Sea Princes
The Hold of the Sea Princes is a land bordered on all sides by the protection of natural terrain. To the north, its reaches extend to the Hool River at the heart of the marshland of the same name. To the west and south, the lands of the Sea Princes are walled in by the Hellfurnaces. The Hold’s eastern border, along the Jeklea Bay, accounts for the nation’s prosperity.
Assets
Despite the political climate, the Hold is renowned for its beautiful weather and pleasant beaches. The land here is fertile and suitable for farming all manner of crop. Fruit production is perhaps the Hold’s most famous industry, though a traffic in slavery has brought it the most enemies (and whole ships filled with coin, thanks to the greedy lords of Ahlissa and elsewhere). In fact, the slave trade of the Sea Princes is so lucrative that captains call their captured Amedio slaves “two-legged admirals,” referring to the platinum coinage of the realm.
History
In the mid–fourth century CY, as Keoland made war in the north, the buccaneers of the Azure Sea and Jeklea Bay grew courageous, correctly assuming that the king’s wartime ambition would leave much of his southern holdings for the taking. Operating from hidden island and mainland bases, these pirates harried the coastline as far as the Sea of Gearnat, from Monmurg to Gradsul, from Blue to Scant. By 444 CY, the pirates had formed a loose confederation, naming themselves for the Sea Prince, the ship of a successful pirate captain of noble Keoish blood.
The Sea Princes raided the mainland coast, conquering even Port Toli and finally Monmurg in 446, breaking Keoish control of the southlands in a flurry of naval actions. As Tavish III’s northern holdings crumbled, however, he ordered the eradication of the Sea Princes, charging his military commanders to regain all of the land lost to the seafaring opportunists. The Sea Princes’ operations had expanded even to the mainland, a fact that infuriated the king. The pirates openly scoffed at his decrees and challenged the monarch to a battle by sea. Tavish III would not oblige.
Instead, in the spring chill of 453 CY, the king himself led a large army of men through the tangles of the Hool Marsh, intending to lay siege to the fort city of Westkeep. The trek through the swamp proved disastrous, however, and many of the soldiers were forced to cast away their armor in the quagmire. The army’s wagon train suffered tremendous difficulty, and many soldiers took sick within the first two days of the march. Tavish seemed indignant. Westkeep would fall, and he himself would hoist the Lion Rampant upon its highest tower.
When finally the army arrived at the outskirts of the fort city, the Sea Princes forces had been well prepared. Those Keolandish soldiers who did not mutiny were cut down by an unrelenting barrage of arrow fire and magic. The Siege of Westkeep, as it would soon be known, lasted a pathetic 70 minutes. Tavish himself was slain in battle, and the forces of the Sea Princes celebrated that night under the standard of the crowned caravel.
When finally the army arrived at the outskirts of the fort city, the Sea Princes forces had been well prepared. Those Keolandish soldiers who did not mutiny were cut down by an unrelenting barrage of arrow fire and magic. The Siege of Westkeep, as it would soon be known, lasted a pathetic 70 minutes. Tavish himself was slain in battle, and the forces of the Sea Princes celebrated that night under the standard of the crowned caravel.
The Battle of Jetsom Island, in 464 CY, saw the Keoish navy sink the Sea Prince, with all hands lost. Though not a decisive military victory for Keoland, the action marked a turning point for the holders. Thereafter, many of the old captains retired from piracy, settling the mainland and forming a more stabilized government.
Military
The Sea Princes command what is widely believed to be the grandest navy in all the Flanaess as well as a small but effective army.
Agriculture & Industry
With their newfound industrial power, the Sea Princes have expanded their borders to the Hellfurnaces. Vast plantations, worked by imported Amedio slaves, provide shiploads of tropical fruits and sugar, goods that can be exported to foreign ports for unheardof low prices. Though the sale of human beings has drawn the ire of upstart radical nations such as the Yeomanry, the Sea Princes’ slave trade is seen by most of the Flanaess as a necessary evil on the road to fantastic wealth.
Trade & Transport
When the younger captains turned from piracy, they began to pursue relatively legitimate ventures, including exploration of the Amedio coast and, eventually, the sale of slaves captured within the fecund southern jungles. Thus a chaotic nation of pirates and scalawags turned their attention to mercantilism, and the coffers of the Sea Princes swelled to bursting.
As the years have progressed, however, the practice of slavery has been less supported by the gentry of client nations. With the moderate Prince Jeon II of Monmurg assuming the throne in 573 CY, most expect the issue to come to a head.
Heraldry of the Hold of the Sea Princes
Founding Date
453 CY
Alternative Names
Hold of the Sea Princes
Government System
Oligarchy
Power Structure
Federation
Economic System
Market economy
Currency
Old coinage used but greatly devalued: highlord (pp), gold admiral (gp), bright ship (ep), silver (sp), common (cp)
Major Exports
Foodstuffs, slaves
Legislative Body
30 Separate Noble Domains, united under one "Captain of all Fleets"
Official Languages
Neighboring Nations