckoning that they have brought upon themselves, and in their final moment, they shall only know fear before the deep depths of the abyss swallow them. - Unkown

Another reason that the Reavers are feared by many is that they make themselves look like monsters of the sea rather than people. They do this by suddenly appearing out of nowhere before striking their targets to instill fear. They also have members dressed up to look like they are creatures of the deep. They have been known to cover themselves in just about anything that comes from the sea, fish bones, driftwood, seaweed; you name it, they cover themselves with it. While this looks ridiculous to anyone who knows, it can be terrifying if you see a strange creature coming on your ship right out of the water suddenly. A tactic they often use is sneaking onto ships by swimming or using rowboats to climb aboard to draw less attention before attacking. But the most effective method is to leave behind a bloody mess to terrify anyone who comes upon it and spread the tale of Reavers to all who listen to it.

Secret Havens

This place will be safe for us long enough to go through all the loot we got from that merchant ship before moving on. - Ester Rells

With the Reavers mainly made up of former members of the Sea Guard, they have access to information exclusive to the guard that only they know about now. One of them was the many hidden ports that the guard used to dock their ships when needing to avoid drawing attention to themselves. Allowing them to go into hiding to wait to attack passing ships or just after attacking one. Considering that Ardania borders Hyperion Isles means that there are possibly hundreds of havens that they could be hiding in with no chance of finding them. Even if one were to be discovered, traces of them being there would be long gone as they never stay in one place to avoid being caught.