Pirate Lords of the Gems

**The Pirate Lords of the Gems** refer an ever-changing, unique group of notorious pirate captains and their crews who terrorize the Sea of Gems with their heinous plundering, pillaging, and murder. Their name(s) evoke fear in the hearts of sailors and merchants. There are currently 11 Pirate Lords, each representing major islands of the Sea of Gems, with one representing the Necklace island chain. They are then further categorized as the Upper Five, and the Lower Five. Historically, the Pirate Lord of the Necklace is considered the strongest.

The current de facto leader of the Pirate Lords of the Gems is Captain Hiram High-Tide.

## History

Records of the existence of the Pirate Lords date back to the very earliest beginnings of recordkeeping. Since the dawn of creation, some incarnation of piracy and the Pirate Lords have plagued the Sea of Gems.

While each Pirate Lord represents a particular gemstone, which in turn represents an island in the Sea of Gems, they are not confined to pillaging just those waters around that island. The Pirate Lord of the Diamond could easily start pillaging operations around Emerald Island and vice versa. This is done so that local naval forces would not get used to the combat patterns of just one Pirate Lord.

Pirate Lords are known to sail freely between the Undersea and the Sea of Gems, and their presence is tolerated and even welcomed among the Undersea denizens of the fallen Elven citadel of Heartcleft.

### The Brining

There are only 11 Pirate Lords at any given time, and anyone can challenge a current Pirate Lord to usurp their title for themselves by under going a one-on-one crew battle between the two parties. Such an event is called the Brining. The term "brined" or the phrase "to have been Brined", refers to when a Pirate Lord is killed by their challenger during a Brining.

## Organization

### The Steward of the Drift

*See main article: Steward of the Drift*

In the event the Pirate Lords of the Gems have a need to convene in one place to discuss affairs, they do so in Driftmount. Only Pirate Lords know the current locations of Driftmount at any given time. Each time the Pirate Lords meet, it is referred to as a Pirate Summit. At each Summit, a record is kept of the topics discussed by the Keeper of Gabs. The Steward of the Drift is the primary caretaker of Driftmount when there is no Summit taking place.

### Powers

When an individual is successful in winning a Brining, they are awarded with the title of "Pirate Lord" with the corresponding gem. The Steward of the Drift gives the winner a gemsliver of the corresponding gem, which in turn bestows supernatural powers to the Pirate Lord.

## Operations

The Pirate Lords favor raids of merchant trade ships, mainly from the nations and kingdoms of the Upper Five. Attacks in and around the Necklace are commonplace. The only areas pirate operations do not exist is within the Undersea labyrinths, and within the Ocean of Tombs.

## Pirate Lords

Current Pirate Lords:

Upper Five

* Captain Bogart Vorne, the "Horned Heresy", Pirate Lord of the Diamond
* Captain Lorelei Hexfin, the "Bewitching Beauty", Pirate Lord of the Sapphire
* Captain Jamothee Soggybeard, the "Jigsaw Jubilant", Pirate Lord of the Amethyst
* Captain Chief Zhursk, the "Scaled Scourge", Pirate Lord of the Ruby
* Captain Ginnifer Winterloft, the "Steady Sting", Pirate Lord of the Emerald

Lower Five

* Captain Bovinius Sundermaul, the "Oxen Overlord", Pirate Lord of the Peridot
* Captain Melcolm Abernast, the "Anchored Anguish", Pirate Lord of the Garnet
* Captain Khrom Bloodwave , the "Riptide Rapture", Pirate Lord of the Onyx
* Captain Jezebeth Vendetti, the "Shivering Shade", Pirate Lord of the Topaz
* Captain Neptunia Goldroost, the "Galewind Greed", Pirate Lord of the Pearl

The Necklace

* Captain Hiram High-Tide, the "Daring Death", Pirate Lord of the Necklace.