Race: Mixed
Government: Pirate Confederacy
Theme: Freedom, maritime dominance, survival through cunning and force
The Free Isles of Kharos came into being not through conquest or prophecy, but through refusal. During the late Second Era, exiles, deserters, smugglers, failed nobles, and escaped slaves fled the tightening control of empires and theocratic states. They found refuge among a scattered chain of islands too fractured, storm-wracked, and dangerous for centralized powers to bother subjugating.
Over time, these refugees became pirates—not merely thieves, but independent actors rejecting all claims of lawful rule. Authority in Kharos is earned through strength, reputation, and survival at sea. The Isles embrace a harsh belief: no one rules by right—only by what they can defend.
Kharos represents absolute freedom without safety. There are no laws beyond custom, no borders beyond cannon range, and no loyalty beyond what coin, fear, or shared survival can buy.
The Free Isles are bound together by loose consensus rather than formal rule.
Key elements of governance:
The Captains’ Conclave
An irregular gathering of the most powerful pirate captains
Meets only when major threats or opportunities arise
Decisions are enforced only by mutual interest or threat of retaliation
Sea-Witches
Arcane figures who wield storm magic, curses, and divination
Often act as advisors, power brokers, or kingmakers
Feared even by captains, yet indispensable for navigation and protection
Port Councils
Informal assemblies controlling major harbors and shipyards
Govern trade, repairs, and territory within ports
Influence shifts frequently through violence or bribery
There is no unified leadership. The Confederacy exists only so long as no one grows powerful enough to dominate the rest.
Kharos has no standing army. Every ship is a warship, and every crew a militia.
Fast, heavily armed ships crewed by veteran raiders
Specialize in ambush, blockade-running, and trade disruption
Often hired as deniable assets by foreign powers
Elite shock fighters trained for close-quarters combat
Use grapples, firebombs, and terror tactics
Loyalty is to captain first, Isles second
Groups of sea-witches and arcane sailors
Manipulate weather, fog, and currents
Guard key islands and secret routes
Local toughs who maintain order within ports
Enforce dockside rules through intimidation and violence
Justice is swift, brutal, and inconsistent
Allied with (Secretly):
Umbra Dominion – Smuggling routes, espionage, and deniable operations
At War with:
Gilded League – Persistent trade disruption and naval conflict
Azure Theocracy – Desecration of sacred sea temples
The Free Isles of Kharos recognize no gods, no kings, and no treaties. Their only constant is the sea—and the certainty that someone will always try to take what they have.