Warcaptains of the Pirate Isles

Bonny Billy Blood Captain of the Lucinde Mae, Warcaptain of the Red Wake Warcaptain Bonny Billy Blood Original article: Bonny Billy Blood Bonny Billy Blood is the closest thing Tamerynd Isle has to a pirate monarch — not by bloodline or crown, but by charisma, cunning, and sheer bloody audacity. With his silver tongue, theatrical duels, and flair for public executions, Billy commands respect from friend and foe alike. He is legendary in port taverns, dreaded at sea, and loathed by those who cannot charm or kill as well as he can. His ship, the Lucinde Mae, is as infamous as its captain — sleek, fast, and notorious for flying no flag until after its victims are sunk. He maintains a network of lovers, allies, spies, and debtors across Tamerynd and beyond. He can quote poetry as easily as he can gut a man with a flourish. No one ever really trusts Bonny Billy. But many follow him — some out of love, more out of greed and the hope their share of his adventures will be more than they'd earn elsewhere.

Brogg Cinderjaw Captain of the Firemaw, Warcaptain of the Ashwake Reavers, Saintflayer Warcaptain Brogg Cinderjaw Original article: Brogg Cinderjaw Brogg “Cinderjaw” Cinderjaw is a towering orc Warcaptain of fearsome legend, known across the Pirate Isles for his scorched jaw clamped in blackened steel and his merciless hatred of gods and chains alike. Once a branded and burned as a prisoner of Koramia, he rose from the ashes of torture to become a blasphemous firebrand of Tamerynd Isle, captaining the dread fleet known as the Ashwake Reavers. His flagship, the Firemaw, is a floating engine of ruin that leaves charred coastlines and crucified clerics in its wake. Brogg leads with unrelenting force and molten fury, forging loyalty through fear and defiance. To his followers, he is a liberator; to his enemies, he is a demon in iron, the embodiment of fire unbound.

Dartemis Mull Captain of the Deepmother, Warcaptain of the Bilgehand Syndicate, the Undertow Baron Warcaptain Dartemis Mull, the Undertow Baron Original article: Dartemis Mull Dartemis Mull is the beady-eyed master of wreck and ruin who commands a fleet of dredgers, divers, and salvage hulks that stalk storm-wrecked waters like carrion birds. Unlike most pirates who prey on living vessels, Dartemis is the bane of the dead sea, arriving after the storm, after the kraken, after the battle, and picking over the remains. But don’t be fooled: he’s no mere scavenger. He causes wrecks when they don’t come naturally, calling up whirlpools, false beacons, and sunken snares to drag merchantmen into watery graves.

Esmere Vallis Captain of the Throatbreaker, Warcaptain of the Brinewolves, "Salt-Stung" Warcaptain Esmere Vallis Original article: Esmere Vallis Known as Salt-Stung for the scars across her face, Esmere Vallis is one of the most vicious and resilient Warcaptains of the Pirate Isles. A former whaler turned pirate captain, Esmere is defined by raw survival instinct and brutal cunning. Where others ply charm or mysticism, Vallis wields brute force and fear, her hands calloused by rope, blood, and salt. Her fleet, The Brinewolves, are renowned for their swift hulls, harpoon weaponry, and ruthless boarding actions.

Kosh Mardu Captain of the Gutrender, Warcaptain of the Brine Maw Warcaptain Kosh Mardu Original article: Kosh Mardu Warcaptain Kosh Mardu, once a pit slave in the brutal arenas of Bakal, rose from blood-soaked sand to become one of the most feared pirate lords of the Pirate Sea. Towering, merciless, and brutally pragmatic, Kosh commands the Brine Maw, a savage fleet known for boarding actions so violent they leave no survivors to tell the tale. He rules not through charisma or cunning, but through relentless domination, inspiring loyalty in his crew through fear and ritualized cruelty. His signature cleaver, forged from a broken warship and etched with tally marks of slain captains, is both weapon and warning. Though no priest, Kosh bears the mark of Taltos carved into his flesh, a symbol of his belief that strength is its own sanctity. Even among the lawless Warcaptains, Kosh is a name whispered with unease, for wherever he sails, silence and red water follow.

Maelen Draethe Captain of the Black Nacre, Warcaptain of the Moonless Wake Fleet, the Scarraven, Mother of the Shadowed Deep Warcaptain Maelen Draethe Original article: Maelen Draethe Warcaptain Maelen Draethe is the most mysterious and feared sorcerer among the Seventeen. Where others raid with steel, fire, or charm, Maelen uses shadows, whispers, and fear. Believed to be a former druid from the Calmerian Marches turned cult leader, she now commands the Black Nacre, a ship cloaked in sorcery and manned by fanatics, witches, and lost souls. Maelen is known to shroud her ships in supernatural fog, weave illusions of safety, and replace real horrors with false ones — or vice versa. She claims descent from the Old Blood of the Moon Temples, and whether that’s true or a myth she planted in the minds of her enemies is unclear. It is generally believed she is a priestess of Mania, but others whisper of an even darker pact with some demon of the deep...

