The County of Sapphire Island rulers of seas and oceans

Sobriquet: Pirates

#duels #romance #puzzles

Story:

Sapphire Island (called that by no means for its jewels and riches, but for the color of the waters of the sea that surrounds it) has been a problem for the Kingdom since it reached the seashore almost 200 years ago. A rocky and inaccessible island, a nest of pirates and adventurers, a safe haven for all those who fled the law, for over a century it was a thorn in the side of the rulers of the Ossorio family. Captains leaving the port of Glassburg always looked fearfully at the horizon, fearing that they would see the tall masts and the black flags of the Sapphire Brotherhood, for that was what the islanders used to call themselves.

In 207, King Jaromir III, called by his subjects the Lion of Ossorio, decided to end the plague of sea robbers. The kingdom, with great expense and effort, built a powerful fleet and landed on Sapphire Island, capturing the main pirate nest, the city and port of Vik, after a short and fierce battle. Unfortunately (for the kingdom), this did not mean the end of the pirates – most ships and crews managed to escape the pogrom and find shelter in foreign ports. In the years that followed, these pirates returned and continued to plunder the royal ships with more ferocity than before. Eventually, after nearly two decades of naval warfare, the Kingdom was so tired and exhausted that Jaromir III sat down to bargain with the pirate leader, “Black” Seamus Drakenborg.

And so, under the Vik Treaty signed in 230, Sapphire Island became a county of the Kingdom, the hereditary property of the Drakenborg family, and the pirates of the Sapphire Brotherhood became royal corsairs. And this state of affairs continues to this day. At least officially. 

The Sapphire Island is a rocky land surrounded by an ever-rough sea, located to the northwest of the Kingdom’s coast, with little agricultural land. The staple food of the locals is fish and game, and everything that merchants bring to the port of Vik (it is not surprising that even the local peasants know the taste of exotic fruits and spices). The main source of income for the locals, however, is not fishing or trade, but what they ‘bring from the sea’. Yes, piracy continues to flourish here. Although those who are more law-abiding call it privateering.   

Appearance and distinguishing features:

Freedom and freedom and ease – these are the main determinants of fashion on Sapphire Island. You dress in what you have stolen, traded from your comrades, or as a last resort – made to measure, much less often – honestly bought.

Clothing, especially the festive kind, should make you stand out in the crowd of sailors in the port of Vik. The more colorful and eye-catching the better! And that the colors, patterns and fabrics do not match? Who cares. If it catches the eye and looks rich – it’s good! And it’s even better if you complete it all with a beautiful, garish cape or half-coat.

The head of a pirate officer from Sapphire Island should wear a colorful scarf, or even better – a tricorn hat with a feather, heavy gold and silver earrings are often visible on the ears, and chains and rings made of the same metals often adorn pirate necks and fingers.

Names and nomenclature:

The names and surnames on Sapphire Island are truly cosmopolitan and diverse, but those of Nordic and Celtic origin prevail.

Examples of female names:

Aoife, Astrid, Bjork, Breena, Caitriona, Deirdre, Dotta, Erin, Gunhild, Gwendolyn, Helle, Keira, Ingeborg, Maille, Muireann, Orla, Rowena, Runa, Saoirse, Shannon, Siobhan, Solveig, Sorcha,Tullia, Una

Examples of male names:

Aidan, Axel, Bevan, Bjorn, Cathal, Dolan, Haakan, Innis, Kiernan, Knud, Liam, Mannix, Neal, Njall, Proinnsias, Riddock, Rory, Shea, Sigurd, Sullivan, Torin, Torsten, Wynn.

Other lands in the eyes of the inhabitants of Sapphire Island:

The Duchy of Ossorio:

Stiff as if someone had put a stick in their collective ass. Degenerate aristocrats, convinced that only those who have been crossing-breeding with each other for several generations are worth something. Plus, they don’t know anything about sailing.

The County of Riccolante:

Explosive madmen, with whom you cannot joke, because they instantly reach for iron. They try to copy our style of dress, with not much success – they have too many rules for combining colors and textures of fabrics. But it must be admitted that they can drink. And fight.

The March of Charnobor:

Sneaky schemers. Nobody knows anything for sure about them, and many of those who enter the shadow of their forests never return from there. You cannot trust them or turn your back on them. And those stupid caps!

The Free City of Glassburg:

A bunch of victims, pacifists and merchants. Their ships used to be perfect prey, but now (at least officially) we don’t raid them anymore. They have bad taste in dress and seem to hardly drink at all. But at least they sail well. And they don’t think the aristocrats are always right.

Other:

The inhabitants of Sapphire Isle have a very specific sense of honor: they will not hesitate to stab you in the back or switch sides in battle, but if they swear a personal friendship to you, it will be for life and death.