Deepcrest Pirates - An Upcoming Superpower
The Deepcrest Pirates are a growing fleet of ships operating on the Western Sea, and are largely uncontested on it. Their captain is Aquila Deepcrest, a former Guardian Seeker who used to operate from Techomarina before abandoning it following a falling out with the town's leaders.
As such, the Deepcrest Pirates follow Aquila's idea of being "Refined Pirates of the Deep." They see themselves as gentlemanly pirates who are polite, well dressed and kept, and sophisticated in their approach (tea breaks are a mandatory part of every shift).
The pirates have a strong control of the Western Sea. While the coast itself is well protected, so not commonly affected by their presence, few can travel far from it due to the risk of encountering the group.
The aim of the Deepcrest Pirates is to form their own settlement recognised and notarised by the government of Terminus, though exactly why is known only to their captain and vice captain (Marina Aquaflow).
There are currently three ships in the fleet, with an approximate total of 60 crew members. However this has grown rapidly, with the crews first known activity only occurring three years prior, and having less than ten members at the time.
Due to how rapid their growth has been, the crew has quickly gained notoriety, being recognised on a large scale and beginning to gain influence enough to have some meetings with government representatives.
However the key to their position is how they can't be pinned down. This prevents large scale action against them, however also means that further growth will make the group too large to function as they are.
This is why they aim to form a recognised settlement, as it will allow recognition from other government, and from there further growth. However they face opposition, primarily from Techomarina, as this will consolidate their position as a growing superpower on the seas.
Crew Members
Aquila Deepcrest
Rank - Captain: Leader and founder of the Deepcrest Pirates, Aquila's drive guides the crew. Formerly a Seeker she explored Var Nexa with her team when young, earning herself an Emblem. After she moved back to her hometown, Techomarina, and began working as a ship captain alongside Walter Acosta, for the Dela Fuente family to guard their vessels. Aquila remained the captain after Walter married Delphina Dela Fuente and left the crew. While the trio remained friends for a time tensions rose between them - linked in part to Aquila's training of the couples daughter, Marina - and, after a falling out with Walter and Delphina, Aquila took the ship and crew to form the Deepcrest Pirates.Marina Dela Fuente
Rank - Vice Captain: A young lady, eighteen, and Aquila's current apprentice. Marina has a strong sense of justice, and is a firm believer in the "Action over words" mentality she's learnt from Aquila. It's this belief that drove a wedge between her and her parents when she sided with Aquila and joined the Deepcrest Pirates. Marina sought out Aquila to train her at the age of six, with Aquila accepting once she saw Marina's eagerness. As such, despite her age, she has some of the greatest experience on the crew, and is the closest to Aquila. In particular she's an expert in trident and spear fighting, having practiced it most of her life, and is often on the front lines of combat - embracing the thrill of it. This is why she holds the Vice-Captain position. Marina's current goal is to obtain an Emblem. She claims this is to help the crew, by making herself a stronger combatant for battle, which is true. However her personal reason ties into her relationship with Aquila, and worry about running out of time to achieve their goals - believing her having an Emblem will speed up the process.Leocade Coello
Rank - Vice Captain: A gentleman who joined the Deepcrest Pirates shortly after they formed. Leocade was formally the quarter master early in the crew's life, being proficient in planning, money work, and history. Not a sailor by trade, Leocade was previously working as a member of a town's militia, he was one of the first additions to the initial crew, joining within their first year of operations - though was sought out and hand picked by Aquila to join. Once the crew grew in size, he was put in charge of the second ship. This one was known to be less combative than the first, being built for speed, and the crew are known to spend more time on land. It's thought to be a scouting ship for the main crew, so is seen as an ill omen by many coast farers, however only Leocade, Marina and Aquila know its true mission.Structure
Captain: The highest position in the crew. Currently the founder, Aquila Deepcrest. Is the driving force behind the crew and how they function, dictating the rules and goals of the group.
Vice-Captains: Second highest position, and two of them. The Vice-Captains are in charge of the second and third ships in the fleet. These are hand picked by Aquila for the position, and once promoted are given free rein to operate their ships, so long as they fall in line with Aquila's goals and sensibilities.
Crew: Majority of the members fill crew roles. These are diverse in their jobs, such as cook, navigator, helmsman, look out, quarter master, tailor, etc. The crew can be split into two groups.
