Sea Dwarven Clans

Most Dwarves from the Western Isles swear loyalty to one maritime clan or another, sometimes changing from one to the next based on personal gain. However, there are many Dwarves known as **Freebooters** that don’t devote themselves to a specific clan. The clans include many non-Dwarves as well who serve aboard the ships and live on the islands as members of the clans. Below the major clans are listed, but there are many more smaller factions and sub factions.

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## Merchants and Tradesmen

#### Bargeheads

* Neutral traders and transporters.
* The Bargeheads will smuggle anything for the right price.
* Sigil: A white Hammerhead.

#### Goldenhands

* Lawful merchants.
* Sigil: A golden hand.

#### Fin Herders

* Lawful fishermen.
* Sigil: Two Fish encircling a pearl.

#### North West Whaling Company

* Neutral whalers.
* Sigil: A harpooned Sperm Whale.

#### Scalehides

* Chaotic beast and dragon hunters.
* They hunt and tame large and unusual creatures at sea, along the coasts, and on the islands for sport and profit.
* Sigil: Trident.

#### South Sea Trading Company

* Chaotic Merchants.
* The South Sea Company trades in stolen goods mostly.
* Sigil: Three angled anchors with the letters SSCo.

## Pirates and Privateers

#### Steelhelms

* Lawful Mercenaries.
* Mercenary group with a great deal of military might. They often serve to bolster the fleets of nearby nations.
* Sigil: Dragon Turtle.

#### Sea Dogs

* Chaotic Pirates and privateers.
* Sigil: Sea Drake.

#### Iron Reavers

* Neutral Pirates and privateers.
* Sigil: Crossed cutlasses.

#### Thundering Dames

* Neutral Pirates and privateers.
* A matriarchal clan. Their leader is the legendary Pearl Du Bois. Her ship, the Sympohny, is supposedly the fastest and most maneuverable ship in the Southern Seas.
* Sigil: Drinking horn.

#### Black Sails

* Lawful Pirates and privateers.
* Known for being extremely fearsome in battle. The leader of the Black Sails currently has the seat of power in the Western Isles, a throne placed on the ship of its owner, which belongs to anyone that can take it. The Black Sails are creators and enforces of the very loose maritime and pirate laws.
* Sigil: White Hydra on a black flag.

#### Stone Raiders

* Lawful Pirates.
* The Stone Raiders are the closest allies to the Black Sails. Making raids from the island of Stoney Peak, one of the most fortified Dwarven fortresses in the islands. They only attack their sworn enemies, and tend to leave those they deem bystanders alone.
* Sigil: Stoney Peak.

## Religious Groups and Cults

#### Storm Born

* Lawful religious group.
* Sky worshipers that chase storms and maintain temples throughout the islands.
* Sigil: Lightning hammer.

#### Chum Boys

* Chaotic Pirate Cult.
* The Chum Boys are the most racially diverse clan, taking in almost anyone who shows enough bloodlust and insanity to join them. They are even known to have monstrous crew members such as Ogres, Gnolls, and Sahuagin. The Chum Boys have a cult like obsession with violence and chaos, they are even rumored to be cannibals, and some theorize they are afflicted with a sickness of the mind. In battle, the Chum Boys attempt to disable enemy ships and board them to engage in hand to hand combat and capture living prisoners. They attempt to sever the mast of enemy ships with large circular glaives, shaped like their emblem, launched from ballista-like siege weapons. There are also accounts of Chum Boys leaping onto the decks of enemy ships strapped with explosives and blowing themselves up. No one is certain where the Chum Boys make port, but "When you see their red flag, it's kill or be killed, (and probably eaten)."
* Sigil: Three reef sharks in a circle on a red flag.