The Almalexia lurched beneath his feet as the ship climbed the oncoming wave

<Snipped quote>

Down with the Tribunal!

<Snipped quote by POOHEAD189>

big time, would be honored for you to join!

<Snipped quote by Flagg>

I am sorry it took me awhile to reply. I'll check my schedule, though I admit I am terrible at RPing evil characters!

Then be a good one in an evil land!

Faction Specie(s): (Mostly Orcs, with slaves of almost all races)

Sorry about that chief. Might as well post this here while I'm working on it.
(WIP)

Akagi Khanate

"Curse you sea wretches! Curse you all! I hope meet a fate worst then drowning! Worse than death!"
Last word of Grand Admiral Luther Sigis, Former Imperial Grand Admiral.

Alias: Sea Lords, the Saltborn, Raiders of the Twin Isles, Sea Wretches.

Government Type: Khanate
The Akagi khanate, as the name already implies, is a chiefdom ruled by the Khan, a vicious warlord that strong armed the various pirates clans under his domain.

At the head of the Khanate is the Khan himself. Below him are the different pirate clans that have sworn fealty to him or were forced to. The chieftains of this clans provide a portion of their taxes to the Khan and in return, the Khan offers them protection from external threats and internal conflicts. Under the chieftains are captain. Individual who own, maintain and command their own vessels of war. Usually the captains are closely related to the chieftains of each clan. Each spoils from every raid are taxed by the chieftains, usually a fraction of all the total loot being taken.

Each Chieftain is able to call upon every captain that serves under their house for war. In the days before the Khan, this was done to settle territories on land and water mostly. Any captain that refuses this call from their Chieftain would become an outcast from their clan. He would then be treated as open game for any other pirate to pillage him. The accumulated ships that form a fleet is called a host. The Khan may call upon every clan’s host if he so wishes. The combined fleet formed is known as the “Black Host”. This massive collection of ships were first encountered by Imperials in the battle for the Red Sea.

^{A chieftain's host preparing to set sail and face a rival fleet at sea.}

Faction Specie(s): Most of the chiefs under the Khan are Human however the khanate itself is diverse. A myriad of races dwell in the isles. From the most numerous inhabitants that are the Humans to the hardeir folk of the Beastmen. Orcs are also known to inhabit the Khanate. Most captured in battle or have ran away from their kin looking for a more prodigal lifestyle.

Territory Details:

The capital of the Khan is Chuluun Khöl, a hold on the northern island of Tom Zagas.

Faction Religion/Ideology: There had never been a mandated religion in the Khanate. Neither had there been with the different marauder clans before the rise of the Khan. Each individual is free to worship whichever Deity they see fit. The most common religion, if it can be called that, is the belief in the lord of chances. Believed to be an aspect of the Dark Lord Daigon who grants its patrons a spark of good luck when they most need it.

Another religious belief that is notable in the isles is known informally as the Church of the Sleeping. A strange belief where a figure only known as 'the Sleeping God'. This belief only came into prominence when the Khan returned from his battle with the former Chieftain Jakai. The Khan has proclaimed himself the prophet of the the Sleeping One. His voice is the Sleeping One's will.

Another notable belief in the isles Pale Goddess who is predominantly worshiped in the Broken Arm. Northmen looking to escape their vampiric thanes. As people of the seas, a good number in the Khanate has converted to the belief. Some would slaughter livestock and let them drift towards the horizon as a sacrifice to the Lady that under the waves.

Faction description [+]

The Khanate is a place where freedom is held in the highest esteem, as long as you are strong enough to defend it. Before the Khan’s rise to power, there was a strict hierarchy among the pirate clans. Primogeniture was the accepted form of inheritance where males are favored more than females.