The first is the core crew that initially joined Aquila. Most of these were part of her crew when she was still a ship captain, rather than a pirate. As such, these members are skilled, experienced sailors and typically lead the rest of the crew, filling specialised positions.
The wider crew joined later, and tend to be people swayed to the Deepcrest Pirates cause. They're often relatively untrained, either not having experience sailing or were just base crew members on other ships.
Culture
The Deepcrest Pirates have the persona of being "refined" pirates. They aim to give an air of sophistication. Their clothing is elegant, having stylised underwater themed fashion with ornate trinkets.
Instead of the typical pirate revelry, the crew has Tea Ceremonies, and prefer classical music to sea shanties. This stems from Aquila's background. Rather than being impoverished and turning to piracy for survival, Aquila was already a ship captain of renown before turning to piracy.
Action over Words: One of the philosophies of Aquila Deepcrest, that the crew is based around, is proactivity and the ideas of immediate, assertive, action. Her disagreement with Techomarina's leaders was due to their passive approach they took to the threats to the town, and her betrayal was due to her acting against orders to wait and the killing of one of the leaders. This reflects on the crews culture of taking action when they want, and generally aggressive nature to achieve their goals.
Public Agenda
Creation of a Settlement: The main goal of the Deepcrest Pirates is to form their own officially recognised, by the Government of Terminus, settlement. They want the sovereignty to control land and trade with Terminus.
Their aim is to establish their settlement on one of the Evverrain Islands - known for their constant rainfall. This would give them access and control of the open ocean West of Terminus.
It isn't publicly known why this is wanted. The assumed answer is control of trade routes, however trading ships don't travel that far from the Outer Plateaus
Assets
Wealth: The crew is wealthy, and needs to be to fund their lifestyle. This comes from raiding, but more prominently the jobs they take on. The pirates can be hired to carry out operations on others behalf, often activities that their employer doesn't want traced back to them, or would be difficult to achieve through normal means. In particular their hold over the Western Sea means any job that comes that way usually pays them a visit. However they still operate at the minimum needed for their lifestyle, with most of their wealth stored elsewhere.
Ships: There are currently three ships in the crews fleet, that operate over a fairly wide area.
Territories
The Western Sea: Falls under the pirates domain and they are recognised as the dominant singular power there. However they do not own any specific islands or territory, and have to ward off invading enemies who aim to claim parts of the area.
The Evverain Islands: Where the Deepcrest Pirates want to create their settlement. Currently uninhabited. While technically not recognised as being under the pirate's control, it is thought to be the location of their base.
Military
The Deepcrest Pirates are their own "military" force, though few of their members are actually militarily trained. The Captain and Vice-Captains are the most prominent fighting force of the crew, largely due to Aquila Deepcrest's time as a Seeker and possession of an Emblem. She personally trained the Vice-Captains, though neither are Emblem users themselves.
Following this are the Core Crew. They were trained as professional body guards prior to joining the crew, so are experienced combatants.
As a force they aren't large enough to challenge large settlements, however are prominent enough to be cabable of threatening small towns, and especially lone ships.
Trade & Transport
The Deepcrest Pirates trade on an individual basis. They're often hired for jobs by individuals of wealth, kept discreet for both's sakes. They largely have capability to trade at markets for goods and food, with key connections to some farming settlements they've protected that allow them larger trade for food goods.
Education
Reading and Writing: Most of the crew, if not already educated on it, are taught to read and write. This includes basic map reading, and mathematics.
Sailing and combat training: As most of the crew is untrained in these attributes, core crew members (primarily the quarter master) train newer members on basic skills
La sangre sin fuego hierve - (Blood boils without fire)
Type
Illicit, Pirate Crew
Training Level
Semi-professional
Veterancy Level
Experienced
Founders
Legislative Body
All rules of the Deepcrest Pirates are made by their Captain, with the Vice-Captains having discretion to create their own so long as they don't contradict the Captains. However all rules are voted on by the Crew before they can be put into effect.
Judicial Body
The Captain and Vice Captains lead the law on the crew. Any disputes come through them, and they host a trial for each scenario of rule breaking. For minor occasions, such as arguments between crew members, these can be brought up at weekly meetings where the crew gather for discussion and planning for the following week.
Location
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