Pirates of the Snake's Den

The Problem

The pirates of Merdia began their conquest of the tourist trade with one vision: to battle on the high seas once more. Sure, as ghosts, the pirates had some difficulties getting things off the ground and into the water, but they managed.
They had ships and canons and scary pirate threats for the enemy, which was all well and good, but a bit stale after a few decades. Even when Trevel, a member of the Keeland navy, came on board and they fought pitched battles with his law-and-order mates, something was missing.
That something was variety.

Ghost by fxquadro, Envato Elements
Background by juaquincorbalan, Envato Elements

Ghosts, as they are already dead, need not fear flame, but waves can tear their essences apart

Pirate by alesmunt, Adobe Stock Images

Dough's shouting cone is the bane of his mates, and the law, and Trevel, when Trevel isn't in on his shenanigans. Once upon a time, he paid a nice nymph to enlouden it. And enlouden it they did.

The Plan

The pirates and the law ghosts knew each other. They fought each other and celebrated with each other after battles. It was fun to squash your friends during the first year of cannon fire frays, but after the hundreth?
Something needed to change.
So Trevel got together with Dough and they whispered about the problem behind closed doors. The pirates and the law began to wonder what happened to their fearless leaders when the two burst out of Dough's office and hustled down to tavern row with their 285th brilliant plan--larger-than-life heroes and villains!
The pirates and the law stared at the two after the announcement, at one another, then went back to celebrating their last battle, where Two-Feet Janny Lastly and Stalwart McGracious fought to the fake death while their ship sank into the waves in a beautiful blaze of fire.
Not to be outdone by the nonchalance in which their announcement landed, Dough retrieved his shouting cone and yelled about the brilliant plan. And so pirates and the law up and down and outside tavern row were updated on the future of Merdia sea battles.

Pirate by fxquadro, Envato Images

Janny first topped the charts of pirate popularity after she manned the cannon that sank the first ship into Mer Bozem.

The Solution

The great thing about the plan was that Dough and Trevel didn't have to do much. They already had pirates and their lawful counterparts that eager tourists latched onto--they just needed to plaster their faces on advertising materials, maybe a signboard or two (though Dough still got top billing, with Trevel a distant second).
Pirates and the law stood for portraits, suspicious about the efficacy of the plan, but willing to humor the two who had built Merida into the ship-sinkingest city in the Evenacht. As fun as it was to out-menace friends in the images, the 'famous' pirates and their law buds just wanted to sail into the bay and clash with each other. Tourists weren't much on their minds.
So, brilliant-idea 285 languished, until Janny Lastly made it big-time.

Flawless Finish

Janny missed her cue during one intense battle, and brought her teacup with her as she dueled Larkey Gullyman, taking sips while she parried (brilliant actress, that Janny. Ghosts can't drink tea!). Tourists and enthusiasts loved her carefree attitude and wanted to join her crews, sail on her ships. She refused to captain them--she was a face-to-face fighter, not a leader--but her final sword clashes with the law became cheering events. And others, pirates and the law alike, wanted that adulation.
Sensing maybe the brilliant idea might not turn out that brilliant when egos flared over popularity, Dough met with every pirate and lawman who wanted a starring role. Fish-feeder Cali, Boss Borly, Calamitous Stanley, Stripes McCrackem, Scragglebeard, Smooth Dav, Sneaky Cartorleon, Sensible Sticks, Gallant Moxie, Fowl Francis, all chose memorable names, all chose their life-long foe, and all wombled out into the bay and have-atted at each other while their touristy crews followed in their famous footsteps.
Not to leave the introverts out, Dough and Trevel threw Crew Days, where they celebrated the backbone of their ship-battle enterprise--the crew. Gifts and thanks aplenty fell on their heads, and one lucky scrub whose name Trevel pulled from a pirate hat would be the face plastered on that year's welcome sign.
So, if you're somewhere near the Snake's Den, and think re-enactments of sea battles are a flaming good time, pop on in, meet the legends, and get sunk!

Ship background by Zoltan Tasi, Unsplash
Man by fxquadro, Envato Elements