Alliance of the Bassarid Oceans

The Alliance of the Bassarid Oceans is an alliance which exists between the semi-autonomous communities of radical Bassarid privateers that operate in the waters surrounding Apollonia, Eura, and Keltia.

Alliance of the Bassarid Oceans
Flag Coat of Arms
Motto: Hed Osence del hed Sunsana
Anthem:
Map versions	TBA
Capital	-
Largest city	TBA
Official language(s)	English, Pallisical, Hammish, Haifan, Etc...
Official religion(s)	Bassaridianism, Pallisican Religion
Demonym	Assorted
- Adjective	Assorted
Government
-
- Legislature
Establishment	39.43 PSSC (5/10/19)
Area	~76,657,680 sqkm
Population	541,364 (39.43 PSSC)
Currency	Poli (P), Liev (Li)
Calendar
Time zone(s)	-1 UTC <-> +12 UTC PSSC
Mains electricity
Driving side
Track gauge
National website	N/A
National forum	N/A
National animal
National food
National drink
National tree
Abbreviation	ABO

History

Captain Walter Poldark

The history of state-sponsored piracy in the modern era begins with the exploits of Captain Poldark. An individual of nebulous origin who deviously sailed under the banner of the fledgling Ergonian nation, Captain Poldark rose to prominence after engaging in a brief conflict against Pallisican territorial holdings in Eura and the Captive Sea. Although not generally regarded for his success or effectiveness as a pirate, Poldark - who would later enjoy his status as a political official in Constancia - had a significant effect on the leading political minds in Passio-Corum. For the first time, Pallisican political and military leaders who ultimately triumphed in their campaign against Poldark began to regard state-sponsored piracy as a viable means to achieving political, military, and economic aims.

Hammish Civil War

Following its victory in its campaign against Captain Poldark - which would serve to lay the groundwork for the expansion of the nation around the Sea of Storms, the government of Passio-Corum began exploring opportunities to fund privateers in the waters over which it now claimed control. Its first opportunity would emerge during the Hammish Civil War, when the government of Passio-Corum authorized financing for the newly established Tax Guild of the Sea of Storms. Initially, the Tax Guild was established with the intention of imposing fees upon goods shipped from Shireroth to the dictatorship in Hamland which at the time was engaged in policies which the government of Passio-Corum regarded as genocidal in nature. The Tax Guild originally operated strictly in ports within the Pallisican sphere of influence, rather than in open water. Gradually, however, the Guild expanded, with the support of the New Zimian Merchant Marines, across the nautical shipping lanes which connected the various Pallisican Regional Investors around the Sea of Storms. Within a brief period of time, the Tax Guild morphed from a small-scale, port-based tax agency into a community of privateers who operated extensively across the major waterways of the eastern hemisphere. Although the government of Passio-Corum expressed quiet opposition to this shift, it nevertheless continued to increase its funding for the Tax Guild, and to reap the benefits of the Tax Guild's illicit operations. This financial support continued even despite mounting international opposition to state-sponsored piracy.

Rise of the Stripping Path

The example of the Tax Guild of the Sea of Storms would play a central role in the development of the Maritime Markets of the Strait of Haifa. Inspired by the overall success and effectiveness of the Tax Guild, Haifans living along the southern Strait of Haifa increasingly regarded piracy as a lucrative means to financing the establishment of a new, independent Haifan state. The first major pirate community to emerge along the Strait of Haifa was the Fleet of Blore Heath. The pirates affiliated with the Fleet of Blore Heath earned their living, and financed their operations, by attacking and raiding ships attempting to travel north through the Strait of Haifa, or through the Straits of Terra Ceta. With this said, no factor would contribute more to the growth of piracy in central and eastern Keltia than the emergence and rapid expansion of the Stripping Path, which first appeared in Mylecia, and which within a matter of years extended along the entire southern Strait of Haifa. This new religion, which emphasized the worship of a drunken and violent god who traveled by sea, enjoyed extreme appeal among the Haifans who regarded piracy as a reasonable means to acquiring wealth. To this end, the rise of the Stripping Path would contribute to the creation of several new pirate communities along the Strait of Haifa, most notable of which was the Bacchian Vine Fleet, whose members sailed upon ships made from magically imbued living vines a strong as steel. The Bacchian Vine Fleet would rapidly ascend to a position of prominence among the pirate communities of the Strait of Haifa, soon dwarfing even the Fleet of Blore Heath in terms of influence and capital. The example of the Bacchian Vine Fleet would soon give rise to other pirate communities along the Strait of Haifa and beyond.

