Pirates and Privateers

With the amount of trade that crosses the Mare Interno, it should come as no surprise that piracy is rife. Vanzenia and Staglia are almost continually at war to control sea trade, and so both sides employ pirates who will prey upon all ships that do not bear their own banner. There are also independent pirates who operate from Monte Mamiliano, southern Tirenia or from the Sahel. Due to the poverty of some communities in southern Tirenia, they are forced to rely upon piracy as a livelihood, and the pirates (who trade their stolen wares with the Beneventi) are feted as local heroes. These pirates are sometimes regarded as romantic figures. They rarely come to a good end, however, once they invariably come to the attention of both Vanzenia and Staglia. The pirate Barbarossa (Redbeard) is the most famous of the independent captains, who has managed to elude pirate hunters for a considerable time. He has managed to assemble an entire pirate fleet under his command.

Pirates often work from small, swift and heavily armed vessels. They steal goods and kidnap key prizes, or kidnap and ransom important people. They will also attack coastal settlements. Some particularly bold pirates will even blockade a city and demand tribute - a popular tactic amongst Vanzenian privateers.

Image result for renaissance art ship
Art: 'Dutch Ships Ramming Spanish Galleys off the Flemish Coast in October 1602.' Hendrik Cornelisz Vroom, 1617.

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