The Raid on Evlimani
After founding the Red Hawk Corsairs in 473S.E., Utkan the Bold, once a captain in the royal navy of the Sultanate of Fashaddon, turned deserter, made a name for himself and the Corsairs after a daring raid on Evlimani, the home base of the Sultanate of Fashaddon’s navy.
Summary
Having convinced his crew to desert from the navy of the Sultanate of Fashaddon, Utkan the Bold had led the Red Hawk Corsairs to a number of significant victories as they took to stalking the Safir Sea and preying on the convoys of merchant vessels that plied the shallow, calm waters between the south of the Sultanate of Fashaddon and the Emirate of Taqwal.
However, the more scores that Utkan and his crew were able to pull off, the more intensely the Sultanate's navy began to hunt the Red Hawk Corsairs down. Rather than back down or sue for peace, Utkan decided to make a bold statement that he and the Red Hawk Corsairs were not to be trifled with, even by the navy of the Sultanate of Fashaddon itself.
To this end, Utkan set a course for Evlimani, the home harbour for the core of Fashaddon's fleet. Under cover of darkness he piloted his ship into the harbour mouth and then sent a flotilla of small, unmanned craft filled with kindling, fire wood and covered in tar. As these small boats drew near to the Fashaddonite Navel vessels, Utkan's crew began pouring fire arrows into the mass of ships and fire boats. This move led to the complete destruction of 10 Fashaddonite warships, the incapacitating of at least five others, and successfully blocked any of the Sultan's navy that was still left intact from retaliating against Utkan.
This meant the Utkan the Bold and his crew were free to loot the harbour warehouses of Evlimani, not only securing a healthy supply of rations and supplies for the next few months, but also led to their capture of untold amounts of treasure, spices and luxury goods that secured Utkan the Bold's and the Red Hawk Corsair's place in history.
Historical Basis
The basic historical facts of the tale are indeed true, and given that Utkan the Bold is still alive and has witnesses (aged though they tend to be) to the verisimilitude of the tale. As the years go by, Utkan is prone to increasing the number of ships that were destroyed by his fire attack, boasting of having destroyed over 150 warships in the attack, but any well informed listener is sure to know that the harbour at Evlimani is only capable of berthing 70 warships at an absolute maximum....
In Art
Utkan's actions during the Raid of Evlimani is particularly popular in the Taqwal Emirate, who are still locked in a protracted conflict with the Sultanate of Fashaddon. This means that raid of Evlimani is a popular subject for the arts, spawning paintings, sculpture, poetry and song. All of this, Utkan is very pleased about.
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