Parent Faction: Privateers
Domain: Western Ocean
Nature: Militarized Religious State
The Shogunate is an authoritarian naval empire that blends rigid martial tradition with spiritual doctrine. Its ruling body—known as the High Court of Waves—dictates strict seafaring laws and regulates all maritime activity within its sphere. Discipline, hierarchy, and pious devotion to ancestral sea spirits form the cultural backbone of the Shogunate.
Those who serve the Shogunate believe the ocean is a sacred inheritance requiring order and governance. This ideology justifies the deployment of Privateers, who are empowered to act with extraterritorial authority in pursuit of “maritime harmony.” The Shogunate claims that pirates threaten this harmony, framing Privateers as guardians of the seas.
Shogunate technology favors precision, uniformity, and relic-based enchantments. Many of their ships incorporate ceremonial Pearlwork engraved with ancestral iconography. Though strict and often harsh, the Shogunate inspires intense loyalty among its ranks, fueling a powerful naval infrastructure and unwavering strategic focus.
Parent Faction: Privateers
Domain: Western Ocean (Co-Governing Power)
Nature: Bureaucratic Maritime Empire
The Imperial Dynasty operates through a vast system of courts, trade organizations, and bureaucratic offices. While the Shogunate commands spiritual authority, the Dynasty controls economic and administrative power, creating a dual-regime structure that oversees the Privateers.
The Dynasty views the sea as a resource to be managed and exploited for national prosperity. Its emphasis on taxation, shipping control, and political influence allows it to grow steadily without relying on spiritual doctrine. Though not as zealous as the Shogunate, the Dynasty is equally uncompromising when dealing with pirates or rogue operators.
Privateers serving under the Dynasty are expected to enforce tariffs, escort merchant convoys, and act as intermediaries between the state and commercial interests. Advancement is based on merit and loyalty, and many captains rise through the ranks by protecting key trade corridors.
The coexistence of Dynasty and Shogunate ideologies results in a complex political landscape: united in purpose but fundamentally different in values, creating tension that shapes the identity of the Privateer faction.
Parent Faction: Bounty Hunters
Domain: Northern Abyssal Sea
Nature: Merchant Consortium Turned Maritime Power
Epsilon began as a trade syndicate but grew into an economic superpower controlling maritime logistics, resource distribution, and Pearl commerce across multiple oceans. Unlike nations or empires, Epsilon possesses no sovereign territory by traditional definition; its influence is derived from wealth, contracts, and fleets of armed merchant vessels.
Bounty Hunters loyal to Epsilon act as enforcement assets to protect trade routes and maintain economic stability. Epsilon’s philosophy is simple: profit through control. Pirates disrupt profitability, Privateers complicate trade agreements, and Buccaneers directly oppose their interests—creating constant friction.
The consortium invests heavily in Pearl-based technology, experimental navigation methods, and Underworld intelligence brokers. Its economic reach fosters both dependency and resentment among global powers. Whether stabilizing or destabilizing, Epsilon’s involvement in any region is felt immediately through trade pressure and mercantile influence.
Parent Faction: Bounty Hunters
Domain: Distributed, Networked Influence
Nature: Shadow Economy and Intelligence Matrix
The Underworld is not a single group but an interwoven network of smugglers, informants, brokers, and black-market financiers. It thrives in the gaps between nations, operating in submerged markets, hidden coves, and nomadic ocean caravans.
Underworld agents supply Bounty Hunters with information, covert transport, and illicit equipment. Their allegiance is transactional rather than ideological; they support Epsilon to maintain profitable trade, but they easily collaborate with pirates, Buccaneers, or even Privateers if the price is right.
The Underworld controls numerous channels:
• clandestine salvage operations
• trafficking of rare fauna
• forbidden Pearl experimentation
• anonymous bounty postings
• covert escort and extraction services
Their influence is subtle yet profound, shaping global events from behind unmarked doors. Though not openly hostile to any faction, Underworld operators are mistrusted by all.
Parent Faction: Buccaneers
Domain: Polar Ocean
Nature: Ideological Rebellion Against Corporate Power
The Anti-Epsilon movement began as a loose coalition of pirate captains who resented the growing dominance of Epsilon in the maritime economy. Over time, it became the ideological foundation of the Buccaneer faction.
Members of this sub-faction view Epsilon not as a trading power but as a colonizing influence that erodes personal autonomy, cultural identity, and traditional maritime ethics. Their opposition is both philosophical and violent.
Anti-Epsilon forces operate in harsh climates and unforgiving waters, adopting survivalist tactics and brutal combat methods. They sustain themselves through raids, extortion, and strategic plundering of Epsilon vessels. Despite their aggression, Anti-Epsilon adherents believe they are resisting global economic tyranny.
This sub-faction is fractured but united in its objective: undermine Epsilon’s control by any means necessary.
Parent Faction: Pirates
Domain: All Seas
Nature: Independent, Unaligned Free Sailors
The Neutral sub-faction encompasses pirates who belong to no greater political structure or ideological movement. They act purely on personal motives: freedom, thrill, greed, exploration, or reputation.
Neutral pirates operate independently, forming alliances only when beneficial and breaking them as circumstances shift. They embody the chaotic, unpredictable nature of piracy.
Because Neutral pirates lack formal backing, they are vulnerable to larger powers but also unrestricted by political expectations. This sub-faction includes the most diverse range of individuals—from honorable adventurers to ruthless marauders.
Their identity is fluid; many Neutral pirates eventually transition into Buccaneers, Privateers, or Bounty Hunters depending on how their careers evolve.
Parent Faction: Pirates
Domain: Scattered Pirate Ports and Hidden Waters
Nature: Pirate Aristocracy and Legacy-Based Crews
Corsairs represent the oldest and most storied lineage of pirates. Many belong to crews that have survived for generations, maintaining long-standing traditions, heirloom figureheads, and codified maritime customs.
Corsairs value honor, reputation, and the legacy of piracy. They reject national control but maintain stronger internal structure than Neutral pirates. Some Corsair crews are celebrated as protectors of small islands; others operate as iron-fisted dominions over hidden sea routes.
Corsairs frequently conflict with Privateers due to ideological differences, but they maintain complex relationships with other pirate groups. Some even provide clandestine support to Buccaneers or Bounty Hunters depending on historic alliances.
This sub-faction represents the cultural heart of piracy—old songs, ancient Pearl lore, and the traditions that shaped the earliest pirate fleets.