The Establishment of the Brotherhood of the Coasts
The inscription translates to “The Great Seal of the Brotherhood of the Coasts.”
In truth, most of Realmgard’s pirates are properly privateers and this privateerig is sanctioned by the Brotherhood of the Coasts, which liaises between the various governments of Realmgard and its members.
Thanks to the rise of the Brotherhood, there are few unsanctioned true pirates in Realmgard and such pirates operating with neither the sanction of the Brotherhood nor a Realmgardian government are viewed as renegades even by the members of the Brotherhood — perhaps especially by the members of the Brotherhood, who view renegade pirates as clear threats to the reputation and stability of the Brotherhood and its lucrative privateering contracts.
Based on the longstanding pirate haven of Roger Island — serendipitously resembling a skull and crossbones — the Brotherhood has overseen the operations of Realmgard’s pirates for more than century. For all practical purposes, the Brotherhood of the Coasts functions largely like a guild for the pirate profession.
The Brotherhood was founded originally to defuse the growing hostilities between the famous pirates Greybeard and Blackboots. Where Greybeard was known as a diplomat and peacemaker, Blackboots was infamous as a short-tempered man with a propensity for kicking people through windows — being personally responsible for First, Third, and Seventh Defenestrations of Goldharbour.
Though embroiled in an intense rivalry, the two agreed to meet on Roger Island in an attempt to resolve their rivalry peacefully. Nearly every prominent pirate captain in Realmgard attended and this conference is generally regarded as the first meeting of the Brotherhood of the Coasts.
After seven weeks of negotiation and a mere two murders, Greybeard and Blackboots came to an accord, securing an alliance by the marriage of Greybeard to Blackboots’ sister — a marriage which, despite all odds, is universally recorded as being a happy one.
Most significantly, all of the pirate captains present at this meeting consented to the terms of the Lex Antiqua Piratica in its earliest codified form. Though operating under an unspoken code of honour and conduct for generations (hence, Lex Antiqua, “Ancient Law”), the ratification of the Lex Antiqua Piratica marked the first time the pirates of Realmgard agreed to be governed by a written code of conduct enforceable by the authority of the Brotherhood of the Coasts.
Though the Lex Antiqua has undergone several revisions throughout the Brotherhood’s existence, the body of the code has gone unchanged and its major provisions have been in force for as long as the Brotherhood of the Coasts has existence.
Similarly, the Seal of the Brotherhood of the Coasts was adopted at this first conference on Roger Island, depicting two pirates upholding the Lex Antiqua Piratica.
Though the historical Brotherhood was founded and the original Lex Antiqua Piratica was ratified by Greybeard and Blackboots, the two pirates depicted on the Brotherhood seal do not correspond to any historical pirate and are instead meant to stand as archetypal figures representative of all pirates.
There have, however, been several variations of the Seal throughout the years. Most notably, it has become increasingly common for the female members of the Brotherhood to utilise a version of the Seal depicting two female pirates.
And with that, we’re halfway through the month (Already? Wow…) and starting Week Three of 30 Days of History.
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