Hold of the Sea Princes

Once just mere buccaneers and pirates of the Azure Sea near Jeklea Bay, these ambitious souls grew wealthy and swelled their flotillas during the time when the Kingdom of Keoland was at the height of it's military power and northward expansion. This uncontested growth occurred primarily because Keoland's eyes were northward and therefore these sea raiders were ignored. As their strength grew, so did their arrogance and so these privateers began to call themselves the Sea Princes after a particularly successful pirate who actually was of noble birth. Sailing unchecked from their island and mainland strongholds, these raiders became the scourge of the coasts from Gradsul to Scan, on the Pomarj, and even beyond into the Sea of Gearnat and the Tilva Strait.
Then Keoland was slowly beaten back from imperial expansion and started to rebuild their naval forces, in order to put he Sea Princes in check. However, their number and strength had grown so great that the Keoish fleet, even with a squadron of Ulek warships, could only deliver one narrow victory at the Battle of Jetsom Island. This lesson caused the raider leaders to rethink their policies, however, and several of the wiser captains retired to their mainland estates, appointing lieutenants to command their ships, not in piratical or raiding pursuits in the Flanaess, but on expeditions to the Amedio coast and thence to trade northward with the rare woods, spices, ivory, and gold which they wrested from the jungle savages. By doing these expeditions, eventually, the mainland possessions of the Sea Princes amounted to more territory than their island homes and practiced little formal raiding.
Today, they probably are still the strongest sea power, but they also have a small and efficient army and are relatively peaceful traders. As the most powerful sea traders, they are willing to trade anything from anywhere for a price, regardless of legality for that region. There are also strong rumours that they run a very profitable slave trade.