Yo ho! A pirate’s life at last! You and your crew can now enjoy the freedom of sailing through the Shackles... but there’s more to a pirate’s life than rum and gunpowder. Even pirates have a code of what’s fair and foul, and in the Shackles, the Pirate’s Council enforces it. Just as every shipmate has to follow a captain’s orders, every captain has to answer to the council.
Earning a seat on that council could open all sorts of opportunities for you, but that’s not an easy feat. For a start, wherever there’s power, there’s intrigue. The most powerful captains are continually maneuvering for position, like a f lotilla of ships on the eve of a great battle. You’ll need to set your course carefully: each time you gain a powerful ally, you’ll attract a host of powerful enemies.
If you can’t earn the patronage of a pirate lord, the Shackles has other wealthy patrons willing to hire a crew that won’t ask questions. They’ve got cargo to deliver, rivals to punish, ports to defend, and all manner of monsters set against them. The most ruthless pirates answer to no one, save for their own whims and ambitions. Yet if you ever need to take arms against a sea of troubles, it never hurts to have a few more captains in your fleet.
According to the scuttlebutt around yer last port of call, a wealthy patron is spending a lot of coin. Agasta Smithee is a widow who inherited everything from Bertram Smithee, the former captain of the Vale. The heartbroken say money can’t buy happiness, but she has enough money to ignore them. Just as a shoal of sharks will circle yer ship when there’s chum in the water, you’ll have no shortage of competition once Lady Smithee starts spreading her wealth around. If you’re eager to earn her patronage, then you’d best be ready: close ranks and prepare to repel boarders.