Quarn the Quiet Captain of the Silent Dirge, Warcaptain of the Black Lament Warcaptain Quarn the Quiet Original article: Quarn the Quiet Quarn the Quiet is a mute and enigmatic Warcaptain of the Pirate Isles, commanding the dread fleet Black Lament with uncanny precision and ritualistic silence. Cloaked in mystery, Quarn communicates only through gestures and symbols, inspiring a fearful, near-religious obedience in his crew. His past is clouded by rumor: some say he made a pact with a sea god, others that he is a revenant driven by vengeance from beyond the grave. His ships strike without warning, vanishing into darkness, leaving only blood and silence in their wake. Among the Warcaptains, Quarn is not simply feared... he is believed in.

Sal Varva Captain of the Foambreaker, Ghost Prince of the Shoals, Warcaptain of the Pale Shoal Fleet Warcaptain Sal Varva Original article: Sal Varva Sal Varva is the quiet knife of the Pirate Sea — more ghost than man, more rumor than legend. Where other Warcaptains fly flags and spill rum to announce their presence, Sal’s ship, the Foambreaker, is said to emerge from the fog without wind or sail, strike unseen, and vanish into the shallows before the alarm bells stop ringing.

Shulra Vexh Captain of the Vexillum Aes, Warcaptain of the Fathomed Eye Warcaptain Shulra Vexh Original article: Shulra Vexh Warcaptain Shulra Vexh, known as the Silent Eye of the Storm, is a seafaring tactician, mystic, and commander of the fleet known as the Fathomed Eye. Once a Neptaran wind-priestess cast out for defying her temple, she now commands a wind-silent armada feared across the Betshaban Ocean. Cold, precise, and eerily serene, Shulra speaks rarely and strikes without hesitation, navigating storms and enemies alike with unnerving foresight. Her crew follows a strict code of silence and discipline, and her uncanny ability to predict weather, ships, and battles has earned her a reputation not just as a pirate, but as an omen. Even among the ruthless Warcaptains of the Pirate Isles, Shulra is set apart not by fury, but by inevitability.

Syndra Malvene Captain of the Vitreous Veil, Warcaptain of the Fractured Court, the Glass Widow Warcaptain Syndra Malvene Original article: Syndra Malvene Syndra Malvene, known across the Pirate Isles as the Glass Widow, is a calculating, icy presence among the Warcaptains. Believed to have once been a noble scion of Numentora, she now rules the sea with a sapphire gaze and a voice like falling ice. Her elegance masks cruelty, her wit cuts deeper than steel, and her vengeance, when stirred, is as precise as it is merciless. Syndra captains the Vitreous Veil, a sleek war-frigate said to be carved from the remnants palace domes her crew have pillaged. Her fleet, the Fractured Court, is a force of surgical strikes, calculated amphibious raids on land and silent boarding parties that leave their victims gutted before dawn.

Theodorus Fervus Captain of the Carnifex, Warcaptain of Classis Mors Aestus (Death's Wake Fleet) Warcaptain Theodorus Fervus Original article: Theodorus Fervus Theodorus Fervus (Theodorus the Black) is one of the most feared Warcaptains of the Pirate Isles. A grim tactician, brutalist disciplinarian, and unforgiving master of siege and slaughter, Fervus commands Classis Mors Aestus — “Death's Wake Fleet” — a fleet of pirate ships mostly composed of captured naval warships with reinforced hulls and chained slaves for oar-power. Rumored to once being a naval officer in the service of some former Imperial state, Theodorus betrayed his fellows, mutinied against his captain and became a pirate with what crew would follow him. He now rules through absolute control, surrounded by enforcers who echo the drill-sergeant cruelty of the legions of an empire that died two generations ago. He wears no sigil save for a blackened iron sun — a symbol of his belief that the age of honor is dead, and only those who burn away weakness shall inherit what remains.

Valessia Gabinius Caestrix Captain of the Regnum Obscura, Warcaptain of the Black Laurels Warcaptain Valessia Gabinius Caestrix Original article: Valessia Gabinius Caestrix Valessia Gabinius Caestrix is a calculating and ruthless Warcaptain whose imperial heritage cloaks her savagery in sophistication. Born to a disgraced patrician family in one of the coastal city-states of the fallen Great Empire, she mastered diplomacy, assassination, and naval warfare as a teenager. Her rapid rise to Warcaptain was soaked in blood and sealed by blackmail, betrayal, and brutal cunning, becoming the youngest of the Warcaptains just last year. Now a feared tactician and sovereign of the Fleet of Black Laurels, she wages a private war for power and vengeance, cloaked in the pretense of noble civility.

Vashara Captain of the Ash's Remorse, Warcaptain of the Emberwake Armada, Pyroclast of the Sealed Flame Warcaptain Vashara, Pyroclast of the Sealed Flame Original article: Vashara Warcaptain Vashara is a possibly immortal, fire-scarred wizard-pirate whose presence is whispered with dread in every port from the Sea of Marosh to the edge of the Endless Ocean. Once a pyromancer in service to the Magocracy of Lun Dorak over a century ago, Vashara turned rogue during the final throes of the Magewar, disappearing into the trackless ocean with a half-burned experimental warship and a crew of renegades. His fleet, now known as the Emberwake Armada, sails beneath sails blackened with soot and stitched with glowing runes. Where Vashara sails, fire and ruin follow.