Pirate Isles

The Pirate Isles are a large cluster of islands located in the Southern Sea, just off of the southeastern coast of the Central Continent. Previously, the islands once formed a larger continent, Sephir. Centuries ago, however, a cabal of evil magicians seized control of Sephir and brought war to the Central Continent, a war that ended when the alliance of those opposing the evil magicians used powerful magic to cause the smaller continent to explode, fracturing it into the many islands that make up the Pirate Isles.
While most of the Pirate Isles are small, some are fairly large. The largest island in the Pirate Isles is inhabited by a few thousand people, and is called Sephir, named after the continent that the islands once formed. Most islands, however, are tiny, and more animals, such as birds or small mammals call the islands home than Humans, or other sentient races.
The Pirate Isles are named such because of the many pirates who operate in and around the islands. Because of the many inlets, nooks, and crannies, the area is easy to hide in, and because of jagged rocks and coral beneath the sea, treacherous to sail in unless the captain is skilled at navigating. As a result, authority groups rarely enter into the area to clean out the pirates, and the pirates have a free home to operate out of.