War of Lost Brothers and the HPI

Initially, Passio-Corum opposed the expansion of piracy in the Strait of Haifa, regarding it as a threat to the prospect of re-establishing the Free State of Haifa. The Pallisican government, furthermore, initially regarded the Stripping Path - the primary religion of pirates operating along the Strait of Haifa - as a subversive religion which threatened political stability and the economic viability of trade routes in Keltia. Pallisican opposition to Haifan piracy and the Stripping Path would reach its zenith during the reign of Opyeme Amor, who considered military intervention in Keltia in order to disrupt trade relations between the Maritime Markets of the Strait of Haifa and the Shireroth-based ESB Group. Amor's plan to intervene militarily in the Maritime Markets would result in his brutal assassination at the hands of his chief companion, Kan Zen. Following her murder of Amor, Zen would ascend - despite being a practitioner of the Stripping Path - to the position of Oracle of the Pallisican Religion, and then to the position of Crown of Passio-Corum itself. As Crown of Passio-Corum, Kan Zen would completely re-write the relationship between Passio-Corum and the pirate-led Maritime Markets of the Strait of Haifa. Rather than oppose piracy in the Strait of Haifa, Zen would instead foster it, and seek successfully to establish political and economic ties with the Strait's pirate communities - in particular the Bacchian Vine Fleet and later the Hatch Ministry. The alliances which Zen fostered with the Haifan pirate communities would prove a pivotal factor during the War of Lost Brothers, when the New Zimian War League would lean upon them for support in the campaign known as the Harpy War. The alliance between Kan Zen's administration and the pirates of the Maritime Markets of the Strait of Haifa during the Harpy War would result in a blurring of Pallisican and Haifan political and economic interests. So successful was Kan Zen in her efforts to establish political and economic ties between Pallisica and the pirate governments of Haifa that in 36.81, Passio-Corum and the Maritime Markets would agree to a political and economic union resulting in the establishment of the Haifo-Pallisican Imperial Trade Union. The union of Passio-Corum and the Maritime Markets would be a boon for the pirate leaders of the Strait of Haifa. On one hand, they would receive an extreme increase in funding from virtually all of the Pallisican Regional Investors. On the other, they would for the first time gain significant political influence on the world stage. Piracy, to this end, would come to comprise a significant part of the newly formed Bassarid DNA - it would serve as a central component of the nation's new identity.

