Pirate Union

"Every Captain is a King of their own ship" 
The Pirate Union, also known as the Republic of Isla Cobre, was a maritime nation in the centre of the Shattered Sea, formed from a group of rebellious admirals, captains, pirates, privateers, smugglers, merchants, islander natives and miscellaneous criminals who seceded from the Calamaran Empire, and formed their own nation, guided by Vanessa Fang and Emilio Ventura. It was technically part of the Erdannian Empire, though had a lot of autonomy.
After the declaration of the Erdannian Civil War in the autumn of 20.88, the Erdannian Empire stopped funding the Pirate Union, and it mostly collapsed.
A varied group of captains from across the world are currently struggling to rebuild the Pirate Union.
== Background ==
The Pirate Union was a disorganised semi-anarchist republic of privateers, where freedom was valued above all. Its systems of government were loose, but incredibly democratic. This resulted in an unstable nation with frequent shifts of power, and under constant threat of being siezed by populist demagogues, or militaristic autocrats. The main factor that prevented this was the fact that the people of the Union were so widespread that it was very difficult to effectively control them all, and the constant support from Erdannia kept things relatively calm.
The Pirate Union was run by the Council of Captains, where the most influential Privateering Admirals from across the Shattered Sea gathered to discuss how to run the city and the fleets. The discussion was hosted, and the peace was kept, by an individual called the "Black Flag Arbiter". The number of seats on the council was variable, depending on who the most powerful captains are.
The Erdannian Empire provided the Pirate Union with funds and technology, as long as they continued to attack the ships and raid the ports of their enemies. The Union got to keep any spoils they found. Those enemies were mostly the Calamaran Empire, the Izir Confederacy, Nothindria, and the Kingdom of Whytehold.