Pirates of Azmeran¶
"The pirates are a force to be reckoned with on the Ruined Sea." — the Compendium (S372)
The Pirates of Azmeran are the brotherhood of pirate captains who sail under a council of pirate lords seated in the haven of Azmeran. "Several hundred years ago, the pirates of the Ruined Sea were united under a single pirate lord, Azmer. He led a campaign of raids along the cities of the Ruined coast the likes of which has not been seen since. He is credited with creating the haven of Azmeran" (S372). The council has outlasted every navy sent against it, and in the Fifth Age its name is borrowed by privateers of the Broken Sea.
The council¶
"The pirates are ruled by a council of pirate lords. One pirate lord rotates duty in residence in Azmeran. All pirate captains sail under the command of this pirate council" (S372). Discipline is enforced from below: "Captains not paying their dues or going against the council will be removed by their crews, or the entire crew and ship will be hunted down" (S372).
In the Compendium's day there were "approximately 150 pirate captains, with crews ranging from 30 to 250", seldom in port. "When a pirate lord retires, the most successful pirate captain succeeds him as the next lord in the council (essentially bidding for the seat). A pirate lord can either retire voluntarily or is forcibly retired by personal challenge from a captain. Most disputes are settled by duels among equals" (S372).
The Fourth Age knows "the 7 lords of Azmeran". One of them, Koltric, a "lich pirate lord wizard", has retired to Marshford, and his treasure is the hook of the Marshford Campaign's "Pirate Lord Treasure" arc, with a place called Skullport (S361).
The trade in flags¶
The council governs its own competition. "Small time pirates operating outside the control of Azmeran are not uncommon, but if any pirate starts becoming successful, it will gain the attention of Azmeran, and will either join Azmeran or be destroyed" (S372).
It also sells safety. "Many merchants choose to pay off the pirates rather than risk losing their cargo. Most ports have one or more emissaries from Azmer who are willing to sell a merchant vessel a flag, which tells the pirates to ignore the ship. The flag's design changes regularly, and the emissary's job is also to watch the port for signs of counterfeits, which if spotted lead to a targeted attack. The emissaries are tolerated by local governments out of the fear of reprisals" (S372).
Wars¶
"The city of Azmeran has been purged during several invasions over the past 400 years by nations seeking to eliminate the pirate threat. However, the city has proven to be resilient, and each time rebuilt stronger and bigger than before" (S372).
The Peshian Navy¶
The navy of the ancient island kingdom of Pesh made the last attempt. "The last attempt to attack the city was nearly 40 years ago, led by the Peshian Navy, and was a disastrous defeat for Pesh" (S372). The sources say nothing else of the Peshian Navy.
The new pirates¶
In the Fifth Age, around the Broken Sea, the name has new owners. "Borrowing the name from a famous historical group of pirates, the new pirates of Azmeran operate freely out of most Riven ports as merchant ships and exclusively target Sancturi shipping. There is rumored to be a secret Azmeran haven, though only the pirate captains are allowed to know its location" (S317). They spare the neutral merchant fleet only so far: "the pirates have been known to target BSMA ships when their cargo holds are filled with Sancturi goods" (S317). Their enemy, the Sancturi Navy, spends most of its strength guarding shipping "from Riven Pirates and Oesterkull Raiders" (S317); they sail from the ports of the Riven Kingdoms.
Gap
No source names a pirate lord of the old council other than Azmer and Koltric, says how the Fifth Age privateers took up the name, or whether their secret haven has anything to do with the island of Azmeran.
Earlier accounts¶
The 2014 gazetteer and its 2015 copy (S548, S499) give the council exactly "five pirate lords", one of whom "rotates duty in residence in Azmeran every 3 months", call the pirates' waters the Inner Sea, and omit the flag trade and the duels.