The Driftfang Formation

The Driftfang Formation is a legendary naval tactic born in the tempestuous waters surrounding the Shark Tooth Isles, devised by the corsair fleets of the Ki’Inori tribes. Unlike rigid military manoeuvres favoured by continental navies, the Driftfang is an adaptive, flowing formation more akin to a hunting pack than an organised line. It mimics the movement of a shark pod encircling prey—silent, deliberate, and merciless. Formed from a flotilla of outrigger catamarans, swift single-mast windcutters, and carved dragon-prowed warships, the Driftfang uses layered movement and current-walking magic to create a living net around enemy vessels. Each ship is captained by a navigator trained not just in seamanship, but in the spiritual art of Te Tavai—a Ki’Inori practice of listening to the song of the sea and the guidance of Uhnoro, the moon god. These captains communicate through coloured sails, bone chimes, and the thundering of ancestral drums that echo across the waves. The true strength of the Driftfang lies in its decentralisation. There is no single flagship—no vulnerable core to strike. Instead, leadership flows between captains like water over stone, with each taking point as needed. It is this adaptability that has allowed the Ki’Inori corsairs to fend off imperial fleets from Aberston, desert slavers from the Bodmany coast, and even the fearsome sea wyrms of the Deep Rift. Though not all Ki’Inori are pirates, the Driftfang Formation is a point of cultural pride. Even peaceful coastal communities teach the basics of its structure to their youth, in case the sea ever demands their defence. The formation is seen as a gift from Ki’Inoro himself—blessing the clever, the bold, and the free.
Legends speak of the first use of the Driftfang during the Battle of the Black Shoals, when a Ki’Inori pirate queen named Vaelo the Red led a mismatched fleet of rebels, traders, and escaped slaves against a fully armed Aberstonian naval detachment. Using the Driftfang's fluid tactics and deep knowledge of the reef’s labyrinthine channels, she and her crew shattered the larger fleet without losing a single ship. Since then, the formation has evolved into a symbol not just of martial prowess, but of resistance, ingenuity, and solidarity. Some even say that invoking the Driftfang in song or chant during storms grants protection from the wrath of Ki’Inoro himself—though others argue it merely calls his attention. Either way, it’s a name spoken with reverence… and a healthy dose of fear.