^{Two people challenging each other for the right to become Captain. After the Khan's reform, even women may participate in the honorary summons.}

The Khan broke this tradition by mandating that allowing anybody, whether related to the chieftain or not, to inherit their titles by merit, skill and loyalty rather than family ties. Females have also been give wider power within the Khanate. Now they are not only allowed to serve as pirates themselves but they can also become captains and even chieftains if they prove their worth. Crews have also been allowed the right to a share of the loot gathered from a raid. Where once they were treated as little more than slaves, only fed enough to last a fight. Not everyone is happy with this changes. Mostly the elites of the elites of the old ways who stubbornly hold on to old traditions. They are a small minority though as most under the Khanate have accepted and are pleased with the reforms.

^{Pirates of the Meiji clan enjoying their spoils of war.}

Of course politics matter for the average pirate of the khanate. Life is not easy in the barren waste of Nagath. Though there are those in the Khanate that practice honest work such as herdsmen and weavers, a good majority often becoming raiders and pirates. In the harsh existence of Nagath turns even the most noble men to desperate means. Of course the pirate life is often harsh and unforgiving. They are known to drink a mixture of fresh and salt water to store on up on ration. Most, if not all, of their meals are salted fish and meats to last their long voyages. Rats and other vermin that dwell in the hold of their vessels carry all sorts of horrid diseases. They are also treated with hostility by most other vessels, be they Justinian or otherwise, because of a pirate’s nature.

^{A pirate host raiding an Imperial merchant fleet.}

However how hard this challenges may be, the rewards are even greater. Treasures from simple stacks of gold to items rare and bizarre have been collected on daring pirate raids. The most infamous spoil is the Khan’s ship itself, the Unbreakable. This is why many take to the pirate lifestyle. The risk maybe great but the potential rewards much more so.

^{A typical Junk ship used by Khanate pirates.}

^{A "huo de huxi" cannon, better known as a "hooksie".}

Most pirates under the khan use ships known as "junks". They are not as durable or yield as much power as most Imperial warships but they have proven to be more nimble and faster. They often skirt around more heavily armored ships and whittle them down with short range cannons known as "huo de huxi", more commonly known as "hooksies" to Imperial sailors. Cannon balls no bigger than a man's fist are used but in times of desperation, pirates have been known to use anything from broken glasses to pieces of wooden furniture. Other pirates have often loaded hooksies with harpoons which they fire onto an enemy ship and either use to board a ship or pull it closer towards them if the vessel is smaller. Junks do not have cannon ports under their deck. Most cannons are placed above deck with their ammunition and gunpowder stored under. Of course most prominent pirates have often stolen more sturdier ships from the Empire, like the Khan himself.

Faction History [+]

The pirate lords of the twin isle were not always the meager opportunist they are now. From the port city of Anadal-Ur, now known as Ozgad’s Folly, rested Daigon’s pearl. The Black Tide, a fleet said so large it would cast a shadow as far as the eye could see. Led by the Great Kra-aaden, known popularly to the members of the Castigati as the “Scourge of God”. According to the tales of ol he is even Daigon's own son, forged with his blood along with dark magics. The Black Tide’s last known battle was against the Justinian Grand Fleet to make way for Daigon’s Bloodspiller Orcs to seize the port town of Andorra.

^{Kra-aaden, attacking an Imperial ship during the battle for Andorra}

The fleets that clashed covered the sea in a blanket of ships that raced for one another. Demitrius, a grand priest of the Clerisy and poet, wrote that the waves was awash with wanton death. Wrecks and pieces floated on the waters while the dying yells of men and women filled the dreadful air. At the closing stages of the battle, Prince Arkus, saint of the empire, jumped atop Kra-aaden’s head and battled the fiend while carnage continued around them. However Prince Arkus was able to summon bolts of lightning from the sky as he slammed his warhammer into Kra-aaden. The prince was last seen going under the water with the demon admiral, fighting each other to the last breathe. This shattered the Black Tide and forced them to retreat back to Anadal-Ur. Ready to receive punishment from Daigon, the vice Admirals stood ready for retribution only to find out that Daigon himself died against the Justinians.

