The Mithril Isles are not at war.
They are under pressure.
Raids do not come as invasions, but as tests—probing strikes meant to measure resistance, fracture alliances, and bleed strength slowly. The enemies of the Isles are not unified by banner, but by opportunity.
Most danger comes by sea.
All danger wears a sail.
Not all pirates are equal, and the Isles know this well. The difference is often visible before the first arrow flies.
The Lowest Tide
These are independent or loosely affiliated pirates from Arnot:
Exiles
Failed nobles
Veteran raiders without patronage
They raid for:
Supplies
Slaves
Reputation
They strike small settlements, isolated ships, and poorly defended coasts. They are dangerous, but predictable.
Graywake sees them often.
They drink, boast, and leave.
The Bloody Middle
More disciplined, better armed, often crewed by giant-blooded warriors.
They operate:
In coordinated groups
With naval discipline
Under informal Arnothi customs of strength
These raiders test defenses and withdraw if resistance stiffens. They do not linger.
When they arrive, the Isles take notice.
The Pink Sash Corsairs are unmistakable.
A bright pink sash worn openly across chest or waist — dyed with a pigment so rare it can only be sourced through Teach-controlled trade. It is not decoration.
It is a declaration.
Pink Sash Corsairs are:
Personally loyal to House Teach
Trained, not recruited
Elite among pirates
They are infamous not for cruelty, but competence.
They:
Maintain strict internal discipline
Avoid needless slaughter
Target strategic objectives, not villages
Yet when violence comes, it is precise and devastating.
Though pirates, Pink Sash Corsairs operate under a strict internal code:
No betrayal within the crew
No wasteful killing
No dishonor toward worthy enemies
This makes them more dangerous, not less.
They fight like soldiers who chose piracy, not criminals who found a blade.
Pink Sash Corsairs are allowed in Graywake Harbor.
No one admits why.
Their presence creates tension:
Dockworkers go quiet
Lookouts double shifts
Dark Elf scouts vanish into the treeline
If pink is seen in the harbor, councils meet that night.
A Pink Sash sighting means:
A raid is imminent or
Teach is observing the Isles directly
Both are bad.
Not all threats arrive with sails.
Some arrive with coin.
Elio Coin, King of Coins, funds a covert Arnothi presence within Graywake Harbor.
Estimated strength:
~300 trained soldiers
Dispersed, not centralized
Living as merchants, guards, sailors, and laborers
They are not an army.
They are a seed.
Elio Coin’s objective is simple:
Establish influence
Control trade choke points
Create leverage over the Isles without open war
If conflict erupts between the Isles and Arnot:
These forces secure docks
Sabotage defenses
Assassinate key figures
Graywake would fall from the inside.
Elio’s men:
Avoid open violence
Blend into daily life
Collect information relentlessly
They know:
Who drinks where
Who owes coin
Who resents elves or dwarves
Their greatest weapon is patience.
The Isleborn suspect their presence.
The Dark Elves sense something wrong.
The Dwarves do not trust the harbor at all.
No one can prove it.
And Elio Coin prefers it that way.
The Mithril Isles survive because no single enemy commits fully.
Teach raids, but does not conquer
Elio plots, but does not strike
Arnoth tests, but does not invade
Each waits for weakness.
Each watches the others.
And the Isles sit between them — rich, divided, and watched.
War here is not declared.
It arrives quietly:
With a pink sash at the dock
With a friendly merchant offering loans
With a ship that anchors one night too long
The Isles will not fall in a day.
They will fall when someone finally decides they are worth taking whole