Piracy in the Post-War Era

In the period following the War of Lost Brothers piracy has flourished across most of the eastern hemisphere, due in large part to the financial support of Bassarid Regional Investors and the expansion of the Stripping Path. Whereas prior to the war state-sponsored piracy was mostly restricted to limited operations in the Sea of Storms and the Strait of Haifa, pirate communities have since emerged in west Keltia, Eura, and southern Apollonia. The pirate organizations which exist across the east serve almost universally as unofficial auxiliary forces to the New Zimian War League. The primary exception is the Jogi-based Lake Morovia Blockade Fund, an organization which formed prior to the War of Lost Brothers, which defected to become the first major company to join the Morovian nationalist Independent Port of Lake Morovia. With this said, state-sponsored piracy is employed extensively by the government of the Haifo-Pallisican Imperial Trade Union to help preserve its political and economic hegemony over the eastern hemisphere. Bassarid sponsored pirate organizations operate across all of the nation's shipping lanes, disrupting the operations of foreign commercial and military vessels, and in the territorial waters of nations regarded as being hostile to the Haifo-Pallisican Imperial Trade Union, such as Constancia, Natopia, and the Florian Republic. It is nevertheless the case that while they generally act in support of Bassarid interests, the Bassarid-sponsored pirate organizations maintain a relatively limited degree of fealty to the Crown of Passio-Corum. Indeed, it is the case that Bassarid vessels are not always exempt from being attacked by the pirates which are supported by Bassarid Regional Investors. Piracy, to this end, is regarded as one of the major factors which hampers or limits trade across the Haifo-Pallisican Imperial Trade Union. While there are harsh legal penalties for Bassarid-sponsored privateers who attack Bassarid vessels, or vessels representing Bassarid allies, these penalties do not always serve to deter greedy captains or their crews.

The Alliance of the Bassarid Oceans

The Alliance of the Bassarid Oceans was formally established in the 39.40's PSSC after the government of the Haifo-Pallisican Imperial Trade Union, facing international scrutiny, publicly distanced itself from the operations of the various privateer communities funded through investments in the Port of Vines. The establishment of the Alliance of the Bassarid Oceans was met with immediate scorn and indignation from many nations around the world, including nations who had long called for greater transparency regarding Bassarid support for pirates. The most vocal opponent of the Alliance was the Florian Republic, which announced that it would declare war against the Alliance-affiliated pirates operating in what it regarded as its waters. When this threat did not materialize within a certain anticipated window, the Florian Republic was praised by the Bassarid Council of Courts for its commitment to the continuation of peace and stability in Eura and Apollonia.

With this said, the Alliance was established with two primary goals. The first of these goals was to ensure the viability of the communities in the face of a growing sense of public opposition within the Bassarids. The second was to offset, and counter-balance efforts by the Raspur Pact to lay territorial claims to the waterways surrounding Eura, Keltia, and Corum. The Alliance was relatively successful in both of these respects.

Government

Structure and Financing

The privateer communities which constitute the Alliance of the Bassarid Oceans are financed through the investment of Bassarid and non-Bassarid Regional Investors in the various brokerages featured on the Port of Vines. Using the money which they receive through these investments, the privateer organizations purchase vessels and arms at reduced rates through investments in a branch of the Shirley Stock Fund.

As of 39.43 PSSC it was estimated that there were a total of 199 active ships representing all of the various members of the Alliance.

Unit Type	# in Service
Esper Class Aircraft Carrier	0
Kesh Class Modern Attack Submarine	11 (5.53%)
Indigo Class Gunboat	103 (51.76%)
Bijeko Class Attack Craft	14 (7.04%)
Zibertian Class Cruiser	9 (4.52%)
Northman Class Corvette	41 (20.6%)
Rey Class Submersible Destroyer	21 (10.55%)

Political Organization

The Alliance of the Bassarid Oceans is a military organization which operates as an auxiliary of the New Zimian War League. There is no formal, centralized governing body which organizes the operations of the Alliance. Rather, the privateer communities which constitute the Alliance coordinate their efforts on an ad hoc basis, cooperating and coordinating their efforts as needed on a case by case basis.

Foreign Disposition

Members of the Alliance are prohibited, under penalty of law, to avoid targeting vessels representing nations which are officially or unofficially neutral in their stance regarding the Haifo-Pallisican Imperial Trade Union or the USSO. Members are also legally prohibited from attacking USSO-aligned vessels. While these prohibitions are not always obeyed by specific captains or crews, they are nevertheless agreed upon by the various Alliance members.

List of Allied Organizations

Apollonia

The Florian Coast Company

The Florian Coast Company is a company of Bassarid sea-raiders who operate in the southern Dyre Staits, northern reaches of the North Raynor Sea, and to a limited extent along the western coast of Eura.

