The 21

Grimstone Harbor serves as sanctuary to the lawless, a place where any outlaw may find safe haven. However, for law–abiding interlopers, Alliance Peacekeepers, or any who dare cross the Pirate Queen, Grimstone Harbor is a nightmare from which they may never awaken.

Across the vast oceans of Lyra, piracy has flourished for so long that, to many, Pirates are often considered a culture in their own right. Consequently, when the first Arcadian airships unveiled the Skylands for exploration and trade, pirates were not far behind. Masterfully adapting their maritime piracy prowess to the clouds above, these skybound pirates soon became adept at high-altitude airship hijackings and Skyland plundering.

The earliest Skyland pirates manned independent airships, crewed by violent criminals, with loyalty to no one but themselves. While this violent, anarchist disposition was effective in inspiring fear in the hearts of Skyland settlers, it also led to decades of infighting between the Pirate airships. These inner skirmishes, when combined with the superior weaponry of the Alliance Peacekeeper’s anti-piracy patrols, eventually left Skyland piracy on the brink of extinction.

Forced to reckon with their own annihilation, a parley was called by the captains of the remaining pirate airships. After ample negotiation – and an abundance of Sunspiced Rum – an agreement was reached and the Pirate Accords were created. Under this treaty, pirates would unite under a single banner and divide the Skyland Chain into twenty-one distinct regions, each airship’s captain receiving one territory as a fiefdom.

Though the Accords were signed in blood, the pirate captains knew it would take more than a mere bit of parchment to maintain such a truce. And so, they elected the most feared and respected of their number, an airship captain known as the Pirate Queen, to rule over all twenty-one fiefdoms. Recognized across the Skylands for her brilliance, her cruelty, and her ever-present mask, the Pirate Queen christened this new pirate clan: The Twenty One.

While this name originated from the division of the Skyland Chain, in time, the belief was born that it came from the fact that, “there are twenty-one ways to die at their hands… each more agonizing than the last.”

Thanks to the Pirate Queen’s tactical knowledge of air battles and her ability to rule through fear, decades after she was elected the Twenty One had achieved a level of power never seen by another pirate clan on Lyra. Under her leadership, the Twenty One had not only expanded their fleet, eliminated nearly all competition, and increased their annual profits, but had even settled the Skyland of Grimstone Harbor as their own.

Grimstone Harbor, named for the foreboding rock at the heart of the skyland, pulsates with an unstable and toxic form of Kaos, emitting from its Blackfire Lumite core. It taints the waters of Dead Man’s Lake, turning them a sickly black color, upon whose shores the Pirate Queen’s skull-shaped compound stands. Tales quickly spread like wildfire of those driven to madness by the lake’s waters, compelling the Pirate Queen to ensure a bountiful supply of Sunspiced Rum.

The Pirate Queen’s successes secured her the unwavering devotion and admiration of the Twenty One. However, a growing curiosity about her seemingly eternal youth has emerged as the decades have passed. While some suspect her ability to fend off the ravages of time is due to Elven blood, others believe she practices a form of Dark Kaos. Yet, while these theories may be whispered, those who value their lives dare not mention her age in her presence.

While each Pirate captain is given free reign to make their own rules for their own ship, there are laws that must be abided by any who sail beneath the banner of the Twenty One. These are known as the Pirate Code, and they are as follows:

• No airship of the Twenty One may attack another ship of the fleet
• Mutineers shall be given a trial
• Duels must be honored
• No airship of the Twenty One may attack Grimstone Harbor
• An annual tithe, paid to the Pirate Queen, is required from all pirate ships
• No ship shall use slaves and all crew members must be paid at least one share of loot
  However, slaves may be stolen from slaveholders and sold in available markets
• No Captain of the Twenty One shall take more than half of their airship’s loot
• If banners are called, all members of the Twenty One must answer the call
• Any violation of the Pirate Code is punished by death.
• Exceptions to the Code may only be made by official decree of the Pirate Queen.

Unlike many other factions on Lyra, the Twenty One have no rules or restrictions about who may join their ranks, and within their number one can find members from all species of Lyra.

This has made Grimstone Harbor not only one of the most dangerous Skylands, but also one of the most diverse. Indeed, Grimstone Harbor serves as sanctuary to the lawless, a place where any outlaw may find safe haven. However, for law–abiding interlopers, Alliance Peacekeepers, or any who dare cross the Pirate Queen, Grimstone Harbor is a nightmare from which they may never awaken.