The news devastated the vice admirals. Some mustered what vessels they had and sailed back to the Empire, inflicting as much destruction as they could before capture or death. Others salvaged what they could from their vessels and traveled further inland. Some though decided to break off their allegiances to whatever authority inherited Daigon’s throne and form their own lordships. Without funding from their former overlord, this petty suzerains turned to piracy and coastal raiding to fund their fleets. Infighting within their ranks occurred as keeping the chain of command no longer seemed appropriate or necessary. Martial traditions was forgone. To be replaced by wild savagery and reckless abandon. Desperation would also drive this pirate lords to pillage the other residents of Nagath. The coast of the Cursed Sea being plundered every so often by opportunistic marauders running rampant.

^{A vessel of Vampire Count Vasha being raided by Khanate pirates}

There had never been any will to unify the different pirate clans from the different chieftains. Each preferring to focus their fleets on Imperial merchant vessels than each other. On occasion clans would clash over territories they had set on the open ocean. That was until the arrival of the Khan. A man who was named Akagi in a different life. According to tales, he was a slave in Vritraprthvirajya before escaping. Fate would then have him on Captain Daria’s ship. The captain was a cruel taskmaster. Akagi would challenge Daria for the ship which would lead to the captain’s demise. Impressed with the daring Akagi showed, the elder of Tegin, Chieftain Shonkhor, took Akagi under his wing and taught him everything there was of the trade. Shonkhor’s own son, the impulsive Captain Jakai, became envious of the close relations between his father and Akagi. He poisoned his father and assumed Chiefhood. He then blamed Akagi for the death and ordered him arrested. Rather than run, Akagi went on to meet the chieftain in his hold along with his supporters. Loyalist of both sides clashed and Akagi found himself dueling Jakai on the ledge of the hold overlooking a tall cliff. Jakai pushed Akagi off the tall rock face but Akagi was able to grab hold of his opponent’s heel. The two fell as their followers looked in shocked. Jakai was found quickly enough. His head was dashed against the sharp rocks. Quickly the Tegin clan fell into turmoil as claims for the throne were announced. That was until Akagi came back claiming the chiefdom for his own. He had looked remarkably different. He was paler and he seemed always moist and damp. His skinned seemed wrinkled. His eyes and lips seemed sunken. He also smelled of saltwater. There were those who opposed him at first. Challenged him for the right. They were all defeated by Akagi who seemed unnaturally fast and agile, specially with his current appearance.

With no other contenders to the throne, he renamed himself as the “Khan”. The Khan then set his sights on the other clans. He gave them the chance to join. Most at first refused. They would become the first to witness the resurgent fleet. Their uncoordinated attacks no match for the cunning strategies of the Khan. One by one the clans fell. Some by force, others by choice. The Khan would then pass his mandates, reforming the pirate culture of the isles. It has been 13 years since the unification. The fleets of Akagi seemed bolder now in their strikes. Attacking even guarded Imperial vessels and sometimes Imperial war fleets themselves. The wrath of Khan is becoming ever more notorious with each attack they commit against the Empire.

Important Characters [+]

The Khan

^{A bust of the Khan.}

Akagi, who in time would turn into the mighty, charismatic and brutal warlord named "the Khan", came from very humble origins. He was the son a fisher and a fish monger in the southern island of Jijig Zagas. Akagi would often embark with his father to the salt banks of Iyatvathla(?), in the southern waters of Vritraprthvirajya(?). There he would catch massive catfishes with his father. So massive are this fishes that they have been known time and time again to swallow men whole. One day during a rough storm, Akagi was thrown overboard along with his father. His father became a meal for the very creatures they were hunting and Akagi was carried by the waves towards the shore.

(Have to see Senor Herp's sheet for this).

---

Lady Chen "The Red Lady":
Surrat the Quick:
Chief Anjo of Clan Thais "The Plague Captain":
The Shadow:

Relations to other Factions: