The Story
The Goldcoves and the Leviathan's Pact
Long ago, before ships peppered the horizon, the mighty Leviathans ruled the seas: ancient guardians who held storms and tides in a delicate balance. In a time-before-time known as the Stillwater Era, ancient sages approached the Leviathans with respect and humility and forged the Leviathan's Pact, a solemn agreement to preserve harmony between invention, nature, and freedom. The seas calmed. Islands settled. Peace reigned among the pirate nations.
That fragile balance fractured when ambition awoke in the hearts of men. Engines of arcane cogwork and runic mystery hummed to life, while living vessels were grown from coral and bone and echoed with chaotic rituals. The Pact their ancestors had held so strongly was splintered by the pirates' hubris. From the shattered calm arose three factions: the Iron Corsairs, masters of machine and rune; the Sea Wolves, singers and sculptors of wild magics; and the Black Blades, rogue storytellers and opportunists refusing any master. Their conflicting visions tug at the sea itself, summoning echoes of the Leviathans, stirring ancient monsters, and reshaping the tides of war.
Now the Goldcoves stand on the cusp of a new age. Hidden bays glitter with treasure and danger, and trade posts light the horizon between them. Brave wanderers newly adrift set out to earn renown and ascend as true Pirate Lords. Every rival sunk, scion defeated, and doubloon hauled home brings a pirate closer to rekindling, or forever shattering, the old Pact.
The factions
Sea Wolves
The Sea Wolves hail from Splinterhaven, built of living wood, bone, and coral, a true echo of the ocean's primal rhythms. Led by Grendel Stormchaser, they believe the sea must be heard, not bent. Their living-wood ships, grown and shaped by tidesong rituals, make them natural symbionts of the waves. Pirates who fight alongside the Sea Wolves join war chants on the deck, harness the power of Leviathan Scions, and commune with their ships via wild sea magic.
Iron Corsairs
The Iron Corsairs rule from Ironreef, a city forged in steel and arcane cogwork. Under Balthazar Redhand they push the boundaries of invention, believing in mastery over the oceans through magic and engineering. Their rune-powered vessels blaze through the seas, channelling ancient leylines to accelerate their quest to reshape the Pact. Pirates aligned with the Corsairs master mechanically complex vessels and find clever ways to capture the latent runes of the Scions.
Black Blades
The Black Blades, led by Anansi Bloodmoon, sail the fine line between order and chaos as free agents in the endless faction wars. They drift between Splinterhaven and Ironreef, offering contracts and knowledge to both sides for a price. Players who seek them out may unlock secrets buried for eons, or find themselves at bladepoint on the wrong end of a bargain.
The Black Blades are not a faction you can join. When you pick a side, you pick between the Sea Wolves and the Iron Corsairs.
The Goldcoves
The Goldcoves lie divided by fate and steel. On one side the ancient timber walls of Splinterhaven, stronghold of the Sea Wolves; on the other the gear-forged battlements of Ironreef, home to the Iron Corsairs. Between them lie the trading islands, the open water, and everything worth taking on it. Pirates from both factions vie in eternal combat to tip the balance of the sea.
The central expanse is home to a deep abyss, from which Leviathan Scions infrequently emerge. These great beings, stirred by the aura of battle, rise to test the courage of anyone who sails too far from safe water.
Twin volcanoes loom silently at the poles, two witnesses to the eternal conflict. Mountain ridges crisscross the sea's spine, and old giant heroes lie petrified in state, now serving as island habitats for the wild creatures who guard the treasures hidden there.
Scions and Wilds
The Scions
The Scions are the offspring of the ancient Leviathans: powerful, primal beings awakened by the tension of the Pact. They rise from the abyss in cyclical storms, drawn toward the water where conflict rages. Though far less colossal than their progenitors, each brings ancient might and elemental fury, challenging captains to prove their worth in sea-shaking battles.
The Wilds
The Wilds are the untamed dangers beyond faction lines. Along the fringes, skeleton raiders, venomous snakes, and other oddball remnants of past pirate crews croak their challenges on forgotten shores. Tide-worn golems of living coral and starforged stone roam the heart of the Goldcoves, silent guardians of long-lost lore and formidable opponents to anyone who wanders too carelessly.
Titles and Reputation
Titles
When a pirate first sets foot in the Goldcoves they carry no name but Recruit. Only through deeds of valour, standing firm against Scions, running cargo through contested water, and ferrying hard-won doubloons off the warfront, does the sea begin to recognise them. Each elevated title fosters whispers among sailors, lifting captains from faceless marauders to figures of legend, until at last the chosen few ascend to the mythical ranks.
Reputation
A captain's name is forged by war and grandeur, and in particular by how sharply their actions strike the tides. From the first cannon shot to each daring doubloon run, every skillful manoeuvre builds a reputation that echoes across the Goldcoves. Mariners who consistently perform at the top of their craft earn whispers in taverns and warnings from foes on the waves.