Establishment

Assigned & Allocated

Item	# in Theatre

Eura

Shadow Ports of Ebrahim

Located on the outskirts of Bandar-e Ebrahim, the Shadow Ports of Ebrahim are the last remaining home ports of Eastern Eura's major pirate communities.

Establishment

Assigned & Allocated

Item	# in Theatre

Altsun Affiliate

Originally known as the Aqabah Affiliate, the Altsun Affiliate is a collective of spies, pirates, and informants who operate across the coastal and island regions of Western Eura in support of the New Zimian War League.

Establishment

Assigned & Allocated

Item	# in Theatre

The Rusr Fleet

Established in 37.52 PSSC following the initiation of a program aimed at the violent expulsion of Bassarids from Constancia, the Rusr Fleet is a large community of privateers who are committed to protecting the flow of goods to and from the cities which constitute the Province of the River Erik.

Establishment

Assigned & Allocated

Item	# in Theatre

Keltia

Captive Sea Imperial Trade Company

The largest single employer of fishermen in the Captive Sea, the Captive Sea Imperial Trade Company is the only company featured on the Port of Storms which is managed directly by the Crown of Passio-Corum. As such, employees of the company enjoy certain benefits not enjoyed by employees of other companies, including but not limited to the right to receive partial stipends in multiple regions within the Greater Pallisican Trade Association, and the right to petition the Crown for the establishment of chartered communities in any of the lands abandoned by Alexandria or Natopia in the immediate vicinity of the Captive Sea. Employees of the Captive Sea Imperial Trade Company, furthermore, may be issued letters of marque on the basis of which they may engage in limited acts of piracy against the adversaries of the Pallisican nation.

Establishment

Assigned & Allocated

Item	# in Theatre

Team Green Sea

Team Green Sea is a community of pirates formerly affiliated with the Tax Guild of the Sea of Storms and the Maritime Free Republic of Fishermen, which began operating in the waters off the island of Niijima following an increase in tensions between the Haifo-Pallisican Imperial Trade Union and Hoenn in 39.02 PSSC.

Establishment

Assigned & Allocated

Item	# in Theatre

Tax Guild of the Sea of Storms (Tax Guild of the Great Western Sea)

Established in the late 870s WG the Tax Guild of the Sea of Storms oversees the taxation of vessels representing nations unfriendly to Passio-Corum, who seek harbor in the port cities of the Sea of Storms.

A branch of the Tax Guild of the Sea of Storms, the Tax Guild of the Great Western Sea was established in the early 36.60's on the basis of an effort to undermine the Shireithian support for Sea-Reavers operating in the Great Western Sea and eastern Taylor Bay during the War of Lost Brothers. To this end, the Tax Guild of the Great Western Sea began its operations by attempting to employ Shireithian pirates who ostensibly pledged their willingness to exchange plunder for Pallisican and USSO wages. Although they did not significantly curb the looting of USSO ships during the War of Lost Brothers, the efforts of the Tax Guild to provide payment for Sea-Reavers in the Great Western Sea resulted in a considerable increase in attacks against ships carrying goods between the Shireithian mainland and the colony of New Blackstone. Despite their reputation for fierce loyalty, this increase in attacks served to demonstrate that even Shireroth's auxiliaries, who traveled with the Shireithian Sea-Reavers, could not ensure universal protection across their entire area of operations. The Tax Guild would persistently claim that, lacking the opportunity to enjoy financial incentives offered by Shireroth or its allies, these turned auxiliaries were cited as being highly valuable assets in the campaign to stifle Shireithian influence in the Great Western Sea, in spite of instances of the reavers taking money from both sides and murdering handlers from either bloc when questioned too closely about their actual conduct.

Establishment

Assigned & Allocated

Item	# in Theatre

Fleet of Blore Heath

A syndicate of pirates who's influence is known across Eastern Keltia, the Fleet of Blore Heath serves as the unofficial military force of the Maritime Markets of the Strait of Haifa. As such, the Fleet oversees the taxation of foreign vessels in the Strait of Haifa, and the plunder of those unwilling to pay.

