Drahran Empire

## Description

The Drahran Empire is barely considered a sovereign nation, but is nevertheless located in the large archipelago off the eastern-most coast of the eastern-most major island of the Continent of Pilbo. The Drahran Empire is an incredibly isolated collection of Orcs and Goblins that is singlehandedly responsible for 80% of the Continent of Pilbo's pirate problems. The Drahran Empire houses only 2,311,080 citizens, and has only one set port-village acting as its "capital" of piracy. The Drahran Empire is barely modernized and has extremely advanced naval doctrine, but is still very primitive in terms of economy.

### Capital: Kregret- "Deadly Salvation"

Population: 818,000

Founded in 184

### List of Drahran Pirate Clans:

1. The Ghoring Trade Company
2. The Isle of Wights

## History:

1. 15- A hero arises: Kening
2. 35- Kening leads a rebellion against the tax collectors and pirate lords that run most of the island
3. 51- Kening descends into the underworld, having been cursed by the pirate lords.
4. 185- A new hero arises: Elarinya Elensar
5. 193- Elarinya Elensar has a drink named after him, proudly served by every bar and tavern after becoming the biggest pirate lord on the island.
6. 201- Elarinya Elensar becomes protected by invisible angels
7. 210- Elarinya Elensar uses his invisible protectors to his advantage, and unifies the island.
8. 221- Elarinya Elensar dies a heroic death attacking a trade ship and is immortalized in song, praise, and a statue.
9. 245- The island collapses into disarray and chaos as pirate lords once more split the island up into their various territories.
10. 276- A new hero arises: Gwyar Nwyfre
11. 300- Gwyar Nwfre loses a leg to a demon
12. 304- Gwyar Nwyfre takes an incredible gamble and retires on the winnings
13. 350- Gwyar Nwyfre dies after being kidnapped and publicly executed from his greediness and newfound laziness. His riches are looted by everyone present, causing a new generation of rich pirate lords to arise and continue the splitting of the island even further.
14. The rest of Drahran History is filled with piracy, in-fighting, the rise and fall of pirate lords, and the collapse and reunification of the nation.

### Government

The Drahran Empire is, as previously mentioned, barely a single nation. Similar to ancient Greece, the Drahran Empire is closer to a conglomeration of loosely-related nation states that are mutually willing to come to the aid of one another, although they are also just as likely to fight amongst each other as they are to unify against an enemy. Each of these nation states is more commonly referred to as a Pirate Clan, and can range in size and power from a single pirate vessel manned by 50 members to an armada or empire that controls thousands of ships and even more people as their employees.

Each Pirate Clan can be operated at the discretion of its leader, often titled as a Dread Captain, and each Pirate Clan has its own story of its founding and its own system of governing its members. This unique level of independence grants tyrants the same opportunities as an egalitarian Clan of democrats who vote for each of their actions, and is seen as both a blessing and a curse amongst the "citizens" of the Drahran Empire. This system does leave itself open for manipulation by the more evil individuals of society, and as such there are a number of rules in place that establish a national hierarchy.

The Drahran Empire is unified by a number of primary principles, similar to a universal code of piracy seen in the Golden Age of Piracy for mankind. All universal laws of the Drahran Empire were unanimously voted into rule by the Congress of Captains, and any and all changes must also be made by unanimous vote. These laws are enforced by the private fleet and armies of the Empire at large, who protect the Empire's cities that do not belong to any single Clan. These rules are as follows:

1. Each Dread Captain is to report to Kregret once every year for the annual Congress to decide on important matters and receive/pay taxes, under penalty of mutiny and replacement.
2. No Dread Captain or Clan can war with another Clan of the Drahran Empire without explicit permission from the Congress, under penalty of death.
3. Every Clan must write and abide by a set of Articles of Conduct, which sets forth the rules, standards, punishments, and rewards for the Clan; may be changed only by a successful majority vote of all members of the clan.
4. Each ship and crew brought under the employment of the Drahran Empire or one of its Pirate Clans must unanimously agree to the Clan's Articles in order to be recognized by the Empire and Congress.
5. No Drahran city is to come under attack by any member of the Drahran Empire, under penalty of death.
6. Should the Empire come under attack by a foreign force, all Clans and their Dread Captains are obligated to take part in the defense, under penalty of loss of reputation and possible mutiny.
7. All Dread Captains are required to pay every crewman a livable wage in the economy of the time under penalty of fine.
8. All Dread Captains are required to compensate crewmen who suffer injury of any kind whilst under their employment, including funerary compensation to the family should the crewman die, and retirement compensation should the crewman choose to retire from piracy under penalty of fine.
9. Slavery is legal, and slaves are included in the net worth of a Clan, but the names and races of all slaves must be meticulously recorded under penalty of fine and/or the confiscation of said slaves.
10. Slaves are to be treated the same as one treats a pet, but slaves may buy or earn their freedom at the discretion of the Dread Captain.

### Society

Drahran society is one dominated by Orcs and the remnants of their culture before they were exiled to the Drahran Archipelago. This means that Drahran society is driven by conflict and violence; might makes right, leaders are usually allowed to govern how they see fit, and new leaders are often chosen by whomever is capable of usurping the position, leaders grooming their children to be strong enough to keep hold over the family's power. Some Dread Captains rule by fear, other merit, others respect, and others a combination of all, but every Dread Captain must be wary of would-be competitors to their positions.

Due to the society being one controlled by Orcs and following Orcish ideals, only those capable of falling in line with those ideald are given any measure of respect. All other races and individuals are treated as inferior until they are capable of demonstrating their martial prowess as being comparable or outright superior to that of an Orc. Any race can be a citizen of the Drahran Empire, except Half-Orcs, and any race can be slaves.

Half-Orcs are the exception to the rather egalitarianism of the Drahran Empire, being seen as monstrous by mankind and entirely inferior by Orcs. A Half-Orc born in Drahran society has no rights, no chance to earn promotion or citizenship, and is usually either automatically placed into slavery, killed at birth, or abandoned.

#### Economy

The Drahran economy uses the same copper, silver, and good coins minted by the various nations of the Continent of Pilbo, and has specific conversion rates for the various sets of currency used by each individual nation. Pilbo's stockbrokers and bankers rely on the Drahran conversion rates for their calculations, opting to trust the numbers of money-wise pirates over the numbers given to them by the countries themselves.

Slaves are also a usable form of currency, and are treated the same as any other piece of property. Slave auctions are usually held at any Drahran port—owned by the wider nation or a specific Clan—and are often visited by wealthy aristocrats from all over Pilbo. Slaves are the second most common form of currency, particularly amongst the higher-ranking members of Drahran society.

#### Technology

The Drahran Empire has the single largest deviation in technological development, even amongst the other, often backwards, nations of the Continent of Pilbo. Some Pirate Clans use pirate ships from the human Golden Age of Piracy, others use stolen ships from other races, some possess modern vessels, and others yet possess ships of advanced technology or magic that surpasses that of most nations. Every Clan is different, and it is far more often for there to be technological gaps within any given Clan, rather than at the larger Clan level, usually depending on the rank of a given admiral or captain.