The Black

A black flag peaks over the horizon, bearing the design of a skull, sea monster or deadly weapon. Sailors beware and thieves rejoice, the Black are a group of smugglers, pirates and the unscrupulous seafarers. The Black are from all over, giving loyalty to no nation flag except their own, the Black Flag.

Stationed in the tropical shanty town of Navis, on the island of Black Water Isle, it is a safe haven for their kind. Many outcasts and criminals sail there to take the Black and start their new lives on the seas.

Inside the Black
The Black is a rag tag group of lawless criminals and outcasts, but there is structure and order among their ranks. Navis is not their home, but their base. The ship is their home, and crew their family with the captain of the ship being the mother or father. These captains and their crews pay tribute through a share of their plundered loot to Captain Black, the founder of this lawless society.

Among paying Captain Black their share of your plunder, while docked in Navis, nobody fucking backstabs anyone or they answer to Captain Black. Other than that, there are no rules among the Black.

Goals of the Black
The goals of the Black are simple: plunder loot and sow discord and irritation among the world’s powerful nations such as Korinthia, Birmingham etc. The idea being to live without the constant grip of the laws bearing down on those that wish to live life wild and free.

Joining the Black
Anyone is free to seek out the Black, but usually must earn the trust or favor of an established or respected captain of the Black to be fully taken in by the Black. Usually outcasts such as Half Elves or Half Orcs join the black, or various criminals who have escaped their justice.

One most of the time starts as a deck hand of a small ship, either a cook or powder monkey but can work their way up the hierarchy of their crew.

Captain

The captain of a ship is the person in charge and plans out the future of the crew. They issue orders and decide when and where to raid. They are usually elected by the crew.

Quartermaster

Second to the captain, and probably the most important person on the ship is the quartermaster. They were in charge of seeing the captain’s orders follow through and handled the day-to-day management of the ship. They were also in charge of keeping the crew in check and happy.

Bosun (Boatswain) 

The ship itself is the bosun’s baby. They make sure it is always in shape to travel and repair when necessary. A good bosun makes sure the deck is clean, ropes tight and sails in good condition.

Navigator

Navigators use the stars to figure out their position and to make sure the ship is always headed in the place its needed to go. A good navigator would have plenty of maps with them and prefer to pilot the ship themselves.  

Master  Gunner

When a battle begins, you want a good master gunner. They make sure the ammunition is packed properly, the cannons in working order and to aim the damn things.

Ship Surgeon

It’s not uncommon for crew to end up injured after a raid or terrible storm. The surgeon tends to injuries and sicknesses in the crew, often with natural remedies or mild forms of magic.

Cook

Everyone needs to eat. The cook is in charge of rationing out food on voyages and prepares the food for the crew. A good cook can keep the overall morale of the crew high since the food isn’t so bad and everyone gets their fill.

Deck Hand 

The lads that do all the hard work the officers tell them to do. Cleaning, manning the sails, dropping and bringing in anchor and so on. They create the bulk of the sailing crew and are the first over the top when boarding a ship.

Powder Monkey 

Young and aspiring rays of light, working deep in the hull carrying all the heavy things like gunpowder, cannon balls and cargo.