Establishment

Assigned & Allocated

Item	# in Theatre

Bacchian Vine Fleet

Based in the city of Mylecia, the Bacchian Vine Fleet is a religious community consisting of pirates who sail upon ships constructed from living vines, and who worship the god of wine and madness.

Establishment

Assigned & Allocated

Item	# in Theatre

Fleet of the Rouge Divers

The Fleet of the Rouge Divers is a guild of deep-sea treasure divers who work on behalf of the Regional Investors of the Maritime Markets to salvage goods and treasure from shipwrecks - old and new - in the Eastern Cherusken Ocean and Strait of Haifa.

Establishment

Assigned & Allocated

Item	# in Theatre

Hatch Ministry

Founded in northern Keltia in the aftermath of the departure of Captain Ismael Hatch from the city of Jangsong, the Hatch Ministry is an order or fearsome arctic pirates who regard Hatch as a prophet of Dionysus, sent to spread the word of the Stripping Path to the far north. In support of this belief, practitioners highlight Hatch's unique ability to survive multiple journeys through the haunted wastes of the northern Strait of Haifa as a testament to his status as a divine figure.

In the early 36.60's privateers associated with the Hatch Ministry played an important role in offsetting the role of Shireithian Sea-Reavers operating in the Great Western Sea and eastern Taylor Bay. Operating from the Gulf of Jangsong as far east as the waters surrounding the Brettish Isles, these privateers targetted goods passing between SANE-controlled territories in northern Keltia. In response to these, and other instances of maritime harassment, the Sxiro-Natopian allies introduced a defensive convoy system under the direction of SATCo. With a loss of prospects at sea following the establishment of Satco, many members of the Hatch Ministry returned to land in order to fight, and to raid, along the warriors of the Jogi Regiment. Fighting alongside the Jogi Regiment, the Hatch Ministry primarily sought to capture prisoners who could be ransomed or sacrificed.

As an official sponsored militia of the New Zimian War League, the Hatch Ministry is the largest and best equipped of the various pirate fleets affiliated with the Maritime Markets of the Strait of Haifa.

Pirates who sail under the banner of the Hatch Ministry are widely regarded for their extensive consumption of the psycho-active wine produced by the Blood Vineyards of the Far North.

The Noctic Fleet

The Noctic Fleet is an unsanctioned fleet of Alperkin pirates who operate in the waters and swamps of Lake Morovia. The Fleet, whose members worship Palina Palina - the high alp goddess of the sea - receives its funding through illicit back channels connecting it to the Fleet of Blore Heath and the Bacchian Vine Fleet. Although it is regarded as a member of the Alliance of the Bassarid Oceans, the operations of the Noctic Fleet are not sanctioned by the Haifo-Pallisican Imperial Trade Union.

The most notorious of the individuals associated with the Noctic Fleet is the Bull Roarer, a pirate who wears the head of a bull and who sails along with his companion - a white lion - on a ship known as the Labyrinth, which features a crew made entirely of fierce, bloodthirsty women. During his relatively brief tenure on the waters of Lake Morovia, the Bull Roarer has achieved a status as a semi-divine figure which is revered and feared across the region.

International Responses to Bassarid Privateering

One consequence of the seemingly interchangeable nature and affiliation of ships moving between shipping fleets, privateer outfits and the New Zimian War League is a tendency for Raspur Pact affiliated vessels to err on the side of caution and generally attack first if they espy vessels of the Bassarid type in international waters - particularly in contested waterways such as the gulfs of Jangsong or Zinjibar.

The use of convoy systems, pioneered by SATCo during the war, persisted into peacetime in order to afford greater protection to allied trade fleets.

Constancian treaties encourage the establishment of commerce and fisheries protection flotillas to protect allied and neutral vessels.