The Pirate Archipelagoes Society

Most would surely be surprised to find that this band of rogues and scoundrels has anything similar to a governing body. But they do. And surprisingly it works. Each town has their own Pirate-Prince who dispenses the ‘law’ of that “island-town”. To date, there are 10 island-towns each with their own Pirate-Prince. The position of Pirate-Prince can only be earned through the Battle Royal which is a test of skilled seamanship of both crew and the captain of the ship seeking the title. In the Battle Royal, the two captains vying for the title have their crew steer the ships to run  side by side with each other  in choppy seas. A wooden plank no longer than 15 feet long by 2 feet wide is laid out as a bridge between both ships. Once this is done the captains of each ship step out onto the plank. The crews are charged with keeping the ships steady and along side each other to prevent their captain from falling and is either crushed between the two ships should they get too close or swept under the wake of the mighty sailing ships and drown. Once the captains step out onto the plank it is a duel to the death.  What ensues next is a breathtaking duel of blades, cunning, and incredible balance that one is most fortunate to watch  if they are allowed to observe.  There are only two ways in which an Commander has lost his or her position. The first is by town mutiny which has only happened in very rare instances of extreme brutality by the Pirate-Prince or the one incident of a family blood fued that nearly wiped out the town that is now called Flanneri’s Folly. The other is to be challenged to the Battle Royal which does not occur that often as that it takes extreme confidence in one’s skill with the blade, a crew that exhibits tremendous seamanship, and tremendous trust in one’s own crew.